Arc: Paladin Realm
Dzeth woke up from his sleep and went to the bathroom to take a shower and brush his teeth.
After finishing his shower, Dzeth got ready to head to his Hunter Academy.
On his way, he was suddenly approached by an S-Grade Hunter named Kyoto Agatatsu. Kyoto nvited Dzeth to meet at a secret wrestling place in a hidden building after returning from the Hunter Academy. Dzeth agreed to the invitation, but sensing something was off, he made a plan for when he went there after his Hunter classes. Dzeth then opened a Dimensional Warp portal to reach the academy instantly.
Upon arriving at the classroom door, Dzeth was surprised to see his friends, Hwang, Akanza, and Syiro, in the same class as him S-Grade Hunter class, the highest grade for humans at this time.
Not only was Dzeth shocked, but Hwang, Akanza, and Syiro were also stunned to see Dzeth in the class. Hwang stammered, "D-Dzeth?" Akanza exclaimed, "How did you escape from the Black Hole?!" Syiro, equally astonished, added, "W-What if the Void Army and the Void Paladin come again?"
Dzeth smiled and calmly replied, "Don't worry. The millions of Void soldiers, including the Void Paladin, are under my command now. I've defeated them all."
"Millions?!" Hwang, Akanza, and Syiro exclaimed in unison.
Dzeth smirked slightly. "Something like that."
Hwang thought to himself, "(So, he now has a Divine Army that surpasses hundreds of thousands… even millions.)"
Dzeth then took his seat beside Akanza.
Akanza whispered, "Did you really defeat millions of Cursed Beings just like that?"
Dzeth was about to answer, "Y-yeah, because…"
Suddenly, their teacher entered the classroom and greeted them, cutting Dzeth off mid-sentence.
The teacher then started teaching them about Hunters and a few other subjects.
-
In the evening…
Syiro invited Dzeth to walk home together, but Dzeth declined, saying he had something to do elsewhere.
Feeling uneasy, Syiro decided to follow Dzeth from behind.
Dzeth activated his Dimensional Warp and teleported to the location Kyoto had mentioned. Syiro, hiding in the shadows, quickly followed him into the portal.
Upon arriving, Dzeth met Kyoto.
Dzeth asked, "What do you want?"
Kyoto replied, "I want to fight you. I can feel your power, and I know you are strong enough to face me."
Dzeth responded, "But we're both Hunters. We shouldn't"
BOOM!
A sudden heavy punch from Kyoto sent Dzeth crashing into a wall, causing cracks to spread across it.
From afar, Syiro, witnessing the event, was shocked. "Dzeth… What should I do?"
Dzeth got back on his feet and said, "So, do you want to fight me first or my army?"
Kyoto confidently replied, "Army? Obviously, your army first."
Dzeth then teleported Kyoto, himself, and Syiro to a forest clearing.
Dzeth was surprised. "Syiro… When did you get here?"
Syiro casually answered, "I just wanted to tag along."
Dzeth sighed and told Syiro to stay behind him.
Kyoto sternly asked, "Where is your army?!"
Dzeth smirked. "Exchange… Divine Summon… Rise, Void Paladin in Divine Form."
Kyoto's eyes widened as he looked at the Divine Void Paladin. "Isn't this the Cursed Being that defeated three S-Grade Hunters and two C-Grade Hunters?!"
Dzeth grinned. "That's just one."
Kyoto thought, "(One?!)"
Dzeth then muttered, "Rise… my army."
Millions of Divine warriors appeared from all directions.
Kyoto, overwhelmed, finally said, "Alright, let's fight one-on-one instead."
Dzeth dispersed all his Divine warriors, leaving only himself and Kyoto to battle.
Kyoto had no Hunter Technique, but his sheer physical strength was enough to make him a formidable opponent.
Dzeth opened a portal, reaching inside to retrieve two of his newest daggers the Dimensional Dagger and the Blood-Void Dagger (formerly belonging to the Void Paladin).
-
The battle began.
Kyoto lunged at Dzeth, throwing a powerful punch.
Dzeth swiftly dodged and countered by kicking Kyoto's leg, causing him to stumble.
Furious, Kyoto activated his full strength his veins bulged, his muscles expanded, and he transformed into a monstrous figure without using any Hunter Technique.
A fierce battle erupted.
Dzeth skillfully wielded both of his daggers, clashing with Kyoto's immense strength.
Dzeth used the Dimensional Dagger for rapid, unpredictable strikes.
The Blood-Void Dagger absorbed Kyoto's energy with each slash.
Kyoto countered with brute force, sending shockwaves through the battlefield.
The ground shattered under their immense power.
Both fighters exchanged deadly attacks, dodging by mere inches.
Kyoto's monstrous form made him nearly invincible, but Dzeth's precision attacks started wearing him down.
After an intense, prolonged battle, Kyoto finally collapsed.
Dzeth stood over him, his dagger pointed at Kyoto's head.
From afar, Syiro was in awe of Dzeth's newfound strength.
Kyoto, breathing heavily, looked up at Dzeth. He could sense something ominous an unknown presence looming behind Dzeth. Though neither Dzeth nor Syiro could see it, Kyoto's instincts screamed at him.
Kyoto, struggling to speak, finally asked, "Who… What are you, really? Are you even human?"
Dzeth's eyes widened at the question.
To be continued…