Hunter Of The Six Realms

Blood sprayed across the torchlit stone, painting jagged streaks on the walls before the bodies even hit the ground. The torches flickered violently, as if recoiling from the sudden drop in temperature.

The frost user slowly rose to his feet. His chains which were now frozen solid shattered like glass under his grip. His head tilted slightly, a faint smile curling his lips in a way that didn't belong to the confused man from seconds ago. His eyes glowed with an unnatural light, the faint mist around him swirling as though alive.

The footsteps grew louder, steady and unhurried, until a shadow emerged from the end of the corridor.

It wasn't a guard.

The man wore a long, dark coat that brushed against the damp floor with each step, a hood drawn low over his head. The guards' blood pooled toward him, and he stepped through it without care, his boots leaving no sound.

"You're late," the frost user said, his voice deeper now, colder.

"Had to make sure we weren't followed," the hooded man replied, stopping just outside the cell. His gaze flicked to the two dead guards. "Looks like you didn't wait for me."

"They were in my way."

The hooded man smirked faintly and raised his hand. The cell door let out a long, metallic groan before the lock began to squeeze on it's own like an invisible force from the man was crumbling it. it looked like he was using telekinetic. "We have to move. They'll notice the bodies soon."

The frost user stepped forward, the air freezing with every movement. "Where are we going?"

"To finish what you started."

A distant shout echoed from above, more guards were on the way. The hooded man's grin widened, revealing teeth far too sharp to be human.

"Good," he said. "Let's give them a warm welcome."

The two moved as one, the frost user's icy mist spreading through the corridor while the hooded man's shadowy aura devoured the torchlight. The screams started before the first body hit the ground.

---

2 hours later

Kaizen and Isabella stepped out of the portal, looking unexpectedly clean for two people who'd just raided a D-rank portal. Well, after they went in, he'd told her to sit and wait at the entrance so he could clear it alone.

She didn't accept at first, wanting to follow him. She insisted, so he just knocked her out. He had chosen to go solo for a reason, and he wasn't about to let one person spoil his plans for the day. With her present, he wouldn't be able to use his powers properly, and he knew that shaking her off wouldn't be easy, so knocking her out was honestly the best solution.

"I still refuse to believe you cleared it all by yourself." She breathed as she looked back at the portal closing behind them.

Usually, If a B-rank hunter wanted to go solo, it was Always E-rank portal, anything higher would be risky, and they might not even survive it.

Kaizen had decided to let her come with him because that was the only way they'd allow him enter a D-rank portal. A B-rank and C-rank hunter together could clear a D-rank portal if they were sneaky enough and found the hound stone on time.

"Well, I got lucky. Too bad you suddenly passed out for now reason, or you would have seen how flashy I was back there. Those beasts are no match for me you know." Kaizen fake bragged with a faint smile.

"Yeah keep bragging, I'm sure you just suppressed your mana long enough to find the hound stone." She shot back.

"And these gems fell from the sky right?" He shot back with sarcasm.

"But really, it's hard to believe. I remember you being E-rank, and now suddenly... you're B-rank, and not just that...you might be even hiding your true strength."

Kaizen glanced at her from the corner of his eye, his expression unreadable. "You think too much," he said, brushing past her as they stepped onto the main street.

She followed close behind, frowning. "Maybe. But don't worry, I won't tell anyone. " She didn't like the fact that he wasn't telling her anything about himself. She wanted to know more about him, to know everything about him, but she didn't want to seem to pushy so he wouldn't get tired of her.

Kaizen's lips twitched, almost a smirk, but he didn't answer. He could tell she didn't buy it, but it was good that she wasn't asking more.

The crowd bustled around them, merchants shouting prices, hunters fresh from their own raids bragging loudly. It was the kind of noise that could swallow a conversation whole, yet Kaizen's ears stayed tuned to something else.

Somewhere behind them, footsteps were matching their pace.

Isabella didn't notice, still lost in her questions. "Back there, you knocked me out didn't you?"

"Maybe," he murmured absent mindedly, not really paying attention to her question as he noticed the shadow of the person tailing him. A tall slender figure, clearly a woman.

He shifted course suddenly, holding Isabella's hand and leading her into a narrower side street.

"Where are we—?" she began.

"Shortcut," he said quickly

They slipped into the narrow side street, the noise of the market fading behind them. Kaizen didn't look back, but his ears stayed locked on the footsteps still following. Whoever that was, he could tell from their mana that she was definitely S-rank.

He waited until they were halfway in before slowing down just enough for the person to catch up.

The moment she turned into the alley, he moved.

Isabella barely saw it happen, one second Kaizen was beside her, the next the woman was slammed hard against the wall, her hood falling off her face from the force. The sound echoed through the narrow space, sharp and sudden.

"It's you." Kaizen spoke, eyes wide as he recognized her as the red haired woman who was with Flynn back at crimson dusk.