Cale's voice trembled, his body still paralyzed from the suffocating aura. "S-Snow… stop… Please… stop…"
Snow's crimson eyes flickered, the rage within them slowly dimming. The air around them shifted, the suffocating pressure easing as the killing intent vanished. Cracks that marred the walls ceased spreading, and the ground stopped trembling. In an instant, the overwhelming darkness dissipated, leaving behind an eerie silence.
Across the city, people gasped, clutching their chests as the crushing aura lifted. Some collapsed to their knees, drenched in cold sweat. Even the highest-ranking hunters felt the blood-chilling sensation. A shiver ran down their spines as they whispered in terror, "That monster… he's really back…"
On the other side of the world, in a grand hall shrouded in darkness, an urgent meeting was convened. Twelve seats were arranged in a circle, eleven occupied by figures radiating immense power. Each was an S-rank hunter, worshipped as deities among humans. Yet, a lingering fear haunted their eyes.
The man at the head of the table stood up, his lean frame cloaked in emerald robes. His venomous aura rippled through the room. He was the Poison King, known for his deadly poisons that could dissolve anything they touched.
His voice cut through the silence. "Gates are re-emerging… and not just ordinary ones. Difficult, Hell, Calamity-class gates… monsters are pouring out like never before. Tonight, a Hellhound appeared in the city. It was defeated… by one man."
Murmurs spread across the room.
"Cale was following him," Poison King continued, his eyes narrowing. "You felt it too, didn't you? That suffocating aura… That killing intent… We tried denying the rumors, but he's back. The Calamity Killer… has returned."
Silence. Cold and heavy.
Then, a sinister laugh echoed through the hall. A man lounged with his feet propped on the table, his body seemingly drenched in blood. His eyes gleamed with wicked amusement. "Snaky," he mocked, his voice dripping with contempt. "You're trembling in fear, aren't you?"
The Poison King's gaze darkened. "Blood King… you—"
But the man waved him off. "If I wanted, I could crush him like an insect. I haven't played in the hunter world for twenty years… Do you think I've grown weak?" His laughter filled the room as his body melted into a pool of blood, vanishing from sight.
Crimson stains remained on the floor where he once stood.
Before anyone could speak, another figure stood up. A young man in his twenties wearing a casual hoodie and black pants. He was shadow killer known for His face and power that can devour the shadow . He looked completely uninterested in the meeting.
"What a boring meeting. I'm out," he yawned, his voice lazy. In the next moment, his body melted into the shadows, disappearing without a trace.
The Poison King's fists clenched, his poison aura crackling. "Those freaks… just like him." He took a deep breath, regaining his composure. "The rest of you… we must unite. You all remember… the first time we heard of the Calamity Killer, he was already clearing Calamity-class gates solo. But when we saw him… he was just a child. A child… with the eyes of death."
The air grew colder. Memories resurfaced—the crimson eyes, the overwhelming aura, the sword that exhaled pure killing intent. "That sword…" Poison King's voice trembled. "Shelly… the red sword that devoured everything. Only that monster could wield it. If he's really back… we need to eliminate him before he regains his power."
The others nodded, their faces pale but resolute. One by one, they vanished, leaving the Poison King alone.
His face twisted with anger. "If not for you… I'd be the strongest hunter. You and that cursed sword… The only reason you defeated me was because of it. But not anymore…"
His gaze shifted to the far end of the hall. Encased in a glass tank was a crimson sword, its blade glowing ominously as if alive. It pulsated, radiating a killing intent that sent chills down his spine.
The Poison King's lips curled into a wicked grin. "Soon… you'll be mine, Shelly."
The blade's glow intensified, as if it understood his words. Its blood-red aura flickered, whispering of carnage and death.
To be continued...