February 6, 2023, Early Night, Two and a half hours before the Lantern Festival begins
"Strong. My opponent is very strong." Baldur tried to stand up using his axe as an extra leg to maintain his balance. A clear slash mark was visible on his stomach. Blood gushed out from it.
Using his own axe, Baldur carved his stomach wound, causing it to freeze. Stopping the flowing blood.
Yuze Tao, the pig shengxiao, a five star hunter swordsman who was about to leave the two participants, turned back. Baldur and Jason had already stood up, limping. Both of them had similar slash wounds on their stomachs.
Jason used his shoelace to tie off the bleeding on his stomach. He stabbed his own stomach skin with a stiletto so that the lace could neatly close the slash wound on his stomach.
"You two pushing yourselves. Take that bronze coins and come back after getting proper treatment." Yuze Tao said, frowning at them.
Baldur smiled broadly, while Jason maintained a serious, calm expression.
"It seems you're underestimating us. You're still the prey, and we're the hunters! Hahahaha! I won't let you leave without any scratch!"
Baldur started running as soon as he finished speaking. Yuze Tao raised his sheathed sword forward. Preparing to receive Baldur's heavy axe swing from the side.
Just as the sword deflected Baldur's axe attack, Jason from behind stabbed Yuze with a stiletto from a blind spot. However, he was still able to quickly parry it reflexively while jumping backward.
Clang!
Jason disappeared back into the darkness of the night's shadows. Baldur, like a raging bear, chased Yuze, who jumped backward and swung his axe repeatedly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Yuze used the water flow sword technique to deflect each of Baldur's heavy axe swings to the side. Even so, he was quite overwhelmed by the weight of the axe hitting the still-sheathed sword blade.
In addition, from his blind spot, Jason threw small knives, typical of shadow assassins. Forcing Yuze Tao to move quickly, parrying while dodging two attacks from front and back.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"You two. Truly stubborn." Yuze Tao smiled. He began to enjoy Baldur's fierce attacks and Jason's calm ones.
Clang!
Deflecting Baldur's axe swing to the ground, Yuze then unsheathed his sword and quickly slashed at Baldur.
Zrat! The slash only hit a few strands of Baldur's grinning beard, Yuze's footing was lifted by an ice wall, causing him to fail to slash Baldur.
Then from in front of Baldur's face, sharp, pointed ice emerged from his feet. Yuze had no choice but to retreat, otherwise the ice would stab him right in the stomach. He cut off the tip of the pursuing pointed ice and jumped backward. His feet landed on the ground, at which point Jason stabbed a stiletto directly into his back.
"Amateur."
Thud!
Yuze immediately ducked while spinning his body and delivering a high kick as he felt an unseen sharp object almost pierce his back. His kick successfully hit Jason's unseen chin, camouflaged like a chameleon in the night's shadows.
However, Jason had already thrown a knife and it bounced off a rock as Yuze ducked to avoid his stiletto stab. The knife managed to graze Yuze's left arm. Creating a small cut that bled red, soaking the fabric of his robe sleeve.
Yuze quickly stepped to avoid a follow-up attack from the pointed ice that emerged from the ground by Baldur. Meanwhile, Jason balanced his body after receiving a kick strong enough to make his head ring.
"I'll take back this bronze coins. You two have talent that surpasses my former students."
Yuze picked up the bronze coins lying on the ground while preparing to draw his sword. This time he took a stance.
In a small town below magic academy and Hunter headquarters. The sound of swords and axes clashing broke the silence of the night. Along with knives thrown from the darkness.
***
"What are you doing here, big brother?"
A short young man with dark pink hair, chewing gum, asked someone who looked similar to him. Only taller and with thicker, longer hair tied back.
"Standing."
"Oh, I see."
Pop!
The sound of a gum bubble bursting in the short young man's mouth.
"Grandpa told you to guard here?"
Kai Zen looked around. The Horse shengxiao, Guan Zen, was standing inside hunter's headquarters, on the floor where the Goujian sword was stored. He stood in front of it, guarding the sword from anyone who might come.
Shaking his head. "A friend asked me to."
Kai, the short young man who was the Horse Shengxiao's younger brother, nodded in understanding. He was still chewing gum, then blew a bubble.
Pop!
"Do you want to fight me, little brother? Go away. I don't have time for that."
Guan Zen looked lazily at his younger brother, just as his younger brother looked lazily at him. They had similar gazes, appearing lazy despite being full of talent.
Shrugging, Kai then left without saying anything.
Pop!
***
Something was happening at the academy. Besides the place being completely empty without a single student, only tournament participants and five-star Hunters guarding it, this something was not unexpected.
An explosion was the first sign abnormality of the final round Zhan Dou tournament that night.
Akane Mononobe was severely injured. Parts of her body were injured not by sword cuts or gunshot wounds or explosion burns.
It was a blunt force trauma. Not ordinary blunt force trauma, but one that caused her right shoulder blade to crack. Several blue bruises were visible on her stomach, thighs, and arms.
The girl was accompanied by another girl. Imara and her cat Nyanko, whose condition was more or less the same as Akane's.
Parts of the academy building were destroyed due to the two girls' fight with a giant-bodied person.
A muscular man—so muscular that it looked unnatural for a normal human. Bald-headed without eyelashes, eyebrows, or a single strand of hair on his body. His height was almost three meters. When he walked, his footsteps made the ground shake five meters around him.
He had no expression, like a robot or a living creature that only knew violence. Only knew how to hit and destroy. Bare-chested, displaying not muscles but large, tense veins that looked abnormal and terrifying.
An inverted cross symbol was clearly visible on his back. As if to say that the hidden organization was beginning to declare its existence to the world. However, there was one difference. Behind the black inverted cross symbol, there was the number 6.
Like a mutant human. Like a monster of violence.
The Goat Shengxiao, Hongli Fu, came to scene of the explosion. Immediately, he knew something strange was happening and took a stance to eliminate the giant man who had destroyed the academy building.
"Intruder found."
***