Chapter 369: Hide and Seek in the Forest ( 369 )

Meanwhile, on the road.

The assassin rode the horse at full speed, his heart still pounding in his chest as he glanced back over his shoulder.

The human was no longer there.

He let out a shaky sigh.

I was surprised, man...

Who is that black-haired human, really?

We only took a job to finish him off. Hit clean, kill, and retreat.

Who knew that human would actually fight back? And what’s worse... his body...

Those blades from the leader and the others who struck him were coated in full poison. The lethal kind. Not some weak, diluted street poison.

It was supposed to take effect in seconds after contact. Paralysis, organ failure, death within moments. We’d used it on dozens of targets before, and it never failed.

And yet...

That human didn’t even bleed.

The blades didn’t even scratch his skin. They only tore through his clothes like paper, but his body... it was like hitting solid steel wrapped in flesh.

The assassin felt the ground beneath his horse tremble, a low rumble that grew louder with each passing second.

"Hmm?"

He glanced down at his horse, which had started to whinny and pull erratically. Then he looked over his shoulder.

His blood ran cold.

In the distance, a cloud of dust was kicking up, moving at an impossible speed. Through the haze, he could see the black-haired human sprinting with a manic grin stretching across his face, his eyes glowing with wild, predatory light.

Above him, a terrifying phantom-like aura loomed. A phantom demon, wild eyes with a tongue lolling out leering down at him with pure, savage glee.

"GYAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Who said you could run!!!"

Both the assassin and his horse panicked. The horse neighed in terror, its legs pumping desperately as it tried to push itself faster.

"Eeeeekkkk!!! Who is this human!?"

He stared in horror, his face pale, sweat dripping down his forehead as the gap between them closed with terrifying speed. His hands trembled on the reins, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.

"IS HE A DEMON!?" the assassin wailed, tears streaming down his face. "WHAT KIND OF MONSTER DID WE TRY TO KILL!?"

The assassin kicked his horse hard, his boots thudding against its flanks as he urged it to go faster. With his other hand, he aimed behind him and channeled his mana, unleashing a rapid barrage of fireballs toward Hazuki.

Hazuki dodged to the side without breaking stride, his body moving like a blur as the fireballs exploded harmlessly in the dirt behind him. His grin widened, eyes glinting with dangerous amusement.

"How dare you point that basic magic at me? Just because I can’t use magic... you mocking me, huh?"

"Eeeekkkk!!! Faster! Faster!" the assassin screamed, kicking his horse desperately.

I’m going to be dead if I don’t leave this place soon!

Which way should I go?

He glanced around in panic, his eyes darting across the landscape until they landed on a narrow forest path branching off the main road.

"Through there!" he shouted, yanking the reins hard. The horse veered sharply, crashing through the underbrush and into the dark cover of the trees.

Hazuki’s grin turned savage as he followed without hesitation, weaving through the trees with terrifying ease.

"Oho~ You want to play hide and seek too? Just like Ridan!? Huh!?"

He pumped his legs, closing the distance, his voice echoing through the forest.

"Just you wait! When I catch you, I’m going to pull your hair until you’re bald! Just like that purple puffball!"

The horse had been running at full speed for a while, with Hazuki still in the distance chasing with manic laughter, when the horse suddenly stopped dead in its tracks, panicking and rearing up wildly, tossing the assassin off its back, sending him tumbling to the ground before turning around and bolting away in the opposite direction.

The assassin groaned in pain before slowly sitting up, rubbing his head.

And froze.

His eyes widened in horror as he stared up at the massive figure looming over him.

A huge monster stood before him. An ogre-like creature with two thick, curved horns jutting from its crimson skull. Its skin was a deep blood red, bulging with layers of muscle that rippled with every slow, deliberate breath. Its yellow eyes locked onto him with predatory hunger, saliva dripping from jagged fangs.

"A-an S-class... demon-type monster... Zaytan..."

He scrambled to his feet, his body moving on pure instinct as he turned and ran toward the side, terror driving every step.

The monster slowly turned its massive head, its red aura flaring to life like a blazing inferno.

"Foooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood..."

The low, echoing voice rumbled through the forest, deep and dangerous, making the very ground tremble beneath the assassin’s feet. Trees shook, leaves fell, and the air grew heavy with a suffocating pressure.

God...

I’m sorry for being bad...

If this is my punishment for all the lives I’ve taken, for all the blood on my hands... then I accept it...

"Found youuuu~"

The assassin’s eyes snapped open. The black-haired human was standing there, grinning with manic glee, cracking his knuckles, his eyes glowing with wild excitement.

The demon monster paused, its massive hand hanging mid-air as it slowly turned its head toward the new arrival. Its red aura flared even brighter, warning radiating off its body like heat from a furnace.

"Oho~? You summoned a beast just to stop me?" Hazuki’s grin stretched even wider, his voice dripping with savage joy. "Do you think just because you summoned some oversized monster, you can run?"

He let out a booming laugh. "In your dream! Gyahahahaha!"

Hazuki leaped forward, aiming his fist and punching the demon square in the head without slowing down, fist connecting with the demon’s face with a thunderous crack.

The monster stumbled backward, blood sprayed from its nose. One of its jagged fangs snapped off and flew through the air, glittering in the dim forest light.

The assassin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

D... devil...

That punch sent an S rank demon monster reeling?

Who is this black hair human!!!?

He watched in stunned horror as Hazuki continued punching the demon, each blow landing with bone-crushing force, the monster roaring in pain and fury as it tried to fight back, only to be met with more manic laughter and relentless attacks.

I.. I better get out of here!

He scrambled to his feet and bolted forward, not daring to look back.

"OI!! Who said you could run!? Come back here, you coward!" Hazuki shouted over his shoulder, only to take a massive punch from the demon that sent him flying through the air and crashing into a tree. He landed, rolled, and popped back up like it was nothing, brushing dust off his torn clothes.

"Fine~ I’ll finish your beast first, and then I’m coming to hunt you down!! Gyahahahaha!"

The assassin didn’t stop running. He pushed through branches, stumbled over roots, and kept going until he spotted a dark opening nestled between two boulders.

A cave entrance.

Without a second thought, he dove inside, collapsing onto the cold stone floor, panting and trembling.

The assassin lay on the cold stone floor of the cave, staring up at the damp ceiling, his chest heaving with panicked breaths.

Then, he heard it. A deafening explosion that shook the very walls of the cave, followed by a final, guttural scream that echoed through the forest, cut short into a sickening gurgle before fading into silence.

The hell?

He sat up slowly, trembling.

From outside, he heard a voice from the distance, echoing through the forest, creeping toward the cave entrance.

"Kekeke~ Your little beast is done, asshole~ Now... where are you~? Come out, come out, wherever you are~"

That black-haired human finished an S-rank demon monster in just a few minutes!?

Crap! Crap! Crap!

He scrambled to his feet and ran deeper into the cave, his footsteps echoing against the damp stone walls as he disappeared into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Hazuki stood at the cave entrance, his body drenched in the demon’s black blood, his torn clothes clinging to his skin. A wide, manic grin stretched across his face, his eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.

"Oho~? You’re going inside this cave, huh?"

He tilted his head, sniffing the air like a predator on the hunt, his grin widening.

"I can smell your fear~"

The assassin dove deeper into the cave, his breathing ragged and uneven as he stumbled over uneven stone, nearly twisting his ankle when his foot caught on a jutting rock. He caught himself against the damp wall, his palm scraping against the rough, jagged surface, before pushing himself forward again, desperate to put as much distance as possible between himself and that black-haired monster.

Will I be able to survive from that black-haired human’s fury?

Oh God...

Please... please help me...

If I survive this... I’ll become a priest...

I’ll preach and guide the lost toward you...

I’ll do anything...

So please...

Help me here...

Just this once...

He kept running, his lungs burning, his legs screaming, until he spotted something ahead.

A light flickered.

Hope surged in his chest as he pushed forward, stumbling into a small underground chamber. The cave walls opened into a wide, circular space, and at its center sat a pedestal made of smooth, ancient stone, pulsing with a faint, ethereal glow.

( End Of Chapter )