The sea mist rolled over the Southern Docks, swallowing the night in a thick, ghostly fog. Shadows moved like phantoms across the rusted shipping containers and rotting wood planks.
The hero team advanced in silence, clad in black gear, weapons drawn, eyes sharp.
Kaien raised a fist, signaling a halt.
Naoto knelt beside him, tracing the faint heat signature on his scanner. "Two guards, northeast corner. No patrol rotation. Perfect for an ambush."
Ash smirked. "Leave it to me."
He disappeared into the shadows.
Seconds later—two dull thuds.
Kaien nodded. "Clear. Move in."
They infiltrated the perimeter, moving like trained predators. Misaki supported from behind, eyes closed, sensing vital signatures to ensure no trap awaited. Luna checked every corner with blade ready. Koharu whispered quick enchantments under her breath, spells laced with silence and speed.
But Rei… Rei walked like a ghost among them.
His heart throbbed louder than the footsteps. Each corridor of the Hero Hunter base echoed memories of Isamu. And though he gripped his sword tight, his mind spiraled deeper into doubt.
They reached the inner corridor. Steel doors, reinforced with runes.
"Main chamber," Naoto said.
"I'll breach," Koharu whispered.
Before she could act—Rei stepped forward.
"I'll do it."
They hesitated. Even Ash raised an eyebrow.
Rei extended his palm, divine light forming in a spiral. The air cracked, then shattered, the door collapsing inwards with a thunderous boom.
Inside—an ambush.
Dozens of Hero Hunters, eyes wide in fury, rose with weapons drawn. Explosions lit the air. Bolts of mana and blade strikes followed.
A full war broke out inside the base.
Kaien deflected a lightning spear. Misaki shielded Koharu. Ash leapt in with two short blades, slicing through the air like death incarnate.
Naoto's firestorm engulfed five enemies in a spiral inferno.
And Rei?
Rei stood in the middle, not moving.
A young Hunter charged toward him—barely older than Rei himself.
Rei locked eyes with him.
And then lowered his sword.
The young man froze. "You're… not going to fight?"
"I'm tired of killing people who don't even know why they're fighting," Rei whispered.
Suddenly—an arrow grazed Rei's cheek. Another attacker.
Koharu screamed, "Rei!"
But he didn't dodge. The arrow stopped—held in place by divine light radiating from Rei's body.
"I'm done being your weapon," he said aloud.
Everyone paused.
Naoto shouted, "Rei, what the hell are you doing?!"
"I'm making my choice." Rei turned around. His voice calm but unshakable. "No more blind killing. I want the truth. And if that means standing between both sides… then so be it."
Ash stormed forward, furious. "Traitor—!"
Kaien blocked him. "Wait."
Even the Hero Hunters had frozen—watching this godlike boy now glowing with sorrow and light.
Rei raised his voice. "We came to kill. But what if the enemy we were sent to destroy… wasn't evil? What if we've been lied to all along?"
The silence was louder than the battle.
The air turned heavy.
From the inner sanctum of the Hero Hunter base, a tremor shook the walls. Dust fell from the cracked ceiling as doors flung open, revealing them—the remaining four Elite Members of the Hero Hunters, cloaked in menacing aura.
They stood tall:
Sadao, the Steel Fist.
Veria, the Whisper of Blades.
Gantz, the Iron Tempest.
Hoku, the Mind Bender.
Behind them, several elite Hunters emerged, surrounding the battlefield.
Rei stepped back, weakened from inner conflict. Koharu and Misaki raised their weapons.
"I'll handle the Hunters. All of them," Luna declared with a calm fire in her eyes. Her sword glowed as magic rippled around her. "Koharu, Misaki—go!"
Kaien stepped forward, eyes locked on the Elites.
"Four against one? Seems fair enough."
The Elites rushed in.
The Battle Begins
Sadao charged first, his fists hardened into titanium. Each punch sent shockwaves through the ground. Kaien dodged narrowly, flipping over a broken pillar. He retaliated with a sweeping kick, landing it square in Sadao's jaw, but the brute barely flinched.
Veria struck next—a blur. Her twin daggers slashed through air faster than the eye could track. Kaien activated his arm guard, sparks erupting as metal clashed. She vanished again, appearing behind him, only for Kaien to pivot with a backhand that sent her sliding.
Gantz raised his gauntlets to the sky. A vortex of air swirled above, then descended in a brutal windstorm. Debris, shards, and rusted metal flew like razors. Kaien was pushed back, shielding himself, but he summoned his energy, roaring through the tempest.
"Not enough."
He charged through the wind, slamming into Gantz and smashing him through the wall.
Then came Hoku.
He didn't move. Instead, he placed two fingers to his temple. Kaien staggered.
The world twisted. Sound vanished. The battlefield became a void.
Kaien fell to his knees, clutching his head.
"My mind...!"
Hoku's voice echoed in the mental space: "You can't fight what you can't understand."
Kaien gritted his teeth.
"That's where you're wrong."
With a pulse of blue light, Kaien exploded in aura, breaking the illusion through sheer willpower. His eyes burned with awakened energy.
"I'm done holding back."
He unleashed his true power—his limbs radiated with mana, his blade shifting form. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he struck all four Elites simultaneously.
Veria's blades shattered. Sadao was hurled into the ceiling. Gantz crashed into steel crates, wind knocked from him. Hoku dropped to one knee, nose bleeding from psychic backlash.
But they weren't finished.
Together, they rose. Forming a circle, each placed their palms on the ground.
"Hunter Seal: Formation Breaker."
The floor erupted in light. Kaien was pushed into the center of a trap spell, his movements slowed.
"This is it," Gantz said.
But Kaien smiled. "You activated it too close."
His core flared, and with a roar, he sundered the entire formation, launching all four back again. Blood splattered. Kaien stood, scarred and breathing heavy.
"Four Elites… but you forgot who I am."
He raised his sword one last time.
With a thunderous charge, he knocked Sadao out cold. He swept behind Veria, disarmed her, and struck pressure points. He avoided Gantz's storm, wrapped chains around him, and crushed the gauntlets. And finally, Hoku tried one last psychic blast—but Kaien stepped through the mind trap and knocked him out with a brutal uppercut.
Silence.
Four Elites, down.
Kaien stood among the rubble, panting, bleeding, but victorious.
Behind him, Luna still held off a swarm of Hunters, Misaki and Koharu rejoining with backup.
Kaien looked toward the hallway, eyes glowing.
"One battle down. Many more to go."
Dockyard Chaos – Koharu & Misaki vs Hero Hunters
The wind howled as the battle roared near the southern dockyards. Smoke drifted through the air, and firelight danced across shattered crates and bloodstained metal.
Luna shouted behind them, "I'll hold the hunters here! Go!"
Koharu gritted her teeth, her eyes scanning the shadows. "We're not leaving you—!"
"GO!"
Luna's voice struck like thunder, and Koharu nodded grimly before tugging Misaki's sleeve. "We have to trust her. Come on!"
Suddenly—whoosh!—a dagger whirled past them and embedded into a steel wall with a loud thunk.
"Too late," Misaki whispered, her breath ragged. "They've flanked us."
From the shadows emerged two hunters—lean, agile, and masked—one wielding twin curved daggers, the other manipulating thin threads of silver light between their fingers.
Hunter A lunged forward toward Misaki.
But before the blade struck, Koharu stepped in, deflecting it with her reinforced gauntlet. "You'll touch her over my dead body!"
With a crack, Koharu's fist landed against the hunter's ribs, sending him staggering.
Misaki dropped low and slammed her hand against the ground. "Sanctum Surge!"
A ring of glowing blue symbols spread out in a burst, and vines of radiant energy erupted, catching the attackers mid-motion. They screamed as the holy energy seared their flesh.
But Hunter B sliced the threads forward—cutting through the vines. He spun, moving like a phantom. Koharu leapt back, barely dodging the wires as they sliced through a steel beam like butter.
She landed beside Misaki. "They're not normal hunters. Watch those threads."
"I know!" Misaki gasped. Her healing reserves were dangerously low, and sweat poured from her brow.
"Focus on defense. I'll draw them off."
Koharu charged again, eyes blazing.
Rooftop Battle – Luna vs Three Hunters
Luna's cloak swirled as she leapt onto the rooftop, facing off against three advancing assassins. Rain began to fall lightly, streaking her blade with droplets.
"You should have run," one of them said coldly.
Luna smiled, eyes narrowing. "You should've brought more."
She vanished.
In a blur of speed, Luna struck from behind—her short blade slicing through armor. One hunter dropped instantly. The other two countered, but she twisted mid-air and kicked off a wall.
CLANG! Sparks flew as blades met. Luna spun, dodged, then thrust upward into one's chest.
The last one hurled a chain, wrapping it around her leg. He yanked hard—
—but Luna pulled a hidden blade from her boot and cut it in midair.
She landed in a crouch, blood on her cheek. "One left."
"Make it count," he growled.
She did.