Chapter 124 Who Is The True Horror Now? [part 2]
With a bestial roar that shook the very foundations of the decrepit hall, the monstrous abomination wrenched the obsidian lance from its shoulder, flinging it aside with contemptuous ease.
Brackish blood sprayed forth, splattering the marble floor in a grotesque display of the creature's tremendous vitality.
The abhorrent creature now seemed to face Northern directly, its orby eyes burrowing into his soul, dripping with a palpable ferocity that sent a chill down even his hardened spine.
Unfazed, Northern's smile took on a sinister edge as he flexed his fingers, the black gauntlets creaking with anticipation.
"I too am just getting started," he growled, his voice dripping with sadistic glee that would have sent lesser beings fleeing in terror.
In the blink of an eye, a dozen obsidian lances materialized, hovering behind him as if wielded by unseen forces.
With a mere thought, they shot forward, a lethal volley aimed at the stricken monster's vital points.
Yet the abhorrent monster displayed an uncanny agility for its immense size, weaving through the barrage with unnatural grace that defied its grotesque form.
Its maw unhinged, revealing row upon row of serrated fangs, dripping with corrosive saliva that sizzled upon contact with the floor, leaving behind a trail of acrid smoke.
Undeterred, Northern swung his hand back, materializing a black blade into it – a twisted amalgamation of metal and void essence that seemed to drink in the very light around it.
He charged forth, his movements a blurring black streak, a wraith of chaos and destruction.
The beast met his charge head-on, its massive frame hurtling through the air with the force of a battering ram.
They collided in a thunderous clash, shockwaves rippling through the decrepit hall as blade and flesh met in a frenzy of violence.
Northern's sword clove through the creature's armored hide, spraying foul ichor, yet the monster's jaws clamped down on his shoulder with bone-crushing force.
"Hieek!"
He gritted his teeth, even through his armor, he could feel the fierceness of its teeth grip and it came as a momentary shock.
With a naughty smirk curling his lips, Northern backed away from the monster as it swiped a clawed attack at him, narrowly evading the strike.
He then extended his sword arm and closed his eyes for a moment, gently opening them once more.
As he did, a surge of black flames enveloped the steel of Mortal Blade like tendrils of darkness, licking at the metal with a haunting beauty.
'Now, that I am a drifter, I think I can do this too...'
Northern had seen his father perform this feat a couple of times during their haunt, and it was also something of common knowledge among their kind.
Soul essence became much more refined and smooth when one became a drifter, capable of being handled tangibly, although not at the level of converting to a spiritual release.
Instead, it could be used to subtly reinforce one's body or weapon, boosting speed, strength, or the sharpness of one's blade.
Yet for Northern, the process was distinctly different.
One, he did not wield soul essence but what he wielded was far more potent – void essence.
Two, even as he expended this void essence to fuel this ability, he was not directly using it.
This was merely an active ability of his [Flames Of Chaos] attribute.
Just as Night Terror had used it with its claws and maws, Northern wielded it through his sword and entire body, reinforcing himself with black flames that danced around his entirety like a cloak of eternal night.
In that moment, a tremendous pressure fell upon the atmosphere, palpable and suffocating, as if the very air recognized the horror that now stood before the creature.
Northern was practically a wraith of black flames with four azure eyes burning deep within, clutching a sword of shadow flames that seemed to drink in the surrounding darkness.
With each step he took, the marble floor cracked and crumbled beneath his feet, unable to bear the weight of his augmented body.
The monster, momentarily stunned by the sudden surge of power emanating from Northern, hesitated in its advance, its orby eyes wide with what could only be described as primal fear.
Northern's eyes glowed with an intense azure hue, reflecting the depths of the void that resided within him.
He exuded an aura of malevolence, his very being transformed into an embodiment of chaos and destruction.
The black flames that enveloped him danced and flickered, casting eerie shadows that seemed to writhe and twist in the dimly lit hall, as if reaching out with spectral claws.
As the creature recovered from its initial shock, it let out a guttural snarl and lunged towards Northern once again.
Its claws, sharp as razors, swiped through the air, aiming to tear through the flesh of this flaming being that had so suddenly manifested before it.
But Northern, empowered by the [Flames of Chaos], moved with bullet speed, evading the creature's attacks with an almost ethereal grace.
With a swift and fluid motion, Northern swung his flaming sword, the black flames trailing behind it like a comet's tail.
The blade connected with the monster's hide, slicing through the thick armor as if it were paper.
Dark, viscous blood sprayed into the air, mingling with the brackish ichor that stained the floor in a macabre display of violence.
The creature howled in pain, a deafening sound that reverberated through the hall, shaking the very foundations of the estate.
It reeled back, momentarily stunned by the force of Northern's strike, its massive form staggering as it fought to maintain its balance.
Northern let out a sinister laughter, the sound echoing off the walls in a haunting melody that would have chilled the blood of any who heard it.
As he beheld the monster, powerless before his presence, a twisted sense of joy and ecstasy washed over him, fueled by the sheer thrill of wielding such immense power.
Then he pressed forward, his movements a black blur of speed and precision.
He launched a series of swift assaults, striking with calculated ferocity, each swing of his sword carving deep wounds into the creature's flesh with a disturbing ear to ear grin plastered on his face.
The black flames cauterized the wounds, preventing any chance of regeneration, as if the very essence of chaos itself sought to snuff out any chance of healing.
The monster thrashed and writhed, its movements growing sluggish as its vitality waned, the horror that had once stood at the peak of the food chain of Brimfield estate was now being bullied by this strange human – if human he could even be called.
Who now was the true horror of Brimfield?
Northern, fueled by a mixture of sheer joy and ecstasy that being so powerful brought, pressed on relentlessly.
His eyes burned with a madness that made the monster shudder, its orby eyes seeming to grow wider as it beheld the entity before it.
Could this even be a human?
It had to be a monster too... a far stronger monster...the abhorrent creature probably thought as it witnessed the display of sheer, unadulterated power.
Northern slowly walked towards the monster, the cloak of flames that had shrouded his frame slowly withering away, revealing his lustrous black armor.
He loomed above the beast and turned down with a stare of disdain, as if gazing upon an insect that had dared to challenge his might.
"You were quite entertaining, but I expected you to put up more of a fight," he sneered, his voice dripping with condescension.
The creature shuddered and lowered its head, refusing to stand or continue its assault, the fight utterly beaten out of it in the face of such overwhelming power.
Northern, seeing the reaction, was momentarily struck with surprise.
'I guess it makes sense that if a human is capable of fear, a monster should also be,' he mused, a twisted smile curling his lips.
The result was incredibly satisfying.
'I didn't even use a couple of other abilities. I just experimented using the flames of chaos.'
This only proved that the power of Chaos and Void was not to be looked down upon, a force to be reckoned with in its own right.
And it sought of made Northern even more curious about the identity of the Chaos Prince.
Northern paused and stared at the monster seriously for a couple of seconds.
Then, a resemblance suddenly struck him, his brow furrowing in contemplation.
"Why does this bastard look like a corpse eater?"
Although it was very distinct from the ones Northern had faced in the rift – those did not have this black skin and lacked the orby, soulless eyes – they looked quite similar in other areas.
'Does that mean it's not an Hellion rank but a savage rank?'
Northern was stricken with surprise.
If so, there could only be one explanation for its difference.
'It's either a devil… Abysmal or an apex level…'