The left wing of the 6th floor of the Death Casino was reduced to rubble. Collapsed walls, twisted beams, dust hanging in the air like a veil of death. Alex rose slowly from the wreckage, his body marked by cuts and bruises, but his eyes shone with a mixture of admiration and fury.
"How does a bastard with a kill count of 844 do this to me? That ammo wasn't normal!"
Across the destruction, Bruce emerged from the ruins, sweating, panting, muscles trembling with exhaustion. His face was smeared with blood and soot, but his smile still held a trace of provocation.
"Damn it! That didn't finish him off?!" he thought, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor. In a hoarse voice, he added, "When you serve a Kill Monster, you better learn to take advantage!"
Alex laughed, a dry and empty sound, brushing dust off his sleeves. "So that's it…" he murmured, starting to walk toward the exit. "Enjoy your crutch while it still stands. Let's go to my office. It's more comfortable than this ruin."
In the Room, with the Messenger
Adrian stood still, eyes locked on the enigmatic figure before him. The Messenger, dressed in dark threads that seemed to absorb light, smiled as if she knew every secret in the universe—and maybe she did.
"What do you mean by that?" Adrian asked, his voice sharp as a drawn blade.
The Messenger tilted her head, her long fingers weaving together like threads of inevitable fate. "The kill count system has six phases, as you well know," she began, her tone heavy as tombstones:
Phase 1: Innocent (0–99 deaths). Still mentally human.
Phase 2: First Blood (100–999 deaths). Title: 'Cycle Bearer'.
Phase 3: Persona (1,000–9,999 deaths). Title is random but matches the killer's psyche. I was given 'The Messenger of Prophecy'.
Phase 4: Degeneration (10,000–99,999 deaths). Title: 'Degenerate' or 'Cursed Bearer'.
Phase 5: Price Revelation (100,000–999,999 deaths). Title: 'Contract Signer'.
Phase 6: KILL MONSTER (1,000,000+ deaths). Supreme Title: 'KILL MONSTER'. Humanity's peak evolution.
Adrian didn't blink. "Impressive that someone who hasn't even reached 500,000 knows the system this well. But that's because of your Persona. You don't know what it means to be a Kill Monster." His fingers tensed slightly. "Now tell me about your society. You're good at riddles, aren't you?"
Her smile widened—almost grotesquely. "I'm the Messenger of the Death Society... made up of more than five Kill Monsters."
[☠️ ALERT: TRUTH DETECTED!]
A chill ran down Adrian's spine. The first time in years something surprised him. The Messenger went on, her voice a venomous whisper:
"This world isn't small, Adrian. And we want someone like you. The first in human history to reach the Kill Monster title. But because of your conviction, death is no longer your addiction."
His eyes narrowed, sparks of fury flickering in his gaze. "What is your society's goal?" His voice was thunder held back. "If it threatens Foster City, I don't care if there are five or fifty of you."
She laughed—a sound like funeral bells. "No rush. You'll find out soon. But understand this: your quest for redemption... it's not 100% your own will."
Adrian froze. "What? What are you saying?"
"You still don't understand what it means to be a Kill Monster," she said, lifting one finger like she was about to reveal a cosmic secret. "A Kill Monster is guided by the strongest will they had when they still possessed sanity. Your past is dark, Adrian. Before the kill count, you were abandoned, forced into murder, lost your family. But you always sought sanctity in the church. The world was so cruel it threw you into hell… and your will—your search for redemption—is what shapes your title. A monster seeking salvation in the abyss."
Images cut through his mind like blades—fragments of a past he tried to forget, but which always followed him like a shadow. Melisa. Her face appeared first, lit by the soft glow of candles in that abandoned church where she used to pray for him. Her lips moved, and her voice, sweet as a condemned man's last breath, echoed in his head:
"You're a killer... but you can still be saved."
He saw her die. He didn't kill her. But that blood… it was the only one that never left his hands.
"I'm not just a killer."
The words came out as a raspy whisper, barely audible, yet heavy enough to crush a lesser man's soul. His fists clenched so tightly the bones creaked, the scars on his hands—marks of countless battles—burning like fire.
"I'm the graveyard where killers are buried."
It wasn't just a statement. It was a curse.
The Messenger laughed, but her smile faltered for just a fraction of a second—she saw something in his eyes. Something even a Kill Monster shouldn't have.
"That's what you believe, Adrian. But does Foster City still see you that way?" She leaned closer, her icy breath brushing his face. "Or do they just tolerate you… because they fear what'll happen if they lose you?"
Adrian didn't respond.
The Messenger wasn't done. "There's more, Adrian. A Kill Monster creates their domain through that will. Yours is Foster City—your symbol of redemption. It anchors your sanity. But..."
He felt the danger before she said it. "But what?"
She rose, stepping toward him with slow, seductive grace. Her eyes gleamed with wicked light. "As long as you hold on to your sanity, we can't have you in our society. Which is why... right now, Foster City will disappear."
[☠️ SYSTEM ALERT: FOSTER CITY IN DANGER!]
The world stopped.
Adrian didn't scream. He didn't roar.
He just existed—for a second—as a vacuum of pure darkness. Then, like a meteor gone berserk, his unhinged intent exploded.
The air cracked. The ground trembled. The Messenger had only an instant to realize her mistake before her body disintegrated into dust, her particles drifting away like ash in the wind. The Death Casino couldn't take it—walls crumbled, glass shattered, the ceiling caved in with a deafening roar.
Among the wreckage, Bruce, Alex, and the Faceless Masked One stood frozen—unable to move, breathe, or even think. The pressure was so dense it felt like it was crushing their souls.
Then, Adrian turned to Bruce. His eyes were no longer human. They were voids.
"Take those failures back to Foster City," he ordered, his voice echoing like the end itself.
"And... you, sir?"
"I'm already late."
A pause. The wind howled through the ruins.
"I guess this is where I finally lose my sanity."
And with that, he launched into the sky like a rocket tearing through the clouds.
Foster City was doomed.And the real monster had finally awakened.