The abyssal leader wasn’t planning to run anymore.
A movement in the darkness made Zhao tense. His feathers, stained with purple blood, gleamed faintly while he prepared for another confrontation.
The figure that emerged from the shadows was a bone-white aberration, but purple veins pulsed beneath its surface like sickly rivers of corruption, each beat sending ripples across its unnatural flesh.
“Impressed, Hunter?” the words resonated in a distorted manner from the creature, its tentacles undulating as if they had lives of their own while the moonlight revealed its true form in all its horrific glory.
Hundreds of tentacles emerged from its body. But what caught Zhao’s attention was the face, or rather, the faces.
On the creature’s chest, grotesquely fused like a twisted sculpture, were the features of the abyssal leader and his tentacled subordinate. Their expressions frozen in a moment of eternal agony.
It hadn’t been a fusion, it had been an absorption, a betrayal made flesh.
That had been his true plan. His own subordinate…
‘A dead shadow stalker male’s body, impossible. Of course it wouldn’t work alone.’
It needed… fresh material.
What he hadn’t told his lackey was that with a dead body, it wouldn’t work, so during the fusion, some of his entrails had connected with the tentacled abyssal and absorbed him too.
A perfect betrayal hidden behind false promises of a shared victory.
Now it was capable of controlling long tentacles, absorbing energy, and controlling male Shadow Stalkers, a combination that made it a nightmare given form.
“Hello again, Zhao,” the voice sounded distorted, but also vengeful, each word dripping with years of cultivated hatred. “Do you remember the Ravencrofts?”
Something in that name made Zhao tense imperceptibly, a memory surfacing from years of hunting.
“My son, Marcus Ravencroft,” the creature continued while its tentacles undulated hypnotically. “Three years ago, near the border…”
Zhao remembered, a young abyssal, barely transformed, too inexperienced to have been in the field. The mission had been quick, precise. Like most of his hunts, there had been no hesitation.
“Adrian Ravencroft,” the creature formally introduced itself, its tentacles extending like a grotesque bow. “Though I suppose the name doesn’t matter much anymore.”
A sound behind called his attention, making the hairs on his neck rise.
Zhao didn’t need to turn completely to sense the massive presence behind him. His instincts, though exhausted, warned him of the danger even before he shifted his stance.
The Shadow Stalker male rose in the darkness, its white body reflecting the scarce light, but its eyes… its eyes glowed with the same sickly purple that pulsed beneath the aberration’s white skin.
“Surprised?” Adrian’s tentacles undulated with savage pride. “Three years looking for this. Three years since you tore my son apart like he was just another name on your list.”
Zhao maintained his position, his silver feathers gleaming faintly while evaluating the situation. The Shadow Stalker male moved in an unnatural way, as if invisible strings were pulling it like a puppet.
“It was a reconnaissance mission,” Adrian’s voice grew deeper, more bestial with each word. “His first mission. There wasn’t even supposed to be combat.”
The tentacles began moving more erratically, some drawing dangerously close to Zhao, who couldn’t afford to waste energy.
Not yet.
Each movement had to count now.
“But the great Hunter of Yano never lets his prey escape, right?” purple veins pulsed beneath the creature’s white skin. “No matter if it’s an experienced warrior or a frightened boy.”
The Shadow Stalker male took another step closer. Zhao could feel its mana absorption ability, in his current state, a single touch could be fatal.
“So I studied every report, every sighting,” Adrian extended more tentacles, their tips gleaming wetly in the moonlight. “I learned about your patterns, your routes, your precious territory.”
“The shadow wolf heiress,” he spoke while studying Zhao’s movements. “That’s my mission. And Klein’s group if possible.”
Zhao noticed something in the creature’s chest, where the faces merged, there were marks of pain, as if the union had been… forced. The flesh around the fusion points was raw and pulsing, speaking of recent and violent transformation.
“A traitor noble from your beloved Yano pays well for this mission. Very well. And when I learned the target was in your territory… The perfect opportunity.”
The tentacles tensed like coiled springs. “Two birds, one stone. The mission… and revenge.”
“Revenge? Against the executioner and not those who gave the order? And your subordinate?” asked Zhao, his eyes studying every movement. “Was he also willing to be part of your revenge?”
“Marcus wasn’t my only son, Hunter,” Adrian’s voice grew deeper, more bestial with each word. “And some… some still live.”
The implication was clear, hostages in Yino, ensuring his loyalty through the most brutal means.
“You know, Marcus cried… That noble told me in the report you said he cried and begged. But you didn’t even hesitate.”
“And your subordinate? Didn’t he have a family to protect too?”
“DON’T YOU DARE JUDGE ME!” Adrian’s voice distorted further while his form expanded like a blooming nightmare. “Not when you blindly serve corrupt Yano! At least I know I’m a monster!”
The laugh that followed was a horrible sound, like breaking glass mixed with dying screams.
“Sure… I killed my subordinate for my goal and became this, but… Does it matter? Look at us now. Stronger, more perfect. And you…”
The tentacles tensed while the Shadow Stalker male prepared to attack, its unnatural movements becoming more fluid.
“You’re exhausted, Hunter. Your feathers barely shine. Your mana nearly depleted.”
Zhao allowed himself a small smile. “Three years studying me, Adrian? You should know…”
The silver feathers began to shine.
“…that the Hunter of Yano always saves something for the end.”
“DIE!” Adrian’s tentacles launched like living spears while the Shadow Stalker attacked from behind, their coordinated assault promising certain death.
Zhao counterattacked, his feathers finding and cutting through several tentacles with surgical precision despite his fatigue.
The Shadow Stalker male began draining mana from the area. Zhao could feel his energy weakening even faster, each movement requiring more effort.
“Why the shadow wolf heiress,” Zhao launched to cut another assault of tentacles, though more slowly. “What does the traitor noble plan?”
“Does it matter?” Adrian released a grotesque laugh. “You’ll be dead soon! And she… well, who knows.”
The silver feathers cut through tentacles that wouldn’t stop coming. Zhao moved between shadows thanks to his Silent Flight, but each movement was slower, more predictable.
“Ready to die, Hunter?” Adrian extended more tentacles while the Shadow Stalker male closed the circle with its own. Their trap was nearly complete.
Another wave of tentacles. More feathers flew, severing corrupted flesh, but Zhao noted with concern that each attack forced him to launch them in specific directions. His options were becoming limited.
“Is that all?” the tentacles hammered against the feather rain. “Is this the legendary Hunter?”
Zhao’s feathers began to fall, their gleam growing dimmer with each passing second. The Hunter of Yano finally seemed cornered.
“Before I kill you,” the tentacles pressed their attack while the male drained more mana from the area, “which Yano noble do you think paid for this mission?”