This chapter is directed to those over the age of 18. Also, everything here is not against either gender, whether male or female.
Bloodlust Euphoria
Gene lay on the bed, sleepless. He brewed himself tea, his gaze drifting listlessly before turning toward the window, staring at the sky. Boredom gnawed at him—yet beneath it simmered something darker... hunger.
But not ordinary hunger. This was a craving of another kind... a thirst for blood. He longed to savor the ecstasy of killing, as if a deadened instinct had awoken within him—as though he were a man accustomed to carnage. And though he was, his memory remained shattered.
He stormed out, fury propelling him forward, desperate to kill yet unsure why. The alleyways swallowed his shadow until he spotted a man walking ahead—a man who carried himself like nobility... or perhaps fallen nobility.
Gene's eyes gleamed with malice. "What does this fool want?"
A smirk twisted his lips, his pupils shrinking like a predator eyeing a meal served on silver.
The stranger: "Lux, my friend! Why the cold shoulder? Have you forgotten our agreement? Tonight is for pleasure! And... since when do you wear your hair over your face?"
Gene chuckled inwardly, his grin sharpening. "Oh, the pleasure will be all mine."
He swept his hair back, flashing a razor-edged smile. "Hahahaha! Forgive me—I was so angry I nearly forgot your name."
His gaze feigned disinterest, but beneath the surface, savagery fermented.
The coincidence was almost poetic. The hotel where this man—"Vern Trikart"—was to meet his friend Lux... was the very one Gene had passed. Tonight was meant to be a debauched rendezvous between Vern and Lux.
But Gene... had taken Lux's place.
His eyes raked over Vern's body, imagining the symphony of slaughter—slaps, violence, the crack of bone—
To Gene, he was mere sustenance. A man like Vern wouldn't notice the danger... but Gene? Gene was a beast coiled to strike.
They drank inside the hotel, laughter spilling like wine—until two women joined them. Gene watched, silent, before turning to Vern with a smile like a slit throat.
Vern: "Choose, Lux! Which one will you fuck?"
Gene drained his glass and laughed. "Hah! I like your thinking, Vern."
He staggered up, unbuckling his belt with a dancer's grace. "Let's all sing together! Come, whores—let's play!"
He thrust cups into their hands, his laughter a discordant tune.
Vern pulled one girl close, kissing her—until Gene's belt lashed across his back.
Vern: "What the hell—?!"
Gene's face burned with euphoria. "Hahahaha! Taste my whip, you bastard!"
Blood speckled his cheeks, his hair clinging like wet threads. The women screamed, but the belt cut them off.
Gene: "Corner. Now."
He flung wine onto their bodies, the liquid mixing with blood. Vern begged: "Lux, please! We've been friends since childhood!"
Their sobs were music.
Gene's strikes painted their skin blue. One girl laughed hysterically, sanity unraveling. He dragged Vern by the neck, looping the belt around his throat—twisting—until vertebrae snapped.
The red-haired girl survived. Gene kissed her trembling lips and whispered: "You'll live... as my doll."
The other girl's heart gave out from terror.
He bathed calmly, then returned to the redhead, smiling as he kicked a corpse aside.
"Clean this mess, my dear bitch... Now, let's continue."
His laughter echoed—a monster's lullaby.
---
His gaze was laughing, thirsty, boiling with blood, and filled with savage enthusiasm. Gene smiled as he looked at Lena with a sadistic glance and said:
"From now on... you will be my bloodhound. In other words, I've found myself a new doll... and you will play with me."
Lena trembled, looking as if terror had completely swallowed her voice. She wanted to speak... but no words came out. The constant crying and screaming had robbed her of the ability to speak. All that remained was a crying face, hollow of hope, filled with despair.
Gene looked at her with satisfaction, like a sculptor staring at a statue he had just finished shattering. Inside, he whispered: "Breaking her... was a success."
But outside, on the other side, stood Lux. The real Lux. The fool who was late, and whose friend had died yesterday... but Gene thought, I won't let him live.
He stepped out of the apartment.
He paused at the door for a moment. "What will I say to convince him?"
Then he smiled to himself and muttered:
"Every incident has its story."
He began approaching, and with every step, he felt something strange — an uneasy, heavy aura radiating from Lux. Something inside him screamed a warning... but Gene paid no mind, like one ignoring a mosquito.
Gene: "Hello... are you Lux, Vern's friend? I've heard a lot about you."
Lux extended his hand to greet him. Gene ignored it. Lux smiled politely and said:
Lux: "Hello... who are you? Vern never told me about you."
Gene (arrogantly): "That bastard didn't tell you about me? Strange, he told me plenty about you... like your weakness."
He winked at him mockingly.
Lux's face flushed. "What did he say to you?!"
Gene chuckled softly, pointing upward as he said:
"Let's go upstairs to the apartment, and solve your problem together."
Lux shook his head regretfully.
"Sorry, I have a mission to cleanse the forests. I'm a rare aura user in the kingdom."
Gene laughed mockingly:
"Oh? Then let's go together. You and me."
Lux raised an eyebrow, surprised by Gene's confidence. He studied him:
**"Your build is strong... your veins stand out... clearly, you're smart. But the forest is full of goblins... and the Lion King is there. I don't think you have the skills."
Gene stepped closer, his face cold as ice. His expression was blank, and his voice whispered the name of death.
"Face me... and I'll show you true skill, Mr. Lux. Don't underestimate men whose metal you don't know. Take it as advice from your grandfather... or shall I say your predecessor."
Lux laughed madly.
"My predecessor? Are you crazy? Who do you think you are?!"
Gene looked at him with pure contempt, then they moved to the massive guild hall.
In the middle of the arena, Gene drew his sword.
It was pitch black, dark as the depths of night. Its remains were still stained from his battle with the army of the dead.
Lux thought: "What kind of strange sword is this? Why does it look like it was carved from a nightmare? I don't feel any aura from it... it can't be an aura user's weapon... yet, it resembles me a lot."
Gene raised his sword with his left hand. This was not a mocking pose... it was a clear intent to kill. His features told you he was not testing, but intending to kill.
The experience etched on his face made Lux break out in sweat. Inside, he screamed:
"If I don't fight with all my strength... I will die here."
---
Passing the Mountain of Death
In Gene's mind, there were no complex plans or calculations for the next move. There was only one thing... killing.
Faint thoughts, stripped of mercy. They piled up and fed on the enemy's gaze, settling in his mind as one repeated tone: "Kill."
Lux was in a completely different world. He entered the arena as if fighting a dragon... or a huge tiger, while he was just a human... naïve, unaware of his place.
Gene moved with a sudden speed. Strangely, a small knife was hidden in his right hand. He suddenly raised it up, with only ten centimeters between it and Lux.
Lux got distracted, his gaze tearing between the sword and the knife. He didn't know which one would strike first. He tried to grab Gene's wrist, but...
That was exactly what Gene wanted.
He laughed quietly, and the knife fell from his hand... as if it were just a small toy. At the same moment, he waved his left hand. His eyes turned fiery red.
The smile on his face was pure evil... as if his prey had finally fallen between his fangs.
Only then did Lux realize this was not a training session. Not a test.
This man... really wanted to kill him.
Lux's aura finally burst forth. He growled low, and his energy exploded into a huge knight that appeared behind him, shining armor raised to block the attack.
But Gene's left hand... kept waving.
Even a three-star aura's power could not restrain that hand.
The strike pierced through the aura's defense like a sword cutting through paper. Gene's power wasn't just energy...
It was brutality.
A punch to Lux's chest, followed by a direct kick to his liver. His body flew and crashed to the ground, gasping for breath. He was unable to move, looking up at Gene from below, his face silent, his features still.
Gene stood over him, his black sword on Lux's neck.
His eyes were red, smiling, a sick grin cutting across his face.
Gene (mocking):
"Hahaha... why haven't you begged yet? All cowards do. Don't you want me to keep you alive?"
"Didn't I tell you I'm your predecessor, fool? Don't laugh again... or I'll show you true torment."
At that moment, Lux saw what he had never seen before.
This man was no ordinary fighter.
He was a king among kings.
A tiger perched atop the mountain of death.
A lion among hyenas.
He looked at him like a student to a master. He reached out, standing hesitantly, his voice trembling but sincere.
Lux:
"Yes... you're right. You are better than me in everything. Calm... fearless... composed... cruel... merciless."
Gene looked at him, a cold gleam in his eyes. Inside, he whispered:
"You will see... true terror. I will never spare you."
---
To be continued...