Garren's gaze gleamed with pleasure as he watched Matt's terrified figure in the darkness of the night as if he were savoring his despair and helplessness.
Even under the shadows, he could see his trembling legs, his eyes on the verge of tears, and the fear coursing through every pore of his body.
'Ah, I could almost faint from the pleasure,' he thought, intoxicated by the emotion.
In the end, he had worked so hard—every wound, every bruise on Matt's body had been planted by him like tiny seeds of terror over so many years. And now, those seeds had grown into a ripe fruit of pure panic and fear, ready to be harvested.
But he wouldn't do it quickly. No… that would be a waste.
Garren stepped forward slowly, his group of friends following closely behind. His eyes scanned Matt's body, delighting in every tremble.
His sense of smell, heightened by the transformation, could almost taste the fear radiating from his prey. And his ears, intoxicated by ecstasy, seemed to anticipate the cries of anguish even before they were uttered.
When he saw his prey step back, a beastly smile spread across his face.
"Dear friend…" He paused in thoughtful silence for a moment before continuing, "I heard your girlfriend… hmm, what was her name?"
Garren tilted his head in feigned confusion, raising a finger to his chin as if he were truly thinking. Suddenly, his face lit up with a spark of malice.
"Oh, yes, the lovely and fiery Marie."
Matt's fists clenched tightly at the sound of that name coming from his worst enemy's lips. But what came next hit him harder than any of the words before. Not because of its cruelty… but because, deep down, a part of him felt it was true.
"She abandoned you…" Garren paused for a moment to savor Matt's suffering. "And no less than the day before your birthday."
As they surrounded him, the laughter of his companions echoed like thunder in Matt's ears.
Matt felt himself sinking into the deepest Hopelessness. Into an ocean of rage. He hated him, but he was also afraid. He wanted to tear them apart, but he knew he couldn't take them on.
And so, he kept his gaze fixed on the ground, motionless. Not because he was afraid, but because he knew he didn't stand a chance. But how much longer could he endure?
He didn't know, but he did know it wouldn't be for much longer.
Garren finally stopped right in front of him. As he looked down at him, his words rang in Matt's ears like cruel mockery. "So, as a good friend, I came to wish you a happy birthday. We've planned a great party, even brought you some gifts."
That was when Matt raised his eyes and met two beastly eyes filled with madness and bloodlust. Right after, those same eyes showed a flicker of disappointment.
His prey wasn't as terrified as he wanted.
It was then, with a threatening tone, that he uttered the final words that shattered Matt's patience.
"So now that your slut of a girlfriend is gone… who's going to stop us?"
Then, Matt's blood boiled, his muscles tensed, and his mind was lost in rage.
Yes, it was true that Marie's presence was what had kept them at bay. In the village, no one could go against the protection of the Saint. But also…
It was her unconditional kindness that had protected them from him.
Yes, he didn't have the strength to face them—so what? His mind had spent countless hours weaving a thousand ways to taste the sweetness of revenge. It was what he most longed for and waited for… But for her, he had locked that desire away in the deepest part of himself.
But as Garren had said, she was no longer here to stop them.
So, what did it matter if he didn't have a plan this time? What did it matter if he had to fight all four of them?
The idiot had just said he brought gifts for his birthday, right before shoving his huge, ugly face in front of him.
What kind of ungrateful man would he be if he didn't accept such a perfect gift!?
Then Matt smiled maliciously, and Garren flinched.
It lasted only an instant—he let all his rage flow.
His hands moved like lightning, and with one swift motion, he drew his dagger and slashed Garren's right eye.
Unfortunately, his enemy's reflexes were faster—Garren recoiled just in time to avoid a fatal wound.
Even so, he had hurt him. The blood on his dagger and the scream that followed confirmed it.
But Matt didn't plan to stop there.
He wanted to see Garren's face twisted in terror, to savor it… But he held himself back.
Instead, he stretched out his arm, and a black liquid shot forward, latching onto Garren's face and blinding him.
He scanned the rest of the group.
He knew he couldn't attack Garren again—his enhanced senses would make any further strike useless, even blind.
So, he needed another target.
He needed to do the most damage possible…
Matt's gaze swept across each of them. Connar, Aria, Norman, Brok… Every one of them had carved thousands of unpleasant memories into his mind.
He wanted to finish them all. But he couldn't…
Though inferior to Garren, they were all prodigies—geniuses—with cultivation no lower than the Energy Awakening stage and exceptional gifts that would thwart any attack.
All except one…
Using every part of his frail body, Matt tensed each of his muscles and, with a single motion, hurled his dagger at Brok.
Brok's gift allowed him to enhance his body, but it had one flaw—it required time. Time that Matt had no intention of giving him.
He was vulnerable to any surprise attack.
The dagger sped toward his face with terrifying force, the wind whistling as it cut through the air. Brok's eyes widened in shock.
It seemed it would all end in a fatal blow—even Matt paused to watch that moment, almost tasting his revenge.
However, that revenge never came.
A hand shot forward, and the dagger froze just centimeters from Brok's face.
Connar had reacted swiftly, stopping it mid-air just in time with his telekinesis.
And just like that, Matt's revenge was snatched away.
The next thing he saw was the fury in Garren's eyes as his massive hand struck him with brutal force, sending him flying several meters before crashing into a building.
Suddenly, everything turned blurry—red—and the cold flooded his body like a silent, unpleasant tingling.
The last thing he saw were Garren's footsteps approaching… and the look of disdain on Brok's face.