Huff—huff…
A man drenched in blood panted on one knee, gripping his staff as if it were the only thing keeping him upright. His clothes hung off him in tattered strips.
"We've got no way to win… how do we defeat something like that?" he muttered, lifting his gaze toward his comrades. They stood scattered behind him, just as bloodied, just as broken.
They were surrounded by a barren wasteland—a field of cracked earth soaked in red, littered with fallen hunters.
"Rejoice, tough hunters," the creature thundered, its voice vibrating through the air, "for you have played your part in my evolution… into a being that will erase this puny world."
The being was tall, with long, flowing green hair and eyes that shimmered like emerald fire. His upper body was bare, revealing a frame crisscrossed with old scars, yet untouched by fresh wounds. From the waist down he wore only a shredded cloak, and his entire form pulsed with a sickly green radiance.
"Shut it, you trash," one of the comrades spat.
Despite the blood streaking his face and the torn armor clinging to him, he stood firm—breathing hard, but burning with defiant energy.
He sneered at the being. "I, Erevas, will kill you myself before you get the chance to do anything else."
BOOM!
He launched forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet as he shot ahead with terrifying speed.
In an instant he closed the distance toward the green‑haired being, who stood roughly ten meters away.
The katana in his hand swept upward with brutal force—
FWISSSH!!
Erevas managed only to graze the green-haired being. In the same instant, the man opened his palm, a sphere of green energy crackling into existence before he fired it straight at Erevas.
The projectile screamed through the air at frightening speed. Erevas instinctively leapt back, preparing to either block or parry—whichever would save his life—
"Spatial Distortion!"
A shout rang out. One of Erevas's comrades thrust her palm toward the green-haired being, dark purple energy erupting from her hand. It wrapped around the enemy like a twisting haze, warping the space around him—and slowing the deadly blast hurtling toward Erevas.
The man who had been kneeling earlier rose to his feet, gripping his staff with renewed resolve. He closed his eyes, steadying his breath, and lifted the staff high. Massive spheres of fire ignited around him one after another, flickering like miniature suns.
"Flame Impact!!"
Fifty—no, sixty blazing orbs launched forward in a roaring swarm, all aimed at the green-haired man.
Yet the man did not move. He merely watched them approach, expression calm, almost bored. And when the fireballs came within reach—
He lifted his hand and flicked it outward, as if brushing dust from his sleeve.
Fwooo!!
A colossal gust erupted, a force strong enough to tear a building from its foundation. The flames were swallowed instantly, scattered like sparks in a storm.
And in the very same heartbeat, the green-haired man vanished without a trace.
"Lumeria!!" Erevas shouted, eyes widening as he caught sight of her—standing poised in her light white armor, long white hair fluttering, and eyes glowing a deep pink, almost red. In her hands she held a sword both elegant and deadly.
"Excalibur, burn everything with your holy radiance!!" Lumeria cried.
But as the words left her mouth—almost as if summoned by her resolve—the green-haired man appeared behind her in a blur.
His hand, now wrapped in a pitch-dark, ominously glowing green energy, plunged straight through her armor… and through her stomach.
Cough!
She spat out a mouthful of blood—far too much—and her body trembled as her veins began to glow an eerie green. Lumeria collapsed, crimson dripping from her lips.
The green-haired man didn't pause, didn't allow anyone even a heartbeat to react. In an instant he blurred toward another target—the man with the staff.
Dorian Crestmere.
"No!!" Erevas roared, launching himself forward. He reached the green-haired man in a burst of speed and bellowed—
"Void Eternal!!"
His katana erupted with a swirling aura of bright purple and deep black, raw power crackling along the blade as he swung with enough force and intent to cleave the enemy clean in half.
"Pathetic," the green-haired man said, his voice flat with disappointment. "I thought you were the strongest hunter of all mankind. Turns out they were wrong… you're nothing but weak."
He caught Erevas's slash mid-swing with casual ease. A massive claymore materialized beside him, its blade humming with the same dark green energy. He seized the hilt and, without hesitation, swung it downward—aiming to crush Erevas's entire body.
Lumeria appeared out of nowhere, stumbling yet still standing, blood dripping from her lips and glowing veins pulsing beneath her skin. She raised her sword just in time.
The claymore collided with her blade—
CRACK—BOOM!!
Sparks exploded, shockwaves rippled across the barren land, and a faint translucent shield flared to life around Lumeria and Erevas. Without that barrier, even her desperate block—Celestial Saint or not—wouldn't have been enough. The three of them would've been obliterated instantly.
"C'mon, man… you can't die—we can't die here," Lumeria said with a bright, almost cheerful tone, as if she wasn't grievously wounded and seconds from collapsing.
"Well… it seems I can't go yet. Not without killing him," Erevas muttered, steadying his breath as he wiped the blood from his chin.
"I've got something I want to try—but it'll take time," he continued, his voice low but firm. "You've never seen this technique before… but I guarantee it'll shock you."
His gaze hardened.
"I've been developing this for Kalanthos… the Apocalyptic God."
He wasn't speaking of some distant entity—he was referring to the green-haired man standing before them.
Erevas stepped back, boots dragging across the blood-soaked earth. Around him, the others who moments ago could barely move now pushed themselves up, trembling but resolute.
In total, twelve hunters stood on the battlefield—twelve survivors, bruised and broken, gathering what strength they had left behind Erevas.
"We, the Twelve Sigils, will kill this mofo!" Erevas roared, and the remaining eleven surged forward in perfect unison, fanning out to stall Kalanthos long enough for Erevas to complete whatever terrifying technique he was preparing.
The others clashed with Kalanthos relentlessly.
Earth split beneath their feet.
Lightning cracked through the air.
Firestorms ignited.
Blades of holy light carved across the battlefield.
It was a brutal, desperate struggle—yet strangely beautiful.
Sparks burst in brilliant colors, red and blue streaking through the air as their powers collided against Kalanthos's overwhelming might.
Erevas closed his eyes and let his thoughts steady.
If this misses… heh, we'd die.
But I'll take that chance. If it means my comrades survive… if it means everyone's sacrifices won't be wasted… we'll kill Kalanthos here.
Kalanthos—the Devourer of Ten Thousand Suns.
He breathed in slowly.
My ability, Shadow… it lets me manipulate the void itself. And more than that—it allows me to steal another person's skill from their shadow. At my current level, I can even take a person's life… though only if they're weaker than me.
His grip tightened on his katana.
And the technique I've created… Glutton Shadow.
It devours anything in its path. Ally or enemy. Even the user.
Erevas lowered into his stance, eyes locked on Kalanthos. The monstrous being—though still overwhelmingly powerful—was showing the slightest signs of strain as he fended off the relentless attacks of the remaining Sigils.
Tired… just a bit, Erevas noted. But a bit is all I need.
His red eyes flared with intensity, and his white hair whipped wildly in the turbulent winds stirred by his rising aura.
He lifted his katana, its edge humming with void energy, and pointed it straight at Kalanthos.
Then—he moved.
A thunderous crack split the battlefield as the ground beneath him exploded, shattered by the force of his acceleration.
The others felt the shift in power instantly. Their instincts screamed, and they leapt away, clearing a path for him with desperate speed.
Erevas tore forward like a falling star.
"I'll cleave and dismantle—Devouring Shadow!!" he roared the instant he reached Kalanthos, his katana flashing upward.
He struck in a blur, slashing through every cardinal point—
North.
West.
East.
South.
Southwest.
Northwest.
Southeast.
Northeast.
Eight cuts in total—carving a perfect, burning star into the very air.
And the moment the pattern completed, a massive eruption of darkness burst from the star-shaped seal, crashing into Kalanthos with crushing force.
Shadows spiraled outward like a living storm, twisting and writhing, latching onto Kalanthos as they began to devour him alive.
Erevas vanished from sight and reappeared behind Kalanthos in the same breath. His katana plunged straight into the monster's heart—only possible because Kalanthos had been fully occupied trying to block and parry the collapsing Devouring Shadow around him.
The blade sank deep.
And then the shadows surged.
They swallowed Kalanthos whole, dragging him into the spiraling void carved by Erevas's eight-point strike. His form dissolved into the darkness piece by piece—but even as he was being consumed, Kalanthos let out a final, desperate roar.
His jaw unhinged unnaturally wide, and a blinding beam of spiraling light gathered at the back of his throat—enough power to kill even a Sigil instantly.
FWOOOOOM!!
He fired it point-blank at Erevas.
Erevas, already on the verge of collapsing from the toll of Devouring Shadow, blinked in exhaustion—yet forced his arms upward, katana raised just in time.
The beam slammed into the blade, blinding, deafening—mere inches from piercing through his skull.
....
[A/N: First Chapter and if you've reached this far because you got interested then please continue reading as this will encourage me to strive to create better stories. Please add this to your library!!