Villain: Ultimate Mutation System in the Alternate World

Chapter 353: Rough Edges

After the Vinsh and the small creature disappeared, an eerie silence filled the area.

The huge crater remained, with its rough edges still smoking and glowing from the heat. The crater was so wide and deep that it looked bottomless.

The power of that attack showed just how much stronger Demon Kings were compared to Demon Lords when it came to causing destruction.

If Reign's ultimate attack was like a small flashlight barely illuminating a corner, this one was like a massive spotlight used for concerts, shining with such intensity that it could light up the entire stage.

CRACK!

CRACK!

CRACK!

Reign's broken body lay at the bottom of the crater, partly buried and scattered among the rubble.

His bones, which were usually smooth and whole, were now cracked and shattered. Both of his hands were crushed and in pieces.

The damage was too severe, showing just how powerful the attack had been.

Even with his "Death Embrace" and "Symbiotic Suit" skills active, which were supposed to protect him from deadly attacks, he was in terrible shape.

The attack was so powerful that all his life-saving skills barely held up against it.

'W—What happened?' Reign muttered weakly to himself as his consciousness slowly returned. His vision was blurry, and he felt extremely exhausted.

[System: Host, you were hit by a very powerful attack.]

"I can see that," Reign replied, his voice tinged with annoyance. The system's sarcastic response only made him feel worse.

"I'm asking why it's taking so long to regenerate my body," he said.

[System: Host, the attack you received contained a mix of Negative Energy, Death Energy, Berserk Energy, and an unknown type of energy.]

'Dammit, I can't believe I was taken out by a surprise attack,' he cursed inwardly. He prided himself for his dirty tricks, but now he had tasted his own medicine, and it was far from pleasant.

After a moment, he realized that if someone could hit him before he even noticed, they must be really powerful. His best guesses were either a Demon King or a powerful meta-human.

"System, do you have any clue who attacked me?" he asked.

[System: Negative. The system can only see what the host sees. Since the host was too late to react, no data was gathered.]

"So now it's my fault? Sorry for being slow!" he snapped, feeling like the system was blaming him.

[System: Apology accepted.]

"F..." Reign nearly snapped out of anger but decided to let it go and focused on healing himself.

'I need to get out of here and find out who did this to me,' he muttered to himself.

Using his remaining strength, he started to gather what was left of his energy.

The unknown energy from the attack was still disrupting his regeneration, but he was determined to overcome it.

He managed to piece together a temporary skeletal structure, though it was shaky and incomplete.

His top priority was to escape the crater. He focused on channeling his energy. Although his body struggled to respond, it gradually began to obey.

"How long will this weakened state last?" he asked, bothered by the feeling of being so vulnerable.

[System: 24 hours]

"Is it really going to take that long?"

[System: Affirmative]

With no other choice, he shook his head and found a spot to sit.

His wings were in such poor condition that he couldn't even begin to summon them. Leaving the crater was impossible for now.

He knew he had to wait until his body healed enough to move. The only thing he could do was stay put and recover, hoping that his strength would return soon .

[DING!]

[System: Warning! ]

[System: Warning! ]

[System: Warning! ]

"What's happening now?" Reign grumbled.

Suddenly, a small, black, gooey tree popped up near him.

It twisted and squirmed like it was alive, and its texture looked like a decomposing corpse.

"Great, just great. First, I get ambushed, then a fucking moving tree this time. "

The tree continued to grow, and then, as if sensing Reign's presence, it erupted into a mass of writhing tendrils that shot toward him.

"Damn it," he muttered, clicking his tongue in frustration.

His weakened body barely managed to dodge, but the effort left him stumbling and awkwardly rolling to the side.

Just as he struggled to stand, the tendrils whipped around, chasing him as if locked onto his every move.

Each time he dodged, the tendrils got faster and more determined, slicing through the air just inches away.

He tried to hit the tendrils, but they just recoiled and came at him from another direction, forcing him to keep moving.

THUD!

He hit the ground hard, rolling awkwardly, his weakened body barely able to keep up.

Fortunately, his "Raven Eye" ability gave him just enough edge.

Even in his drained state, he could predict the tendrils' movements, allowing him to dodge by the narrowest margins.

But as time went on, he got more and more tired.

His body felt heavy, and it was harder to move with every step. He was already weak, and it seemed like the air around him was making him even weaker.

The creature sensed his desperation, pushing harder and forcing him to dive, roll, and twist to avoid being caught.

With no other choice, Reign turned and ran.

His adrenaline fueled every step as he sprinted away, the tendrils snapping and reaching for him from behind.

He zigzagged through the area, hoping to lose them, but it kept coming, slithering after him like they had a mind of their own.

All he could do now was keep moving forward, hoping he could outlast the creature before his body gave out.

However—

"FUCK!" he cursed as something suddenly shot up from the ground and wrapped around him.

Black, gooey tendrils slithered out and coiled around his legs and torso.

"I need to get out of this!" he shouted, twisting and pulling his legs.

Panic rose as he felt them squeezing around his body.

He thrashed wildly, trying to kick the tendrils with his feet and tear them off with his hands.

But each time he managed to loosen a part, the tendrils would just tighten again.

Eventually, his entire body was surrounded. He looked like an insect caught in a spider's web.

Slowly, they began to drag him down, pulling his body closer to the ground, inch by inch.

As he was finally pinned flat underground, the tendrils continued to squeeze him with crushing force.

The worst part was that he could feel the tendrils quickly draining his remaining energy.

If he wasn't weakened right now, something like this would've been easy to handle.

He could have destroyed the tree with barely any effort.

But today wasn't his day, and he found himself trapped in this mess.

The more he thought about it, the more he hated the person who had sent that powerful attacker earlier.

Even though the situation seemed dire, he wasn't too worried. He had plenty of lifesaving skills at his disposal, though he felt it was a waste to use them here.

[System: Warning ]

[System: Warning ]

[System: Warning ]

[System: Warning : Host's mind is being overtaken.]

"What, overtaken? Just fucking kill me, you dumb monster!" he shouted in frustration.