Chapter 61
Bruce, who had been silently watching the scene unfold, stepped forward, his frown deepening as he addressed Drogen.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, his voice firm and tinged with disapproval.
Drogen turned to him, a sly grin spreading across his face.
"Just playing along," he replied, his tone almost casual, though the tension in the air was thick.
Before Bruce could respond, the woman's desperate cries echoed again, pleading for Drogen to save her. Her voice quivered with terror. Drogen moved without hesitation, materializing right in front of her in the blink of an eye. His hand shot out, gripping her throat with deadly precision, and with a sickening snap, her neck broke. The woman crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
"Damn, you're too loud," Drogen muttered, his expression devoid of remorse.
The masked man, sitting on the throne, stared in utter disbelief. His composure shattered as panic flickered across his face.
"What do you think you're doing?" the man demanded, his voice rising in fear.
Drogen turned to him with cold indifference, his steps deliberate as he sauntered toward the throne.
"Look, I don't have time for this nonsense. I need to go save her. So why don't we cut the charade and make this quick? You'll save yourself a lot of pain," he said, his tone carrying a deadly edge.
The man on the throne cursed under his breath. "Damn Kogen, where's that fool?" he mumbled, frustration bleeding into his voice. Then, louder, he bellowed, "Attack!"
In an instant, hundreds of masked men in dark robes materialized out of nowhere, surrounding the room as if they had been hiding in plain sight. The grim reapers behind Drogen leapt into action, engaging the robed attackers in a fierce battle. The clash of weapons and shouts of combat filled the hall, but Drogen didn't flinch. He remained still, his gaze locked on the masked man who sat motionless on his throne.
The man smirked despite the chaos.
"How did you find out?" he asked, his voice taunting but laced with unease.
Drogen's lips curled into a grim smile.
"You should've put more effort into that pathetic disguise. The necklace I gave her when we first met has never left her neck. It's obvious you don't know a damn thing about her. How dare you try to fool me with a fake?"
Golden light flickered in Drogen's eyes, their intensity making the air feel heavier. He wasn't holding back anymore; his power surged unchecked, radiating an aura that made the masked man flinch.
Drogen took a step closer, his voice dropping to a menacing rumble.
"I'll ask you one last time before I send you to hell. How did you gain healing powers? And how do you know about the key inside me?"
The masked man chuckled, his laughter echoing eerily.
"It's not healing powers. It's immortality—just like yours," he replied with a grin, though it faltered under Drogen's glare.
Drogen's expression darkened.
"Don't feed me that garbage. Whatever you have isn't immortality. Because if it were, I wouldn't have been able to kill that woman so easily," he said, gesturing to the lifeless body on the ground, her blood pooling around her.
The masked man's smirk vanished. His gaze darted to the woman's body, and his panic deepened when he realized she wasn't healing or rising.
"What… What's going on? How did you kill her?" he stammered, his voice trembling.
Drogen stepped closer, his tone calm but deadly.
"It wasn't hard to figure out your trick. You're using a Vortex Orb to mimic immortality. Its energy prevents grim reapers from retrieving your souls after death, and it grants you accelerated healing. But there's one flaw in your plan."
The masked man's breath hitched as Drogen continued.
"We're grim reapers. Collecting souls is what we do. And when I take your soul before the orb has time to heal you, there's nothing you can do about it."
The man's eyes widened in horror as the truth sank in. His lips moved soundlessly, his mind racing. Had someone betrayed them? How had the grim reapers discovered their secret?
"You think you've won just because you figured out our powers?" the man said, his voice shaking but trying to sound defiant. "You're sorely mistaken because—"
He didn't finish. Drogen moved faster than the human eye could follow, his palm slamming into the man's face with such force that his head smashed against the stone wall. Blood sprayed as his skull shattered like glass, his body crumpling lifelessly to the floor.
Drogen stared at the broken body, his voice cold and mocking.
"Tsk, tsk. Humans are so weak, yet they cling to power they don't understand. Always reaching for more, even when it destroys them."
The room fell silent as the remaining masked men were either defeated or fled. Bruce and Nicholas approached Drogen, who turned to them without emotion.
"Take care of the rest," he said, his tone flat. "I have somewhere else to be."
Before they could respond, he vanished, his body dissolving like smoke.
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Present
Natasha stared at Drogen as he returned to her, her heart pounding in her chest. Blood streaked his face and clothes, his golden eyes still glowing with unbridled power. He looked terrifying, like a creature pulled straight from a nightmare.
But as his gaze landed on her, the golden light in his eyes began to fade. His breathing slowed, his shoulders relaxed, and his murderous aura dissipated. Drogen stepped closer, his expression softening as he took in her fear.
"Are you scared of me?" he asked quietly, his voice tinged with guilt. "I know I'm a monster."
Natasha's body trembled, her instincts screaming at her to run. But even with all the carnage she'd witnessed, she couldn't bring herself to fear him. Deep down, she knew—Drogen would never hurt her.
"No," she said firmly, her voice steady. "I'm not scared."
Drogen's eyes widened, surprised by her conviction.
"You're not?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper. "You've seen what I can do, Natasha. I kill without hesitation, and I do it in the worst ways possible. How can you not be afraid of me?"
"Because I know you'd never hurt me," she said, her gaze unwavering. "You act like you're cold and heartless, but you're not a monster. Since the day I met you, all you've done is protect me. A monster wouldn't do that."
Her words struck something deep within him. Drogen's chest tightened, he could hear his heartbeat so loud and clear, racing so fast and hard. What was this feeling? It was overwhelming, raw, and unfamiliar.
Suddenly, a sharp pain tore through his body, more intense than anything he'd felt before. He staggered, his vision blurring as the pain consumed him.
"Drogen!" Natasha's panicked voice reached him, but the world around him darkened. His knees buckled and the last thing he saw before collapsing was her face, etched with fear and desperation.