A Few Minutes Later

  On the Second Floor

  Inside the VIP Area

  After taking his table amid the many groups gathered in the VIP area enjoying the event-talking among themselves, drinking, and laughing-the young Astaroth could be seen sitting alone at his table.

  Appearing quite calm as he sipped his drink while looking down over the club from where he was at that moment.

  To his eyes, everyone there seemed to be enjoying themselves in a lively way, while at the same time the stage lights where the DJ was performing often created what amounted to a light show against the darkness of the dance floor on the ground level of the event, and in parts of the first floor as well.

  [(Astaroth - Ironic & Serene Thought) All these humans know how to enjoy a club, but... I hate smelling their happy bodies. It would be far more pleasing to my senses if everyone in this place were suffering in intense fear.]

  After a few moments, one of the event's security guards approached the table where Astaroth was seated.

  The guard noticed that Astaroth was no longer being accompanied by his personal bodyguards, who had arrived with him at the event.

  At the same time that he wondered what Astaroth's two personal guards might be doing at that exact moment, he nearly stumbled from overthinking, almost dropping the tray he was carrying with a new drink for Astaroth.

  This event security guard, now acting as a waiter exclusively for Astaroth, found himself trembling slightly with fear, standing directly before someone he knew all too well-someone for whom a single mistake could mean a death sentence.

  Trying his utmost to appear calm in the face of an overwhelming fear of committing any form of disrespect, the waiter asked Astaroth for permission and offered him a new special bottle.

  Exclusively for him, as a gift from the owner of the event in honor of his presence at such a modest gathering compared to his elevated level of status.

  The bottle the waiter brought was nothing less than a drink extremely difficult to produce and of very high value due to its unique characteristic: it was made exclusively for the refined palate of an Oculi, not for a human.

  However, the waiter was caught off guard when Astaroth looked at him with a calm smile that nonetheless clearly revealed an almost lethal emptiness behind his friendly expression.

  Astaroth replied that, at that moment, he was already satisfied with the drink in his hand-the bottle on the table nearly half empty.

  The drink he was holding was a modestly priced whisky, but one that was, in its own way, quite pleasing to Astaroth's palate.

  Faced with this response, the waiter once again showed respect by lowering his head and placing one hand over his chest, telling him that if he desired anything at all, he only needed to press the button on the table.

  He assured him that he would come to him as quickly as possible that night, since within the event the highest priority was Astaroth's satisfaction and happiness inside that establishment.

  In a very polite and formal manner, the waiter asked for leave and placed the bottle on the table alongside a new glass, so that if Astaroth felt inclined, he could serve himself and taste the drink that had been brought to him.

  After the waiter departed-slightly trembling, struggling to maintain his composure in the face of his fear of being killed-the young Astaroth calmly drank his whisky amid the sound of the music and the voices of people in the VIP area.

  Once again, his gaze drifted toward the lower part of the event, the ground floor, where he focused on the people below-all of them human, none of them Oculi.

  With the exception of the event staff, who were all Oculi, maintaining human appearances at all times despite being profoundly and completely different from an ordinary human.

  Bored, Astaroth began to imagine something in his mind regarding everyone he observed below-happy, enjoying themselves, dancing to the music-which gradually seemed to grow muffled solely for Astaroth as he sank deeper and deeper into his thoughts.

  This made him let out a light, amused laugh, causing him to momentarily lose his composure at how vividly he imagined what he wished to do to everyone below him, including the Oculi working at the event.

  Thanks to his sensitivity toward beings similar to himself, Astaroth perceived that many of the visiting Oculi who had been present earlier in the event had ended up leaving upon sensing that Astaroth intended to remain there for the next few hours.

  For all the influential Oculi visitors felt a deep fear of being killed due to any possible mistake made by someone within the event that might disappoint or show disrespect toward his person.

  After a Few Minutes

  Still at Astaroth's Table

  Lord Astaroth, who was not only drinking and observing the event from the VIP area but also analyzing the entire place through his exceedingly refined Oculi perception, could sense even a single drop of negative desire directed toward himself from any Oculi within that venue.

  At the same time, he realized that the person he was supposed to meet at that VIP table had not arrived, even though the scheduled meeting time between Astaroth and that individual had already passed.

  That person was none other than Hark himself, who had previously been alive in his reserved room in the event's underground level, but who had ended up dead due to the clash he faced there between himself and Salin a few hours earlier.

  However, none of these events that had unfolded in the underground area over the last few hours had reached Astaroth's awareness.

  Still, Hark's delay caused Astaroth to grow irritated, as he was extremely punctual and deeply despised anyone who forced him to break that habit.

  As a result, throughout the VIP area-where many humans were enjoying themselves and chatting-something occurred: a mental pressure suddenly manifested, instantly leaving every one of them stunned and plunged into complete silence.

  Their bodies, under the crushing mental pressure, were paralyzed in place. In the following seconds, amid the absolute silence of the VIP area, all those present could be seen horrified, suffering mentally in extreme pain, unable even to scream or react.

  They began to shed delicate tears of blood, while blood was also seen lightly flowing from their noses toward their mouths, exposing their teeth under the brutal pain.

  Then, in less than ten seconds, every person present had their eyes burned from the inside out by mysterious red flames, for reasons unknown.

  It was evident that these silent and mysterious flames, which burned outward through their eyes, emitted no heat whatsoever.

  This revealed that those flames were nothing less than the visible representation of the essences behind the existences of those human bodies being brutally burned from the inside out.

  For the essences of all those humans present in the VIP area had experienced, within mere seconds, the very limit of what their minds could endure.

  All of this occurred due to Astaroth's overwhelming presence, as he slightly released his Oculi abilities for a few seconds without realizing it, driven by his anger over Hark's delay to their meeting.

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  Thus, only the VIP area was affected in such a brutal manner, because the release spread in all directions, encompassing the entire VIP lounge rather than the rest of the event on the first floor and ground level.

  This resulted in that horrific scene: all those people left in agony, still alive, feeling the pain of their eyes burning from the inside out, unable to do anything but cry tears of blood.

  It was clear that the twenty-five people present in the VIP area around Astaroth remained that way until, after a few moments, Astaroth regained control of his abilities, realizing that he had unintentionally released them.

  Astaroth then took a deep breath to recover his composure and, immediately afterward, completely concealed any remaining trace of his Oculi abilities in the environment.

  This caused all the mental pressure in the area to dissipate, making everyone there immediately collapse, their bodies falling around the VIP area alone.

  All those people who had been enjoying the VIP lounge moments earlier were now dead-some slumped over the table with their drinks spilling and soaking the surface, others sprawled across the benches where they had been sitting and talking just moments before.

  It was evident in every one of those humans present in the VIP area that where their eyes should have been there was nothing but a hollow cavity reaching deep into their skulls.

  That entire cavity had been opened from the inside out due to the brutal burning of their essences.

  Nothing remained there but completely dried internal flesh, with no evidence of conventional burns. For those flames emitted no heat; instead, they burned not only the essences of those people, but also, subtly, the very existence of their physical bodies.

  A Few Moments Later

  Second Floor of the Club

  Still Inside the VIP Area

  In contrast to the absolute silence of human voices coming from the VIP area on the third floor, the deep breath of Lord Astaroth echoed once again, conveying complete boredom at Lord Hark's delay.

  The voices of people on the first floor and ground level of the event could still be heard, while the music seemed to be playing normally. Yet, to Astaroth, it felt distant and muffled in his perception.

  Just as Astaroth considered leaving the table and personally searching for Hark inside the venue, he heard the sound of someone emerging from the stairs, walking calmly toward the table where he sat.

  That person was none other than one of his two bodyguards, holding something in his hand - what appeared to be the last recording from the venue's security cameras.

  When he finally reached Astaroth's table, he noticed that on the surrounding tables in the VIP area, all the humans who had previously been alive now lay dead, sprawled across them.

  From a swift assessment of the scene alone, the bodyguard understood that Astaroth had neglected to restrain his abilities and had ended up causing the essences of those humans to burn from the inside out.

  Their physical bodies remained intact, yet their eyes were clearly burned by something that had erupted from within - nothing less than their own essence entering combustion.

  This happened after their minds collapsed simultaneously in Astaroth's presence. Upon reaching Astaroth's table, the bodyguard showed reverence, placing one hand over his chest and lowering his head before him.

  Granted permission to speak, he did so in a serious, concerned tone, stating that there was a problem - and that the event's manager had attempted to hide information so Astaroth would not learn what had occurred in the venue's underground area over the past few hours.

  Astaroth immediately adopted a stern expression, no longer appearing friendly. It became clear that although he had been bored, this revelation brought him back to who he truly was - someone who should never be angered or lied to.

  The bodyguard then removed his personal smartphone from one of his pockets, placing it on the table and activating a video recorded from a certain distance.

  Astaroth saw footage of what appeared to be the manager's office, with the manager shouting at his employees in a mixture of rage and panic.

  At that moment, it felt as though the world itself was completely silenced by what Astaroth heard in the video playing on the smartphone.

  The revelation was clear: Hark - whom Astaroth was supposed to meet that night - had been found dead, likely murdered by someone.

  The video ended with the manager ordering that no one mention this to Astaroth under any circumstances, and that everyone clean up the mess of the guards' bodies near Hark's reserved room in the underground area of the event.

  This immediately caused Astaroth to smile and lower his head, his eyes closing as he took a deep breath and released a soft laugh that, at first, sounded almost joyful. But it soon revealed itself to be nothing less than burning hatred.

  What followed was the sight of the world before him - soundless - while life continued to flow throughout the event, with people dancing on the first floor and ground level as the music had been playing moments earlier.

  Their joy was abruptly cut short. Every person froze in place, fear stamped across their faces. They felt a mental pressure so intense that many found themselves unable to move, their noses beginning to bleed.

  The music that had been playing was violently silenced as all electronic circuits in the sound equipment burned out.

  The lights and beams throughout the club continued their movements, dancing aimlessly in the absolute silence that now dominated the venue.

  From the ground floor, subtly levitating up to the second floor where Astaroth and his bodyguard stood, appeared none other than his second guard, gripping a person by the neck.

  Upon reaching the front of the second floor, he performed something astonishing - hurling that person against one of the pillars at a surreal speed.

  The impact caused the person to scream in extreme pain before collapsing onto the floor, severely injured, after nearly being impaled through one of the marble pillars by the steel bar embedded within it.

  Mr. Astaroth, who had been sitting until moments earlier, begins to rise from his table, taking the smartphone from his bodyguard and handing it back to him. As he passes by the guard near the table where he had previously been seated,

  he sees nothing less than the guard immediately showing his respect once again, lowering his head as Astaroth subtly places one of his hands on the man's shoulder.

  With that simple gesture, he affirms that the guard did a good job, without Astaroth needing to utter a single word. For that guard, such recognition was an immense honor.

  After taking a few calm steps-yet radiating an overwhelming presence to anyone there-Astaroth approaches the person now lying on the ground, bleeding and unable to stand, their body trembling in pain.

  [Astaroth - Completely Empty Voice] ...I came here to handle very important business, and the person I came to meet was killed inside your establishment, Mr. Manager. [Deep, disappointed breath] -

  The person on the ground coughs up blood, their breathing dry, labored, and painful at the same time. They are badly injured after having been mercilessly thrown by Astaroth's second bodyguard against one of the pillars.

  [Astaroth - Completely Empty Voice] And yet all of you who work here are Oculi, not a bunch of pathetic humans incapable of realizing that something is wrong around them. [Deep, disappointed breath] -

  Before the person can utter a single word, they are abruptly lifted from the ground, levitating violently toward the ceiling and slamming their back against it, denting it slightly.

  Visibly, the person is wrapped in an invisible force that subtly distorts the environment within a few centimeters around them, while at the same time pressing them against the ceiling, making them feel their essence being crushed as their body is gradually forced upward by their back.

  [Astaroth - Completely Empty Voice] But... besides not informing me about Hark's death when I arrived here a few minutes ago, you had the audacity to try to cover it up as if it were something trivial. [Deep, bored breath] -

  Astaroth is now seen standing beneath the person pinned to the ceiling, revealing that this is none other than the event's manager, crying black tears from the pain, unable to speak because permission has not yet been granted by Astaroth.

  [Astaroth - Completely Empty Voice] I might even have let what happened here slide, but Hark is not just anyone. What he carries within his mind-information capable of changing everything in the future-and... [Slow, deep breath] -

  The manager's expression is clearly one of pleading for his life, faced with Astaroth's presence below him, still unable to look directly into his eyes as he struggles to remain calm over what happened to the young Hark in that very place just hours earlier.

  [Astaroth - Completely Empty Voice] You know very well his influence in the Oculi underworld, an influence even greater here in the human reality than in our own Oculi realm. [Deep, vindictive breath] -

  After saying this, Astaroth is seen slowly closing one of the fingers of his hand, indicating that he is about to clench his fist, finger by finger, from that moment on.

  With the first finger closing, the manager's left arm immediately has its bones shattered in several places in a brutal manner.

  He screams, begging for forgiveness in desperation as his perception of pain is amplified tenfold.

  This happens because Astaroth has accessed his mind at an extremely deep level, causing any injury inflicted upon him from that moment on to be felt with far greater intensity.

  Astaroth, calm and with a gaze completely devoid of mercy, first looks forward and then up at the ceiling above him.

  He watches the manager cry in fear, blood spilling from his mouth as his entire body endures a crushing pressure.

  [Astaroth - Completely Empty Voice] I liked this place. It seemed fun at night, but... -

  The scene makes it clear: black blood runs from the manager's mouth toward the ceiling, as if the ceiling were the floor for his body at that moment.

  Upon hearing this, the manager feels the surface behind his back, where he is pinned, begin to heat up. Terrified and trembling, he looks to the side.

  [Astaroth - Completely Empty Voice] Because of you, it will burn until nothing remains but ruins. -

  He sees the nightclub's kitchen gas being released and spreading across the ceiling of the VIP room on the second floor, resembling an ocean on the verge of igniting before his eyes.

  Realizing this quickly and using all his strength, the manager states that two people were strange-and that he noticed something peculiar when he saw them enter and remain inside the club for less than an hour.

  [Astaroth - Serene & Curious Voice] You have my attention, Mr. Manager. -

  With a simple snap of his fingers, Astaroth releases the crushing pressure he had imposed on the manager's body-not to destroy his existence, but his essence beneath the organic flesh.

  [Astaroth - Serene & Curious Voice] Continue talking about these "two people" you found strange, and... -

  Even so, the manager remains pinned to the ceiling, his back pressed against it, while Astaroth observes him from below with a curious gaze, showing not a single trace of pity or mercy.

  [Astaroth - Serene & Curious Voice] I will consider letting you live after you tell me everything you know. -