The stillness in the air felt heavy, as if the very city itself held its breath. Dave stood over Nocturne's crumbled form, a flicker of frustration crossing his face. He raised his hand, and a familiar sensation washed over him as he activated his mind control ability. Tendrils of mental energy stretched out, seeking to pierce into Nocturne's mind and extract whatever information he could find about the higher beings that Nocturne mentioned before his death.
But instead of the expected flow of memories, his power met with something unyielding—like a wall of iron, cold and unbreakable.
"Why isn't this working?" Dave muttered, his brow furrowed in concentration. He pushed harder, pouring more energy into his ability. Sweat formed on his brow, but nothing changed. It was as if Nocturne's mind had been locked shut.
A frustrated growl escaped Dave's lips. "Bella," he called out. "Why can't I access his mind? I've done this dozens of times. My control over minds is supposed to be absolute."
Bella's voice responded immediately, her tone calm and analytical. "Dave, not everyone's mind is accessible, even with your abilities. In some cases, individuals may be naturally immune to mind control or have undergone special training to resist it. But Nocturne's situation is different."
Dave's eyes narrowed. "Different? How?"
"There's a seal in place. A powerful one. Whoever sealed Nocturne's mind did it with the intent of blocking any intrusion," Bella explained. "The seal is so strong that even you, at Rank SS, can't break it."
Dave's gaze darkened. He clenched his fists, feeling his power flare up inside him. "A seal? Then who could have put it there? Is it someone stronger than Rank SS?"
Bella hesitated for a moment, as if considering her response. "It's possible, but not necessarily. Seals are a unique type of power—one that requires precision and knowledge rather than brute strength. Whoever did this is highly skilled in that area, or they might be someone who surpasses the limits of what we know as Rank SS."
Dave took a step back, trying to contain his frustration. "So, I can't get any information from him? There's nothing I can do to break this seal?"
"Not at your current level, no," Bella said softly. "It's likely that this person—or being—put the seal in place to hide something extremely important. There may be a way to break it, but you'd need to know more about the nature of the seal and the one who created it."
Dave fell silent, his mind racing. He didn't like the idea of being stonewalled like this. The memory of Nocturne's last words echoed in his ears—about the higher beings who would come for him. He had to find out more, but right now, his only lead was blocked off.
"So I'm stuck?" Dave asked, his voice edged with frustration.
"For now, yes," Bella replied gently. "But don't worry. We'll find another way. We always do."
Dave exhaled deeply, letting his frustration melt away. There was no use in dwelling on something he couldn't control at the moment. He shifted his focus back to his original mission: the extermination of the remaining superhumans in the city.
"How many are left, Bella?" he asked, his tone taking on a hardened edge.
Bella's voice carried a touch of concern. "There are approximately 30 more superhumans in this city. None are above Rank S. They're scattered, mostly in small groups, but there's a large concentration of them at the base near the city's entrance."
Dave's eyes gleamed with a cold, calculating light. "Good. I'll start with that base and clean them out. I'm not letting anyone like Nocturne or his associates escape. Not after what I've seen."
His thoughts flickered to the gruesome scenes he'd witnessed earlier. The mangled bodies of innocents, the twisted experiments that had been conducted on humans to transform them into monstrous, brainless superhumans. He had seen children, elderly, and women who had been used as little more than fodder for cruel experiments.
A deep-seated rage simmered in his chest. No one who had a hand in this would be allowed to walk away alive.
He walked purposefully toward the entrance of the city, where Bella had indicated the base was located. It was a nondescript building, the kind that blended into the surroundings—unremarkable from the outside. But Dave could feel the presence of the superhumans within, their auras radiating aggression and malice.
"Let's see what's hiding inside," he murmured. Then, with a flash of power, he teleported directly into the heart of the base, appearing in a wide, open hall filled with rows of equipment and dozens of superhumans milling about.
For a heartbeat, everything was silent. Then the superhumans turned, their eyes locking onto Dave's form. Recognition flickered across some of their faces—recognition and fear.
Dave's smile was devoid of any warmth. "Hello, everyone. I'm here to finish what I started."
Without warning, he moved. In an instant, he was gone, reappearing amidst a group of superhumans with his daggers drawn. The black blades, glowing with orange energy, sliced through the air with lethal precision. Blood sprayed as he cut through the first wave of enemies, his matter control amplifying each strike, adding crushing force to every blow.
Screams echoed through the hall, but Dave didn't stop. He teleported again, this time appearing above a cluster of superhumans who had started to regroup. He raised his hand, and a surge of power erupted from him, compressing the air around his enemies and crushing them with invisible force.
Chaos reigned as superhumans tried to flee, only to find Dave everywhere at once. His teleportation ability made him an unstoppable blur, appearing and disappearing faster than they could react. His daggers found their marks, cutting down Rank Bs and Rank As with terrifying ease.
One by one, they fell, their bodies hitting the ground with heavy thuds.
Bella's voice cut through the carnage, calm and clear. "You're halfway through. Fifteen more left."
Dave nodded, his gaze scanning the hall for any remaining enemies. His heart pounded, not with exertion, but with the thrill of the hunt. He was in his element—destroying the evil that had preyed on the innocent for too long.
He teleported again, this time to a smaller room off to the side. A group of superhumans were huddled there, their expressions twisted in fear and desperation.
"P-Please!" one of them begged, holding up his hands in a futile attempt to shield himself. "We were forced into this! We didn't have a choice!"
Dave's eyes hardened. "Everyone has a choice. And now you've made yours."
The room filled with the sound of steel cutting through flesh, and when the last body hit the floor, Dave stood alone amidst the carnage. Blood dripped from his blades, pooling at his feet, but his expression remained impassive.
"Bella, how many now?"
"Just three left, Dave. They're in the next room."
Dave strode forward, his steps echoing ominously. He pushed open the door to find three figures cowering behind a table, their auras flaring with panic.
"Goodbye," Dave whispered, and with a single motion, he cut them down.
Bella's voice chimed softly in his ear. "City cleared."
Dave exhaled slowly, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. But as he looked at the bodies strewn around him, he felt no remorse. These people had chosen to stand on the side of evil, and he would eradicate them all.
"Any updates on higher-ranking beings?" Dave asked, his voice steady.
"As far as I can tell, you're still the highest-ranked known entity," Bella replied. "But I'll keep searching. There's always more to uncover."
Dave's gaze hardened as he glanced at the lifeless forms around him. "Good. Let's keep hunting."