CHAPTER 19: A NEW THREAT
Woli stood up. He was exhausted, dark circles under his eyes. His white hair was disheveled. But his gaze was dangerous. His voice was low, heavy, and sharp.
"The real fun has just begun."
Seeing Woli, Mephis panicked even more. He immediately tried to flee toward the village exit.
"No, not now! I can't fight him in this state. I need to run and survive."
Just as he was about to escape, a dust cloud suddenly rose in front of him.
Meanwhile, the villagers began attacking Rin and the others. Aiko used her remaining Ren to activate her mind power once more.
Ren warned her. "Aiko, don't! You've used too much Ren already."
"I have to. Otherwise, they'll get in our way."
She took a deep breath.
"MIND POWER! All villagers, come to your senses now!"
The villagers running with sickles in their hands suddenly stopped. Their glowing green eyes went dark. Their original eyes were visible again. They looked around in confusion.
"What happened to us?"
"What are we doing?"
"Who are you people?"
Ren shouted.
"All of you, drop your sickles and run to your homes, now!"
The villagers started running toward their houses.
The dust cloud dispersed. Master Woli emerged.
Mephis's voice cracked with shock.
"Y-you were just inside the house. How did you get here?"
"I'll show you the power difference between us right now!"
Meanwhile, Kaito and Yusr were still fighting.
Yusr suddenly attacked again. He shaped his Po-concentrated fist into an eagle and sent it toward Kaito.
This time, Kaito switched to a defensive stance.
"SPIRIT ZAN!"
He raised only his left hand and stepped back with his right foot. Suddenly, a pure white shield formed in front of him.
Yusr's eyes widened in shock.
"Zan? Zan is pink! How is this possible?"
His fist struck Kaito's shield.
BAM!
A massive explosion erupted. The green sphere's color almost turned white. When the explosion faded, Kaito hadn't even moved. Yusr, however, had been pushed back two steps.
Seeing this as an opportunity, Kaito concentrated Po into his fist and immediately attacked.
Yusr was ready. "So you're coming this time, huh?"
"ZAN!"
He raised both hands. A pink energy shield appeared.
Kaito's fist struck the shield.
BAM!
Another explosion erupted. But the difference was huge. Yusr was suddenly thrown back several meters.
Kaito spoke, out of breath. "I think this is over."
But then, Yusr's eyes went blank. His arms hung limply at his sides. Slowly, he rose to his feet. Blood began to flow from his pupils and his hairline.
Kaito's eyes widened.
"Th-that's Kyu!"
Suddenly, Yusr appeared right in front of Kaito. He threw a powerful punch with his Po-concentrated fist.
BAM!
Meanwhile, Woli and Mephis were about to begin their fight.
Mephis gritted his teeth. "Don't get cocky just because you're free. If you were really that strong, you wouldn't have fallen under my mind power."
Woli's voice was calm.
"Then let's find out who is stronger."
"MIND SPHERE!"
A green sphere immediately began forming around Woli. But Mephis was wounded. The sphere was forming very slowly.
Woli drew his sword.
"SHADOW TORNADO!"
Black flames began forming on his blade. He swung it. A massive, colossal black cyclone erupted. The sphere dispersed before it could even form. The cyclone was so huge that it destroyed several houses along with it.
Ren's eyes widened in shock. "Wh-what kind of power is that?"
Aiko was equally stunned. "So Master Woli really is this powerful."
Rin was still standing over Raven's body. Tears were slowly streaming from her eyes.
"R-Raven… get up…"
Aiko approached her. "Rin, he died for us. We need to let his spirit rest. Without him, we would all be dead. But now, we have to let him go."
Rin's voice was filled with sobs. "You just met him. That's why you're not sad. But I've known him for a very long time. I can't just let him go."
Aiko's voice was soft but firm.
"I don't need to have known him for a long time. Don't you remember what Raven said? All hunters are brothers!"
When Aiko said this, Rin froze. She took a deep breath. Slowly, she stood up. She wiped her tears.
"You're right. The dead don't come back. He saved us. And now we need to repay that."
Her eyes locked onto Mephis.
"Come on, let's finish that village head."
Just then, Master Woli shouted.
"All of you, stay back!"
Mephis responded with anger. "So you're looking down on me. I may be wounded, but I'm still strong."
"BRAIN PARALYSIS!"
A small green sphere shot from his fingertip. It rushed toward Woli at incredible speed.
Woli's voice was cold.
"It's time to end this fight."
He drew his sword from its sheath with incredible speed.
"DIMENSIONAL SEVERANCE! FOURTH DIMENSION!"
Reality cracked at the tip of his sword. He swung it with all his might.
As the green sphere rushed toward Woli, it suddenly split in half. And with full force, it struck Mephis right in the stomach.
BAM!
Mephis was thrown a full ten meters. He tumbled dozens of times on the ground. He slid. Finally, he crashed into a house – the house collapsed instantly.
Kaito and Yusr's battle was also nearing its end.
Kaito took Yusr's Po-concentrated punch and began flying through the air. But Yusr didn't stop. He immediately jumped into the air and, concentrating Po into both fists, struck Kaito in both the chest and stomach.
Kaito crashed to the ground. Yusr landed. As he landed, he punched Kaito again. Then another one.
BAM! BAM!
Inside Kaito, Soul's voice echoed.
"Kaito! Use my power. Or you'll die! Don't you want revenge on Zaryx?"
Kaito's eyes opened. But they weren't brown.
They were glowing pure white.
His hair turned white for a brief moment, then immediately returned to black. But Kaito was already on his feet.
There was excitement in Yusr's voice. "Good, don't die yet! I want to have more fun with you!"
Kaito raised his fist. He suddenly lunged at Yusr. White flames rose from his right fist. He sent it toward Yusr with all his might.
Yusr immediately concentrated Po into his left fist. He swung it as well.
The two fists met in midair for the final time.
BAMMMM!
The explosion was so massive that the sphere shattered instantly.
Kaito and Yusr found themselves back in the village. But something was different.
Yusr was unconscious.
Aiko asked in shock. "Wh-what's happening? Kaito?"
Ren was also worried. "Kaito, are you okay?"
Woli approached. "Brat, are you alright?"
Kaito came to his senses. His head was spinning.
"Ah… yeah, I'm fine. I think I won."
Woli nodded.
"Everyone's fight is over. Our mission is complete. But first… there's one more thing we need to do."
He suddenly jumped to the house that had collapsed on Mephis. Carefully, he pulled Mephis out of the rubble.
Mephis opened his eyes at that moment.
Woli's voice was calm. "Good, I didn't want you to die either. What was that green crystal upstairs?"
Mephis answered, breathless.
"The L-Life Crystal… I was transferring people's life energy into it."
He coughed.
"And if I had defeated you, I would have transferred your life energy into it as well. After that… I would have nearly reached the level of an Ifrit."
Just then, Rin used a power.
"SPIRIT REPULSION!"
A vibrant green energy being suddenly emerged from within Mephis.
Woli's eyes narrowed. "This is… a Djinn?"
Rin nodded. "So this village head was also under the influence of a Djinn."
Moro and Marteon had come to their senses. They slowly walked toward Woli and the others.
Moro asked hesitantly. "U-um, you're Master Woli, right?"
"So you've regained your senses. Yes, my name is Woli."
Moro bowed his head. "Master Woli, please forgive us. We didn't know what we were doing. We weren't aware of anything."
"It's fine. You weren't in control of yourselves anyway. It's not your fault. When the village head comes to, help him."
"His name isn't Mephis, Master Woli. His name is Yori."
"Mephis… that must have been the Djinn's name. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Do as I said."
Moro bowed his head. "Yes, sir. But you're exhausted. Wouldn't you like to stay in the village and rest?"
"I need to report what happened here to the Chief immediately. I'm sorry."
"I understand, Master Woli. Then may you have a safe journey."
Kaito looked at Yusr.
"Yusr is seriously wounded. Take good care of him. And please give him my apologies."
"Of course, Mr. Kaito. As you wish."
Woli turned around.
"Brat, we're heading back! Don't forget to take Raven's body."
The villagers had come out of their houses. All of them shouted their thanks in unison.
"Hunters, thank you! For freeing us from that Djinn!"
The team simply smiled. They began to leave the village.
DORN KINGDOM – NORKS TOWN
Far away, in the Dorn Kingdom, something huge had happened.
A red-haired man had entered Norks Town and was systematically killing every single resident.
One villager tried to run away.
"Stop, stop, please don't kill—"
Swish.
The man's head was severed.
The town was slowly being destroyed. Another villager was running away.
The man suddenly appeared right in front of him.
The villager began to beg. "Stop, please don't kill me! Have mercy, please!"
The man's voice was cold. "I heard there's a hunter named Risk in this town. Is that true?"
The villager, covered in sweat and blood, answered. "Yes, yes, sir! He lives in the church just ahead."
"Thanks."
"You're not going to kill me, are yo—"
Swish.
The man's head flew off.
Just then, the church door opened. A man with white hair and stitched pupils stepped out.
This was the famous hunter of the Dorn Kingdom: Hunter Risk.
"I'm the one you're looking for. Why did you slaughter the entire town?"
The man's answer was cold. "For fun."
"What is your name?"
"You're about to die. You don't need to know."
Meanwhile, Master Woli and the others had already left the village and were riding hard toward the Capital Floris.
Aiko was tired. "Master, couldn't we rest a little?"
"No. I need to report what happened to Chief Erwin immediately. And there's Raven's funeral as well. Most importantly… I need to discuss something very important with Chief Erwin. I was going to speak with him after the mission. That's why I need to return quickly."
NORKS TOWN – CONTINUED
The battle was already over.
Hunter Risk was dead.
Everything was burning. Risk lay lifeless on the ground.
The man's phone rang. He answered it slowly.
A cold, harsh voice came from the phone.
"Raimen. Was the mission successful?"
Raimen's answer was brief.
"Yes. I just finished the job."
The voice on the phone gave an order. "Then bring him to the base immediately. We're in a hurry."
"Understood. I'm on my way."
TO BE CONTINUED...