Ingenious

Although dizzy, Leo expanded his third-person view around himself, covering a full three hundred and sixty degrees. He could now see in every direction and would notice anyone trying to sneak up on him.

By doing so, he confirmed there was no one else around. It was a one-on-one duel between him and the woman in the white suit.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of eyes watching him. He looked up and spotted Yvonne observing him. Somehow, she knew it was him and no one else.

"I leave this dullahan to you. Zeke, stand by and assist her if needed," Yvonne's voice rang out in Leo's earpiece.

It seemed Zeke had dispatched his enemy and even captured him. Leo had never heard him so enthusiastic. Catching a dullahan must have filled Zeke with so much excitement that he no longer cared about anything else.

Leo wondered if Zeke realized it was him fighting the hunter, which was likely why Zeke was on standby.

Meanwhile, the woman in the white suit responded like a soldier to Yvonne's order. Despite being under Alice, Yvonne was also a recognized and famous hunter. Being acknowledged by her, to the point of fighting a dullahan alone, meant a lot to this woman.

She readied her spear, which Leo believed was a supernatural item from The Other Side, and heightened her presence. He could tell she was using her ability as well.

Leo assumed a guard stance. Eh, let's see. Proving my humanity and not harming her too much is my goal. How strong is she? If she's stronger than me, I'll have to try something else. But I already have a plan.

Before Leo finished thinking, the woman darted at him. Her spear tip moved faster than she did, barely missing Leo's arm when he tilted away just in time.

He tried to grab her spear's shaft, but she pulled back quickly and attacked again. Each thrust sped up, and she managed to land a few blows on his armor.

Leo realized he needed to use his darkness. He'd been avoiding it because of what he'd done to the dullahan, but this hunter was different. She was helping the world, not trying to destroy it.

As darkness poured out of him and spread across the area, Leo extended his hand and gathered darkness into his palm. The woman slashed at an odd angle that would have surprised Leo a few days ago, but not now with his improved vision.

He guided the spear's blade toward his palm. With his gauntlets, darkness reinforcement, and his intentional pull, it barely harmed his hand.

He caught the blade, but that didn't mean he had disarmed her. Her spear vanished and reappeared in her hands, then she slashed at him again.

I fucking knew it was the same type of weapon Zeke uses! I could just tell!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

She wasn't just fast. She was strong too. Cracks formed on Leo's black armor, proof of her power.

Now that she had finished warming up, her attacks came at so many angles that Leo struggled to keep up. Whenever he tried to use Darkness' Grasp on her, she changed her movements and overwhelmed him.

Fighting dullahans is way easier! Maybe it's because my darkness is naturally stronger than theirs, but someone with better control can outclass me. This is annoying. So what if I only started this job a few weeks ago? Focus on what I'm good at and go beyond, Leo!

Reacting to his will, Leo's darkness drew back into him, disappearing from the battlefield. He left only a small sliver of it hidden from everyone's sight. Even Yvonne, Zeke, and the hunter thought he had completely retracted his darkness.

Seeing this, the woman moved in and aimed her spear at the large crack in his chest armor. At that moment, Leo used Darkness' Grasp on himself, pulling her blade closer to his chest.

Since she had intended to strike that same spot, her speed overreached, and she stumbled. Leo hurled himself to the side, flipping over the riverbank's rail and plunging into the water. The hunter followed him.

Underwater, Leo grabbed her ankle and yanked her deeper, letting his darkness blossom once more and darken everything around them. It swayed around him as he lifted his hand and aimed it at her.

You're smart enough to know I can't use Darkness' Grasp without my darkness. You thought I had nothing to pull you in because you missed that tiny sliver. At this level, cunning matters most. And you'll lose because I don't have to breathe! Haha!

She tried to slash at Leo while holding her breath, but the water resistance and his pulling power prevented her from mustering any real strength. She lost her weapon, and with no air left, she soon passed out.

Leo lifted her into a princess carry and kicked toward the surface. Zeke was waiting, ready to help pull the unconscious hunter onto the riverbank. Leo climbed out on his own, reattached his head, and turned off his dullahan armor.

Zeke smirked, which annoyed Leo. He knew Zeke had watched and realized Leo wouldn't have won without his dullahan powers. Yet Leo couldn't call him out because of the earpiece in his ear.

"Yvonne... I failed. The dullahan got away," Leo said, following their plan.

Zeke's smirk widened.

Leo balled his hands. This damn idiot is smirking at me when he hasn't made a single move on Yvonne. Once this mission ends, I'm going to tear into him so bad. I'll tell him I'm going to claim Yvonne, just like my mom wants. He's an idiot who fails at everything.

After a pause, Yvonne replied, "I see. This is my oversight. You're a newbie hunter who has only just awakened, yet I sent you against a dullahan by yourself. I'll take the blame and speak with Alice later."

"Understood. I apologize," Leo said. Zeke kept smirking.

Leo clenched his fists and looked away. He sat on the rail and closed his eyes. He needed a moment to rest after using his vision so much.

Those two fights showed him he was far more skilled with darkness and dullahan abilities than standard fighting. Normal combat required more experience, while darkness came to him naturally.

Minimizing his darkness to a single sliver on his first try proved his talent with that element. It let him challenge stronger and more experienced foes.

"How's the situation?" Leo asked.

Zeke answered, "Looks like Lady Alice finished off the three-headed dullahan. Three of them killed themselves, and the rest have been captured. Only one escaped, which is fitting for you. You still have a lot to learn, Leo."

He acted like a proper superior only because everyone else was listening through the earpiece.

Leo bit his lip, then spoke like a sulking kid. "I apologize again. And I'm so happy to be part of Yvonne's team. You're a great coworker, Zeke. I really hope there's some medicine in The Other Side for that severe case of impotence you've had for years. I'm rooting for you!"

Zeke's jaw dropped in disbelief. How could Leo lie so blatantly with so many hunters listening? Even if they knew it was false, Zeke's face still turned red with shame. He couldn't destroy his polite facade by shouting at Leo now.

Leo looked away. Fuck, I hate saying this crap, but I have to. Zeke's face is too annoying. I won't let him jab at me.

Yvonne shook her head. She couldn't believe these two young men acted like children. Both were at fault, and none of it had to do with her.

When Alice's voice came through her earpiece, Yvonne called her two silly partners and headed to the middle warehouse.

Inside, they found a horrifying scene.

Leo and Zeke turned pale as they looked around in shock.

Blood was splattered everywhere. There were many boxes scattered around, each stained with blood.

Some boxes leaked so much blood that it trickled onto the floor and formed pools. Inside them, various heads were piled up, each face twisted in horror.

"There are piles of those boxes… does it mean what I think it means?" Leo asked.

Zeke nodded. "Probably."

They both believed there were many more heads hidden in this warehouse. These could be used in different ways, but Alice was certain they were meant as sacrifices for other dullahans to evolve into two or three-headed forms.

Even worse, only a small group of dullahans had been guarding this place. That suggested there might be many similar groups elsewhere, likely connected to someone much stronger, possibly The Nine Heads.

"Now that's disgusting," Leo said. He glanced at Alice. She stood calmly, as though nothing bothered her.

Although she had fought the three-headed dullahan, there was no blood on her white dress or umbrella. She was talking with Yvonne and David, theorizing about this warehouse while her subordinates contained the captured dullahans.

"It's about time we learned more about dullahans' communities. All of them will soon sing about their higher-ups for Aaron," Alice said.

A strange note of fear entered her voice when she mentioned that name.

Leo turned to Zeke and whispered, "Who is Aaron?"

Zeke answered quietly, "A torture master."

"Damn, hunters are getting crazier the more I learn about them," Leo whispered back.

Author: Leave powerstones and comments please! Those motivate a lot, and thanks for reading!