Chapter 209: Shockwave
The change on Red did not stop at the cracks spreading across his skin. As the thin fractures continued to glow faintly like molten heat trapped beneath a fragile surface, his eyes began to change as well. It changed slowly at first before deepening into a darker crimson, a shade so thick it looked as if blood itself had swallowed the whites of his eyes entirely.
The transformation showed deeper power that went beyond appearance, and the moment it completed the pressure in the air grew heavier. It became more suffocating, as if something far more dangerous had just fully awakened within him.
The weaker survivors from both sides felt it immediately. Their instincts reacted before their minds could catch up. Uneasy murmurs spread through the battlefield, trembling voices breaking the silence that had settled earlier.
"W-What is that...?" one of them whispered, his grip loosening on his weapon as he took a step back.
"That’s not normal... that’s not human anymore..." another one of them muttered, his voice shaking as fear tightened around his chest.
Some of them staggered backward involuntarily, unable to keep their ground as their legs moved on their own. They were retreating inch by inch while their eyes remained locked on Red’s figure.
The dread in their expressions deepened and it became clear that whatever stood before them had turned into a terrifying monster.
Myles observed everything in silence before turning his head slightly toward his companions, his expression grave and far more serious than before.
"This battle," he began, his voice low yet steady, "will be just like that time."
The words settled heavily between them, and none of them needed further explanation to understand what he meant.
The memory surfaced immediately in their minds. The image of the black mutated man they had faced before with an overwhelming gap in power that had crushed them without mercy, and the helplessness they had felt as they struggled just to survive.
The situation unfolding in front of them now carried the same oppressive feeling, as if history was about to repeat itself in an even worse form.
George let out a low, angry grunt. His jaw tightening as frustration and unwillingness mixed with the fear he refused to show openly.
Clara remained silent beside him. Her lips pressed together before she swallowed hard.
The others shared similar expressions as they prepared themselves mentally for what was coming.
"Where is Lilian and Seraphina? Didn’t they come to help?" Ethan suddenly asked, his eyes scanned the battlefield to search for any sign of them.
The others also began to look around as well. Their eyes moving across the crimson-lit battlefield, yet finding nothing. There was no trace of the two, nothing that indicated they were nearby.
Myles felt a faint unease rise within him as his brows furrowed slightly. The absence of both Lilian and Seraphina at a moment like this did not make sense.
This was the exact moment they should have appeared to support the fight, yet they were nowhere to be seen.
"What happened to them?" he wondered briefly, the thought lingering only for a moment before he forced it aside. Whatever the reason was, he could not afford to divide his focus now when the threat in front of them demanded everything he had.
"Whatever. Don’t think about them," Myles said as he tightened his grip on his two blades and shifted his gaze back toward Red. "We’ve got a worse problem here."
His stance lowered slightly. His body preparing itself despite the pressure weighing down on him, his attention locking completely onto the enemy ahead.
The others let out quiet breaths, some of them sighing as they shared the same thought.
They did not like entering a battle like this without their strongest allies present, the uncertainty adding another layer of tension to an already dire situation.
But, there was nothing they could do about it now. They could only move forward and face what stood before them.
Somewhere in the back of their minds, they thought that Lilian and Seraphina would appear when things turned truly dangerous. At least that’s what they hope.
Red’s grin stretched wider as his crimson eyes locked onto Michael. A disturbing glint of amusement flickering within them as if he had just remembered something particularly enjoyable.
He tilted his head slightly, the cracks along his face faintly glowing as his lips parted.
"Do you remember your girlfriend?" he asked, his tone casual, almost conversational.
Michael didn’t respond. His body remained still, but the change in him was immediate and unmistakable as the grip around his spear tightened further. The weapon trembled faintly under the pressure building in his hands. The red reflection in his eyes deepened, not from the sky above, but from violent rising within him.
Red watched him for a moment, then let out a low chuckle, clearly entertained by the silence.
"She tasted good," he continued without hesitation, his voice almost thoughtful, as if he were recalling something pleasant.
That was enough.
"HAAAAAAA!!!"
Michael’s composure shattered completely as a raw scream tore out of his throat. The sound filled with fury and pain that had been buried deep within him until now.
His body moved the instant the scream left him. He surging forward with explosive force as his spear ignited with flames licking along its length as he charged straight toward Red without holding anything back.
But Red only laughed.
"HAHAHA!"
The sound came out sharp and mocking, and in the very next moment a violent shockwave erupted outward from his body. The ground beneath his feet cracked instantly. The fractures spread outward in jagged lines as if the earth itself could not withstand the pressure.
The air around him warped, twisted, and distorting visibly under the intense force, while a searing heat radiated outward across the battlefield like an invisible tide.
Michael’s charge halted abruptly.
The force hit him head-on and stopped his advance as his body strained against the overwhelming pressure pressing against him.
The heat burned against his skin. The air turned hostile as it pushed back as he tried to move forward, forcing him to brace himself just to remain standing.
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