Alice

It had been several days since Leo's power-up. Now that he could encase himself in dullahan armor and summon darkness, a few new training points were added to his routine.

First, he had to adapt to the darkness and become as familiar with it as possible. This meant exuding darkness in his spare time and keeping it active for as long as he could.

Second, his armor was part of that darkness. Although he could wear it as long as he wanted, he didn't know how to regenerate broken parts during battle. Yvonne told him that skilled dullahans could do this and advised him to start learning soon.

While Leo enjoyed exploring his powers and getting stronger, this new training meant Yvonne couldn't leave him alone. He hadn't lost control of his strength yet, but there was always a chance. Because of that, Yvonne spent more time in her gym suit, supervising him, and he clearly loved it.

Other than training, Leo also went on more patrols with Yvonne and Zeke. He had spotted two more dullahans in the last week and absorbed their powers. His strength didn't grow by leaps and bounds, but he felt his stamina improving.

He could credit those dullahans' energy for letting him keep his darkness for ten minutes, but he preferred to say it was his training. It was night now, and Leo and Yvonne had finished their routine and day patrols. Hunters worked at night too, so they would soon leave her apartment.

Before that, they watched an anime together on her sofa.

Sipping on his protein shake, Leo said, "This soundtrack is awesome. I swear, Sawano Hiroyuki is the goat. Bro never misses. We should listen to this while working out."

Yvonne smirked. "Finally moving away from the phonk?"

"That's just my current mood for training. I never really worked out before becoming a dullahan, but I heard phonk goes great with workouts, and I kinda liked it when I tried. Still, I listen to all genres. You don't have to humor all my tastes."

Turning to him, Yvonne stared in a meaningful way. "I do not mind. I want to learn more about you."

She sounded so genuine that Leo bit the straw and sucked down the entire shake in one go, making Yvonne grin. She leaned back to continue watching the anime, and Leo did the same.

She's more comfortable around me, and so am I. I'm curious about those crimson eyes I saw for a few seconds, but I'm kinda afraid to ask now. I tried a roundabout way with Zeke, but he just talked about her raw strength and achievements. Anyway, as long as I keep getting stronger and the higher-ups don't butt in, I'll probably learn more about her abilities. I can't rush it.

Suddenly, Yvonne's phone rang. She paused the anime and picked it up, then headed to her room. On her way, she told Leo to get dressed for work and prepare for a battle.

That made Leo forget his horniness. He ran to his room, and less than five minutes later, they were in her car on the way to pick up Zeke.

Once Zeke sat beside Leo, Yvonne said, "Alice found a hideout of a small dullahan group."

Hearing the name Alice made Zeke's face twist. He looked like he had just licked shit. Leo noticed and asked, "Is that Alice ugly or something?"

Zeke looked away and replied bitterly, "She's not. I'd say she's one of the most beautiful hunters on our continent."

Yvonne chimed in. "I know men are visual, but please get to the point, Zeke."

"Apologies, Lady Yvonne," Zeke said. "She's condescending and arrogant. I suggest you stay away from her and let Lady Yvonne handle the talking. Just stick with me."

For someone as diligent as Zeke to avoid a beautiful woman, she had to be troublesome. He was even warning Leo about her.

Leo shrugged. "If she barks at me, I'll have to respond somehow."

"Don't drag me into it," Zeke replied.

With that, Yvonne continued, "The group's leader is a three-headed dullahan. We will leave him to Alice."

Leo sighed. "Really? That could be a great power-up."

Yvonne said, "I'm glad you're not afraid to face him, but even I can't guarantee your safety. Besides, this won't stay between us. Alice needs achievements because her hunter ranking fell, so she won't let anyone else handle the main threat. We'll focus on the weaker dullahans."

Leo tilted his head. "Hunter ranking?"

Zeke harrumphed. "You're not in it because you're just a newbie who needs Lady Yvonne's supervision. Your powers are dullahan abilities, so you can't fake it in the ranking duels. No extra cash or special rewards for you. My silver sword came from my position in the hunter ranking."

His smug smile annoyed Leo. "So what the hell is your ability?"

"Swordsman Assimilation," Zeke replied. "I can merge with swordsmen of the past and use their swordsmanship and abilities."

"Damn, that's pretty cool," Leo said.

For the first time ever, Leo didn't piss Zeke off.

Zeke smiled. "I know."