It varies from person to person, and even within the same individual, the things that inspire dread shift dramatically across different ages. For instance, San Zai feared the dark as a child, then grew to dread Hei Zai, the undisputed leader of the children in Siqiao Village, and the pale, dried-out fish skeleton displayed in the sun. Now, as a formidable Contractor, he inexplicably wants to turn tail and flee at the sight of a common toad. For someone with a resolute spirit like Fang Senyan, the moment that sudden, inexplicable fear surfaced, a chill ran through him, compelling him to question: Why am I afraid of this brute? Yet, the question found no answer. In plain terms, it was a dread born from nothingness! Therefore, Fang Senyan immediately understood that this primal, groundless terror must stem from the influence of some bizarre ability. This was only natural; how could a creature chosen by the Queen of Blades, who was certain it could defeat him, lack its own arsenal of tricks?
Fang Senyan had selected this location as the battlefield precisely because it offered him a significant advantage. The entrance was tightly enclosed between two sharply pointed rock formations resembling canine teeth, while Fang Senyan himself perched like a hawk atop the highest crag.
High above, watching intently!
If the enemy appeared from the opposite side, Fang Senyan intended to charge down like a heavy tank, reaching the apex of his mental and spiritual momentum the instant they met, and unleashing the full force of his strike. Due to the terrain, the enemy would find only impenetrable black rock walls on either flank. Their only avenue of escape would be upwards, meaning any attempt to dodge would likely result in a far worse injury!
However, because of that sudden surge of fear in his heart, Fang Senyan hesitated, missing the optimal moment to strike.
But he recovered instantly, drawing a deep breath, feeling the faint, stinging pain as the acidic, toxic gas of the "Death Ground" was drawn through his nostrils and spread into his lungs. He then aimed below and plunged downward with ferocious intensity.
If the perfect moment was missed, then a better one must be forged!
Behind Fang Senyan, the eerie phantom of the Sun Staircase materialized. He hurtled forward with heavy, violent momentum, unleashing a right punch that roared and whistled toward his opponent.
Strangely, the enemy showed no intention of evading. Fang Senyan’s fist connected with a bizarre sound, utterly unlike the impact of flesh striking flesh...
Yet, the Pain Messenger was immediately flung backward in a distorted trajectory, crashing heavily against the adjacent black rock face. Debris scattered everywhere as it tumbled to the ground, curled into a ball, and slowly managed to pull itself back up.
Fang Senyan also staggered back several steps, suddenly clutching his right shoulder. At some unknown point, it felt as if a massive, transparent pincer had clamped down, viciously tearing away a large, bloody strip of flesh!
Even stranger, the seemingly tormented Pain Messenger slowly straightened its body from the ground, turning to face Fang Senyan with a sinister, warped smile, and then slowly opened its palm.
In its hand was a piece of bloody flesh!
But Fang Senyan clearly remembered that the enemy’s grotesque arms had been guarding its body; they had never made contact with him!
The Pain Messenger fixed him with the gaze of a predator upon its food, stuffing the piece of bloody flesh into its mouth. It began to chew slowly, savoring it with the delicate reverence of a child encountering a rare treat, the cartilage crunching audibly. Blood spattered as its evil voice seemed to emanate from deep within its belly.
"Her Majesty the Queen only requires your bloody spine, so... the rest of your flesh and blood... is mine!"
Despite his extensive combat experience, Fang Senyan could not fathom how the enemy had managed to strike him, let alone inflict such an injury!
Having finished the flesh, the Pain Messenger stood up as if nothing had happened, tilted its head back with a couple of eerie chuckles, its distorted face twisting as it sneered:
"Pain is my power. Come now, give me more pain!"
As it spoke, it revealed rows of stark white fangs, and the chest cavity that Fang Senyan's punch had nearly collapsed began to slowly inflate, as if being reinflated with air.
This was clearly a creature with astonishing regenerative abilities, coupled with an attack method too bizarre to comprehend!
Fang Senyan immediately recognized that he had underestimated this being called the Pain Messenger. To be precise, while he held the Queen of Blades in high regard, he had still underestimated this powerful woman, and likewise, the scoundrel she had chosen!
Because after landing that solid blow on the Pain Messenger, Fang Senyan even received system prompts:
“You have inflicted damage on the Abomination: Pain Messenger.”
“You are under the influence of the Fear Aura. Your Attack Power will be reduced by 10%, and your Hit Rate will be reduced by 7%. After inflicting damage upon the Pain Messenger, the fear will become deeply rooted in your heart. Therefore, for the next ten seconds, you will tremble in terror and be unable to launch any active attack that could potentially harm the Pain Messenger. This includes normal attacks, skill attacks, item usage, etc.”
“Note: If you previously applied a Damage Over Time effect to the Pain Messenger, that damage will not be subject to the ten-second restriction. However, each instance of Damage Over Time taking effect will reset the ten-second restriction.”
“Note: This ability was created by the Queen of Blades utilizing her own power and thus possesses Domain Authority!”
“Data disruption in progress, data conflict occurring... Recalculating. Awakener No. 1018, due to your talent and unknown factors, the ten-second restriction imposed by the Fear Aura will be weakened to five seconds.”
“For now... I don't know how to deal with this monster...” This was the first thought that flashed through Fang Senyan's mind.
“Therefore... time to prepare for a retreat.” This was the second thought that crossed his mind.
Then, he had no choice but to focus entirely on defending against the Pain Messenger’s attacks. Although Fang Senyan believed that offense was the best defense, under the influence of the Fear Aura, all he could manage at this moment was defense, as he was completely incapable of launching an assault!
Fang Senyan saw a flash before his eyes as the Pain Messenger dropped low like a werewolf. Its elongated limbs moved with inhuman speed, traversing the distance like a spider skimming across water, bringing it directly before him.
Immediately after, as if returning the favor, the Pain Messenger smashed a punch toward his face. Its arm appeared withered and lifeless, like that of a mummy, yet as the blow was launched, the muscles across the entire limb swelled and mutated unnaturally, as if all its vitality, spirit, and strength had instantaneously flooded into that single arm. Merely looking at it gave the strong impression of impending structural imbalance.
Then, the suddenly swollen giant arm snapped forward like a spring compressed to its limit and launched out, striking Fang Senyan’s shoulder with blinding speed. The impact hurled him seven or eight meters, locking his body rigid and causing him to enter a state of paralysis, utterly unable to brace or redirect his momentum in mid-air. He crashed heavily and humiliatingly against the adjacent hard, black rock!
Fang Senyan rolled and scrambled to his feet. Not only was the impact point injured, but blood was now pouring down his cheek from a severe gash. The injury was so deep that it looked as if a starving zombie had taken a massive bite out of his face! The missing chunk of flesh was so large that his teeth and tongue were clearly visible!
The Pain Messenger had only thrown a single punch previously, yet Fang Senyan had again suffered mysterious secondary damage! It was as if a hidden, transparent enemy was coordinating with the Pain Messenger to launch fatal counter-attacks.
“Five seconds are up.” Fang Senyan rose from the ground in disarray, but his eyes held a wild, ruthless glint. “Bastard, now it’s my turn.”
Watching Fang Senyan’s provocative glare, the Pain Messenger continued chewing the bloody flesh and suddenly let out a sinister, cackling laugh:
“Sailor Commodore, I advise you to stop resisting. You have no comprehension of the sheer power of Her Majesty the Queen!”
Fang Senyan stiffened: “You… are you SNAKE? Your personality wasn’t erased?”
The Pain Messenger revealed its ghastly white fangs and sneered: “Yes, I am that foolish SNKAE! If I had known Her Majesty the Queen could grant me such immense power, I would have abandoned my human identity long ago. Stop struggling. Her Majesty desires your spinal cord; against her will, all resistance is futile.”
Fang Senyan said coldly: “Why do you crave power so desperately?”
“Because I need power for revenge! I loathe those damned Protoss who killed my son as easily as crushing an ant! I hate those fat, privileged politicians and officers who sacrifice our honor, rank, years, even lives with a single decree! To make those damned bastards pay, power is absolutely necessary!” the Pain Messenger roared.
“And you will be my first trophy. As a memento, I will cut off your ears, dry them, and wear them as a necklace!”
As the monster shrieked its threat, it charged forward again! Fang Senyan did not retreat, but hidden within his gaze was a deadly, cruel intent. The mechanical glove on his right hand, deliberately held back, was melting like wax. The silvery-white liquid was rapidly solidifying into a distinct shape. Simply looking at the outline gave the sense of intense sharpness, of something untouchable, yet paradoxically, a strange sense of warmth surfaced in the mind...
It was an extreme, twisted manifestation of absolute dominance!
**The strongest weapon currently capable of replication... Demonic Sword Apophis is beginning transformation! RQ