Villain: Ultimate Mutation System in the Alternate World

'Weird, why do I get this uneasy feeling?' Reign mused quietly to himself.

He was already too strong for this city, might even be the strongest in terms of raw power.

Unless he faced a Middle Upper Demon with a domain, then he should be safe.

'Maybe it's just my imagination,' he reassured himself.

Even if the powerful hunters from other cities were already enroute, they wouldn't arrive for several more days.

Besides, he was confident in his ability to emerge victorious, even when the numbers was against him.

The only conceivable threat from Summit City without external help would be if, for some reason, they mobilized their entire army to take him down—an unlikely scenario in his estimation.

'How far is that place?' Reign mused to himself.

Deciding to play it safe, he decided to drive a different truck, cautious of revealing his identity by carrying his hammer which was registered under his name.

As Reign traveled along the highway, he noticed the mountains gradually shrinking until he found himself on a flat area devoid of even a single tree.

In the distance, an unexpected sight caught his eye: a towering wall of earth, a canyon so steep that it was insurmountable to ordinary humans, its high cliffs rising against the horizon.

Continuing to press on the pedal, he noticed bright lights in the distance.

As he drew closer, he saw dozens of military vehicles and armed personnel in the area.

Clad in standard green camouflage uniforms, they were armed with rifles, vests, and some even had night vision goggles strapped to their foreheads.

It turned out to be a checkpoint, where everyone, including the driver and passengers, had to exit for inspection.

Instead of stopping, Reign decided to push through; abruptly turning away would draw more attention.

It would look like a proclamation of guilt to the world, implying that he was a criminal, which couldn't be further from the truth.

Calling him a criminal for eating humans was like blaming a lion for eating a rabbit.

The line was not long, and in just a matter of minutes, it was Reign's turn to undergo inspection.

"ID and license," the military man demanded, shining a bright light in Reign's face.

After noticing Reign's bandaged eyes and white hair, the soldier's demeanor shifted.

Without hesitation, he leveled his rifle at Reign's face, suspecting him to be a demon.

"Get out of the truck now!" the soldier warned, his voice commanding as he stepped back to gain a better view.

He was too tense, that he forgot to get Reign's ID and License .

Seeing the soldier's actions, Reign acted calmly, stepping out of the truck with a nonchalant air.

Raising both hands to show he was unarmed, he wanted to convey his lack of threat.

"Get the scanner!" the soldier shouted, his gun still pointed on Reign's face.

Another person approached , holding a device with a crystal ball at the top.

"Hold it," they ordered.

Recognizing the device as similar to the ones used by the Veiled Nights to check if he was a demon or not, Reign complied without resistance, just following their commands like a law abiding citizen.

But before touching it, Reign first concentrated to control his hands, causing a layer of skin to form around them, so they wont see his bone underneath it.

Next, he touched the crystal ball, fully aware of the suspicious glances directed at him from all sides.

Every soldier stood ready, their weapons aimed and fingers landing on the triggers, prepared to shoot a barrage of bullets at the slightest indication of a reaction from the ball.

"It's clear?" the armed man asked, his voice filled with doubt .

Because there was no reaction from the crystal ball, it became evident that Reign was not a demon.

"Stand down," ordered by a commanding officer.

They all breathed a sigh of relief, and lowered their guns.

"Sir, why do you wear a bandage ?" one of the soldiers asked, his tone now more composed.

"Oh, I got in an accident that destroyed my right eye and most part of my face. This thing is actually special; I can see through it with my remaining working eye," Reign explained while pointing on his bandaged .

The soldiers nodded in understanding; the silk used in the bandaged wasn't rare, at all.

"So, why do you want to enter the Industry Sector?" the soldier asked again.

"I have someone to visit. Is there a problem?" Reign inquired.

The military men exchanged glances, silently deliberating on their response.

In the end, they remained quite and allowed him to proceed.

They couldn't disclose the presence of a demon to the public, but they also couldn't bar anyone from entering the Industry Sector.

When Reign passed through the checkpoint, he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

'So, they already knew I was coming,' he chuckled to himself.

His actions had been too bold, and the trail of destroyed towns was too conspicuous to remain hidden any longer.

But instead of feeling fear, he found himself filled with excitement.

More hunters meant more potential sources of mutation materials, fueling his anticipation.

In the distance, he finally caught sight of the Canyon entrance.

Initially just a faint line on the horizon, but after closer inspection, it revealed itself to be really wide and long, with enough space between its walls to accommodate an entire town.

That wasn't the only discovery he made; there was also a wide road ahead, with enough room for eight lanes of cars.

But what caught his attention even more was the unusual terrain inside .

Unlike the areas he had passed through before, this place was flat and the ground was too dry, resembling a desert with no trees in sight.

The difference from what he was accustomed to made him feel as though he had entered a different world altogether.

'Maybe the protection here is lower because it's close to the border? ' he speculated, trying to make sense of the weird landscape.

Reign's hypothesis was spot on.

The factories sourced their materials from rich deposits nearby and manufactured everything in the Industry Sector.

Being close to the border allowed them to conveniently dispose of water and air pollution outside the barrier, effectively solving two problems at once.

VROOOOOOM!

Reign pressed down on the pedal, smoothly navigating his way into the Canyon without any issues.

However, as he neared the exit, he suddenly felt a heat emanating from beneath his truck.

In the next instant, he and the truck was consumed by a violent explosion.

BOOOOOOOM!

"Fire!" barked one of the commanders, and a barrage of cannons from tanks and mortars unleashed a rain of fire upon the area.

BOOOOOOOM!

BOOOOOOOM!

BOOOOOOOM!

The thunderous roar of the explosions echoed through the canyon, illuminating the surroundings with a searing blaze of flames and billowing smoke.

With nonstop attacks, the army unleashed their arsenal on Reign, showing a merciless attack that sent shivers down the spines of even the most seasoned hunters.

They stood in awe, witnessing the might of modern weaponry as it tore through the landscape.

While not always the optimal choice for smaller-scale operations, the sheer devastation brought by these weapons in an open field was something that this hunters could only imagine.

In their minds, they all thought the same thing: 'A demon couldn't survive that.'

***

***

***

Author's Note

The bonus chapter for "Castle" will be postponed on May 3rd and 4th.

I'll be posting (3) chapters per day on those dates instead.

If the Powerstone count reaches 200 again, I'll also post (3) chapters on May 5th as well, and so on (200 PS = 1 CH Bonus)