Surviving the Death Hunt

V remained bound in his straitjacket, hovering feet above the hole with dark souls circling around him, and yet two men came at him anyway like he’d done something personal.

He didn’t entirely understand what was unfolding around him. What he understood was simpler. Everyone here was his enemy. Everyone except the Gate God below.

At least that was the one constant the Highest One had given him to hold onto.

His own emotions had become distorted. Even after months of preparation, all he could feel were countless souls attempting to overwhelm him, crawling up from the depths, grasping, trying to drag him down to join them in the abyss. He had to resist.

He could see his family below. Aina Zheng had been a mere child during the Zheng clan’s prison visit, the last time he’d seen her. He’d retained some consciousness then, though little memory.

Now, though, he understood the truth: his own family was his enemy. Their actions proved as much.

Leonard and Kong’s attack left him no choice, he’d had to use his Inheritance, Will of the Underworld. After consuming all those souls, he felt satisfaction, even joy. All he’d ever wanted was for everyone to be happy. And he knew this world could never provide that.

Those two bastards kept coming at him, though he wasn’t even fighting back. There was no way weaklings like them could defeat him, certainly not kill him. But they were too full of themselves to stop, refusing to give him a moment’s peace.

Their attacks were formidable, particularly Kong’s. His staff struck with enough force to shatter anything in its path. Leonard’s attacks were trickier—V couldn’t determine whether his ability was raw energy or magical manipulation. But it didn’t matter. He could counter every strike with a soul.

Regardless of how devastating their strikes were, souls kept pouring from his body to devour the attacks and pull them into the underworld.

Something struck him as odd. These two had strength, with their Protector States active, they might even challenge him. But they weren’t using them. Why weren’t they fighting seriously?

’It doesn’t matter... those I possessed are out there now, taking lives. By the time the sun rises, no one will remain. Only then can I feel some measure of relief.’

His kill count wasn’t increasing anymore, those he possessed were doing the killing now. This meant Morvan, Savior of the Lost, wouldn’t be summoned. And if that was the case, there wasn’t much he had to worry about. He just needed to survive long enough.

But Kong and Leonard refused to quit. They knew V was beyond them without their Protector States, yet their orders stood. Kong was visibly angry about the situation but powerless to change it.

The plan had been to occupy V’s attention. Then the Gate God arrived unexpectedly, complicating the Supreme Council’s scheme. Still, V played into their hands by doing exactly what they’d predicted, letting souls kill on his behalf.

Now Kong and Leonard had a single objective. While Haven engaged the Gate God below, they needed to occupy V until his possessed servants killed enough people to trigger the summoning of the Ally of Mankind.

Kong sneered.

"How long do I have to pretend this is fun? I can’t even give it my all. Fighting Danger-level threats is a hundred times better than this."

He glanced at Leonard, who fought from range, exploiting the gaps Kong created during his close-quarters combat with V.

"Leonard, step back a little. I need to enjoy myself before I completely lose it from boredom."

He stared at the tortured souls emerging from V in waves, their desperate movements seeming to beg for final rest.

"He’s very powerful... this will be fun. Stay back!"

Leonard eyed him with disappointment.

"You’ll likely punish me later, sir. But I was told never to let you confront V alone."

Kong cursed Leonard under his breath, even while attacking.

"You know I could punish you for disobedience, and yet here you are. Is this really how you became a captain? Acting like a puppet that blindly follows orders?"

Irritation flickered across Leonard’s face. He had seven years on Kong, but rank mattered more than age. Kong was 6th among all Moon Killers, so Leonard had to swallow the kid’s abuse.

"Forgive me, sir. Our instructions were clear: I must fight with you and make certain you do not fight at full strength. The academy is already in ruins, sir. Do try to restrain your enthusiasm."

Kong wasn’t letting up. His strikes were getting stronger, violent enough that the ground beneath them began to splinter.

But then suddenly, something shifted.

V was first to notice. He glanced down at the arena, flowers blooming there, beautiful and strangely warm. His pulse quickened. Finally, something dangerous enough to act against. He shed his restraint immediately. He didn’t know who was responsible, but those flowers threatened everything he’d worked for.

Kong and Leonard finally felt relief wash over them. This was the moment they’d been stalling for. The presence rising from below meant V’s puppets had exceeded their kill quota. Theo, Ally of Mankind, had arrived.

"Kong, sir. I believe Theo will have to take care of the Gate God first. We must keep V occupied until then. But I beg you, no Protector State."

"Heck, YEAH."

Kong finally let out an exciting scream.

"Emotional State, Second Form, DOPPELGANGER!"

In an instant, there were two Kongs. Both wielded their staffs at blinding speed, the wind force they generated was incredible. While V was still looking down, trying to understand what was emerging, Kong struck. V managed to block with a soul, but the sheer power sent him flying.

Before V could reorient himself, Kong’s duplicate was behind him, striking. What followed was a brutal combo, attack after attack in rapid succession. The souls absorbed everything, but Kong didn’t care. He was finally enjoying this.

To V, though, Kong was just an annoyance despite his formidable strength. V’s gaze stayed fixed downward, focused on whatever was emerging from the flowers.

Watching from afar, Leonard felt uneasy despite the apparent success. Kong was keeping V distracted, and V wasn’t even fighting back, yet Leonard couldn’t relax.

Until now, Leonard had fought from range, manipulating his magical energy into projectiles, even using it for flight to maintain distance. But Theo hadn’t fully emerged yet, and Leonard refused to wait around for V to try something dirty.

He sneered.

"Any interference in Kong’s fight is likely to have consequences. I must confine them."

He wasn’t ready for Kong’s pride.

"Emotional State, Second Form, Energy Confinement."

He gestured, and brilliant white energy erupted from him, shaping itself into an enormous cube hovering above. The runic markings across his skin flared with matching intensity.

He sighed.

"V might manage to break this, but it won’t be straightforward. Kong can keep him occupied for now. He must."