The next day arrived.
Each general had already informed their units, preparing them for the mission ahead—what to do, where to go, and how to survive. At the forefront of one hundred well-armed units stood sixteen authoritative figures, towering like ancient statues of war. They were more than leaders—they were symbols of unwavering power.
Eight were the commanding generals of the Hunter Base:
General Thorfinn, General Ezekiel, General Julius, General Elicia, General Abraham, General Godwin, General Rolly, and General Joshua.
Beside them stood their vices, eight more warriors of strength and loyalty. All sixteen stood on the grand altar, their presence as firm and unshakable as the foundation of the base itself—a pole of power radiating dominance. From this sacred stage, they addressed the warriors below.
Suddenly, General Julius stepped forward. His eyes gleamed with a fiery resolve, and his voice carried like a battle horn.
> "Today is the day we move out. The day we stare into the eyes of fear!"
"Every man must have something worth dying for—and for us, it is our loved ones! Our land! Our people! Without that… what is the point of living?!"
He drew his sword, pointing it toward the heavens like a declaration of war.
> "I will not cower before the enemy! I will bend the hands of cruel fate with the edge of my blade! I will do everything—everything—to protect humanity from the grip of these monsters!"
"WILL YOU FOLLOW ME?!"
His roar echoed across the field like thunder cracking through a stormy sky. His words struck every heart like lightning, igniting an overwhelming sense of purpose. A thousand spirits rose with one breath. The hunters stood tall—eyes blazing, fists clenched.
Silence fell. A chilling, eerie silence, so heavy that even the wind had to whistle just to be heard.
Every soul present burned with an unshakable sense of duty, each ready to tear the abominations to pieces with no hesitation.
Then, General Elicia moved forward with deadly precision. Her every step radiated authority. Her voice sliced through the stillness like steel through flesh.
> "Let the battlefield be your home for as long as abomination monsters lurk in the shadows!"
"Swing your sword until your bones break! Never lie flat before your enemies! These creatures—they have no heart! No soul! No remorse!"
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT—until your last breath is spent!"
One after another, the generals gave rousing speeches—each word forging blades of resolve deep in the hearts of every hunter. It worked. Just as they had hoped, fear was replaced with fiery determination.
Then, the army divided into ten tactical groups. Four generals and their vices remained behind to maintain order at Hunter Base. The rest scattered, choosing their battlegrounds.
General Thorfinn, commander of Alex's unit, selected a grim location—Leafold City.
Once a peaceful town filled with laughter and life, Leafold had fallen to ruin. It was now a crimson graveyard, a hunting ground for the abominations. According to gathered intelligence, entire families vanished overnight—devoured without a trace. Survivors who tried to flee the city rarely made it beyond the outskirts before their screams were silenced.
It was a cursed place.
And now, Alex and his comrades marched straight toward it.
Now, Alex and his comrades followed their commander toward that bloodstained city—Leafold, a place bathed in tragedy and soaked in silence. They were a group of ten, moving under the banners of General Thorfinn and his vice, Lucas. But even among them, division had already begun.
The group was split into four tactical teams of three. General Thorfinn, ever the strategist, chose a capable elite hunter and added Seraphina—a gifted yet inexperienced warrior—to his personal squad. He believed it would be safer for her under his watchful eye. At least this way, no one would die in vain.
As for Alex and Zeke, the two newest and weakest recruits, they were placed under the supervision of Vice General Lucas. It was a decision that seemed ordinary—but Lucas couldn't shake the feeling that General Thorfinn had a hidden reason for putting Alex under his care.
The two remaining groups, comprised of seasoned veterans, were left to operate independently. They didn't need guidance—they were hunters forged in battle, capable of handling whatever horror awaited them.
By the time they reached the outskirts of Leafold City, night had already fallen. The city loomed before them like a corpse in the moonlight, silent and menacing.
Rather than charge in blindly, they set up camp on the four corners of the city's perimeter. Each team took a position, forming a watchful square of vigilance. Shadows danced in the flickering torchlight, and the scent of distant decay carried on the wind.
Inside one corner of that field of silence, Vice General Lucas stretched his limbs and smirked, the fire reflecting in his eyes.
"Well, well, well, boys... Don't you think it's about time we had an introduction?"
He looked between them, still wondering why Thorfinn had shown sudden interest in a rookie like Alex.
"My name is Alex," said Alex simply.
"My name is Zeke," followed the second boy while continuing to fix up a small tent, his hands not pausing. "It's an honor to work under you, sir."
"What cool names, I guess," Lucas said with a short laugh, raising an eyebrow. "That's it? Nothing more to say?"
Alex and Zeke exchanged a glance—unsure whether they were being tested or teased. Lucas caught their awkward silence and let it slide.
"Never mind," he said with a wave of his hand, plopping down on a folded cloth. He motioned for the two to join him. "We'll get along soon enough."
With a nod, they dropped beside him.
"Since we're at war, don't expect peaceful sleep tonight," Lucas added, his voice calm but firm. Alex and Zeke both nodded.
"Good. That's the right mindset."
He leaned back slightly, resting on one hand.
"We'll be taking shifts. One of us will always be on watch. The enemy moves like a whisper—and we'll need sharp ears and sharper instincts."
Lucas could have relied solely on his mind power to detect threats, but something in him wanted to see what these two boys were made of. Were they worth Thorfinn's curiosity?
The night deepened. Each of them took turns standing watch, while the others rested in rotation. The woods around them breathed with unnatural stillness… until a sudden howl tore through the air.
Then—footsteps.
Dozens of them. Fast. Frantic. Unmistakably human.
The three hunters tensed, eyes narrowing. Lucas stood, unsheathing his blade in a single fluid motion.
"Something's coming…"
"They're everywhere… footsteps from every direction," Zeke said, panic building in his voice, his heart thundering in his chest.
"No…" Alex muttered, his grip tightening on his sword hilt. "They're not coming for us… they're chasing someone."
Lucas' eyes sharpened.
"Abominations."
They all unsheathed their swords.
Without wasting a breath, they split into different directions, darting into the night-shrouded woods with weapons drawn and minds focused. Their mind power surged, stretching their senses outward like sonar.
And then—they saw them.
More than ten abominations filled the woods, grotesque figures of nightmare flesh and twisted rage. It was impossible to count them all, but it was clear: this was no ordinary patrol.
Worse still… four of those monsters were in hot pursuit of four fleeing humans, each one screaming in desperate terror.
They all charged forward, hearts pounding with urgency. Their mission was clear—no one dies tonight. Each of them focused their mind power on locating the fleeing humans. Saving lives came before slaying monsters.
Among the chaos, one abomination stood out.
It had the face of a mutated ant, jagged mandibles twitching with hunger. A grotesque tail swayed like a serpent, and its claws gleamed—thick and sharp as forged blades. It was chasing a girl—no older than sixteen—her face streaked with dirt and tears, legs buckling under her desperate escape.
"Help! Somebody, help me!" she cried, her voice cracking with fear.
Alex, sprinting through the forest with eyes sharp as daggers, locked onto her.
"Not on my watch," he growled.
The girl stumbled, crashing to the ground. Panic overtook her. She scrambled, crawling with bloodied knees, but the abomination was too fast. It closed in and grabbed her by the neck, its serrated tail slashing across her back, tearing fabric and skin alike.
"Ohhh... such fresh meat," the abomination hissed, lifting her by the neck. "You'll be more than delicious."
The girl gasped, her legs kicking helplessly. Her lungs fought for air, but the monster's grip was too tight. She tried to speak, to plead—but nothing came out except a faint, trembling—
"P–…"
The abomination grinned devilishly. It wanted her to die slowly, in despair. One claw lifted, glinting under the moonlight, then plunged toward her neck—
SHHINK!
A blue blur cut across the air.
In an instant, the abomination's hand was severed clean off, flinging black blood across the forest floor.
"What?!" the creature screeched, stumbling back.
Alex appeared, cloak fluttering behind him, his blade dripping with black ichor. In one swift motion, he scooped the girl into his arms and vanished again, setting her safely beside a tree a few meters away.
The girl coughed violently, her breathing returning in broken rasps—but she was alive.
The abomination shrieked in fury, staring at its bleeding stump. Then… with a squelching hiss, its limb regenerated in seconds.
> "What just happened…?" it growled, stunned. Then it turned its hateful gaze to Alex, licking its mandibles. "Ahh… it was you. Trust me, boy… you've just dashed into your doom."
A sudden burst of dark aura erupted from its body, sending gusts of wind spiraling outward. The trees trembled. The ground cracked beneath its clawed feet.
Alex narrowed his eyes, clenching his palm on his sword's hilt.
"Bring it on, freak," he muttered.
In a heartbeat, the abomination lunged, its speed almost breaking the sound barrier. A massive fist powered by demonic force hurtled toward Alex, splitting the air like thunder.
Alex didn't flinch.
His sorcery flared to life.
Blue aura erupted from his body, surging like tidal waves. With one swift motion, he blocked the punch head-on, steel meeting monstrous flesh in a collision that shook the very air.
BOOOM!
The force created a shockwave, scattering leaves and dust in every direction.
"You've got some nerve… you pathetic fool!" the abomination roared, rattled that Alex could withstand his attack. "Impressive. For a human."
But Alex wasn't done.
He stepped forward, gripping his blade with both hands as energy flooded his meridians like a raging river. His aura expanded even more, blindingly bright and seething with power.
> "Sorcery Liquid: Elite Stance – Third Form… Four-Wave Water Blade!"
A vortex of pure water energy surged from his sword, slicing through the air like lightning. Alex lunged with inhuman speed, each slash carrying the weight of his resolve.
SLAASH!!
In one breathless assault, he severed the abomination's arms and legs, sending it crashing to the ground.
But—
The abomination laughed.
"Heh… is that all?"
Within seconds, its limbs began to regenerate, bones cracking, muscle stitching back together as black veins pulsed with evil energy.
Alex's eyes widened.
"Damn it… What are you?!"
"You've got guts, kid," the creature snarled, its voice a twisted mixture of admiration and malice. "I'll give you that… but now, let's see how long you can survive."
As the monster rose again, taller and more furious than before, Alex adjusted his stance—sword pointed forward, breathing steady, eyes locked.
"Come on then," he said coldly. "Let's end this."