Nolan Mercer kept inching closer to Adrian Vale.
He walked slowly—almost leisurely—dragging out that nasty, rasping chuckle.
"Kehehehe… what? Kid—did I scare you stupid?"
"…"
"Don't be afraid. Big brother's very skilled. I'll make sure you experience the finest 'service' in the world… hehehe…"
"…"
"…Tch. Idiot. That dead face of yours really pisses me off."
He licked his lips, eyes twitching with excitement.
"Let's see how long you stay this calm… once I get started."
"…"
Step after step, Nolan Mercer advanced—each one paired with another taunt.
Adrian Vale didn't respond.
His visible left eye stayed placid, empty of emotion, fixed on Nolan Mercer like he was watching a fly buzz against a window.
That only made Nolan Mercer angrier.
Because he didn't want silence.
He wanted screaming.
He wanted begging.
Only tears and blood could wake the rotten, numb part of his brain.
But Adrian Vale gave him nothing.
Worse—Adrian Vale's gaze felt familiar in a way Nolan Mercer couldn't place.
The harder he tried to remember, the more his expression twisted.
Then—like a switch flipped—he forced himself calm again.
He stopped and stared at Adrian Vale, voice suddenly confident, almost pleased with himself.
"Ah… I get it."
"You're so scared you can't move."
"You know what's coming."
"You know you can't escape."
His face contorted into something sickly ecstatic, like he was talking to himself more than to Adrian Vale.
A beat of silence.
Then he snapped his fingers as if he'd finally remembered.
"Yeah… that's it."
"I've killed plenty of people like you."
His grin widened.
"But in the end—"
"—you all look the same."
"HAHAHAHAHA!!!"
"…"
Adrian Vale still didn't react.
Not a word.
Not a flinch.
Back in the real world
Elder Long, glued to the stream, was shaking with rage.
The moment Nolan Mercer appeared, he'd already ordered Victor Hale to contact the Eastern Isles.
After what Nolan Mercer had done before… it was impossible not to imagine Adrian Vale suffering the same fate.
Dragon Nation had already owed Adrian Vale too much.
If they couldn't protect him now—
Elder Long's veins bulged. His jaw clenched so hard it trembled.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in!"
Victor Hale entered, face tight.
Elder Long rose immediately.
"Well?! Did they respond?"
"…"
Victor Hale's hand tightened into a fist.
He couldn't speak.
That silence was the answer.
BANG!
Elder Long smashed his fist into the table.
"Bastards!"
"Elder Long… what do we do now?" Victor Hale asked, voice hoarse.
He'd demanded the Eastern Isles stop Nolan Mercer at once.
Elder Long had known there was almost no chance they'd listen—
but he'd still clung to that last thread of hope.
Now that hope snapped.
Elder Long forced his breathing steady.
Rage solved nothing.
He had to think—what could Dragon Nation do for Adrian Vale?
But the truth was brutal.
No matter how much power they had in the real world… they couldn't reach into the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone.
And Adrian Vale had his barrage blocked.
Even if they thought of something, they couldn't tell him.
A nation's will—helpless against one psychopath.
That suffocating frustration spread through everyone's hearts.
Back in the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone
After his manic laughter, Nolan Mercer started forward again.
He spoke as if he were being generous.
"Kid, don't blame me…"
"In the old world, I had to worry about laws."
"But in the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone? Strength is everything."
"And weakness is original sin."
"You're wrong for being chosen."
Even more wrong for being so weak.
His smile sharpened.
"Hehehe…"
Nolan Mercer was now less than three meters from Adrian Vale.
With Nolan Mercer's enhanced physique, three meters was nothing—one blink away.
The chat was in full panic.
"This can't go on! Eat-Stream Adrian Vale is seriously in danger!"
"Did anyone think of something?! Hurry!"
"It's useless! Even if we have a plan, he can't see our messages!"
"Run? How? Nolan Mercer is physically boosted—Adrian Vale can't outrun him!"
"So we just WATCH him get tortured to death?!"
"Where's Raven Shaw?! Raven Shaw—SAVE HIM!!"
"Stop calling Raven Shaw… Raven Shaw is in even worse danger!!"
Viewers flooded into Raven Shaw's stream.
And the moment they saw it—
their minds went blank.
A massive, gray-black monstrosity stood before her.
Roughly five to six meters tall, it looked less like an animal and more like a low-rise building on four limbs.
It had a vaguely human-shaped face—yet none of humanity's intelligence.
Its dull hide gleamed with a cold sheen.
Along its spine grew a long strip of hooked spikes—each one flashing with an eerie, murderous light.
And worst of all…
its eyes were pale, lifeless white—
locked onto Raven Shaw like a starving predator that had finally found meat.
Greed.
Bloodlust.
A hunger that didn't blink.
Then the Will of Blue Star rang out:
[Congratulations! Dragon Nation'scompetitorRaven Shaw has encountered a Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone creature! Analyzing… analysis complete!]
[Name: Devourer Beast (B-rank)]
[Traits: B-rankDivine Domain: Forbidden Zone creature! Omnivorous, solitary. Among the most vicious beasts in the entire Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone. Fears neither death nor pain, and its vitality is terrifyingly resilient. Even ordinary A-rank beasts sometimes avoid it. Reason: once it locks onto prey… it becomes kill-or-be-killed—until one side dies.]
The chat went heavy—like a hand closing around the throat.
"We thought Dragon Nation was about to take off… and then we fell straight into the abyss."
"My god… B-rank?! And even A-rank beasts avoid it sometimes? How do you fight that?"
"This isn't something humans can oppose."
"One side is a five-to-six-meter monster. The other is Raven Shaw… are we really getting wiped out?"
"Is the heavens trying to erase Dragon Nation?!"
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