Chapter 8 – Shunya
Mira dropped to her knees without a word, seizing a sword from a nearby stack. She brought the blade to her neck, ready to decapitate herself — but paused, glancing back.
For two minutes, no one moved. The silence was thick and unpleasant, filled with the metallic smell of blood. Bodies of bandits lay scattered across the ground, and Valmo was struggling to get back on his feet after crashing into the barrels.
"Do you change your mind and want me to kill you? Or do you love your life more than your sister's?" Karnol asked in a bitter tone. "No, there's no chance you'll let her die… or do you still have that pathetic thing called 'hope'? Maybe you're waiting for someone to come, kick me away, save you, and then kill me?
If that's the case, put down your sword — I'll finish you myself. And if not, then do it quickly. I don't have time to stand here watching you die. You're not even worth it."
"You said you wouldn't kill her. That means you'll let her live, right?" Mira asked, her voice trembling.
Karnol didn't answer. For a long moment, the entire atmosphere fell silent again.
Then, the silence shattered with Karnol's loud, booming laughter. "Ha ha ha hahahaha… Good! Good! The girl who let me kill her parents, the girl who forgot revenge just to save her precious villagers, and the fool who believed I spared her because she was a child — is finally starting to understand I was fooling her again! Nice, nice, you're becoming smarter."
He laughed even more, then stopped abruptly. His expression turned furious.
"But you still don't understand that asking questions whose answers are obvious only makes me angry! You already know I would have sent someone to finish her!"
Karnol turned his gaze back to her. His expression was calm — too calm — as he began walking toward her, step by deliberate step.
Slash! Thump!
The moment stretched. Blood dripped from Karnol's sword and hissed as it hit the dirt. Mira's hands trembled, but her eyes stayed locked on him.
He smirked and pointed his blade at her throat.
Then—
Clang!
Valmo lunged from behind, his sword clashing against Karnol's. Sparks flew between them.
"You bastard!" Valmo growled, forcing his blade forward. "You won't touch her!"
Karnol twisted his wrist effortlessly and shoved Valmo back.
"You again? Still breathing?" he sneered.
"You fool!" Karnol roared.
Thud!
He kicked Valmo in the chest, sending him crashing into a stack of barrels again. The wood shattered, scattering fragments across the blood-stained floor.
Karnol raised his sword once more, ready to strike Valmo down — but—
"Meteor Punch!"
The blow exploded through the air, connecting squarely with Karnol's ribs. The impact was brutal — BOOM! — hurling him backward across the ground and into the distance. Dust and blood scattered with the force.
Vibho stood where Karnol had been, his fist still raised, smoke rising from the impact.
"Valmo, are you okay?" Vibho asked in a serious tone, his eyes still fixed on where Karnol had landed.
"I'm okay…" Valmo coughed, struggling to breathe. "Please… see Mira. Is she okay?"
"Mira! Mira! Are you okay?!" Vibho shouted, running to her side.
"Vibho!" Mira's control shattered. She burst into tears, her lost hope rushing back as if her grief finally had permission to surface.
"Please go save my sister and Valmo! Karnol sent someone to kill her, and he injured Valmo! Please, save them!" she pleaded through uncontrollable sobs.
"You don't need to worry. I'm here. I'll go and save her — and Valmo — right now," Vibho said, lifting Mira to her feet.
"And what about me? Will you not play with me?" Karnol asked, standing up and laughing nonstop. "And you don't need to worry about her; Gilbo would have killed her before I even arrived here."
"No! You're lying!" Mira yelled, her voice trembling.
"Oh, you don't believe me?" Karnol smiled cruelly. "He's as strong as me, so I don't think anyone from your village could stop him. He loves killing weaklings — so fight me without worrying about Hina."
Vibho's expression darkened. He moved like lightning, throwing a barrage of rapid punches.
Thump! Hit! Hit! Hit!
Karnol blocked with his sword, stepping backward, but Vibho's relentless punches gave him no space to counter.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Hit! Kick!
Vibho was beating the crap out of him.
Then Karnol shouted, "Ver-dan Human Barrier!" A white barrier instantly surrounded him.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Vibho continued punching, but he couldn't even shake Karnol within the protective shield.
"What happened, Vibho? Where did all your strength go? Attack me! Ha ha ha hah! This is my Ver-dan Human Barrier! No human can touch or hurt me inside it, no matter how powerful they are!" Karnol boasted.
"Cough! Cough! A Ver-dan… he has a Ver-dan! He's someone we can't defeat! Vibho, take Mira and run. I'll try to hold him off," Valmo said, struggling to stand, coughing blood.
"No! Take Valmo with you, and I'll stop him!" Mira said, wiping her tears and gripping her mace tightly.
"Oh, how touching. My eyes are full of tears, I might start crying," Karnol mocked. "But don't worry, I'll kill you all here. And in your village, my men will slaughter everyone and loot everything. No one will be left alive to tell the tale!"
He laughed maniacally.
Ha ha ha hahahaha…
Baam! Baam! Baam!
Suddenly, three sacks containing unconscious bandits dropped heavily in front of Karnol. His grin vanished, replaced by dread.
"Are these the people you were talking about?"
A man in a white suit with white hair and black eyes — calm, sharp, and cold as ice — appeared from the path leading to the port.
"They were weak. Couldn't even handle one punch. Your plan wasn't bad, but next time, find someone stronger — or stop trusting people who can't handle your dirty work," the man said coolly.
"Who are you?" Karnol demanded, his voice shaking.
"Shunya! Shunya!" Vibho shouted joyfully, running toward the man and jumping onto him. He hugged Shunya tightly, clinging like a monkey to a tree. "Shunya! Where were you? I missed you so much!"
"Hey, Vibho. How have you been? Did you have fun here?" Shunya asked.
"Yeah! I had so much fun! I ate at Hina's restaurant, Grandma and Grandpa bought me food from the market, Timminy played with me in the evening, and I helped Hina at the restaurant!" Vibho said, smiling brightly.
"Oh, is that so? I'll have to thank Hina for taking care of you. But where's your VAD? Why didn't you contact me?" Shunya's voice turned serious.
"Oh, I think I lost it," Vibho said, still smiling.
"It's fine. But where were you for the last three weeks?" Shunya asked, his tone darkening.
"What? Why are you asking that? We got separated four days ago, didn't we? And it's only been five days since our registration!" Vibho said, confused.
"Wait, three days? Five days? What are you saying? I think we need to talk, but then he observes the soundings and says. We'll talk later. First, deal with him — I'll take care of your friends," Shunya said, pointing toward Karnol, who was trying to sneak away.
"Okay!" Vibho jumped down from Shunya's back. "Where are you running, Barcode? I still need to break that shiny bubble of yours!"
Karnol, caught red-handed, felt pathetic. He turned and glared at Vibho, whose bright smile only enraged him further.
"Don't look down on me, brat! You can't hurt me or kill me. I'm invincible! No human can kill me — and my name is Karnol, not Barcode!"
He charged forward, sword raised.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Karnol attacked at blinding speed.
Dodge! Dodge!
Vibho dodged effortlessly.
Punch! Thump!
Vibho countered with a heavy punch, but the barrier held.
"If that didn't work, I'll try a stronger one! Meteor Punch!" Vibho shouted, attacking again. This time, Karnol was pushed back a few steps by the sheer force.
"No matter how much you attack, every one of them will fail! Ha ha ha hah! I'll kill you all!" Karnol screamed, glaring at Mira, who was still on her knees, and Shunya, who was applying medicine to Valmo's wounds.
"Please go and save Hina, even if there's only a tiny hope! Please, help her! She must still be in the backyard of the restaurant," Valmo begged weakly.
"Oh, Hina? I already saved her and the whale. I even gave them medicine. They should be fine by now," Shunya said coldly.
"What?!" Karnol, Valmo, and Mira all shouted together.
"No! You're lying! Gilbo must have already killed her—!"
Meteor Shower!
Karnol was caught off guard by Shunya's words, and Vibho attacked at that very moment. His rapid punches landed clean, hammering Karnol's body and face, sending him flying several meters back — badly injured.
"So my attack worked on you!" Vibho grinned. "Now get ready — because I'm coming again!"
Meteor Shower!
But this time, the barrier held firm.
"What happened? It worked before, but not now? Fine! I'll keep trying until I break it!" Vibho shouted, full of fighting spirit.
Thump! Punch! Slash! Dodge!
(Vibho was clearly treating Karnol like a punching bag which angered him more.)
Karnol barely kept up, thoughts spiraling in panic. Why is this happening? Why is my barrier being pushed back by his punches? No… I need to get out of here before the Hunter Association arrives. But how? He's not even letting me breathe!