The Damned Demon

[ Warning! A Bounty has been placed on Hellbringer ]

[ All Hunter and Demon groups within a 100-kilometer radius are now aware of your general location within a 40 kilometers radius. The closer they get, the easier it will be to find you ]

[ This Bounty Hunt will last for 2 Hours ]

[ You cannot enter any Safe Zone during the Hunt ]

[ Survive this Bounty Hunt, and you will stand to gain 40,000 Deviar Shards. Die, and the one who kills you will stand to gain the same ]

As the gravity of their situation sunk in, Asher and Ceti's expressions hardened into grim determination. The unexpected twist was like a sudden thunderclap on an already bad day.

Asher clicked his tongue, his gaze sweeping over the shadowy tunnels they were ensconced in, "Great... Bounty Hunts as well? As if things couldn't get worse," he murmured to himself.

He could guess any Hunter or Demon group would be thirsting for those 40,000 Deviar Shards, which was enough to almost reach halfway to the number of shards required to advance to the next dungeon.

Ceti's eyes darted to Asher, her brows knitted with worry, "Your Highness," she began, her voice barely a whisper in the echoing chamber, "someone must have put up 40,000 Deviar Shards to have you killed. Do you know anyone who would be that desperate, that determined to hunt you down?"

A subtle scoff escaped Asher's lips, "Does it matter, Ceti?" he retorted, "Given the number of people that want me dead, take your pick."

Ceti's gaze narrowed at his comment, yet she realized the truth in his words. Swallowing the knot in her throat, she shifted the subject, "What do we do now? Our location is continually exposed to the others..." Her voice trailed off, realizing that she was relying on his advice, a stark contrast to her previous independence.

Asher's fingers traced over the map of their location, his gaze narrowing in concentration, "This is bad," he admitted, "But our best option is to keep moving. That way, we can buy some time and prevent many groups from ambushing us by staying at the same place," However, inwardly, Asher was not sure at all how things were going to play out in the next two hours.

He could only hope there weren't too many people in their vicinity.

Ceti nodded in agreement, understanding that motion was their only option. Time was of the essence now. With a shared look of understanding, the duo hastily set off, pushing forward into the winding labyrinth of the Hollow of Echoes.

The two of them plunged headlong through the echoing corridors of the twisting caves, throwing caution to the wind. Their normally stealthy pace had been replaced by a desperate scramble, each footfall echoing around them like a cacophony.

Since their location was being exposed, they saw no point in trying to hide any echoes of their steps. Being slower would only let the others get to them faster.

Suddenly, a cold, unpleasant dread hung over Asher and Ceti as they watched a small red circle close in on their location on their map, only a couple of hundred meters away. Their eyes met, silently acknowledging the dire reality - they were being hunted.

Their minds raced, trying to gauge the strength and numbers of their hunters, but the information they had was simply too vague.

The impending confrontation loomed over them like a spectral specter, instilling a sense of urgency.

Suddenly, another red circle materialized on their display, this one a few kilometers away, yet closing in fast.

The realization hit Asher like a wave, freezing him in his tracks. He turned to Ceti, his expression severe, "We can't keep running. We need to take out the group that's closest to us now. If we don't, we'll end up sandwiched between both groups."

Ceti's gaze hardened, her jaw setting with determination. She nodded, her voice grim, "Do you have a plan for dealing with the ones nearest to us?"

Asher's eyes flicked to the incoming red circle, his brows furrowed in deep concentration.

Just a hundred meters away,

A band of five Hunters prowled the tunnel, their footfalls echoing on the cold stone floor.

Each one of them was a low level B Rank Hunter, the pulsating aura of their mana circuits painting a clear picture of their power. Their eyes shone with a mix of anticipation and excitement, a strange cocktail of emotions stirred by the idea of killing the infamous Hellbringer and earning at least 40,000 Radem Shards easily.

The group was a colorful mix. The leader, Garrett, was a tall, burly man with a wild mane of auburn hair, his eyes aflame with fervid excitement at the prospect of killing Hellbringer.

Dressed in rugged leather armor with a great sword slung across his back, he was a menacing figure.

Loren, a wiry woman with a sharp face and piercing eyes, was moving beside him. She was an archer, her quiver full of arrows that radiated a chilling cold.

Her anxious gaze flickered over their surroundings as she voiced her worry, "Should we really take part in this bounty hunt? What if we encounter a powerful demon group or more?"

Sebastian, a sturdily built man with a wide grin, scoffed at her words, "Doesn't matter," he dismissed, "Everyone will be after Hellbringer, even the demons. If someone else gets to him first, we'll simply turn tail. Otherwise, we should get to him first, kill him quickly and escape. We can then use one of the teleportation gates we found to get to a safe zone."

Beside him, Ezra, a young, lean mage with an air of quiet intensity, looked at his leader and asked with a grim face, "Are we sure about this, Garret? Hellbringer is known for killing even B Rank Hunters like us. Isn't that why he is considered quite dangerous despite being weaker than us? A-And...what if he has powerful people backing him up?"

Garrett laughed, his voice echoing through the tunnel, "Don't believe the crap you see on the news. Hellbringer is a pussy who is trying to hype himself up by dealing only the final blows. He never kills a B Rank without help. Not even 5 of him can. Besides, I heard he's separated from his group. We'll take this bounty as easy as slicing a cake."

Following him was Finn, a young man with a reserved aura, who chose to keep his counsel to himself, his eyes constantly scanning their surroundings, ready for any unexpected threat.

As they rounded a corner, they came to an abrupt halt, each of them having their eyes widened.

There, standing in the shadows was a solitary figure, his dark golden eyes eerily glowing. Garrett's heart thumped in his chest as he whispered, a fervid smile creeping onto his face, "Hellbringer...Get him!"

Garret's command echoed through the tunnel as they lunged toward the solitary figure with a menacing battle cry.

Seeing Hellbringer still standing without even taking his weapon out made the rest believe Garret was right.

The cacophony of their rush filled the air, a dreadful symphony that promised violence.

But even as they charged, an unsettling rustle of chains echoed in the tunnel, a dark, inky mist of chains snaked out from the shadows, quickly wrapping around the limbs of the charging Hunters.

Their charges halted abruptly, their momentum completely stolen by the sudden bindings, "What the-" Garrett grunted in surprise, his sword only half drawn. The chains were impossibly strong, unyielding against his struggles.

At the same time, Loren, trapped mid-draw, felt a chilling fear crawl up her spine. The cold, spectral chains drained the energy around them, sapping her strength as they tightened their grip.

From the shadows, a woman figure with glowing dark blue eyes emerged.

Ceti stood there, her eyes cold and ruthless. As the light trickled down the opening of the tunnel, her form suddenly shimmered and twisted, becoming an untouchable silhouette of darkness.

She moved swiftly, a gust of cold wind sweeping across the faces of the shocked Hunters.

Ezra managed to whimper in fear, "What the hell is-" But his words were cut off as Ceti, materializing in front of him, drove her hand directly into his chest. There was no blood, but the impact was evident.

He flew backward, crashing into the tunnel wall. His body slumped lifelessly onto the cold ground, a small crater left in his wake.

The next second, she was upon the next Hunter, Finn, before the others could react. An embodiment of his worst nightmare, she moved without making a sound, appearing before him as though she had always been there.

Her hand, coated in an armour of stone and dirt, found his heart and squeezed. His gasp was cut short as his life faded, a shocked expression forever etched on his face.

Ceti didn't spare a glance at the fallen Hunters. Instead, she was already moving on to Sebastian and Loren. With a swift gesture, a storm of shadows and debris engulfed the pair, the vortex deafening their cries and shredding their bodies with the wrath of a tempest.

Garrett could only watch in horror as his team was decimated. As the shroud of darkness dissipated, he saw her, standing in front of him.

He couldn't even find the voice to say anything upon seeing her hands dripping with blood and dirt.

But before he could muster his courage, he saw her simply tapping the ground with her feet.

*Sppstk!*

"Urghh…" Garrett suddenly coughed out a mouthful of blood and looked down with trembling eyes to see a earthen spike that had impaled his chest. His body jerked briefly before his body dangled lifelessly on the spike.

[ +12,200 Deviar Shards ]

Asher was impressed by her abilities and the speed at which she finished off 5 B Rank Hunters before they could even get the chance to retaliate. Surely, she was better than he thought.

But there was no time to linger around as the two nodded at each other with a silent understanding and continued to run in the opposite direction to the small red circle that was only around two kilometers behind them.

As they ran, Asher finally broke the silence, "Not bad. You did good," His tone contained a hint of appreciation.

Ceti briefly glanced at him and said after brief hesitation, "I-It wasn't all me. Your plan was the game changer, Your Highness. Using yourself as bait...was bold but effective. They didn't even see me coming and were too distracted," Her voice held a hint of respect that she somehow coughed out.

Asher scoffed as he said, "Well, since you already know how famous I am in both realms, it isn't a surprise that they like me so much."

They continued running in sync, their steps echoing through the tunnel.

Ceti, yet again, found herself admiring Asher's courage and quick thinking once again.

There was a spark of hope igniting in her heart, perhaps they could make it through this. Just as this thought crossed her mind, their shared silence was broken by the abrupt notification.

[ Warning! Cavern Collapse Imminent - 55 minutes ]

Asher clicked his tongue, "Damn it! Can't the Devils just cut us a break?"