The Nightmare Descends

"What the hell did you say has thorns?"

Xiao Xiao, who was in a state of extreme anger, almost broke down and cursed when that message appeared in his mind.

But he quickly realized something was wrong. He shouldn't be angry about this unserious introduction. The most important thing was that he seemed to have just successfully enhanced his three Pain Hound, which had just been upgraded to a higher rank.

... So, what the Thorn Hound?

As he was thinking about these things, he suddenly looked up and around, and immediately felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Yes, I don't even need to look anywhere else, I already have one in my arms.

Through the Erha he was holding, he could clearly feel the changes in the three dogs. In fact, many of these changes occurred before that message appeared. With the endless flow of Pain Substance, the muscles and blood vessels of the Erha in his arms were undergoing a twisted and monstrous transformation, as if they were being rewoven, with flesh and blood breaking down and reforming.

That horrific wound was almost instantly healed, and at the same time, his body became thicker and taller.

But that's not all. Its bones crackled and popped as if they were regenerating. Even more terrifying, these bones pierced through its skin and sprouted strange thorns that resembled plants, covered with many sharp spikes.

The eerie and bizarre atmosphere quickly brought back the fear I had felt for them during those four years.

"Aww..."

The Erha itself seemed to be experiencing pain...

... No, it doesn't seem to be pain; it's just that I was frightened by the changes in my own body.

With a scream, she rolled out of Xiao Xiao's embrace, then struggled to her feet, staring wide-eyed at her own body.

It was as if it was crying out, "How could I have become such a dog?"

Snap snap snap snap...

At the same time, wherever it passed, a layer of dark red thorns began to grow on the ground, eerily twisted.

"What the hell?"

The Erha was staring at itself in surprise, but the two members of the Silver Bullet Family opposite it were even more surprised.

"He actually succeeded in enhancing himself?"

"What the hell is this luck?"

"..."

They were cursing and shouting wildly, but they didn't have time to dwell on it. The moment they realized something was wrong, they opened their eyes wide and charged forward. Their power, which was beyond reason, made the earth rumble and tremble. Their speed was like that of a tank given rocket speed. With an aura of destruction and despair, they crushed Xiao Xiao, who was still half-crouching on the ground.

"Whoosh..."

But it was also because he charged towards Xiao Xiao that the three Thorn Hound instantly sensed it.

They rushed at him from three different directions, as if by unspoken agreement.

In his Mind Burst state, Xiao Xiao could immediately tell that these three Pain Hound were vastly different from before in both speed and strength. Roughly estimating, their speed and strength were now more than three times greater than before...

"Get out of my way!"

Even the powerful members of the Silver Bullet Family dared not provoke such a newly advanced entity, and their bodies flashed.

With its astonishing speed, it dodged the attacks of the two Pain Hound, but unexpectedly, it still couldn't avoid the attack of the first injured dog, Earl the Yellow. This dog was always the most steady, but also the most intelligent and the best at judging opportunities.

"Bang!"

The powerful warrior could only throw a punch, which landed on the big yellow dog.

In terms of strength, the Earl was still no match for a third-stage Soul Master. He was hit by a punch and his body flipped over. However, the force that seemed capable of smashing him to pieces only made his body unstable. After flipping over, he landed steadily on the vertical wall two or three meters away, as if ignoring gravity, and once again accumulated the power to launch a pounce.

At the same time, the Strong Soul Slayer smashed the Earl away and was about to continue charging towards Xiao Xiao when he suddenly looked shocked.

The fist that had struck the count was now covered in something, and suddenly, a patch of dark red thorns sprouted from it, growing ever stronger until it completely engulfed the fist and began to spread up his arm.

The rampant thorns pierced his skin, and countless jumbled memories began to flood his mind.

He was both shocked and furious. He stumbled backward, tearing and slapping at the thorns wrapped around his arms.

This inexplicable turn of events and painful memories fueled his anger.

Overwhelmed by uncontrollable hatred, she looked up at Xiao Xiao.

But they discovered that Xiao Xiao, who had just been severely injured, was slowly standing up.

The blood on her lips had been wiped away, leaving only an unusual bright red color.

His wet hair swayed on his forehead as he leisurely straightened his clothes before looking up at himself.

The smile was calm, but in her eyes, it appeared cold and insane.

"It's not over yet..."

"..."

"You..."

The powerful warrior, who had just ripped the thorns off his right arm and torn off a large chunk of flesh, was suddenly startled by Xiao Xiao's smile. He didn't understand what this sudden fear was, but he instinctively felt that something unexpected had happened. In his unease, he staggered backward, wanting to observe the situation before making a decision, but he didn't notice what was behind him.

Behind him was a row of shops, and now, the shop doors were quietly opening.

Inside the pitch-black shop, a pair of dark red eyes slowly opened.

Then, a row of eerie chainsaws with twisted, bizarre skeletons and sharp serrations suddenly emerged from the darkness.

"Buzz..."

The sound of the chainsaw spinning wildly and its teeth grinding against flesh and bone suddenly rang out behind us.

The strongman was terrified. He was about to lunge forward when he suddenly found that his body was out of his control.

He then realized. "The chainsaw sound is cutting my back..."

Caught off guard, the Strongman's back was directly met by the Butcher's ferocious and bizarre chainsaw. The saw teeth cut deep into his body, severing his spine and robbing him of his ability to move freely. However, the Strongman's immense life force also began to work frantically on his body at that moment, and his spine was being rapidly repaired by the frenzied power.

"Um?"

The Butcher, whose eyes were bloodshot, seemed to pause for a moment.

But he quickly became even more focused on his profession.

The chainsaw continued cutting down, frantically dismembering the seemingly self-repairing piece of flesh, blood and flesh splattering everywhere.

"Woof woof..."

The three Thorn Hound charged forward, howling, and bit down hard on the arm of the struggling warrior. The painful thorns covered his entire body, but that wasn't enough. Then he suddenly saw the flesh that the Butcher had cut off...

So they bit down hard.

The Butcher cuts off a piece, and they swallow it...

Bloody, brutal, terrifying...

This terrifying scene that appeared in an instant seemed to possess some kind of terrifying power, instantly impacting the entire street.

Along with the Strong Soul Warrior, the Mist Man also charged towards Xiao Xiao. However, his speed was not as explosive as the Strong Soul Warrior's, so he lagged behind by half a step. Because of this, he saw the Strong Soul Warrior's fate and dared not rush forward again. A cloud of mist spun wildly in place, his eyes looking incredulously at Xiao Xiao was slowly standing not far in front of him.

Xiao Xiao also quietly watching him, holding a knife in his left hand and a gun in his right, slowly walking forward.

In the mist, figures flickered, occasionally coalescing into a vague face, yet bearing an expression of terror.

Shouldn't I take action?

Either rescue your companions, or kill this guy in front of you...

However, an invisible panic tormented him, making it impossible for him to make a decision for the time being.

But at that very moment, Xiao Xiao suddenly quickened his pace and charged towards him.

"Buzz..."

The Mistman's mind went blank for a moment, and an invisible panic instantly filled his mind.

His fighting spirit vanished instantly. Before Xiao Xiao could even get close, he had already completely melted into the mist, intending to flee with a roar. But at that very moment, music suddenly began playing from one cell phone after another in the still crowd around him.

"Go shoot your pleasure..."

"Go dig up your grave..."

"Go and fill your mouth and all your money to redeem yourself..."

"..."

The shrill and frenetic music instantly plunged him into a terrifying atmosphere, and he almost lost control.

Rational thinking and will were disrupted at this moment. He didn't even realize that his body, which had merged into the mist, was rapidly switching between illusion and reality. Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao had already rushed into the mist and was getting closer to him.

"Whoosh..."

The movement was precise and violent, striking the Mistman who had just switched back to his true form.

The fruit knife, under the force of the Violence Factor, slashed across the surface, unleashing a terrifying destructive force.

The pervasive white mist was stained crimson in that instant.

Xiao Xiao slowly emerged from the mist, carrying a head in his hand. His face was expressionless. Amidst the shrill and frenzied music playing around him, he walked step by step toward the dark figure not far away. His movements were not fast. Blood was dripping from the head he was carrying, its eyes wide open, leaving a straight trail of blood on the ground that echoed rhythmically.

The head must be taken. Who knows if this monster, which can switch between reality and illusion, has the ability to stitch heads back together?

"Ahhh..."

The Silver Bullet Club Hunter, who had been wrestling and fighting with Little Four in the shadows for a long time, was also pulled out of the shadows by Little Four. The two fell to the ground under the bright light, but when they looked up, they saw the head being held in their hands.

Behind him, a powerful being was being Butcher and devoured by vicious dogs.

Before me was a head frozen in despair and terror.

An indescribable fear overwhelmed her, and she suddenly lost all will to fight, screaming wildly:

"I surrender..."

"I surrender. It was our parents who made us do this. Please spare me..."

"..."

"Spare you?"

Xiao Xiao listened to her confession, he tilted his head slightly, and then a warm smile suddenly appeared on his face.

"Mingming can kill without any reason, but now I have a reason..."

He leaned down gracefully, looking into her eyes. "You want me to spare you?"

"I refuse..."