Chapter 9: A Monster's Choice
Darkness settled without a sound.
Still, the air waited.
Too quiet.
Flickering neon bathed Silverhaven's sidewalks in shades of blue and gold while streams of sky traffic moved between towering buildings above. The city never truly slept.
Fenrir Endarth walked alone.
His hands remained buried inside his jacket pockets as countless thoughts tangled inside his mind.
Only a few days ago, his biggest concerns had been classes, assignments, and whether he could afford dinner.
Now?
He was apparently the last survivor of an extinct race.
Monsters existed.
Magic existed.
And according to OBLIVION, powerful beings would eventually come for him.
'My life became insane way too quickly.'
A tired sigh escaped his lips.
Then—
A scent drifted into his nose.
Metallic.
Warm.
Blood.
Fresh blood.
Every muscle in his body instantly tensed.
That strange hunger returned.
A low growl almost escaped his throat before he forcefully suppressed it.
Fenrir frowned.
Again.
That instinct.
That hunger.
'Not now.'
Then he heard it.
"...P-Please..."
A trembling voice.
Barely a whisper.
Fenrir stopped walking.
A narrow alley stood to his right.
And inside—
A young woman lay against the wall.
Blood soaked her shoulder.
Her body trembled violently.
Standing before her was a man.
No.
Something pretending to be a man.
He looked to be around thirty.
Silver hair.
Handsome features.
An expensive black suit.
Elegant.
Refined.
Completely ordinary.
Except for his eyes.
They glowed crimson.
Then he smiled.
Two sharp fangs slowly revealed themselves.
The young woman shivered.
"I-I don't have any money..."
A quiet chuckle escaped the man.
"I'm afraid money isn't what I seek."
His voice was gentle.
Polite.
Like a businessman having an ordinary conversation.
"I only require a little blood."
Fenrir's eyes narrowed.
'So vampires are real too.'
The man slowly turned.
Crimson eyes met crimson eyes.
The smile on his face faded.
"...Interesting."
His gaze swept over Fenrir.
Then he frowned.
"You're not human."
Fenrir remained expressionless.
"Neither are you."
Silence.
Then a small smile returned.
"How rude."
He placed one hand over his chest and bowed slightly.
"My name is Lucien Valmont."
"And who might you be?"
Fenrir didn't answer.
Lucien didn't seem offended.
Instead, his expression became thoughtful.
"You've awakened recently."
"Your aura is unstable."
"And yet..."
His eyes narrowed.
"There is something about you..."
Something ancient.
Something terrifying.
Suddenly—
A chill ran down his spine.
Every instinct in his body screamed.
Run.
Escape.
Kneel.
For the first time in more than a century—
Lucien felt fear.
[Target Identified.]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Name: Lucien Valmont
Race: Vampire
Rank: Elite
Level: 21
Status: Healthy
Threat Level: Extremely Dangerous
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Fenrir nearly sighed.
'Another monster stronger than me.'
[Current chance of survival: 19.2%.]
'Must you keep giving me percentages?'
[Affirmative.]
'...'
Lucien suddenly smiled.
"You're amusing."
"You clearly know nothing about our world."
"So why interfere?"
Fenrir looked toward the girl.
She couldn't have been older than eighteen.
Her body trembled.
Fear filled her eyes.
Those eyes...
They looked familiar.
Broken.
Helpless.
Abandoned.
For a moment—
He saw himself.
Lying in an alley.
Bleeding.
Alone.
Fenrir looked back at the vampire.
"Because someone should."
Silence.
Lucien sighed.
"What a troublesome answer."
"You remind me of someone I once knew."
His smile faded.
"And he died because of that kindness."
Fenrir remained silent.
Lucien's eyes grew cold.
"So will you."
BOOM!
He disappeared.
Fast.
Far too fast.
Every instinct inside Fenrir screamed.
He moved immediately.
His body twisted.
A kick barely missed his head.
BOOOOM!!
The wall behind him exploded.
Fenrir's eyes widened.
'So fast!'
Lucien looked surprised.
"Oh?"
"You reacted?"
Then—
He vanished again.
BOOM!
A fist slammed into Fenrir's stomach.
His eyes widened.
Before he could react—
A punch struck his jaw.
Then an elbow.
Then a knee.
BOOM!!
Fenrir crashed through a brick wall.
Pain exploded throughout his body.
He couldn't even see the attacks anymore.
The difference between them was overwhelming.
Lucien slowly walked forward.
"You possess excellent instincts."
"But your combat experience is terrible."
Fenrir slowly stood.
Blood dripped from his lips.
Everything hurt.
His arms.
His ribs.
Even breathing was painful.
Lucien was different.
Every movement was precise.
Controlled.
Elegant.
Deadly.
Like someone who had spent centuries fighting.
The vampire sighed.
"I truly don't enjoy killing children."
"So leave."
Fenrir spat blood onto the ground.
"No."
Lucien blinked.
"You humans are surprisingly stubborn."
"I'm not human."
The words escaped before Fenrir could stop them.
Silence.
Then—
Lucien's eyes widened.
"...No."
"No, you aren't."
At that moment—
Fenrir's eyes glowed crimson.
A heavy pressure filled the alley.
Lucien froze.
Impossible.
That aura...
It couldn't be.
He had only read about it.
Ancient books.
Forbidden records.
Legends.
"The Sovereigns..."
The words escaped his mouth.
Fenrir frowned.
"You know that name?"
Lucien's expression changed completely.
The amusement disappeared.
Only seriousness remained.
"If you're truly one of them..."
He unconsciously took a step backward.
"Then this city is about to become a battlefield."
The injured girl looked between them.
"W-What are you talking about?"
Neither answered.
Lucien stared at Fenrir.
"If the other races discover you're alive..."
"They'll come."
"The vampires."
"The werewolves."
"The witches."
"The hunters."
"The angels."
"The demons."
"Even the hidden empires among the stars."
Fenrir blinked.
"...Stars?"
Lucien ignored the question.
"And if the ancient races discover your existence..."
Something akin to fear appeared in his eyes.
"They won't rest until you're dead."
Fenrir sighed.
"I'm getting tired of people telling me everyone wants to kill me."
To his surprise—
Lucien laughed.
"You think they're hunting you?"
"No."
"They fear you."
"And fear makes intelligent people do very stupid things."
Then he pulled something from his pocket.
A dark card.
He flicked it toward Fenrir.
Fenrir caught it.
A silver crescent moon.
A crimson eye.
Three words.
Midnight Exchange Society.
"You need answers."
"You won't find them on the internet."
Fenrir looked up.
"What is this?"
"A place where monsters exchange information."
Lucien smiled faintly.
"If you survive long enough..."
"We'll meet again."
Then—
His body exploded into countless crimson bats.
They flew into the night sky.
Gone.
Just like that.
Silence returned.
Fenrir stared at the card.
Then he looked toward the young woman.
Tears filled her eyes.
She looked at him as if she couldn't decide whether he was her savior...
Or another monster.
"You..."
"You saved me."
Fenrir scratched his cheek.
"I just happened to be nearby."
She shook her head.
"No."
"You could have run."
"But you didn't."
She bowed deeply.
"Thank you."
Fenrir blinked.
He couldn't remember the last time someone had sincerely thanked him.
It felt...
Strange.
But not unpleasant.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Let's get you to a hospital."
High above the alley—
On the rooftop of an old church—
Lucien watched the two figures walk away.
Moonlight illuminated his face.
Hope.
After more than a hundred years—
He felt hope.
"The last Sovereign..."
He looked toward the heavens.
"Perhaps this world still has a chance."
But they weren't the only eyes watching.
Far away—
On another rooftop—
A woman stood silently.
Long blonde hair.
Golden eyes.
A white cloak.
A silver emblem rested upon her chest.
The Order of Divine Judgment.
She lifted a crystal.
"I've found him."
Her voice was cold.
"The target has been confirmed."
"The Last God Devourer... is in Silverhaven City."
The crystal glowed.
Then the connection ended.
Her expression remained emotionless.
She looked toward Fenrir's departing figure.
"The hunt begins."
Far above Silverhaven—
Beyond the clouds.
Beyond the stars.
Beyond what mortal eyes could see—
Something stirred.
Deep within Fenrir's soul—
Something opened its eyes.
An ancient existence.
A being that had slept for countless ages.
A single heartbeat echoed through the darkness.
Thump.
Far away...
Something answered.
The stars themselves seemed to tremble.
And Fenrir Endarth remained completely unaware.
That the moment he awakened—
The fate of countless worlds had already begun to change.
Author's Note
Hey everyone!
The weekend is finally here, and that means I have a lot more free time than usual. Because of that, I'll be uploading extra chapters of God Devouring Abomination over the next few days!
I want to sincerely thank everyone who has been following Fenrir's journey so far. Every view, comment, vote, and piece of feedback motivates me to keep writing and improving this story. Your support genuinely means a lot to me.
There are still many mysteries waiting to be uncovered, new characters preparing to make their appearance, and even bigger adventures waiting for Fenrir in the hidden world.
This is only the beginning.
I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters as much as I enjoy writing them.
Have an amazing weekend, stay safe, and thank you once again for all your support!
— Kingmora259.