SHADOW BEFORE CREATION

The Hunters' Battle

One of Japan's Hunters stepped forward, a young man wearing a large mask that concealed his features. His steps carried a mixture of anger and recklessness.

"You disgusting ba—"

He did not finish his words.

In the next moment, Arthur's hand had seized his head and slammed it into the ground as though he were an empty ball, producing a muffled explosion that shook the hall.

{Oh… two against one? How beautiful.}

Arthur calmly raised his gaze, only to find two more Hunters charging toward him. One grabbed his shoulder, while the other attempted to pull the Japanese Hunter away before his head was completely crushed beneath Arthur's fist.

Arthur slowly moved his hand, then applied overwhelming pressure to the arm of the Hunter gripping his shoulder, immediately followed by a powerful punch to the face of the other Hunter, the impact echoing throughout the hall.

Arthur bent down with blinding speed, moving his body with perfect balance before delivering a powerful kick to the stomach of the Hunter behind him, sending him crashing to the ground as he gasped in pain.

"You worthless bastard! How dare you!"

Another Japanese Hunter shouted. He wore a white mask and a band covering his eyes, and with his scream, red sparks began to glow around his body, as though his anger had transformed into visible energy.

"A brutal battle? You got it."

Arthur said it in a completely human voice, then completely concealed his magical energy, relying solely on his body.

The Japanese Hunter charged forward at unbelievable speed and aimed a direct kick at Arthur's face.

Arthur moved calmly, caught the foot in midair, and with terrifying strength, lifted the Hunter with one hand and slammed him into the ground.

Then he lifted him again and slammed him down a second time…

A third…

Until his body was nearly torn apart.

Finally, Arthur raised him one last time and crushed him into the ground with such force that one of his legs was torn from its place.

"Damn… he's lost his mind."

Sung Jin-Woo muttered in a low voice and was about to move.

"No, Lord Sung."

"Why are you stopping me, Chairman?"

Go Gun-Hee spoke in a calm yet firm tone:

"Hunter Arthur hasn't lost his mind… He is training them. He is fighting with nothing but the intent to kill, not training, nor a fair fight, but facing a rampaging beast."

With those words, Sung Jin-Woo's mind became clear.

He now understood Arthur's reasoning. He was fighting like a stranger who had come to kill everyone, proving his strength first so that he could force everyone to take him seriously and unleash their full power from the very beginning without holding back.

In training, an opponent pulls back and may show some mercy, which is why a person often fails to bring out everything they have.

But put their life on the line, and tell a person that they will die if they do not unleash their strength…

Then only two choices remain:

Inability…

Or evolution and breaking through the limits.

The Japanese Hunter stood there, having lost one of his legs, staring at it as it lay in Arthur's hand.

Arthur smiled calmly, then casually threw the leg toward him.

At that moment, the Hunter felt a humiliation unlike anything he had ever experienced.

Arthur had not merely crushed him.

He had returned his leg to him, then turned his face away as though he no longer deserved his attention.

"I thank you… but—"

The Hunter spoke in a trembling voice, then threw his leg aside and charged toward Arthur on a single leg.

"Oh… what determination. I love this."

Arthur slowly turned around, raised his right hand, and pointed directly at his opponent's chest.

"Dark Bullet."

In a fraction of a second, a dark bullet shot forward and pierced the Hunter's chest as pure magical energy.

His body froze.

Blood quietly flowed from his mouth, and then he collapsed unconscious.

"So, who's nex—"

He did not finish his challenge before another Hunter stepped forward, muscular and dressed in dojo clothing.

He raised his hand high, then brought it down in a thunderous strike toward Arthur's head.

At the moment of contact, Arthur's body shifted calmly.

He spun in place, his feet pointing upward for a moment, then directed a kick with his left foot toward the Hunter's shoulder, forcing him to bend forward, immediately followed by a powerful strike with his right foot to his neck.

The Hunter staggered backward, clutching his neck in pain.

"Sissies… weaklings. Is this really all you have?"

With overwhelming anger, three more Japanese Hunters charged toward Arthur.

Arthur raised his hand and summoned thirty spiders descended from Atlach-Nacha, each one roughly equivalent to an A-Rank Hunter.

The spiders moved with terrifying speed, and the battle erupted.

At that moment, a Hunter with an immense aura and terrifying pressure charged forward, a sword in his hand…

It was Ryuji Goto.

"I'm your opponent!"

"Didn't everyone say that?"

Arthur mocked him and moved at incredible speed, appearing behind Ryuji.

"Cute little boy."

Arthur raised his hand to strike his head, but Ryuji dodged the attack at the last moment.

Arthur smiled with slight admiration and whistled.

"Fast… Do you want to continue?"

"I will—"

"And do you think I care, you little bastard?"

Arthur interrupted him, then charged toward him, targeting Ryuji's heart.

Ryuji sensed the killing intent and placed his sword in front of his heart.

Only ten inches away, Arthur smiled, then suddenly changed his trajectory and struck Ryuji's jaw with tremendous force.

"A child who still smells of milk wants to read my movements."

He said it with contempt, then stepped away as though he had lost interest.

But at that moment, a faint dark pressure descended upon Arthur's body.

"So… Hunter Sung Jin-Woo. Are you here to die as well? I'm bored. No one here is entertaining me."

"Let's do it, Arthur."

"Alright."

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