41: The Arrival of the Last Hero
The male fox was still calmly watching the entire battle unfold from a distance, as if it were some kind of stage performance.
Meanwhile, the female fox was fighting alone — and doing so with ease. Despite being outnumbered, she was handling all three of her opponents without breaking a sweat.
Taejin, Layla, and Rejected Winter were giving it everything they had.
Taejin was attacking with rapid punches and high kicks, raining a storm of strikes toward the female fox. His movements were sharp and well-practiced, but—
She dodged every single one effortlessly.
Her body moved like flowing wind — graceful and unpredictable. Taejin's strikes sliced through nothing but air.
Then Layla jumped in from the side, her fist glowing slightly as she charged energy into her fist. She threw a clean, heavy punch toward the fox's stomach.
BAM!
But the fox didn't even flinch. The punch landed—but it was like hitting a wall made of steel.
The female fox smirked, brushing off her shoulder with mock amusement.
"You really think," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "your weak, frail state can affect someone like me?"
Her eyes glinted.
And in the blink of an eye—
BAM!
She drove her fist into Layla's gut with terrifying force. Layla's eyes widened as the air was knocked from her lungs. Her body lifted an inch off the ground before collapsing like a ragdoll.
She was unconscious in an instant.
A cheeky smile formed on the fox's face. She turned toward Rejected Winter next.
Even though Rejected Winter wasn't showing much expression, he was exhausted. The earlier battle with the male fox had taken a heavy toll on him — his breathing was heavier, and his steps slightly shaky. But still, he didn't back down.
He focused all his remaining strength into his legs and launched forward.
He ducked low, then twisted, delivering a powerful roundhouse kick to the female fox's thigh.
CRACK!
His foot connected. There was force behind it — enough to shake the ground slightly.
She staggered.
But before she could retaliate—
BAM!
BAM!
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Suddenly, ten sharp blocks of ice fell from above in quick succession, each one slamming into her body with powerful impacts. The attacks hit her back, her shoulders, her legs, and even her arm as she tried to defend.
These were Rejected Winter's final attacks. He had pushed his ice ability to its limit.
And then—
He collapsed.
He fell face-first onto the ground, completely passed out due to exhaustion. His energy was spent. His vision faded to black.
---
The battlefield grew silent.
All hope seemed to vanish.
Layla was unconscious.
Rejected Winter was lying motionless on the ground.
There was no one left standing in front of the female fox.
She tilted her head and walked over to Rejected Winter's body, cracking her knuckles as she stared at his face.
CRACK!
She was about to deliver a kick right to his face.
But then—
The male fox spoke.
"Enough," he said firmly. "This one's a warrior. Respect him. Insulting a downed opponent is beneath you."
But she didn't listen.
With a wicked grin, she kicked Rejected Winter's face anyway and sent his limp body sliding several meters across the ground.
---
From a distance, Kai observed everything. His expression turned serious.
"I guess it's time for us to leave," he muttered under his breath. "We'll be the next target if we stay."
Many had already fled, including Ruok, who had been one of the first to leave.
Kai and the remaining fighters turned, preparing to leave quietly...
But then...
Something appeared behind the female fox.
A presence.
A figure.
It wasn't just standing — it was devouring the very light around it.
A man had appeared, his body pitch-black — darker than shadows, as if he were made of pure vantablack. The only visible part of him were his pupils, which glowed with a silvery light in the sea of darkness.
He stood silently.
Then—
With no hesitation, he reached out and grabbed the female fox's face with one hand.
His fingers tightened.
And in the next moment—
BOOM!
Her face exploded, crushed entirely in his grip. Blood and fragments flew everywhere.
She didn't even get the chance to scream.
Before her lifeless body hit the ground, the black figure shoved his hand into her abdomen—
—and ripped out her internal organs in one smooth motion.
Her body dropped like a broken puppet.
Organs and blood splattered the cold ground.
She was dead.
Just like that.
---
And yet—
The male fox didn't even look angry.
He started laughing—loudly. As if something hilarious had just happened.
"Haha... Thomas, isn't that your name?" he asked. "You've got quite the power. I like it."
His smile widened. "You feel even stronger than that ice guy."
Then, without waiting, he charged toward the black figure.
But that figure—Thomas—moved at the exact same instant.
Both blurred, vanishing from their spots and reappearing mid-air—
BOOOOM!
Their fists collided in a violent explosion of red and black energy, the shockwave flattening the surrounding ground in a wide radius. Jagged cracks spread like spiderwebs beneath them. Dust and debris lifted into the air as if a bomb had gone off.
The male fox's eyes narrowed, his muscles trembling from the impact.
But Thomas didn't budge.
Instead—he smiled.
"You're bleeding power," Thomas muttered under his breath.
The male fox's pupils shrank.
Wherever Thomas's knuckles made contact, a strange black residue had begun to spread—like a venomous ink threading through the fox's fur and into his energy channels.
His power was being drained. Suppressed. Eaten.
> "What... the hell is this?"
"My aura's unraveling—"
The fox snarled and jumped back, slashing with his claws in mid-air, trying to cut open space itself. Crimson energy tore out like blades.
Thomas weaved between the slashes, ducking low, then suddenly appeared behind the fox like a ghost—his movement silent, impossible to track.
"Too slow."
With a twist of his hips, Thomas launched a spinning back-kick directly into the fox's spine.
CRACK!
The fox's body folded forward from the force, eyes bulging. He was sent flying, tumbling through the air before smashing into a stone pillar—which instantly collapsed.
Before the debris even fell, Thomas was already on top of him again.
The fox raised his guard.
Too late.
Thomas grabbed his forearm and—BAM!—slammed his elbow down, breaking the joint with a sickening snap. The male fox screamed in pain.
"You're weakening," Thomas said coldly, twisting the broken limb further. "You're leaking energy... from every breath you take."
But the fox gritted his teeth, his pupils now glowing like molten rubies.
He exploded with a pulse of raw crimson energy, sending Thomas flying backward this time. The fox dashed forward with blinding speed and delivered a triple-flurry combo:
1. A punch to the ribs that cracked the ground beneath Thomas's feet.
2. A spinning kick to the jaw that bent Thomas's neck sideways.
3. And finally—an uppercut glowing with fire, launching Thomas into the air.
But Thomas twisted mid-air like a cat, landing on his feet, one palm against the ground to absorb momentum.
Thomas tilted his head, voice calm but ruthless:
"You called this a fight. But this is an execution."
Then—
He appeared behind the fox again. A simple palm strike.
Right into the fox's back.
THRUMMMM!
The male fox roared in fury and desperation, his form trembling, fur turning darker as he tried to forcefully transform again.
But—
His knees buckled.
His breath caught in his throat.
Thomas walked forward.
"No more games."
He raised one hand, fingers outstretched.
"Sleep."
And the entire sky behind him turned black and cold.
To everyone else watching...
It was impossible to see the details.
All they could see were red and black blurs darting across the battlefield.
BAM! WHAM! CRASH!
Only the sounds of their punches and kicks echoed through the area.
A nearby fighter whispered in disbelief, "What speed are they even fighting at...?"
---
The intense battle raged on.
Punch after punch. Kick after kick.
Both fighters exchanged hundreds of moves within seconds.
Then—
Thomas shifted.
In one fluid motion, he grabbed the fox's wrist, twisted his entire body, and flipped the beast over his shoulder using an aikido technique. The male fox's chest slammed into the ground with force.
Blood splattered from his mouth.
But Thomas didn't stop.
Using his darkness element, he extended his arm — and a piece of it vanished straight into the male fox's body.
The fox screamed as part of his torso dissolved into nothing.
---
But he wasn't done.
"You damn humans," he growled, "always hiding something up your sleeve..."
His face twisted in pain, but in the background, his missing body part regenerating — bones, muscle, flesh, skin.
"You think you're the only one with tricks?" he snarled. "You think I don't have healing?"
And with a roar, he lunged again.
They clashed once more, but this time—it was clear.
Thomas was losing.
His stamina was running out.
He was getting slower.
His punches were less powerful.
Though Thomas had skill and mastery, the male fox simply had too much raw strength and speed.
And finally—
BAM!
A powerful punch sent Thomas flying.
He crashed into the dirt, his body flickering as his black aura faded.
Blood gushed from his mouth as he coughed, barely conscious.
---
The remaining fighters watched in stunned silence.
All of them had thought Thomas would win.
But now, even he had fallen.
Even Kai's heart sank.
They were truly out of options.
That's when—
A loud BOOM echoed from the sky.
A figure descended, landing with a solid crash on the battlefield.
He wore black, vile-looking mechanical armor, almost alien in design — jagged edges, metal plates, and smooth tubing across his chest and limbs. It was as if the armor was alive.
The man's hair was silvery white, matching his skin — pale as fresh snow. His features were sharp, handsome. His grey eyes glinted with calm amusement.
He stood up slowly, brushing dust off his shoulder.
"Sorry I'm a little late…But you know how it is. The hero always shows up at the last minute."
His tone was playful — almost mocking.
Thomas, still barely conscious, managed to smile faintly.
"…Now I can rest," he whispered.
As if everything would be fine now.
---
But the male fox didn't care for drama.
He growled and lunged forward, slamming his fist into the newcomer's face.
The white-haired man flew back from the impact—but—
He stopped midair.
He landed on his feet, cracked his neck, and said,
"Don't interrupt me when I'm doing my hero line."
Then—
All hell broke loose.
The white-haired man blurred forward, moving faster than anyone could follow.
BAM! BAM! CRACK! SLAM!
He delivered a devastating flurry of kicks and punches.
In just half minutes, he turned the male fox into a bloodied pulp.
There was no flashy technique.
Just raw, terrifying dominance.
And finally—with one last punch—
He shattered the fox's skull.
The battle was over.
The battlefield fell into silence.
A new Professional level hunter arrived.
One who didn't just fight for power...
…but for style.
---
[To be continued…]