The storm had not ceased, but the rhythm of the battle had changed.
The hunters of Vaelstorm fought in unison now — steel, fire, and courage clashing against the endless tide of monsters.
And in the middle of it all, standing on the shattered docks with waves crashing around his feet, Hunnt faced the Leviathan — Thalazur, the Abyssal Conductor.
Lightning flashed behind the creature's enormous body, revealing its glowing eyes like twin orbs of molten sapphire. Water poured off its scales in sheets, and each exhale from its nostrils rippled the sea into chaos.
The fight between man and monster had raged for what felt like hours.
Their rhythm had become a violent dance — one of speed and fury.
Hunnt exhaled, drawing his Iron Longsword close. The black sheen of Armament Haki still flickered along its surface. Every swing now carried weight — real weight — enough to cut through scales that had once been invincible.
The monster hissed, coiling its serpentine neck. Then, it spoke — not in sound, but through the vibration of the air, clear now, sharp and proud.
"Human… you understand me?"
Hunnt blinked. For the first time, the words were complete. The meaning came naturally, as if he'd known the language all along. "Took you long enough to make sense," he muttered.
The Leviathan's chest expanded, releasing a booming laugh.
"Impressive. No creature has ever heard the tongue of the deep. But you… human… you are strange."
Hunnt raised his sword, a smirk tugging at his lips. "And you're too damn talkative. Is this how you fight, monster? All yap, no bite?"
Thalazur's eyes narrowed. "You dare mock me?"
Its roar thundered across the harbor, rattling the ruined buildings.
"I am Thalazur — the Abyssal Conductor! Lord of the Deep Currents, voice of the storms! I command the tides and the beasts beneath the sea!"
Hunnt rolled his shoulders. "Yeah, yeah — impressive résumé. Like I care."
The Leviathan's eyes flared with rage. "You dare insult me, human! I will grind your bones into the reef!"
The sea exploded around him as Thalazur thrashed wildly, its tail smashing through ships and stone alike. The lightning intensified, bolts hammering the ground where Hunnt had just been standing.
But Hunnt wasn't there.
He slipped through every opening, his movements a blur of instinct — Kami-e weaving him between attacks, Soru propelling him across the dock like a shadow made of light.
Thalazur's tail came down like a wall. Hunnt ducked under it, his blade flashing in a clean arc.
Overhead Slash. Right Slash. Left Slash. Thrust.
The rhythm was perfect, each strike connecting with precision, driving deep into the softer membranes between the Leviathan's scales.
The beast shrieked, twisting in fury.
"Impossible! How can this be? Who are you, human?"
Hunnt's expression hardened, his voice low and sharp. "Your death."
The Leviathan roared and lunged, but its body was too massive, its movements too predictable. Hunnt darted in and out, using the key moves of the Longsword like second nature — Fade Slash to reposition, Foresight Slash to counter the creature's bolts, and Spirit Roundslash for each punishing opening that followed.
When Thalazur slammed its body into the pier, Hunnt leapt into the air, twisting through the rain with an Aerial Flow — the Spirit Helm Breaker coming down like divine judgment. The blade struck true, carving through flesh and bone.
Lightning and blood erupted together.
Thalazur howled, enraged beyond reason. "You cannot win! I am the sea's will! The abyss answers to me!"
The Leviathan dove beneath the surface, and for a brief, breathless moment, the sea went still.
Hunnt tensed. His senses stretched outward — Observation Haki reaching into the water.
Then he felt it. A deep vibration. A command.
Thalazur's body flashed beneath the waves, and a monstrous roar shattered the silence.
"Tide Dominion!"
The sound that followed was not a roar — it was a pulse. A deep, subsonic resonance that rippled through the ocean and across the docks.
Hunnt staggered as the sea began to boil with movement. Dozens — no, hundreds — of aquatic monsters rose from the depths, eyes glowing in synchronized fury. Their screeches echoed in unison, their bodies twisting toward the city.
Hunnt grit his teeth. "So that's your trick…"
The monsters surged forward, and Thalazur's massive form began to retreat — vanishing beneath the waves.
Hunnt exhaled, lowering his sword. He knew chasing the Leviathan into the open sea would be suicide. He couldn't fight effectively in the water.
"Running away, huh?" he muttered. "Figures."
But if the Leviathan escaped, its command was broken.
The newly summoned monsters — without Thalazur's control — began to thrash and panic, turning on each other or scattering aimlessly.
Hunnt smirked faintly. "You might command the tides… but I command my will."
He turned back toward the burning city. The screams of monsters and men mixed in the air. "Let's finish this."
He dashed forward, cutting through the remaining beasts one by one. Each swing of his sword flowed in perfect rhythm — basic forms for attack, Spirit Combos for power, key moves for evasion and counter, the combo flow chaining together like music.
The storm above reflected the chaos below — a dance of lightning and steel.
By the time the Guildmaster, the twins, and the remaining hunters reached the port, the docks were littered with corpses.
Hundreds of monsters — big and small — lay dead, their blood washing into the sea. Hunnt still fought in the middle of it, his blade glinting between every flash of lightning, his movements effortless, fluid, terrifying.
Will and Willa charged first, moving instinctively to his sides. The three of them formed a perfect triangle of motion — covering each other's blind spots, striking with seamless rhythm.
The Guildmaster watched from afar, awestruck. "By the gods… he's cutting through them like wind itself."
He raised his Heavy Bowgun, firing shells over Hunnt's shoulder to clear a cluster of smaller beasts. "Hunters! Advance! They're breaking formation! Push them back to the port!"
The remaining hunters shouted in unison and surged forward, renewed by what they witnessed.
The battle stretched into the late afternoon.
And then — silence.
The last monster fell. The waves calmed. The sky, still grey, began to clear at the edges.
A single cheer broke the quiet.
"We did it… we actually did it!"
The cry spread, echoing through the city until every surviving hunter shouted as one — a sound of disbelief, exhaustion, and triumph.
But the Guildmaster raised his hand, silencing them. "Celebrate later! Spread out! Make sure there are no stragglers! Check for survivors!"
Hunnt lowered his sword, exhaling slowly. The dark coating of Armament Haki faded from the blade, leaving only the dull metal of the Iron Longsword.
Behind him, Will and Willa approached — weapons still drawn but smiles creeping onto their faces.
"You're insane," Will said, half laughing, half panting.
Hunnt gave a tired grin. "I've been told that before."
The Guildmaster watched them from the ruins of the pier, his expression unreadable. He would speak with Hunnt later — once the monsters were gone and the people were safe.
For now, the storm had ended.
The sea had gone still.
And as Hunnt looked out toward the horizon, where Thalazur had vanished beneath the waves, he could still hear faint echoes in his mind — fragments of that otherworldly voice.
Human… strange one… hear us all.
Hunnt exhaled, closing his eyes. He understood every word now.
Every roar. Every whisper.
The monsters weren't just beasts anymore — they were speaking.
And for the first time in his life, Hunnt could finally understand their language.