Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary!

Chapter 663: Soran [3]

Soran’s words lingered in the air for a few seconds before the sound of another step shattered the silence. The soft echo cut through the stillness, drawing every eye toward the source as a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

All breaths held at the sight, its burned apron fluttering in the air as a heavy bloodlust filled the surroundings.

It was a sight that made one’s blood churn

"T-that’s..."

"Wait, look!"

Someone suddenly pointed out.

Upon closer inspection, many noticed something different about the Butcher. Much of its clothing was torn, exposing flesh covered in burn marks. Embers still clung to its body, the scorched skin continuing to smolder as it took another step forward.

Step!

The echo of the step seemed to linger in the air longer than it should have, the sound spreading in all directions. Accompanying it was the soft flutter of the tattered robe, the Butcher moving forward as if nothing had happened.

Step! Step...!

No one moved.

No one dared to breathe.

The pair of blood-red eyes slowly swept across the surroundings, each passing glance tightening the invisible pressure hanging over the area, before eventually coming to a stop in Soran’s direction.

In the direction... of the woman who had rendered it in this state.

"Ha."

Despite being unable to see, she could feel its gaze fixed on her.

Her cracked lips split further, and she let out a hoarse laugh.

"This is pretty bad, isn’t it?"

Its gaze alone was enough to leave her out of breath. It was as if the very air had been stripped from her surroundings, making it impossible to breathe as her legs began to wobble. Despite this, she remained standing where she was.

She did not fall.

Instead, she raised both hands as blood continued to leak from her face.

"I’ve tried... my best. I really have got nothing left in the tank. Rusty and all..."

Even in such a situation, she found a way to make light of the situation as she cracked a joke. Her body was in tatters, and her nodes were still cracking. It’d be a miracle if she could still continue working after this. No, the fact that she was still standing was a miracle.

And yet, despite knowing all of this, Soran found the entire situation funny.

There really wasn’t much else that she really cared about anyway.

And⎯

"I think I bought just enough time for them to arrive."

Sure enough, not even a second after her words fell, a figure appeared right behind the Butcher. He appeared so fast that nobody even had the time to react. No, it wasn’t even that.

He seemed to have teleported?

The Butcher reacted almost instantly.

With a twist of its body, it slashed in the direction where the newcomer had appeared, the terrifying bloodlust spreading in the air rapidly as a deafening explosion reverberated shortly after.

BOOOM!

The surroundings shook, dust and debris spreading in every direction as the remaining people sprang into action, dashing toward the Butcher, who did not waste a single second before slashing in their direction.

"Watch out!"

Everyone saw the attack, but there wasn’t much that they could do.

The moment the Butcher slashed, there was nothing that could stop it.

That single strike shattered whatever protection some of the Section Chiefs had available, threatening to cleave their bodies in half as their pupils rapidly shrank. Just before things could reach that point, something formed behind them and clung to their bodies, pulling them back before the attack could reach them.

"⎯⎯!"

It all happened so fast that, even when things settled, many still could not grasp what had happened as the figures in question reappeared farther away.

"You’re here."

Velrik was the first to speak as a figure appeared before him in the form of a handsome man in his thirties, with a bright smile and dark hair that fluttered silently in the air. He wore a dark suit that perfectly suited his appearance, and despite the Butcher’s attention falling in his direction, he paid the Butcher no mind as he looked at Velrik.

"It’s not quite easy for me to travel such a far distance on such short notice. It’s been quite a long time since I’ve done something like this. Cut me some slack."

His words were leisurely despite the situation, and as Zoey caught sight of him, her expression shifted slightly.

"Enforcer Brandt."

The words slipped out before she realized it. She wasn’t the only one who recognized him; several others reacted much the same way as their expressions shifted. But how could they not?

Enforcers were almost like legends to many of them. They were the most elite unit working for the BUA, and they were individuals who sat outside of the Ranking System. Nobody truly knew how strong they were, but every Enforcer was incredibly powerful.

In particular, Enforcer Brandt, known for his unique [Transporter Decree].

"Haha, it looks like I’m not quite unknown. Good, this makes things⎯"

The Enforcer did not even get to finish his words before the Butcher struck again, its knife cutting downward. This time, its movements were even faster than before, and a loud, resonant cry rang out from the blade, reaching the man in an instant.

Despite this, the Enforcer retained his smile as he pressed his hand over Velrik’s body, and the two disappeared at once.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

A terrifying explosion followed a moment later, and a long, deep line appeared in the cement where the two had been standing. The Butcher then turned its head toward a certain direction, its blood-red eyes glowing even brighter than before.

"This is more troublesome than I thought," The Enforcer muttered after reappearing, his expression still at ease as he looked at the Butcher and then at his surroundings. Afterward, he took out a small device resembling a pocket watch and looked at it. After giving it a quick scan, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I’m getting a pretty high reading from this thing. It is not quite as strong as the one from Malovia, but it’s still rather dangerous, and the reading appears to be increasing. It’s best to evacuate everyone."

He made up his mind rather quickly.

He did not even consult Velrik, the one in charge of the operation, before clapping his hands twice as several of his nodes churned at once. Immediately, they targeted every single person in the vicinity.

Swooosh! Swooosh!

The space behind them cracked, and they were all pulled back at once. They didn’t even get a chance to realize what had happened before they were gone.

At the exact instant he acted, the Butcher moved as well, slashing in his direction once again.

This time, the Butcher’s movements were even faster than before. They were so fast that Velrik struggled to see them.

But just before the attack could reach him, his vision turned black and he disappeared completely from view.

"Well, that’s done."

The Enforcer clapped his hands while appearing elsewhere.

He continued to look around before settling his gaze over to Zoey, who was starting at him with a blank expression. His eyes moved from her, to the others that still lingered, and he just waved at them.

"Don’t worry too much. I’ll take care of it from here. I might not be able to def⎯Oop." Disappearing, he reappeared next to Zoey, startling her as he looked in Soran’s direction. Seeing her state, he whistled slightly. "Seems like her condition isn’t good. I’ll take care of her myself. For now, it’s time for you all to go back."

He pushed Zoey back, her body disappearing alongside several others.

Silence swept the surroundings as all the people surrounding the area disappeared at once, leaving only the Enforcer, alongside the Butcher and Soran.

A subtle silence followed after that before the Enforcer smiled while looking at Soran.

"Well, there’s just you left."

He appeared next to her, with the Butcher not moving a single inch, its blood-red eyes focused in his direction. Almost as if studying him.

The Enforcer paid it no mind as he pressed his hand against Soran’s shoulder.

His face softened at the sight of her.

"So⎯"

"Yeah, yeah."

She dismissively waved her hand.

"I can’t see, but I haven’t turned stupid. You’re not going to bring me back, are you?"