Roman barely had time to react as Neato vanished before his eyes, only to reappear instantly right in front of him. The sheer speed was impossible to track, and Roman's instincts screamed at him to defend. He swung his katana with all his might, aiming for Neato's neck. But the moment the blade touched Neato's hardened, grotesque skin, it shattered into pieces, the steel fragments scattering across the blood-soaked ground.
Neato's expression twisted into a disturbing smile, his lips pulling back to reveal his sharp, protruding teeth. The sound that followed wasn't a laugh but a low, guttural chuckle that seemed to reverberate through the air, dead and gory, like the laugh of a corpse.
Before Roman could comprehend what had just happened, Neato's hand moved faster than a whip, slashing across Roman's left arm with his claw-like fingers. The sensation was like a thousand knives tearing through his flesh. Blood splattered violently on the ground, painting the sand red as Roman staggered backward, clutching his wounded arm in disbelief.
Pain surged through him, but the horror of the situation overshadowed it. He looked at Neato, his breath ragged, the reality of the battle sinking in deeper with each second.
"What are you?" Roman demanded, his voice strained, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and determination.
But Neato remained silent, his monstrous form unmoving. The silence was unnerving, almost as if Neato didn't consider Roman worth responding to. Instead, Neato's eyes, or what remained of them, seemed to bore into Roman's soul, dissecting him, stripping away any facade of strength or hope.
Roman knew he was facing something beyond comprehension, a creature that defied logic, a being of pure darkness. Yet, despite the terror gnawing at his resolve, he refused to back down. He had nothing left—no weapon, no clear path to victory—but his spirit was unbroken.
The tension between them was palpable, the only sound the faint dripping of Roman's blood on the ground. The world seemed to stand still, the air thick with the weight of impending doom.
And then, with a final silent laugh, Neato took a step forward, his mere presence overwhelming, as if the very fabric of reality was bending around him. Roman prepared himself for the inevitable, knowing that whatever came next would decide the fate of everything.
END OF CHAPTER 54