Monster
The battlefield was silent.
Fifty hunters had attacked. Fifty trained killers from the Dark Organization.
And yet—not a single attack had touched him.
Flames, lightning, wind blades, and earth spikes ripped through the air, yet Zero dodged every single one without even breaking a sweat.
His body moved like a phantom, faster than their eyes could track.
The hunters began to breathe heavily. Fear crept into their hearts.
Zero stood at the center of the bloodstained room, surrounded by enemies. His crimson eyes glowed ominously in the dim light.
Then, he spoke.
"My turn."
A chilling wave of pressure filled the room.
The air grew heavy, suffocating. The hunters' instincts screamed at them to run—but it was already too late.
Zero raised his hand.
"Devour."
At that moment, darkness erupted from his body.
A massive black aura surged outward, like a living storm. The entire building shook, and the walls cracked under the sheer force of his presence.
The moment the aura touched the hunters, their bodies froze.
Their energy drained instantly. Their limbs felt like lead.
"W-What the hell?!" one hunter gasped, falling to his knees.
"I-I can't move… my strength... it's fading!" another choked, his hands trembling.
"What is this ability?!"
It was pure terror.
Their stamina was being stolen before they could even react.
Zero vanished.
In the next instant—he was behind the C-rank hunters.
His right hand glowed with black energy, his fingers stretching into deadly, razor-sharp claws.
"Shadow Claw."
A single slash.
SHRRRRIP!
Five hunters were torn apart.
Their bodies collapsed instantly, blood splattering across the floor.
The remaining C-rank hunters screamed in horror.
Some tried to run.
Some raised their weapons.
It didn't matter.
Zero moved again.
Slash!
Another five died instantly.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Their bodies hit the ground, lifeless.
Within seconds, every single C-rank hunter lay dead.
The room fell silent.
Only the B-rank and A-rank hunters remained.
Their faces were pale. Their hands shook.
Zero turned his gaze toward them.
The B-ranks felt a deep, primal fear crawl up their spines.
Their instincts screamed at them to run—but they couldn't.
Zero raised a single hand, his fingers crackling with dark energy.
"Blindness."
A pulse of shadow magic exploded outward.
Instantly, every B-rank hunter went blind.
"Aghhh! I CAN'T SEE!" one of them shrieked, stumbling backward.
"Damn it! What the hell is this?!" another screamed, swinging his sword wildly in panic.
Zero smirked. They were blind.
And now, they were helpless.
SHUNK!
A blade pierced through a hunter's heart.
SPLAT!
Another had his throat torn open.
Zero moved through the chaos, unseen, untouchable.
Squelch. Stab. Slice.
The air was filled with wet, sickening sounds.
Flesh being torn.
Bones cracking.
Bodies dropping.
The room became a bloodbath.
Within moments—every B-rank hunter was dead.
The only sound left was the drip of fresh blood pooling on the cold floor.
As the blindness wore off, the remaining A-rank hunters saw the horror before them.
The walls were painted red.
The floor was covered in corpses.
Their comrades were butchered like animals.
And in the center of it all—stood Zero.
His shadow claws dripped with fresh blood.
His eyes—cold, empty, merciless.
One of the last hunters trembled, his sword shaking in his hands.
"M-Monster..." he whispered. "He's not human..."
Zero tilted his head slightly.
"Was that not obvious?"
The two remaining B-rank hunters turned to run.
Zero vanished.
A split second later—they were already dead.
Only the A-rank hunters remained.
Unlike the others, they hadn't broken yet.
They were stronger. More experienced. More dangerous.
One of them stepped forward, gripping his blade tightly.
"You bastard…" he snarled. "You think you can take us down so easily?!"
Zero wiped the blood off his claws and smiled.
"Easily?" he chuckled, stepping forward. "You're only still alive because I let you be."
A cold, unnatural silence filled the room.
The A-rank hunters felt it.
The creeping sense of inevitable death.
They were next.