Yuan Tianzhu felt his body going limp. He could no longer feel his limbs, as if his body was slipping out of his control—something he despised. Control. He liked having everything in the palm of his hand.
Zezezezizizizizizizizizi!
The high-pitched wails of the Abyss Wraith King buzzed sharply in his head.
The air in the Black Forest thickened, a horrible stench of decay and rot assaulting his nostrils as the creature's massive body moved like lightning. Yet, to Yuan Tianzhu, its movements were as slow as a snail. That monstrous body crept forward, eerily slow, like a turtle, until it reached him.
Yuan Tianzhu watched, eyes wide with horror.
Suddenly, his breath grew labored, his body convulsed wildly, and beads of sweat dripped down his pale face.
"Kekekeke, just fall asleep… it's time for me to take over," a dark voice whispered suddenly in his ear.
A chill ran down Yuan Tianzhu's body as his heart turned cold. Before he realised it, his vision had darkened until he could see nothing but darkness. Yuan Tianzhu's once ocean-blue eyes turned blood-red, as if to reflect an insatiable thirst for chaos.
Yuan Tianzhu took two deep breaths, filling his lungs with the thick, rotten air. His body shivered involuntarily as euphoria coursed through him.
The Abyss Wraith King flashed right past him at an unbelievable speed.
Yuan Tianzhu looked up at the black sky, at the dead, erratically swaying trees, and the stench blood invading his senses. His eyes lit up.
"Yes. This—this is what I needed. Freedom!"
But then he glanced down with disdain.
"This shitty brat is pathetically weak. Using my body in such a degrading way—he truly deserves to die. Tsk… what a pity. If the brats dies, then the great me, Mo Xie Zhe, would also die. Tsk, tsk. Just my rotten luck."
Mo Xie Zhe eyed the Abyss Wraith King with contempt. "Oh an ant? How long have you been there? Must've been a while. Hehehe, it's been so long since I've tasted such freedom—I got lost in thought."
Sniff.
"Damn, you don't bathe, do you? Smells even worse than that stupid boy."
The Abyss Wraith King slashed its claws toward Mo Xie Zhe in the blink of an eye.
Bang!
Mo Xie Zhe felt his bones shatter into pieces, and his blood surge backward. His body flew through the air like a sack of old clothes tossed aside.
Thud!
With a dull sound, he crashed onto the cold black ground of the Black Forest, the stench of rot assaulting his nose. Mo Xie Zhe struggled to his feet, breathing heavily, scarlet blood streaming from his head, mouth, and all over his body.
His arm hung limply, dislocated in a grotesque angle. He didn't look down but frowned, grabbing his dislocated arm and forcing it back into place with a loud snap that echoed through the heavy air of the Black Forest.
"Tsk, tsk, that hurts. This smelly boy must never exercised a day in his life. How can someone be so pathetically weak? Tsk, tsk." He paused, licking the blood that trickled down his face like a wave. "Hahahahahahahaha—"
He suddenly stopped, gasping for air.
"…. Damn, almost choked myself."
"Hm, where was I? Ah, that's right! Hahahahahahaha! Marvelous. Simply marvelous." Mo Xie Zhe licked more of the blood running down his face, making the scene even more grotesque and bizarre.
The Abyss Wraith King looked at him with cold, gleaming eyes, its enormous mouth curving into an equally eerie smile.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Zezezezezizizizi!
The sound of monster and man laughing was all that echoed through the Black Forest.
Then, Mo Xie Zhe launched himself straight at the Abyss Wraith King.
On his pale yet striking face, a wide, sadistic grin stretched almost to his cheeks.
Swoosh!
Clenching his fists, he swung hard at the unsuspecting Abyss Wraith King.
Bam!
A thunderous sound echoed through the air as his fist connected with the monstrous creature, making it stumble back, one knee buckling as it struggled to keep its footing.
"Hahahahahahahaha!" Mo Xie Zhe laughed loudly, savoring the results of his actions.
He'd already figured out that this thing was like a paper tiger. It confused its prey's mind with its cries, hoping to overpower them through the sheer terror of its monstrous appearance. When it attacked, nearly imperceptible sound waves radiated from its body, affecting its target's mind.
Mo Xie Zhe sneered at the Abyss Wraith King, his nostrils flaring. "And once fear took hold... hehehe, it was over."
Because when fear took over, it altered your perception of pain. That's why, when this thing attacked, you felt pain—even though it wasn't actually strong. Fear was a fantastic emotion. It immobilizes you, makes your heart race, your blood pressure spike, your breathing quicken—even your blood flow changes.
It was euphoric.
Mo Xie Zhe shuddered just thinking about it.
One does not defeat fear in its absence, but in its presence. Mo Xie Zhe looked at the Abyss Wraith King. A mocking smile plastered on his handsome face.
"I'm not like that foolish brat. The moment one of you entered my mental domain, this was bound to happen."
Zezezezezeziziziziz!
The Abyss Wraith King roared furiously, its vision turning crimson as its massive body shook uncontrollably. Its mouth opened to unimaginable proportions, emitting a stench of decay. One could see bits of raw flesh and dried blood stuck between its rotten teeth, making the odor even more unbearable to those who smelled it.
"Heheheh. It's useless," Mo Xie Zhe said, unfazed. "Your appearance doesn't even make me flinch—how do you think you're going to scare me?" His tone grew colder at the end of his words. "If I didn't authorise you hit me, how would you even touch me? Did you think you hit me because you're powerful? Because you're terrifying? No, no... you're nothing but a Kit Kat."
Zezezezizizizizizi!
The Abyss Wraith King glared at Mo Xie Zhe and roared furiously, carrying with it powerful gusts of wind.
With a single step, it crossed the distance between them and appeared before Mo Xie Zhe, its massive mouth opening wide to ferociously bite at its opponent's torso.
Mo Xie Zhe, however, stared back with evident scorn in his blood red eyes. He didn't understand why the Abyss Wraith King continued its futile actions, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that it was entertaining him. It had been a long time since he'd had this much fun—especially because of that foul-smelling brat.
Mo Xie Zhe decided to enjoy the moment as much as he could.
With a swift movement, Mo Xie Zhe dodged the attack. The Abyss Wraith King's mouth grazed his left arm, sending a sharp pain radiating through the limb. His expression darkened—not from pain but from anger.
'Yuan Tianzhu, go to hell! How can my beautiful body be this weak?! Ahhhhhh! If it weren't for...'—He cut off his own thoughts, yelling—'Fuck this!'
While he cursed, the Abyss Wraith King roared, its massive body moving with unbelievable speed. Its rotting claws tore through the air toward Mo Xie Zhe.
Mo Xie Zhe's eyes narrowed, and he leapt backward. His feet touched the blackened ground and propelled him upward, flipping backward to create more distance from his enemy. He raised his head, revealing a wicked grin as subtle laughter escaped his lips.
"Hahaha… Yes! Give me more!"
His malicious laughter echoed through the Black Forest.
The Abyss Wraith King stared at him, its glowing eyes shimmering oddly. It couldn't comprehend how Mo Xie Zhe could smile in such a physical state. It was the first time it had encountered such a peculiar prey.
Zizizizizizi!
The Abyss Wraith King roared again, and the booming sound reverberated through the Black Forest. Trees swayed, and the carcasses of regular Abyss Wraiths—slain by Yuan Tianzhu and the others—were swept up by the wind.
"More! More! More! Give me more!"
Mo Xie Zhe screamed, laughing loudly as he ran in circles. His speed wasn't impressive, but it served its purpose. His grin reached his eyes.
Suddenly, he pivoted and shot like an arrow toward the Abyss Wraith King. The latter roared in fury, swinging its rotting claws at Mo Xie Zhe. This time, however, Mo Xie Zhe didn't try to dodge.
The claws tore through his body, sending fresh blood spraying high into the Black Forest. Shattered organs fell to the ground, while some pieces remained stuck to the Abyss Wraith King's rotting claws. Mo Xie Zhe licked the blood trickling down his lips, his wicked smile never fading from his unnervingly handsome face.
"Haha… Hahaha… Hahahaha… More!"
Even with his voice interrupted by his wounds, his laughter echoed through the forest, and the Abyss Wraith King's massive body trembled slightly.
The monster yanked its claws out of Mo Xie Zhe's body with a sharp motion, causing more blood to spray into the air, tainting the atmosphere with a thick, fetid stench.
The smell of blood mixed with rot became even more unbearable in the Black Forest. Mo Xie Zhe dropped to his knees, his expression remaining indifferent. He looked at the enormous hole in his abdomen—now a grotesque hollow ring—as if it were a minor inconvenience.
"Tsk…"
He spat a mouthful of fresh blood onto the ground.
The Abyss Wraith King felt something strange. The air around it seemed to solidify, making each movement more difficult. The temperature dropped quickly, bringing a suffocating sense of oppression. Suddenly, the creature's colossal body began trembling uncontrollably as it stared at Mo Xie Zhe, its breathing turning ragged.
"Already?"
Mo Xie Zhe's voice was cold as ice, carrying a sinister tone. His eyes remained indifferent, though a flicker of disappointment couldn't be hidden within them. He slowly stood up, his movements smooth despite his catastrophic physical state.
He stared at the Abyss Wraith King as if he were looking at something less significant than an insect.
Mo Xie Zhe's piercing gaze made the monster feel as if icy blades had sliced through its entire being. It took a step back but stopped immediately.
It couldn't move.
Its muscles felt locked, frozen in time, beads of sweat dripping down its hideous, repulsive build.
Just then, the King felt true fear for the first time.
A deep, paralyzing, agonizing fear.
Zizizizizizizizi!…
The Abyss Wraith King let out one final roar, but it was hollow—void of power.
Suddenly, the creature's massive body began to disintegrate. Black ashes started falling slowly, scattering across the forest floor like dirty snow.
The monster's putrid stench was carried away by the chilling gusts slicing through the forest, blending into the unsettling silence.
The wind continued to blow, but the Black Forest was now quieter than ever, as if nature itself was trying to process what had just happened…