49 Hunt II

The crescent moon hung in the star-studded skies, bathing the eerie forest below with its silver radiance. Bestial howls and raging winds mixed with a cacophony of buzzing, whining, humming, stridulating, and droning insects. A typical night within the forest.

In an area dominated with fog, several distorted shadows bounced off the trees. Chasing after a lone figure in mundane clothes.

"Hurry. Don't let him get away." The group increased their speed. They had spent the last two hours chasing their target. Whenever they were close, he would speed up once more living the group enraged on multiple occasions. Most of them vowed to make him suffer before eliminating him.

A moment later, the chasing party suddenly stopped in their tracks. The leader had his left arm half raised while his beady eyes stared at the darkness ahead.

"Oliver, what the hell is that?" Theopolir, Oliver's second in command, asked. A chill went down his spine as he stared at the eerie, churning mist of inky darkness blocking their path. He had seen nothing like that in his life.

"I don't know." Oliver muttered underneath his breath. Although the night's light wasn't as bright as a full moon, they could still see with its radiance. However, the darkness before their eyes consumed the moon's light like a bottomless abyss. 'What is this thing and where did it come from?' A moment ago, nothing blocked their path and they could still see their target. Now, however, their target had long disappeared within the darkness. Oliver didn't dare to give chase. His time in Kynar had taught him not everything looked as it seemed.

"Oliver, should we enter?" Theopolir asked. He echoed the thoughts of their five man strong party. Oliver remained silent. He had no way to solve the dilemma. The darkness covered an enormous expanse of the surrounding forest. Going around it was out of the question. That he couldn't hear the slightest sign of movement from within the darkness filled his mind with dread. The rustling trees had grown quiet, and so did the bestial cries and raging winds. It wasn't ordinary, Oliver thought. However, he knew he couldn't delay for too long lest they lose their chance to claim the treasure.

'If it didn't scare the kid from going in, why should we be afraid? I don't believe that kid created this...' Oliver gritted his teeth. He had decided. He turned towards his men. "We can't afford to let him get away. We'll chase after—" Before Oliver could finish his statement, three figures dressed in fur clothing flashed passed them. None of them could block them. The trio had already disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Oliver and his men remained motionless. Although another group had overtaken them, none showed the slightest sign of chasing after them. In fact, the group's countenance had turned unsightly.

"The Night Wolves are after him too..." Theopolir muttered in a daze. He had seen the wolf's skull masks the trio wore, a hallmark of the obscure assassin group. Oliver and his men had also seen the dried skulls. They had initially planned on intercepting the new arrivals. However, none dared to proceed after sighting the mask. Making enemies with the Night Wolves was tantamount to signing their death warrants. No one knew how large the group was or the number of people in their fold.

"Oliver, what do we... huh?" Theopolir suddenly paused. He stared at two of his companions. They had unsheathed their swords. "Franklin. Ade. What's..." Before Theopolir could finish his statement, Ade cleaved his head. Disbelief still covered Theopolir's severed head as it tumbled to the ground. Oliver remained in place, unable to believe his eyes. At the same moment, he heard a shriek, and he subconsciously turned his eyes. Franklin had a sword embedded in his throat. While Jas, the last member of the group, had a gaping hole at the side of his head. Exposing his shattered skull. Blood and gray matter poured without end.

Oliver woke up from his stupor. He reached for his dagger. His eyes had turned bloodthirsty. "I'll kill you treacherous bastards myself!" He charged towards Ade with reckless abandon. Theopolir wasn't just his right-hand man, they were blood brothers from the same mother. A silver radiance covered the tip of his dagger. It illuminated the surroundings like the noon sun. Ade squinted his eyes. The blinding lights pierced his eyes. At that same moment, Oliver appeared behind him like a ghost. Without hesitation, he ruthlessly jabbed the dagger into Ade's neck, each strike fiercer than the last. His hands didn't stop even though he could hear Ade choking on his on blood. On his tenth strike, Ade's neck caved in. His head bent at an awkward angle while a fountain of blood sprayed on Oliver and the vegetation. Before Ade's corpse reached the ground, Oliver kicked his head with the full might his body could muster. A chilling snap followed. Ade's severed head flew deep into the forest. Oliver turned his attention towards Franklin. Although stabbed through the neck, the chubby man had yet to die. Without hesitation, Oliver dashed towards his body. With a vicious stab, he tore open the gut of the lanky man.

"Fucking bastard." Oliver kicked Franklin's corpse for good measure while spitting. 'If not for that brat, Theopolir wouldn't have died a pig's death.' Oliver seethed. He didn't know why the duo suddenly betrayed them. In fact, he didn't care. He could handle betrayal, but how was he supposed to handle the death of his brother? Although he had killed the culprit with his own hands, he couldn't calm the rage in his heart. He blamed James for what happened to Theopolir. He wanted revenge.

Oliver turned towards the darkness, his eye bloodshot. "I don't care how powerful you are. You'll regret the day you entered the village." He muttered. He shook his dagger slightly, and the blood on it splattered on the ground. Not a single drop remained. Only killing James would calm his bloodlust. He walked towards the darkness without a second thought. Just before he entered, he heard a low growl followed by an eerie laugh.

"Hehe... are you sure you can kill him?"

Oliver quickly shifted his body, rolling to the side. He stared at his surroundings. However, all he saw were the corpses of his companions. 'What the hell was that?'

His brows creased. The voice sounded nothing human.

"Keke... Bemu, he's searching for us even though we are here."

"I think he's an idiot, Ajati. To imagine he wants to kill our master... keke"

Oliver panicked. He could hear the voices, however, he couldn't find its source no matter how much he tried. One could always find a hidden enemy, but one could do nothing against an invisible foe. Oliver firmed his resolve. He didn't dare remain. He turned towards a vine covered section of the forest and fled without hesitation.

The moment he took his fifth step, he could feel a chilling wind blow past him. However, his body felt as if he lay in an inferno. Oliver froze. 'What's wrong with my body?' No matter how much he willed his legs or arms to move, he remained in place. Cold sweat covered his forehead, and an ominous premonition filled his mind.

"Keke... I thought you wanted revenge? Why are you fleeing?" Oliver heard the voice from behind, but he couldn't turn to see who had spoken. All he could see was two massive, but distorted shadows on the ground. The saber-like claws of the monstrosity terrified him. He did not know what kind of creature had captured him.

"There's no need wasting time with him, Ajati. We have several others to kill before dawn. We have had our fun, it's time to finish him."

Although he could speak, Oliver couldn't bring himself to utter a word. He only prayed that he would survive. He had no intentions of pursuing James or seeking revenge anymore. All he wanted was to get as far away as possible.

"Keke... I know. I know. I just can't help myself. Bemu, don't tell me you didn't enjoy as they murdered each other... Keke."

Just then, two abominations presented themselves before Oliver. Ajati and Bemu, James's dark souls, revealed themselves. Oliver's eyes quivered without end. Although he wanted to scream, his voice failed him. His legs grew weak and heavy. He had even forgotten how to breathe. He had seen nothing as terrifying as the two dark souls.

"Keke... Bemu, I think he likes us. Keke..." Ajati suddenly extended his claw towards Oliver. Meanwhile, Bemu watched in silence. The moment Ajati's claw touched Oliver, the soldier regained his freedom. He unsheathed his dagger and a blinding light covered it. Oliver plunged the dagger into his neck without remorse. He stabbed and stabbed and stabbed until strength left his body. Bemu and Ajati laughed at the human as his corpse fell weakly to the side.

"Keke... which group should we handle next? This is fun." Ajati giggled.

"I don't care. They're all the same. Let's go. I can sense some morons in that direction." Bemu retorted.

Saying nothing further, a thick and nauseating bloody mist gathered around the aberrations. A second later, both aberrations disappeared into thin air. The same moment the dark souls left, several hands ruthlessly tore through the surface of the ground. They wrapped around Oliver's corpse, dragging it into the earth beneath. A similar scene played out at different locations within the massive forest.

***

The members of Night Wolves ran through the churning darkness unabated. The figure in the middle of the three-man formation had a blue crystal hovering above his head. Its light forced the darkness to part.

"Two, have you found him?" A member's number in the Night Wolves determined their hierarchy. With the highest number being the most senior.

"Not yet, Three. But he's close. My needle is vibrating." Two reported.

"One, what about you? Can you dispel the mist?" Three asked.

"Unfortunately, I can only force it to part for a moment. It's like nothing I've ever seen." One couldn't hide his incredulity. This was the first time he had encountered something his crystal couldn't purify. If not that he trusted the ability of Three, who determined the mist wasn't dangerous, he wouldn't have entered.

"How long can you hold on?"

"Another thirty minutes." One replied without pause.

"That's enough. We should have eliminated him—"

"Three, I have found him." Two interjected midway.

The trio halted in their tracks simultaneously. They had to perfect their plans before they eliminated the target.

"Where's he?" Three asked in a low voice.

Two hesitated for a moment, before saying, "A few meters away. If we had maintained our pace, we would have clashed in about five minutes."

"What's wrong? Did you notice something else?" Three noticed the hesitation in Two's voice. One also stared at Two. They had worked together for a long time, but this was the first time he had seen her stutter while giving a report.

Two remained silent for a couple of seconds before saying, "He's not moving. It's almost as if he's waiting for us."

"That's not possible. Three's wolfsbane can hide our scent and presences. There's no way he could have detected us." One refuted Two's claim. Two remained silent. She didn't have the habit of arguing. She had stated what she sensed. Whether they believed her was up to them.

"One, calm down. Two isn't one to talk bullshit." Three chided. He then turned towards two. "Can you check one more time?" If James had sensed their presences, they would have to design an alternative plan before they attacked him.

"Give me a second. I'll check." Two didn't take One's words to heart. In fact, she partially doubted what she sensed. If James had seen through Three's concealment and waited for them, then they couldn't afford to act rashly.

Two removed her twin porcelain hairpins, and her jet black hair cascaded down her shoulders. She muttered an inaudible incantation while spitting on the two hairpins. They gave off a low hum while spinning in midair. Each time two's spit landed on the hairpins, they would rotate towards a particular location. One and Three watched in silence. They could only wait for the outcome of two's search.

A few seconds later, Two stopped her incantations. Her hairpins still floated, but pointed at opposite directions.

"How is it?" Three asked.

"He's gone." Two reported in a low voice.

"Huh? How?" Three had a rough estimate of the range of Two's search. It was impossible for James to evade its range within a few seconds.

"I would have told you if I knew." Two retorted. It annoyed her, too. She trusted her needles. They had never failed her. If they couldn't locate James, it only meant he had escaped from their detection range.

"Three, since he had gone ahead. Shouldn't we pursue?" One asked. He was inwardly delighted that Two's conjuncture turned out wrong. He had nothing against her, but he hated doing extra work. Especially when it involved a high-profile target.

Three mused for a moment. He was glad they didn't have to change their plans. The leader of the Night Wolves had chosen the three of them specially to counter James's abilities. Deviating from their initial plan could cause unforeseen problems, he thought.

"We'll continue as planned." Three said in a low voice. "However, you must remember—" Before three could finish his statement, Two's hairpins jerked unnaturally in midair. The assassins turned towards the hairpins.

"Two, why are they misbehaving?" Three's voice echoed his displeasure. Now wasn't the time to lose control over an item.

Two felt indignant. She didn't understand why her items behaved unnaturally. Just as she was about to recall them, both hairpins flipped upside down. Their pointed ends faced the skies while the decorative heads faced the ground.

"What now?" One complained. He felt as if Two tried to stir up something since her prediction turned out incorrect. Two ignored One. Instead, she concentrated on the hairpins.

'It's facing up...' Two's eyes bulged underneath her mask. She involuntarily raised her head towards the skies while muttering an incantation. Before she even spat on the hairpins, they unleashed a deafening hum. Two panicked. "We have to get out of here. Now!"

While her words echoed, and before any of the trio could move, an almighty pressure descended on the area. One, Two and Three dropped to their knees without resistance.

"You have spent all this time chasing after me. Why leave now?"

The three assassins shuddered as they heard the ghoulish voice. At that same moment, the churning black mist parted from above, and a figure clad in burning blackened flames slowly descended. Terror gripped the hearts of the trio. Not even the demons in their nightmares were as terrifying. James, now in his Grim Reaper form, towered above the trio. The mask of the dead had already transformed into a beautiful scythe. Dozens of damned souls floated above his head, while his captain class Army of the Fallen emerged from the loose earth.

'He's a necromancer…' Two gasped. Only now did she understand the trouble that had befallen them.