The next morning, Valenport was quiet—too quiet. The city's market district bustled like always, children laughing, merchants shouting, lanterns swinging in the breeze—but underneath it all, I could feel the tension coiling, waiting.
I didn't speak. I didn't need to. My senses were sharp, the hum of Soul Resonance beneath my skin guiding me through the crowd. Every shadow, every twitch of movement, every faint ripple of mana could be a threat.
It came from the docks.
I dropped from the rooftops, landing silently behind a stack of crates, the wood groaning under my weight. The sunlight glinted off the water, casting long reflections that danced like restless spirits. But it wasn't the shimmering harbor that caught my attention—it was the organized movement of men.
Armed men. Hundreds. And at the center, a figure standing on a platform: a new Hunter, one I hadn't encountered before, but the aura radiating off him made it clear. He wasn't here to play.
A wave of mana pulsed from him, enough to push a ripple through the water. My heartbeat accelerated. C-rank? Maybe B? No… higher. A-grade hunter, at least.
I flexed my fingers around my sword's hilt. The air around me thickened with anticipation. This is what I've been waiting for.
Before I could move, a man broke from the formation—armor black as midnight, twin blades slashing through the air with lethal precision. He wasn't fast. He was instantaneous.
I met him mid-street, our blades colliding in a burst of light that sent shards of stone flying. The force drove me back three steps before I regained balance. His eyes were calm, calculating, but his strikes carried the weight of death itself.
Soul Resonance flared. My blade ignited with molten energy, humming with raw power. Every step I took sent sparks across the cobblestones.
He attacked again, twin blades a blur, forcing me to shift, block, and counter. The clash sent vibrations up my arms, but I didn't retreat. I welcomed it.
A sudden thought struck me—the man was fast, but predictable. His footwork betrayed him in microseconds. I focused, letting mana sharpen my reflexes beyond human limits.
I dashed, faster than thought, weaving between his strikes. My blade arced upward, catching him across the shoulder. He stumbled—but only for a heartbeat.
Before he could recover, I unleashed a pulse of Soul Resonance, a crackling wave that threw him back into a crate. Wood splintered, and his body hit the ground hard.
The Hunter on the platform clapped slowly, a faint smirk on his lips. "Impressive… but not enough."
He raised a hand, and the water behind him erupted. Figures rose from the harbor itself—dozens of men, but not ordinary men. They were infused with a strange, dark mana, their movements unnaturally coordinated.
A surge of excitement ran through me. Finally. A real fight.
I charged, energy screaming along my veins, my blade cutting a path through the first wave. Each strike ignited with Soul Resonance, slicing armor and flesh alike, leaving trails of burning light. My speed increased with every hit, each swing more precise than the last.
One man lunged, and I sidestepped, releasing a blast of concentrated energy that sent him sailing into a stack of barrels. Another tried to flank me from behind—I spun, deflecting his sword with the flat of mine, and brought him down with a single, fluid motion.
The platform Hunter descended now, landing like a predator among prey. Mana poured from him, black as night, and the world seemed to contract around his presence.
I grinned, blood running down my arm from a graze on my cheek. "Finally. Let's see what you're made of."
He lunged, faster than my mind could track. Every strike carried the force of a battering ram, but I danced with it, weaving between attacks, countering with explosive bursts of Soul Resonance. Sparks, fire, and lightning erupted wherever blade met blade.
He swung with one hand, mana forming jagged edges along his weapon. I parried with the flat of my blade, energy clashing in a storm that lit the surrounding docks. Wood cracked, water splashed, and men fell screaming behind him.
I felt it—the moment. That fraction of hesitation that all hunters, no matter how strong, carried. I exploited it, flowing my mana through my body like liquid fire.
Blade rose, energy concentrated at the tip, and I struck. Soul Resonance exploded, colliding with his weapon and armor, sending a shockwave that tore the platform beneath him. He flew back, landing hard among the remnants of the harbor's crates.
Silence followed—broken only by the dripping of water and the distant cries of retreating men. I stood, chest heaving, eyes blazing. Soul Resonance hummed, hotter than ever.
The platform Hunter pushed himself to one knee, looking up at me with an expression I didn't recognize—respect… fear… anticipation.
"You… are not like the others," he said, voice strained. "I've been sent to end you. And yet… I am still standing. Barely."
I wiped blood from my cheek, smirk sharp. "Then let me teach you how it feels to fall."
Before he could respond, I surged forward, faster than the eye could follow, energy trailing in a brilliant arc behind my blade.
And the storm broke.