Yuan Tianzhu and the others stared, paralyzed, as the child slowly drifted closer to the monster's gigantic maw with incredulous eyes.
Time seemed to flow slowly. Yuan Tianzhu could see the monster, humongous as a little mountain, shaped like a reptile with its strong, large arms and legs looming tall and straight. Its body was eerily semi-transparent, sometimes appearing real, sometimes unreal; casting a spectral glow through the Black Forest.
'What?!'
His heart leaped as an uncomfortable feeling grew in his chest. His ocean-blue eyes opened wide.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
A betrayal to ensure one's survival was something that he had expected here.
In this dangerous Black Forest, he didn't trust anyone but himself. These man-eating people were merely tools to guarantee his survival. Never, he would leave his life in the hands of someone else. He liked the feeling of being in control.
However, he didn't… he didn't just expect that the one doing it would be the ragged old man.
Even more, sacrificing his own grandson!
Crunch!
The sound of something being crushed echoed through the Black Forest, like a lullaby from hell.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!....."
Then an anguished shriek sounded heavy in the stagnant air. The child's eyes became red-blooded, as excruciating pain ran through his little body. He felt his body being tore in two, currents of endless pain surging through him.
'G-grandpa… I… d-don't want to die… W-why?... W-why grandpa?... W-wasn't Little Yu a good boy?... I… I m-miss mommy and daddy...'
His high-pitched, and wretched wails filled the Black Forest, making anyone hearing it feel his scalp cold and itch.
His eyelids becoming heavier and heavier, his vison blurring, his wails becoming less prominent as he looked one last time at his grandpa… who treated him well till this day…
He couldn't believe it. But that didn't mean anything, his clear eyes robbed of the cheerful and innocent color on them, becoming gray and dull as death embraced him like a caring mother.
'So warm—'
The monster had opened its humongous mouth, filled with rotten, sharp teeth, tearing the child's body apart piece by piece.
The child's body convulsed as the monster's sharp like razor teeth tore his smooth belly split open, with his internal organs spilling out as blood splattered everywhere like a red river pouring out.
Bloody intestines dropped to the ground with a low thud, staining the Black Forest's cold, dark ground red as foul stench emanated from it.
The monster paused, trembling, as if savoring the taste, had its eyes glowing with perverse joy.
However, not yet satisfied, the monster extended its rough and dark tongue, as large as a grown man with grotesque delicacy, down toward the flat and dark ground.
Wasting none of that warm, red liquid, licking it as if it were divine nectar.
Yuan Tianzhu and the others watched this scene, horrified.
They stood there like mannequins; immobile and rooted in place.
Their bodies quivered uncontrollably as blood splashed on them, painting them red. The ragged old man had already moved out of the monster's line of sight, his breathing fogging, with no sign of remorse on his wrinkled and sweat-soaked face.
On contrary. He was…
Smiling.
As for the middle-aged man, he stood still, his empty eyes and clattering teeth betraying his fear. "A-abyss…."
The young woman, unable to bear it, turned her head to the side and immediately emptied her stomach. A nauseous stench of rot tainting their noses, making them grimace as their faces turned deadly pale.
However, the monster ignored their reactions. Its cold eyes glancing at them momentarily, making Yuan Tianzhu's legs almost give up.
'Holy fuck!'
Then, it stretched out its massive tongue, engulfing the lower half of the child whole.
Crunch!
Sickening, squelching noises echoing from its malevolent mouth filled the air.
After consuming the child's lower half completely, the monster moved on to the main course: the upper body.
Sunk!
Its enormous teeth sank fully into the child's chest, blood spurting everywhere, making the already thick air of the Black Forest feel even thicker. It used its teeth to drain the blood from the upper body as if reluctant to waste any.
The sharp, rotten, and gigantic teeth clamped onto the child's chest. And over time, the upper half of the body turned paler, like cotton, dry as a desert, and thin as a stick.
Thud!
Only after the child's upper body was reduced to a mummy, did the monster toss it out of its mouth.
It landed on the ground, lifeless, with a dull thud, and hollow eyes.
A cold shiver ran through Yuan Tianzhu's scalp.
'Move.'
He commanded himself.
He couldn't move.
No matter how hard he tried, his body refused to move.
'Move. Move! Move!'
Yuan Tianzhu clenched his teeth hard, biting his tongue in the process, blood tickling down his chin. It was as if his body were rooted to the dark red ground.
Cold sweat dripped down his pale face, making him feel hollow. His body drenched in a foul mix of blood and sweat, with the stench of death drifting closer and closer, closing in like a predator.
The monster raised a clawed finger and made a cut in the left side of the child's chest, its massive nail piercing slightly within.
No blood came out of the carcass; the monster lifted its finger and pulled out something that looked like a pale red pouch, lifeless.
The creature's enormous eyes curved into what Yuan Tianzhu could only interpret as a sinister smile from the shape of its gaze.
Zezezezeihihihihihih!
A deafening noise erupted from its gigantic mouth, nearly bursting Yuan Tianzhu's and the others' eardrums.
It was as though this monstrous being was thrilled, finally celebrating the main course of its feast.
"Don't move."
The middle-aged man grasped his head.
When he pulled his hands away, he could see blood smeared on them. He looked at the monster with wide eyes filled with terror. Even if he tried to calm himself, his heart wouldn't stop racing uncontrollably. The middle-aged man turned to the ragged old man, his trembling eyes cold as steel.
"I won't take into account what you just did for now."
"W-what the hell is that?" the young woman asked, still visibly shaken by the earlier events.
Yuan Tianzhu's ears perked up; he wanted to know too. Afterall this monster had appeared out of nowhere. While he also distanced himself five steps from the ragged old man, just for self-preventive motives.
The ragged old man noticed his actions and snorted coldly. "Tsk, if you knew what this thing has done to the other fifty unfortunate souls…" He hesitated momentarily. "You, young man, would be thanking me for saving your ass."
"W-what the hell is that thing?!" The young woman's eyelids fluttered with fear. Seeing that nobody had answered her question, she asked again, but this time she added more volume. She… couldn't help. Watching such horrifying, and gore scene and be calm was work of the devil.
"Shhh… speak more quietly. That thing is in a moment of digestion. It won't concern itself with us for five minutes."
"So that means we only have five minutes to live?" Yuan Tianzhu interrupted.
"Tsk, tsk. Young man, you should be grateful. Five minutes of peace before we're slaughtered like pigs and dying a dog's death—Isn't that great? Happy? If so, you should thank me—I mean my defund and lovely grandson." The tattered old man laughed coldly; his gaze filled with disdain as he looked at Yuan Tianzhu.
'Truly heartless. Well, this environment obliged him to be. If not, he wouldn't have survived longer than the fifty pitiful souls. If I were in his place… I would probably do the same. Right?' Yuan Tianzhu remained silent as he stared at the ragged old man's wrinkled face.
Though he didn't want to admit it, the ragged old man was right. Time was essential. Five minutes felt like an eternity in a desperate situation – and desperate situations required desperate measures.
"That thing is an Abyss Wraith King." The middle-aged man glanced subtly at the Abyss Wraith King before continuing. "It craves the blood of living beings, unlike the common Abyss Wraiths, which are solely satisfied with the emotions of fear."
"Common Abyss Wraiths, can create an illusions domain where they have control to better terrorize their prey." added the ragged old man.
"Why did only appear now?" the young woman bite her fingernails as her body shivered incongruously.
"…."
The middle aged man and the ragged old man suddenly went still.
The biting cold freezing their bodies. The sharp air whistling.
"What you mean?" The young woman started to freak out as her breathing became ragged. She greedily attempted to take in deep breaths to calm herself.
"Calm yourself."
Reminded the middle aged man.
"Calm down? How can you stay in this situation?! Are you crazy?!" shouted the young woman. Her bloodied eye gushing blood in anger.
"Calm down."
"Don't bother. She lost it."
Yuan Tianzhu looked at them silently. They're certainly hiding something. And that that's something they don't want us to learn. I shouldn't trust what they're saying. Partially, of course.
Suddenly.
'This! If common Abyss Wraiths can create illusions domains, which they control,' Yuan Tianzhu's eyes lit up as if a light bulb had been switched on, 'Then, that's why I fainted for a few seconds back then. Wait. What happened after I fainted? Could be?...' Yuan Tianzhu's heart went cold. He started sweating like crazy as his body quivered slightly.
"What's wrong with you?" the middle-aged man looked at Yuan Tianzhu suspiciously.
"He's probably out of his wits too," snorted the ragged old man. Hmph! Bunch of weaklings! Lucky, they're still useful… If not.
"Hm, nothing." Yuan Tianzhu casted a glance at him. He didn't fail to notice the ragged old man's sinister eyes. His heart went cold. Looks like they want to kill us. But why they didn't earlier? It's because we're more useful alive than dead? Yuan Tianzhu didn't know. But he wouldn't let his fate in an another person's hands. Never.
"S-top fighting. T-that thing is still there." The young woman tried to alleviate the surging tension. It seemed that she managed to calm herself. But her trembling voice and body said otherwise.
"It's not like that thing will free itself sooner?" joked Yuan Tianzhu.
The middle aged man nodded.
"She's right. Stop fighting inutility. We have—"
Zezezezeziziziziziziziziziziziziziziz!!!
Yuan Tianzhu and the others immediately turned their heads.
There, was he, the Abyss Wraith King. Its humongous body, tall as a little mountain shivering uncontrollably. As if it was liberating itself from some constraints. Its body bulged; its legs stretched like it was alleviating itself after an arduous jog. Its arm ripped through the air as it moved.
But the most disturbing thing was its eerie and cold eyes. Smiling and gleaming with a cold glint. It looked toward Yuan Tianzhu with a mocking gaze, as if asking: 'Why aren't you speaking now?'
The middle-aged man face paled instantly, the feeling of death overcoming him. His body shivered as he looked at Yuan Tianzhu with murderous intent.
He felt his blood surging backwards as his eyes rolled.
And he fainted.
The ragged old man cast a cold and reprimanding glance at Yuan Tianzhu, as if blaming him for his jinx.
Whereas the young woman fell on her but, feeling her body turning cold as a corpse.
Yuan Tianzhu looked at the Abyss Wraith King.
It looked back at him.
The air stifled.
Yuan Tianzhu smiled innocently and gave it the middle finger.
Swoosh!
It lunged towards him like a lightning bolt.
'Fuck me sideways' was his last though before he fainted yet again…