Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

Beneath the vast grassland lay an ant nest of immeasurable scale, and the number of ants was beyond counting. Just as the man with the bow had said, once they had a target, the swarming ants became as terrifying as Sand Tide.

The ant nest was a microcosm of human society, much like the contrast between ordinary people and Nen users. Among the many ordinary worker ants, there was the queen who commanded them all, as well as mutant ants equivalent to Nen Users.

Ordinary ants did not actively enter the imperial capital, but the more threatening mutant ants would invade the city on their own, attacking any living beings in sight.

The reason the settlement had established a warning line was to guard against the invasion of mutant ants. Moreover, mutant ants were an important source of meat for the humans in the settlement.

The tolling of the bell was a warning to everyone in the settlement that enemies had invaded. Salin initially thought it was mutant ants coming to deliver themselves as prey, but this time, it wasn't mutant ants… it was the brutal sand bandit army.

Law and his group had entered from the eastern mountain path, while the sand bandits came from the western mountain path, approaching from different directions.

When Law entered, he had counted the number of members responsible for vigilance in the eastern side. Adding in the people from the settlement, he estimated there are nearly 400 individuals in the settlement.

In reality, the other three directions each had a team of about 50 people, meaning the actual estimated number should include an additional 150 or so.

The sand bandits came from the western direction of the grassland, their massive procession creating a considerable disturbance.

Yet, for some reason, the ants in the nest showed no reaction to their arrival.

They never attacked those entering but would actively attack anyone trying to leave.

This behavioral pattern was something none of the settlement's inhabitants had ever been able to understand.

The sand bandit army smoothly crossed the grassland and arrived at the open area outside the imperial capital. Their overwhelming presence was immediately noticed by the warning members, who quickly relayed the message back.

Within five minutes, most of the warning members stationed in the western direction were surrounded and slaughtered by the sand bandits, instantly turning into corpses hacked to death by chaotic blades.

These few dozen people were far from enough to satisfy these bloodthirsty sand bandits. As they swarmed forward, the sheer impact of their assault felt like they were chopping their targets into mincemeat.

"There are actually living people in the Forbidden Zone."

Geralt stepped on a mutilated corpse, his gaze lingering on the tattered beast-hide clothing, slightly surprised.

He glanced at the fifty captives, who were under firm control. They were originally cannon fodder used to test the grassland, but nothing had happened along the way. Now, whether these captives were still useful was worth considering.

Noticing Geralt's cold gaze, the captives who were huddled together began to tremble.

'Who knows, they might still be of use later.'

Geralt thought to himself, and with just a shift in thought, he pulled the captives back from the brink of hell.

"Kill everyone inside first, leave no one alive!"

Geralt issued the order to the restless sand bandits. After speaking, he raised his foot and crushed the corpse's skull beneath it, splattering bone fragments and blood onto his calf, exuding a presence of cruelty.

"Do you understand?" Geralt said coldly.

"Understood!"

The sand bandits raised their weapons, roared in unison, and surged into the city.

Millia shrank into the crowd, her eyes lowered to the ground, gritting her teeth as she dared not look directly at Geralt.

The brutality of the sand bandits had reached an inhuman, horrifying level.

'Is there anyone who can wipe out these beasts?!'

Millia wailed inwardly, which might also be the voice of other captives.

However, everyone knew how unrealistic that hope was. If even the three great oasis kingdoms united couldn't eradicate the sand bandits, what else could?

If there was a way, perhaps only divine punishment remained...

A wave of despair rose in Millia's heart. She had survived this long by following the sand bandits, but she knew she would eventually die at their hands.

Now, the surviving humans in this imperial capital would likely suffer the same fate.

Inside the city, the warning members from all directions withdrew and gathered in the settlement. Every armed man stood on high alert.

"Elders, women, and children run east, now! Hurry!"

The man with the bow shouted with all his might, veins bulging on his face and neck.

The elderly, women, and children in the settlement obeyed, forming a group and fleeing in panic toward the eastern direction.

Meanwhile, the remaining men took up arms and formed a defensive line facing west.

"The enemy numbers are overwhelming, and their methods are extremely cruel, just like the sand bandits!" The man with the bow burned with anger as he glanced at Ali's group and said sternly, "You must join the fight too. If we can't hold them off, we'll all die together."

Without giving Ali a chance to ask questions, he grabbed a full quiver of arrows and climbed onto the roof of a house.

"Sand bandits!?"

Ali's heart trembled, 'Why were sand bandits here, and in such large numbers? Just how many were there?'

Countless questions swirled in his mind, but there was no time to ask.

Gritting his teeth, Ali picked up his spear and turned to the members of Desert Hawks, "Follow their lead and move with them."

"Yes!"

Suppressing the chill creeping through their bodies, the group followed Ali onto the rooftops, taking cover alongside the settlement's defenders. They were handed longbows and arrows.

Using the terrain to their advantage, they would first whittle down the enemy's numbers with ranged attacks… this was a common tactic in warfare.

With Desert Hawks joining the fight, Buhara and the other Nen Users couldn't just stand by either. They also took up positions, lying in ambush alongside the settlement's people.

Before long, the sound of the sand bandits' advance reached everyone's ears. Then, the sight of their overwhelming numbers drained the color from the faces of Desert Hawks.

'How could we possibly hold off such an absurd number of enemies with just a few hundred of them?'

Including Ali, every member of Desert Hawks lost their will to fight the moment they saw the sheer size of the sand bandit's forces. They knew all too well the horrors these bandits were capable of… not just their brutality, but also their combat prowess, which rivaled that of elite royal troops.

While the Desert Hawks faltered, the settlement's people refused to give up. Fighting for their survival, they raised their bows in unison. Without needing orders, as soon as the sand bandits entered range, a volley of arrows shot out from the shadows of the buildings, raining down on the front ranks of the bandits.

Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!

In an instant, over two hundred sand bandits fell, pierced by arrows. But the sand bandits were no pushovers… they quickly pinpointed the attackers' positions and fanned out like a spreading.

The people in the settlement fired another volley of arrows, but this time the results were disappointing, as only fifty or sixty sand bandits were hit.

"Damn it!"

When the man with the bow saw this, his heart sank.

Normally, they trained relentlessly in archery to fend off mutant ant invasions, as ranged attacks minimized casualties.

But these sand bandits were even more troublesome than mutant ants… each one was a formidable fighter, and the sheer difference in numbers made the situation dire.

Whether they could hold out or not, they had to fight… for the sake of those behind them.

After several more volleys, the defenders shifted positions, resorting to guerrilla tactics. But the numerical disadvantage was too great.

After a few skirmishes, they were eventually ensnared in the net the sand bandits had woven with their overwhelming numbers.

The encirclement tightened, and the people in the settlement began to suffer casualties, gradually forced into a desperate last stand.

Ten minutes later, their four-hundred-strong force had been halved, and without exception, every corpse had been hacked to pieces… a testament to the sand bandits' savagery.

As the battle lines compressed, ranged attacks became untenable, forcing them to switch to close combat.

At this point, William, Gel, and Buhara joined the fray, cutting down the sand bandits with brutal efficiency.

But there were simply too many of them. Every moment, another defender fell under the bandits' relentless assault.

If they continue like this, even if Buhara and the others are Nen Users, they would eventually be worn down and killed by the sand bandits.

Even they felt the pressure of imminent danger, meaning the settlement's people and Desert Hawks' members were practically already in the jaws of death.

By the time Geralt arrived with the remaining sand bandits and captives, only a hundred or so defenders were left standing.

He stood at the edge of the battlefield, watching Buhara and the other two wreak havoc with a cold glare. Silently, he ordered his trusted Nen Users subordinates to engage them, allowing the rest of the sand bandits to finish off the remaining defenders as quickly as possible.

With his command, dozens of Nen Users swarmed toward Buhara's group, tipping the scales completely. The settlement's forces were instantly torn apart, and at this rate, they would all be dead within a minute.

But at that very moment-

A surge of Nen rippled through the air from a distance, and in an instant, the heads of over a dozen sand bandits burst open with bloody holes, their bodies collapsing on the spot.

Immediately after, a figure descended from above, landing right in the midst of the settlement's remaining fighters.

Whoosh!

Without any visible movement, the surrounding sand bandits were sent flying backward, instantly clearing a space several times larger than before.

That figure was none other than Law, who had arrived ahead of Salin due to his incredible speed.

A torrent of Aura infused with palpable killing intent erupted from Law's body, sweeping over the two-thousand-strong horde of sand bandits.

For a brief moment, the sand bandits froze, their eyes flickering with fear as they locked onto Law. However, their reaction was muted… these were hardened individuals, the kind who would slash down even a demon without hesitation.

Though his Aura failed to intimidate them completely, it succeeded in drawing the attention of nearly every sand bandit present.

Geralt frowned at Law's sudden appearance and the unrestrained release of his Nen. The man's distinctive features immediately reminded him of the descriptions his subordinates had given earlier… the man who could control quicksand.

"Is it the same person?"

Geralt narrowed his eyes, about seventy to eighty percent certain.

He suddenly stomped on the rocky ground beneath his feet and smirked coldly.

Had this been the desert, he might have had to weigh Law's threat carefully. But here, beneath the imperial capital, the ground was solid bedrock. Even if Law could manipulate sand, there was nothing here for him to control.

Besides, the forces he had brought were far from mere hundreds.