Chapter 53

___Three Days After The Jeju Island Raid ___

Within the Former Jeju Island S Rank Dungeon.

Flop!

Thud!

Soldiers, along with the hunters from the Knights Guild, dropped to the floor unceremoniously as they all fell unconscious.

"What Do You Think You're Doing?" A large muscular young man with tan skin asked, he had glowing yellow eyes, sharp teeth, and wild black hair. He wore silver fur pelts, a ragged skirt with a thick silver fur waistline, and gold-trimmed white armor on his right shoulder and over his groin area.

Behind him was a muscular and elderly man with blue skin, long silver hair with a single long strand dangling over the right side of his face, blank white eyes, and round ears. He wore a ragged white cloak with a black collar over a tattered white shirt, ragged black pants, and a pair of black boots.

“There’s no need for us to cause any more commotion,” the white-haired man said calmly, his voice echoing slightly in the vast chamber. He gestured to the unconscious soldiers, agents, and hunters scattered across the floor. “I’ve only put them to sleep for the time being.”

His glowing blue eyes narrowed as he turned to his companion. “Did you check?”

The dark-haired man gave a slow nod and turned back toward the still bodies. “Yes. I’m positive, it’s his power.”

The white-haired man’s gaze sharpened. “Same. The presence I sensed over the ocean… it was his. Or at least, the vessel carrying it. It felt like he almost descended.” He paused, expression grave. “And I say ‘almost’ because if he had fully descended, we’d all know it.”

The dark-haired man exhaled through his nose. “So his vessel is still human.” His eyes flicked to the far corner of the chamber. “What about the other presence? The one beside his?”

The white-haired man hesitated, folding his arms. “I’m not sure what to make of it. The energy lingering in the aftermath… it reminded me very much of Antares.”

A beat of silence passed between them.

“You don’t think… he found a vessel?” He asked, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

The other man scoffed. “Impossible. Antares was the strongest of us. There’s simply no being on this backwater world capable of containing his power without being torn apart.”

“And yet,” the white-haired man replied, turning to face the unconscious hunters again, “you felt the world stop under someone’s authority. Just as I did.”

The dark-haired man said nothing.

“There was likely a confrontation,” the white-haired man continued thoughtfully. “Between him and that strange presence. And from what I can deduce, it was to protect these humans.”

He shook his head slowly. “Though I don’t understand why he would do that.”

The dark-haired man shrugged, resting his hands on his waist. “Who knows what’s going on in that head of his? If you’re that curious, why don’t you go ask him yourself?”

He glanced around at the battlefield, the broken bodies of ants scattered across the ruined ground, chitin cracked and oozing foul ichor. The stench was heavy in the air.

“This place reeks of rotting ants,” he muttered, his nose wrinkling. “Just imagine if 'she' had witnessed this mess. She would’ve had a fit.”

The white-haired man let out a faint breath and turned away, a soft flick of his wrist conjuring a swirl of blue mist around his hand. His eyes narrowed, contemplative. “The Hunt will begin as scheduled,” he said. “But these new developments… they’re concerning.”

“Understood.” The dark-haired man gave a short nod.

A large blue portal shimmered to life before the white-haired man, its center swirling like a vortex into another space.

Just as he was about to step through, the dark-haired man spoke again, his gaze drifting over his shoulder.

“By the way… I think one of them is here.”

The white-haired man paused. “Here? In South Korea?”

The air grew colder around the portal.

“How about we take care of them before we go?” the dark-haired man asked, a feral grin spreading across his face. His fingers flexed with anticipation, yellow eyes gleaming beneath the low light of the dungeon.

The white-haired man didn’t even turn. He simply shook his head, calm and unbothered. “There are too many unknowns in South Korea for the time being. Let’s leave this place be... for now.”

The dark-haired man tilted his head slightly, grin faltering into a frown. “Are you saying that because you don’t want to get involved?”

“That’s one way to interpret it,” the white-haired man replied evenly as he stepped toward the portal.

The glowing blue gateway shimmered with ethereal energy as the man crossed its threshold. Just before it sealed shut behind him, his voice echoed faintly:

“You can think whatever you want.”

The portal snapped closed with a soft implosion of light.

The dark-haired man stood there in silence, his expression hardening. His irises flared a bright yellow as he muttered under his breath.

“Coward.”

His gaze swept across the unconscious soldiers, hunters, and agents sprawled across the ruined chamber.

“Well… I guess there isn’t a good reason to make things more troublesome,” he said to no one in particular.

With a single motion, he slashed his hand through the air, tearing a crimson rift into the fabric of space. A red portal yawned open, flickering with malevolent energy.

He stepped through without hesitation.

And then, silence.

The portal sealed behind him.

---

The news had erupted in the aftermath of the Jeju Island Raid. For the first time, both the public, and, curiously, the entire world, had witnessed the appearance of two previously unknown Hunters, whose power had shaken the global stage.

The Ant King had been a threat too overwhelming for even sixteen S-Rank Hunters to handle. He tore through their ranks with terrifying ease, overwhelming some of the strongest individuals humanity had to offer. Despair spread across the public as live footage showed their champions fall one after another.

And then they arrived.

Sung Jin-Woo, a Korean Hunter whose abilities defied belief, had taken the field. Not only did he summon hundreds of shadow beasts to take on and slaughter almost all the ants within the island when he saved the Korean hunters. Alone, he clashed with the monstrous Ant King in a brutal, high-speed duel that rivaled anything the world had seen before.

Did this mean he was stronger than all sixteen S-Rank Hunters combined?

It was difficult not to think so. After all, among those defeated had been Goto Ryuji himself, the previously strongest Hunter in Japan… and he hadn’t lasted more than two blows.

But Sung Jin-Woo wasn’t the only surprise.

There was another.

Japan had been quick, almost too eager, to release information about their new pride and joy. Kaede Tawata. Officially recognized as the number one ranked Hunter in Japan, she had now soared to seventh place in the global rankings after her performance.

It was she who had landed the final blow. She who brought the Ant King to his knees. And it was her power, strange, unfamiliar, and terrifying, that had frozen the world in utter stillness.

The world had not forgotten that moment.

A moment where time itself seemed to falter.

Many were already calling her the unofficial fifth National Level Hunter.

But her actions were not without consequences.

The sudden, widespread activation of her freezing ability had triggered numerous anomalies around the globe, equipment failures, crashes, collapsed buildings, panicked civilians caught in sudden stasis. Yet, somehow, there were no reported casualties.

At least, not yet.

Still, despite the celebrations and rising fame, a shadow loomed over Japan.

The country was mourning.

The raid had cost them dearly. Several of their finest Hunters had fallen in the line of duty. The names of the dead echoed across the news, accompanied by photos, somber tributes, and the bitter realization that even with the emergence of new legends, the cost of victory had been high.

---

Tokyo, Japan — Twelve Days After the Raid

Rain fell in a steady drizzle over the cemetery.

It wasn’t heavy, just enough to soak the earth and muffle the sound of footsteps.

Black umbrellas dotted the graveyard, a silent sea of mourners standing in reverent silence. Kanae stood near the front of the crowd, her hands loosely clasped before her. She wasn’t holding an umbrella. The rain rolled off her slowly, but she didn’t seem to notice.

Or care.

The air was heavy, not with magic, but with grief. Sorrow hung like a curtain over the entire gathering.

Three portraits stood above the burial stones, framed in black.

Goto Ryuji — Her Hero, her mentor, and the pride of Japan, now a fallen pillar.

Hoshino Minoru — the lovable idiot, and heart of the Draw Sword Guild.

Fushijima — the quiet S-Rank, who was one of the nicest hunters she'd known.

A white wreath had been laid beneath each one. Incense burned slowly in golden censers, their smoke spiraling into the grey sky.

Kanae remained still, her expression unreadable as the eulogies were read.

She didn’t cry.

Not because she didn’t feel the weight of their deaths. She could feel the cameras, even from here. The media had been kept at a distance, but drones hovered at the edge of the security perimeter.

She could hear them even now. Trying to get a shot of her sister.

The girl who killed the Ant King. The seventh strongest hunter alive. The national treasure.

They weren't even mourning.

They didn’t see the memories that played like glass in her head.

Ryuji’s booming laugh during a guild meeting. Minoru tossing her a towel after a spar and asking for help with his footwork. Fushijima silently shielding her during their first A-Rank gate mission together when her armor failed.

Gone.

Three of them, gone.

A gentle nudge to her elbow made her blink. Kaede had stepped up beside her, dressed in a black formal coat, her hair pinned up. Unlike Kanae, she held an umbrella.

She leaned closer. “We don’t have to stay long,” she whispered.

“I know,” Kanae said quietly. “But I want to.”

Kaede nodded, saying nothing else.

The priest concluded the final rites.

Several figures stepped forward to lay flowers at the foot of the graves. The Prime Minister. The Chairman of the Japan Hunter Association. A few S-Ranks. They offered practiced bows, murmured their condolences, and returned to their places.

When it was Kanae's turn, the rain felt like it had grown louder.

She didn’t cry. She simply walked forward, knelt beside the three graves, and placed three white lotus flowers down on the stones, one for each of them.

“I’m sorry,” she said under her breath.

A breeze blew past, pulling strands of her hair into her eyes. The petals fluttered across the soaked marble.

“I should’ve been faster.”

Silence answered her.

She turned away from the graves and walked back toward the gathering crowd.

“Come on,” she said, voice returning to that usual half-absent coldness. “Let’s get out of the rain.”

---

Japanese Hunters Association Headquarters — Tokyo

Within the highest office of the Japanese Hunters Association, Chairman Matsumoto slowly placed a half-full bottle of whiskey onto the polished mahogany desk. The sound of glass tapping wood echoed faintly through the quiet room.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long, tired sigh.

“Haa… I still can’t believe we lost a Hunter like Goto.”

His voice was low, almost a whisper to himself.

Leaning back in his chair, Matsumoto tilted his head toward the ceiling, the weight of the past few days dragging at his shoulders like iron chains.

“What did I get us into?” he muttered. “If this gets out... the backlash will isolate Japan. Korea. China. Even the States.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

“Our only hope now... really lies in the hands of Kaede Tawata.”

RRRing!

The shrill ring of his office phone cut through the silence. Matsumoto turned toward it sharply, the muscles in his neck tightening. He reached out and picked it up.

“This is Matsumoto.”

His eyes widened.

“What? A gate? Where?”

He straightened in his chair.

“An A-Rank gate appeared in the middle of a highway in Kyoto? Two of them?!”

He clenched the phone tighter.

'The Draw Sword Guild... they’re still too shaken from the Jeju raid to handle a gate of that magnitude.'

Sliding open a drawer, he retrieved a thick folder containing emergency contact numbers and gate-response protocols. He began making calls, one after the other.

For the next twenty minutes, he spoke with every major guild in the Kyoto region.

None gave him the answer he needed.

Some lacked manpower. Others refused outright.

In the wake of Jeju, Japan had entered a period of collective unease. The sudden rise in gate activity combined with the loss of three of their strongest S-Rank Hunters. Goto Ryuji, Hoshino Minoru, and Fushijima, had shattered the illusion of security.

The world had been harshly reminded, no one was invincible. Death didn’t discriminate, not even against the elite.

Confidence was gone.

Guilds hesitated to deploy teams to raids that might spiral out of control. Even gates marked as “only” A-Rank were met with suspicion and fear.

Every A-Rank gate now carried the shadow of Jeju Island.

Matsumoto understood. He had expected hesitation. Eventually, it would die down and things would be back to normal. What he hadn’t expected was this, two high-tier A-Rank gates bordering on S-Rank manifesting simultaneously in one of the country’s largest cities.

He stared down at his phone, his expression hardening. He would have to look for Hunters outside Kyoto, and even then...

“There’s only one guild that isn’t shaken like the others…” he muttered.

He let out another sigh, softer this time. Almost resigned.

“Maple Tree.”