Both Cassian and Cain finally reached Mount Arayat and began scanning their surroundings with caution.
"This mountain's too damn big," Cain muttered, glancing around. "At this rate, we'll never find it."
Cassian looked at him. "Are you suggesting we split up?"
"Yeah," Cain replied bluntly.
"We can't," Cassian said firmly. "We don't even know how strong the monster is."
"Tsk. You weakling piece of shit," Cain muttered under his breath.
As they pressed deeper into the mountain, they came across deep claw marks gouged into the trunks of nearby trees.
"You think this is the monster's doing?" Cassian asked, running his fingers along a jagged mark.
"I'm not sure," Cain answered, eyes narrowing. "But isn't it weird? People reported a monster roaming here, but there's no real info. Not even a basic description."
"Yeah... it's strange," Cassian agreed. "We're just newbies, but they sent us on this mission anyway. All we were told is there's a creature up here—nothing else."
Despite their suspicions, they kept moving, combing through the dense terrain, eyes and senses alert.
---
Elsewhere on the mountain, a group of five individuals watched them from a rocky overlook.
"So the Hunters sent just two guys," said Gian, their leader, his arms crossed as he observed the two newcomers.
"Boss, are we gonna deal with them now?" Patrick, Gian's right-hand man, asked.
"No need," Gian replied with a grin. "I sent the monster report myself a few hours ago. Let them fight it. Whoever survives—if anyone does—we take everything. We'll sell the bodies on the black market."
He let out a quiet chuckle, an evil smile spreading across his face.
---
Far deeper in the forest, something stirred in the shadows. A tall, looming figure blended almost seamlessly with the darkness, eyes locked onto Cain's movements.
"Grrr... Is that a human? No... It's a demon?" the shadow growled in a raspy, distorted voice. "What is the meaning of this... Why have they entered our kingdom?"
---
Back on the trail, Cain suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Killing intent," he muttered, his expression sharpening.
"Huh? What are you talking about, Cain?" Cassian asked.
"Get ready! Something's wrong. Something dangerous is coming," Cain warned.
Then, with a hiss through the trees, a sharp rod came hurtling toward them.
Cain reacted instantly, catching the rod midair with one hand. "Tsk. A surprise attack?"
Cassian's eyes widened. "Where did that come from?!"
They both spun around, searching for the source—but saw nothing.
Footsteps echoed around them, fast and erratic, coming from every direction. The forest seemed to close in on them, thick with menace.
Another barrage of rods flew toward Cain. He threw out his hand.
"BURN!" he shouted.
A massive burst of flame erupted from his palm, incinerating the projectiles and setting nearby trees ablaze.
"Damn it, Cain! If you burn the forest, the city could charge us for environmental damage!" Cassian shouted.
"Who cares?!" Cain snapped. He was scanning the forest, eyes sharp. "That thing is coming!"
And then it emerged.
A black blur raced toward them, limbs stretched long and low. The creature launched spikes from its hands, targeting both Cain and Cassian.
Cain torched the incoming spikes with a quick blast. Cassian, unable to dodge in time, summoned a clone. The clone took the hit and immediately collapsed, paralyzed.
"Shit!" Cassian cursed. He quickly summoned ten more clones, surrounding the monster and attacking in formation.
But the creature bend down to the ground released a vicious blast of spikes in all directions. All of Cassian's clones dropped, immobilized by the paralyzing resin.
The monster lunged forward, whipping its thick, black braids around. The ends transformed into razor-sharp spikes. Like living weapons, the braids lashed out, striking like spiked whips.
Cassian and Cain dodged, but several strikes grazed them, leaving shallow cuts.
Cain clenched his fists, turned to face the monster, and shouted, "FIRE BLAST!"
A beam of flame surged from his hands, slamming into the creature and sending it flying backward through the trees.
Seeing their chance, both Cassian and Cain turned and ran to regroup.
As they ran, Cain's mind flashed back to when the creature first appeared.
---
It had emerged from the dense shadows of the Arayat forest—an abomination of unnatural proportions. Nearly eight feet tall, it had a humanoid shape, but its limbs were unnaturally long and wiry. Powerful muscles coiled beneath a black, leathery hide that shimmered faintly like polished obsidian.
Its face was narrow and angular, its glowing red eyes sunken deep into its skull. They pulsed faintly, filled with menace.
But what truly stood out—what made Cain instinctively recoil—was its hair. Long, black braid-like tendrils fell from its head to its back, thick like ropes. But they moved, slithering and twitching, alive with a will of their own. The braids scraped and twisted, making a sound like dry branches clattering together.
Its body was covered in sharp, retractable spikes—along its arms, its spine, even its chest. When it attacked, it fired these spikes like missiles, each one laced with a paralytic resin.
In close combat, the braids transformed—hardening, slicing, lashing like spiked whips. When cornered, the creature's back split open, revealing a terrible crown of black spikes, which it could generate spikes in all directions that can paralyzed its enemies.
Despite its size, it moved silently, its steps muffled like a ghost. It hunted from shadows, attacking with surgical precision, then vanishing before the victim even hit the ground.
---
"That monster…" Cain thought, panting as they ran. "That thing's not normal."
Behind them, the trees crackled. A low, guttural growl echoed through the forest.
Cassian looked at Cain. "We need a plan. If we face it head-on, we'll die."
Cain nodded. "We have to think. Use its patterns against it. If we can trap it, even briefly, I can unleash everything."
"And if it doesn't work?" Cassian asked.
Cain grinned grimly. "Then I hope you've got more clones."
Cassian clenched his fists. He thought of his mother—of the time slipping away.
"I won't let this monster stop us. Not now."
The forest groaned as the creature approached.
The battle wasn't over. It was just beginning.
---
Somewhere in the forest, the group of five individuals saw what just happened.
"It's time to move, the battle had begun" Gian smirked.