NOVPUB"The ancient wars of the Old Gods from eons ago couldn’t kill me. Did Dasten think it could take me down?"
"Hmph, even if it revealed its true form, it wouldn’t stand a chance!"
"Foolish human, offer your body to me now. The great Pierce Duminas will make you the most powerful being on this planet!"
Pierce’s soul, imbued with a potent and malevolent force, began to invade Daniel’s psyche.
Facing such an eerie scene, Daniel’s face remained inscrutable.
However, upon hearing Pierce’s intent to dominate his spirit, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
"You... want to take over my body too?" Daniel’s lips twisted into a sardonic smile, his voice dripping with irony. "In this world, there is no power capable of controlling me!"
Pierce retorted with disdain, "Foolish human! On your primitive planet, there’s nothing I, Pierce, cannot achieve! Just obediently offer up your body and bear witness to the rise of Pierce!"
In the next moment, a sinister aura erupted abruptly.
This malevolence instantly shrouded Daniel’s entire mind, aiming straight for the core of his soul.
It was like radioactive waste spilling into pristine waters, contaminating Daniel’s very essence, his soul’s core.
Should the heart of one’s soul be tainted, Daniel would completely lose his sense of self, becoming akin to the dead, a mere puppet to be manipulated.
However, when Pierce’s spirit fully penetrated Daniel’s mental space, he was dumbstruck.
Within the vast expanse of Daniel’s soul, instead of the radiant light typical of an ordinary human, there was an enveloping, oppressive darkness, so thick one couldn’t see their hand before their face.
The only discernible feature within this void was a hovering heart-shaped object in the center.
Darker than anything Pierce had ever seen, its surface appeared distorted.
Drawing near, one could feel an immense force emanating from it— a gravitational pull so strong, it seemed capable of devouring everything.
"What on earth is this guy? Why is his soul so dark?" Panic set in, and Pierce turned to flee.
However, an overpowering force surged from the heart within the shadows.
"Die! Die! Die!"
"Monsters must perish!"
"Cthulhu must fall!"
"As long as I breathe, you shall all be doomed!"
"Atelarxus, be wary not to be slain by another, for your life is mine to take!"
"All who stand in my way to power, all who hinder my revenge, shall face death!"
Countless resentments and hatreds materialized into tangible force, bearing down on Pierce with fury.
This power could morph into any insurmountable force in the world — cataclysmic landslides, engulfing tidal waves, leading to irrevocable doom.
Even Pierce, who hailed from the abyss, found his heart seized with terror at the scene before him.
He exclaimed in disbelief, "Is this truly the soul of a human?"
Pierce never grasped what humans referred to as ’hell.’ But in this moment, he believed that if such a place existed, it would surely resemble this!
Escape!
That was Pierce’s sole thought now.
His essence had been whittled down to a mere wisp of a soul, bereft of significant power.
Faced with the abyss of Daniel’s heart, he couldn’t penetrate it and risked being devoured instead.
Hesitation took hold, and fear coursed through Pierce.
He needed to distance himself from this soul immediately; it was no place for any sentient being!
This being, named Daniel, couldn’t possibly be human! Perhaps, like himself, Daniel had once been a dominant entity, even mightier than Pierce!
Pierce suddenly realized that the roles of hunter and prey had reversed.
From this moment on, he was the hunted.
As he turned to flee, a vast wave of dark spiritual power materialized, knocking him over. An immense vortex slowly formed on the limitless dark sea, sweeping towards Pierce’s soul.
At that moment, Daniel’s voice echoed throughout the expanse like a divine chant.
"Answer my question, and perhaps I’ll spare you."
Hearing this, Pierce, who was struggling on the edge of the vortex, responded immediately, "Ask! I’ll tell you everything I know without reservation!"
Daniel queried, "Why have you come here?"
Pierce hesitated for a split second, getting sucked tens of meters into the vortex. Frantically struggling, he stammered, "I don’t understand what you mean."
Daniel clarified, "Why did you come to Earth?"
Pierce instantly replied, "The Earth was born from the Abyss. For us, it’s a return, not an arrival."
He added under his breath, "Had I not been defeated in the great Abyssal war, I wouldn’t be reduced to this mere wisp of a soul, wandering this exiled land."
Daniel’s brow furrowed slightly, "The Abyss? What place is that?"
Facing this question, the flustered Pierce looked scornful, "The Abyss is a realm, for humans like you, infinitely more terrifying than your conception of hell."
"There reside countless rulers, far mightier than I. They are colossal, viewing Earth as nothing more than a plaything the size of a thumb. With a mere breath, they could effortlessly annihilate every living being on it."
Unfazed, Daniel, with an indifferent gaze fixed on Pierce in the waters, inquired, "Why do you call Earth a land of exile?"
Pierce responded, "Because it confines all the rulers defeated in the Abyssal war. Most of them are sealed in hidden places, while some, like me, are merely fortunate remnants, souls that slumber within Spiritual Artifacts."
Daniel continued, "Was Dasteni also one of the defeated rulers?"
Upon the mention of Dasteni, the expression on Pierce’s face shifted dramatically. "No, it was one of the fortunate victors."
"It is not the original entity, but just a small fragment detached from the main body. Their purpose for staying on Earth is to exterminate us if any of us break free from our seals or awaken from our slumber."
Hearing this, Daniel inquired, "Why did you awaken?"
Surprisingly, Pierce looked equally puzzled. "I’m unsure. After the great war, this remnant of a soul left within me was severely weakened. Under normal circumstances, it might have taken billions of years for me to wake. But during my slumber, I felt an intangible force rousing me. That power wasn’t immense, but it was rich and unlike anything from Earth—likely emanating from the Abyss."
"I initially thought that a being from the Abyss had descended upon Earth. Given my previous connections, it might even have been an old acquaintance of mine. So, I sought out the source of this power."
"However, when I reached its origin, the energy mysteriously vanished, and I found no trace of that entity."
Intrigued, Daniel asked, "Where is this place?"
After a moment’s thought, Pierce replied, "It’s not far from here. By your human measurements, just a few hundred kilometers away. There’s a human military base there. From eavesdropping on nearby conversations, it appears to be named ’Area 51.’"
Area 51?!
Daniel was taken aback.
He suddenly recalled the alien finger he had retrieved from a container not long ago, which was subsequently taken by the personnel from Area 51.
Shortly after that incident, he encountered the monster in Mauritania.
Furthermore, it was the power emanating from that very location that had awakened Pierce.
Could there be a connection between the two?
Daniel was uncertain.
From below, the struggling Pierce inquired, "I’ve answered your questions. Can you now release me?"
"Why should I let you go?" Daniel responded, perplexed.
Pierce’s expression froze momentarily. "You explicitly stated that if I answered your questions, you would spare my life!"
Daniel clicked his tongue in thought. "What I said was, ’perhaps.’ I’m sorry, but you pose a high threat to humanity, ranking as an ’S’ in my view."
"I neglected to introduce myself. I am an investigator for the Global Supernatural Phenomenon Investigation Bureau. Our duty is to eliminate all threats to humanity."
Realizing the ruse, Pierce retaliated sharply, "Deceitful human! You’re reneging on your word! Hmph, I managed to retain a fragment of my soul even after the great abyssal war. You think a mere human like you can exterminate me? Wishful thinking!"
A chilling laugh echoed from Daniel. "Maybe I can’t destroy you on my own, but…" He trailed off, redirecting his words, "Commence retrieval."
The next moment, a system voice resonated within the mental expanse: "Value of the target object incalculable. Replacing with a special reward associated with the object."
As the voice faded, a subtle, yet infinite power surged towards Pierce.
He was oblivious to this force, still clueless about Daniel’s intent.
Soon, he sensed something was amiss. His fragmented soul was visibly fading, his existence waning.
"No!!!"
Pierce unleashed a final scream, and then, both he and his outcry vanished from existence.
The monumental waves settled in an instant, the boundless seascape blinked out of existence, leaving the mental space draped in darkness and silence, save for the rhythmic beating of the dark heart.
In the mall, Daniel’s eyes snapped open.
His body felt renewed, though the back of his shirt had four holes, revealing four noticeable bulges on his skin – a telltale sign of Pierce’s powers.
They were bone spurs, endowed with formidable defensive and offensive capabilities.
