It was the night of the full moon. The rays of the moon were visible for all to see, covering most of the city grounds as though it were daytime. Although it was the twenty-first century, the city's electricity supply was far from constant, which made nights like this unique. Whenever the moon was full and its light covered most of the busy city grounds, people took advantage of the natural illumination.

The city was one that never slept. Transactions and exchanges occurred daily. Time was treasured, and every second counted. People were constantly working, both on legal and illegal fronts. Money was power, and light was sight, making visibility especially precious whenever there was an absence of electricity.

Most people living in the city considered the night of the full moon a guide that helped them move around, complete unfinished work, and make clear sales. It provided better ground for business and allowed them to see things they normally wouldn't be able to on other nights because of the lack of electricity.

Some considered the night a sight to behold. They would gaze at the moon and relax beneath the cool night breeze, allowing it to soothe their bodies after a long and exhausting day.

Others partied every night, with little to no regard for what kind of night it was.

However, tonight was different. Although the moon was bright and the air was refreshing, the smell of blood was heavy in the air.

Monsters had sprung up from several corners of the city, driven by an immense bloodlust. It was unusual, especially because they could be easily spotted beneath the bright moonlight.

At the far end of the western district of the city, where the barracks were located, a girl was running from several monsters.

She emerged from the woods and into the army football field, utilizing one of the openings in the chain-link fence that separated the woods from the field.

She was covered in blood from obvious wounds. Her clothes were partly torn from the neck down, with blood dripping from the torn fabric and soaking through it. Some of it had come from her wounds; the rest had stained her clothes while she desperately searched for sanctuary.

She looked pale as she continued searching for safety, desperately looking for a way to escape whatever awaited her.

Her consciousness was slowly fading, yet somehow, she continued to run for her life even after passing through the opening in the fence.

She made it halfway across the field. The field was sandy, with little chance of grass growing on it. Faded markings could barely be seen on the ground, making it difficult to distinguish the midfield from the goal areas.

She was about to cross the midfield when her legs finally gave out. She fell to the ground, hitting her face against the sand. She tried to get back up, but her strength was gone. Blood and grains of sand covered her face.

The monsters chasing her were not far behind. They were disgusting-looking beasts.

Among them was a muscular creature that was the only one who looked remotely human. However, his muscles were unnaturally large for his human-like form, making his appearance even more disturbing.

The muscular monster appeared to be the ringleader of the group. He walked ahead of the others, laughing with satisfaction as he approached the girl.

He was fully aware of the condition of her body and the injuries she had suffered. The sight of her battered state seemed to bring him immense pleasure.

“How pathetic. Did you really think you could go far in your condition?” He paused, looking down at her.

“Although I should commend your persistence. To keep running despite those injuries...” He laughed. “I must say, it was amusing while it lasted.” He took another step toward her.

“However, this is the end of the line for you.”

The pleasure on his face was overwhelming as he stared at her. He looked like a hunter who had finally cornered his prey and was preparing to toy with it before putting it down.

The girl trembled. She was unable to speak. She knew she had little to no strength left to stop them or escape from what was coming.

Still, she crawled. She forced her body forward with what little strength remained as the monsters approached her. They took their time, walking toward her as though they had all the time in the world.

The muscular monster walked ahead, while the others followed a few paces behind.

She crawled, almost praying for death. She knew she could no longer maintain any significant distance from them. Her strength was almost completely gone, and she was driven only by the fear of being captured by them again.

At the very least, she hoped her blood loss would eventually grant her death. She believed that even death in its worst form would be a great kindness compared to what he had in store for her.

“Now, now! Where do you think you're going?”

The muscular monster placed his foot on her back as she crawled, pressing down with force.

She coughed out blood. She no longer had the strength to scream as the monster pressed his foot harder against her back, forcing her against the ground like a half-dead prey.

The monster laughed. He seemed pleased by the sight of her agony, but he wanted to hear her scream.

“Give us what you took,” one of the other monsters yelled with a smirk. “Or tell us the location of the stone, and with some luck, you just might live.” Another monster laughed.

“Otherwise, you'll only be making this harder for yourself.”

She couldn't hear a word they said. Her eyes were growing heavy, and the actual condition of her body was finally catching up with her. It was becoming harder and harder to remain conscious.

Within moments, she lost consciousness to a rather soothing sound she heard from afar.

“Lord Yu! I think she has lost consciousness!”

“No! No...!” Lord Yu's expression changed.

“Who said you could sleep, you worthless worm?” He kicked her unconscious body.

“I'm not done playing with you yet. I still have to get the dirt from chasing you off my feet.”

“Hahaha!” Lord Yu laughed with a creepy sense of pleasure on his face.

The other monsters were disturbed by his actions, but they weren't surprised.

They knew him as someone who loved the thrill of hunting down his prey, regardless of what kind it was. What disturbed them most was the fact that, to him, killing his own kind was no different from killing an animal.

His untamed obsession with torture made him unsettling to have as an ally—and even worse as an enemy.

To him, every cut, every drop of blood, and every sense of agony was a form of pleasure. To them, he was undoubtedly a sadistic psycho. It was a disturbing trait they believed had earned him a seat as not only a Lord, but one of the strongest Lords in the Dark Sector.

However, they also believed that if care wasn't taken, that same trait might eventually lead to his downfall.

“Sire, we should probably take the girl back to our hideout and treat her wounds,” one of the monsters said.

“She probably passed out because of the excessive blood loss.” He hesitated.

“If you keep kicking her like that, she might—”

“Ah!” The monster suddenly screamed.

“My Lord, please!” Lord Yu had grabbed him by the face. His fingers tightened around the monster's head, crushing it slowly.

“How many times must I tell you not to interrupt me when I'm dealing with my prey?”

Lord Yu was enraged that his subordinate had interrupted his fun.

He stretched out his arm, gripping the monster's head with murderous intent. He didn't hear a word his subordinate said. His bloodlust had blocked everything else out.

All he heard was the man's muffled cries as he struggled to remove Lord Yu's hand from his head. Lord Yu continued squeezing. Slowly. Deliberately.

His muscular hand crushed the monster's skull bit by bit until, eventually, there was nothing left to crush.

The monster's body fell lifelessly to the ground. The other members of the group didn't dare utter a word. They didn't even make a sound.

After witnessing what had just happened, they knew that speaking up might earn them a front-row ticket to the same fate—or something even worse.

Now they knew for certain that Lord Yu had given in to his bloodlust. That was concerning.

They knew what the possible outcome would be.

Although they didn't really believe he could control his lust—expecting that would be like expecting a fish to live on land—they had hoped that perhaps, just perhaps, since this was a direct order from one of the Demon King's generals, he would fear death enough to restrain himself.

They had hoped he wouldn't kill the girl or damage her beyond recognition.

Instead, he had lashed out at her when they first captured her a few months ago and had been torturing her ever since, bringing her close to death.

Rather than delivering her as ordered, he had turned her into the half-dead prey she was now.

His actions had also driven her to attempt an escape at all costs.

Now she lay before him, barely alive, while her predator stood over her like a sadistic hunter.

Most of the monsters had come to the conclusion that all they could do was wait until Lord Yu was satisfied with his prey, while hoping they wouldn't become his next project.

Some of the monsters were frustrated by how the situation had changed.

What should have been a simple snatch-and-grab had become a bloody mess.

They thought about stopping him, taking the girl, and fleeing to deliver her to the general.

It was what they should have done months ago.

But after witnessing how easily Lord Yu had killed one of their own simply for expressing concern, the thought of going against him vanished.

None of them wanted to risk being killed, especially when the difference in their strength was overwhelmingly large.

Others simply stood there, thinking they could search her corpse for the item if they were lucky enough—or if she had been foolish enough to keep it on her.

Their orders had never specified that she had to be brought back alive. The item, however, had to be brought back at all costs. That made the item more significant.

If Lord Yu eventually killed her and they couldn't find it, he would be blamed for the failure of the mission. He was the leader, after all. He would be punished.

And if they were lucky, he might even be killed by the Demon King for his actions and stupidity instead of them. They considered it a win-win situation.

While they were lost in their thoughts and Lord Yu had resumed his activity with his prey, several dark balls of energy suddenly flew past him.

They struck half of Lord Yu's party in an instant. The monsters were engulfed in flames. Their bodies burned until nothing remained. The surviving monsters scattered in agitation, moving to the left and right sides of their Lord.

They tried to sense the source of the attack. Where had it come from? Who had unleashed such power?

They searched their surroundings but couldn't see or sense anyone. Lord Yu didn't appear fazed by the attack or the raw power behind it. But he felt something.

A chill ran down his spine. For some reason, every one of his senses was telling him to run.It was a sensation he had never experienced before. And strangely, it excited him.

Someone had made him feel fear. Someone had dared to intrude on his playtime. His excitement quickly turned into rage.

“Come on out and show yourself!” His voice echoed across the field.

“You who dare interfere in my business!” He clenched his fists.

“If you still value your life!” A voice suddenly answered from the opposite side of the field.

“Whoa... It can talk? How impressive.” The monsters froze.

A boy with gray hair stepped out from the roadside facing the field, not too far from the opposite side of the midfield.

His hands were casually tucked into his pockets. He looked at the monsters. Then at Lord Yu.

“I sure hope you can do tricks too...” He paused. “Other than torturing the weak, that is.”