Chapter 182: The Devourer

Few Hours PriorDraven sat on the ground inside a fairly lit room, surrounded by a pool of blood.

Beside him, the gorgeous dark hunter lay in her own blood. Wet, choking sounds escaped from her mouth as her slender hands wrapped weakly around her slit throat.

Draven stared at her coldly, yet inwardly, he enjoyed the sight of her suffering. He had personally ensured that he did not give her a quick death like he had done with her colleagues.

The others he killed out of hunger. For the few days he had spent in this facility, he had only been fed normal meals, with not even enough protein in them. Such dishes were not enough to calm, talk more of satisfy the hunger within him. Thus, the moment his ability to use aether returned alongside his strength, the first thing he did was feast, slaying the other dark hunters and leaving only the woman alive.

She lifted her hands weakly, as if pleading for him to end her life.

But Draven simply watched.

While they were all in here, she had once made a comment about her becoming his big sister, and how he needed no other.

The comment was simply playful, even harmless, but a strong hatred had blossomed within him the moment he heard it. From that day onward, he had sworn to watch her suffer.

He enjoyed her final moments, watching until her hands finally fell limp, her wet choking sounds ended, and her life faded away.

She died.

Draven stared at her corpse for a while longer before finally strolling away.

He punched a hole through the walls that wrapped around them, as there was still no exit even after the aether concealment had stopped. This room also had no real doors, leaving him no other choice.

Stepping into the hallway beyond, he discovered that everywhere was empty.

Yet, he could hear a great deal of noise. It was the same sound he had heard while still inside the prison chamber, but this time, it was far clearer.

He followed the sound, which eventually led him to the cracked walls of the floor, torn open due to the deteriorating state of the building.

Standing at the edge, he quietly observed the chaos unfolding outside.

Humans were being devoured like nothing more than snacks by the monsters rampaging through the streets. There were even more human corpses scattered across the ground than the number of monsters roaming freely.

He even spotted a few monsters feasting on their own kind, as the humans were no longer sufficient to satisfy them.

His face twisted in mild disgust. What kind of being would resort to devouring itself?

As he continued observing, thoughts of his sister suddenly emerged.

Seeing the state of the streets, panic slowly rose within his mind regarding her whereabouts.

He wondered where the Hunter Association had taken her and whether she was still alive amid this mayhem.

Unfortunately, there were no hunters around for him to question. Even before he had been locked up, no matter how much he asked, no one had ever revealed her location.

As he continued observing, he suddenly spotted a toy lying on the ground, one he quickly recognized.

It was his sister’s favorite toy.

Without any pause, he leapt down from the height he stood at and landed on the ground close to it.

The monsters nearby noticed his sudden arrival and immediately lunged at him in anger.

He stretched out both hands casually and released a barrage of sharp icicles. The barrage continued even after he lowered his hands, slaughtering the monsters one after another without pause.

He squatted down and picked up the toy.

His eyes focused on the stitches sewn onto it. They were hand sewn rather than machine sewn, as they should have been.

The exact stitching pattern was the one he had used himself when he made the toy for her back when they were still in the Deadlight District.

It was unmistakably her toy.

As he stared at it, every possible scenario that could have caused the toy to be left behind on the chaotic streets surfaced in his mind.

But he gently shook his head.

There was no way she could be dead.

He looked around desperately, attempting to find his sister, but all he saw were dead bodies. Mutilated, chopped apart, and some even ground down into unrecognizable paste.

Seeing the state of the surroundings, he realized his premonitions had been correct. His sister had been killed.

At that moment, rage began to grow within him.

He recalled the promise Marlon had made to protect his sister.

But he had failed to fulfill that promise.

If only he had not listened to Marlon and instead carried out his revenge in the Deadlight District, his sister would still be by his side, alive.

Clenching his fists tightly, he swore to find him and kill him.

And so he did.

====

Marlon landed heavily into a heap of flesh he had personally created.

His body was badly pierced by bones and sharp debris scattered across the ground, and his clothes were torn beyond recognition.

Fortunately, the Crimson Sovereign Physique activated, and healing began almost instantly.

Marlon stood up from the heap, his eyes tracing toward the one who had sent him flying.

Draven.

Draven was standing at his previous position.

The white haired young boy was wearing the prison uniform of the Hunter Association, bloodstains covering it, though Marlon did not bother to determine whose blood it was.

And at this moment, Draven was staring at him as though Marlon had slaughtered his entire family.

Well, technically and indirectly, he had.

Draven ignored Norian, who was standing beside Marlon.

He ignored the bone dragon hovering midair and the strange humanoid standing atop it.

His focus was fixed entirely on Marlon, and Marlon alone.

Norian’s hands glowed with thick red energy, ready to deal with Draven given how close he was. However, before he could act, he saw Marlon shake his head slightly, signaling him not to intervene. Norian immediately retracted his energy.

The Aurax, on the other hand, stared at Draven with amazement and curiosity. The curiosity on its face far surpassed what it had shown when it discovered that Marlon possessed the power to cheat death.

’A human with the soul of an absolute beast,’ it thought to itself. ’Arden is indeed filled with unique talents, just as the rumors said.’

It then turned its gaze toward Marlon, who had already stepped away from the heap of flesh.

The Aurax signaled the bone dragon to fly higher, granting it a clear view of the battle that was about to begin.

"Draven, what is all this?"

Marlon wiped the dust off his shoulder and asked in a disgruntled tone. He genuinely did not understand the sudden outburst of rage.

Draven took a fierce step forward.

"You allowed her to die," he declared.

Marlon frowned. Who had he allowed to die?

"What are you talking abo," he began, but was interrupted before he could finish.

"My sister!"

Draven’s voice grew louder and firmer.

"You promised nothing would happen to her. You said she would be okay as long as I gave myself up. But you fucking lied!"

Marlon finally grasped the situation.

Draven’s sister had been taken to a safe location long ago, even before the world ending catastrophe had begun.

He was about to explain the misunderstanding when Draven suddenly charged toward him.

The two of them clashed violently.

This time, Marlon was not thrown back. He stood his ground and met Draven’s attack head on.

Draven unleashed a barrage of punches, all of which Marlon stylishly evaded despite their incredible speed.

Even in the heat of the moment, Marlon attempted to reason with him. However, just like in the Deadlight District, Draven was blind to logic. When things did not go his way, he preferred to speak with his fists rather than words.

The exchange continued, growing fiercer by the second.

To Marlon, the punches were largely ineffective thanks to his quick reflexes, rapid recovery, and his unique ability to defy death, which made him unafraid of dying.

However, the same could not be said for their surroundings.

Nearby buildings were leveled.

Massive cracks spread across the ground.

The corpses of monsters were ground into paste from the sheer force of their blows.

From behind, Norian analyzed Draven’s strength, placing him at S Rank.

Yet the results he obtained were unlike anything he usually received when analyzing humans. Instead, it felt as though he was scanning the power of a beast.

Strange.

He muttered quietly to himself.

Meanwhile, the Aurax was completely absorbed in the battle, its focus fixed on the two combatants without wavering.