Squad Five did not move like ordinary hunters.
They did not shout orders or leave careless tracks. Their formation shifted fluidly as they traveled, every member aware of the others without needing words. Snow crunched softly beneath their boots as they crossed into the northern foothills, where the land began to die and the sun struggled to shine through the heavy clouds.
Twelve of them.
Each one was handpicked.
Each one is dangerous.
At the center of the group walked their leader.
Kael Rivenhart.
His presence was subtle but undeniable. Where others carried visible weapons, Kael carried none. His hands were empty, relaxed at his sides, yet faint metallic glimmers drifted around him like lazy fireflies. Six small daggers hovered in a slow orbit, thin blades etched with runes that pulsed faintly with mana.
They moved when he moved.
They waited when he waited.
His Exclusive Skill.
Blades of Dominion.
The daggers responded not to gestures, but intent. Thought alone was enough to send them flying, slicing through armor or pinning enemies in place with terrifying precision.
"Tracking picked it up again," said a woman near the front of the formation.
Lyra.
Her eyes glowed faintly silver as she knelt, fingers brushing the disturbed snow. Her skill allowed her to read trails that should have been long erased. Scents, mana residue, even emotional impressions lingered for her like ink on parchment.
"They are not hiding anymore," she continued. "The demon is confident."
Kael frowned slightly.
"Or the summoner is inexperienced," he said. "Confidence and recklessness look similar at a distance."
Behind them, a man with scarred skin rolled his shoulders as torn flesh knitted itself back together. Garron. Regeneration so potent that even deep wounds faded in seconds, though the pain never fully left him.
"Either way," Garron said, grinning, "we get paid."
Several members chuckled quietly.
They had killed demons before.
High class ones, too.
This was just another hunt.
They were wrong.
The first sign of danger came without warning.
The air grew hot.
Not warm. Not uncomfortable.
Hot.
Snow hissed as it melted beneath their feet, steam rising in thin veils. Kael raised a fist, the squad halting instantly.
"Spread," he ordered.
The moment they moved, the ground exploded.
A surge of molten rock tore upward, forming jagged limbs and twisted bodies of living lava. Three elementals emerged at once, their forms incomplete but lethal. Heat distorted the air around them.
"Contact," someone shouted.
Kael's daggers screamed forward, slicing through one elemental's core. It collapsed in a shower of cooling stone.
The second reached Garron.
It struck him square in the chest.
He screamed as molten limbs wrapped around him, flesh burning faster than it could regenerate. He dropped to his knees, clawing at the creature as his body tried and failed to keep up.
"Fall back," Kael barked.
The third elemental detonated.
Fire and stone consumed two more hunters instantly.
This was not a random patrol.
This was an execution zone.
From the shadows beyond the burning ground, Brago stepped forward.
His full presence rolled over the battlefield like a physical force. Horns curved back from his skull, eyes blazing like furnaces. Infernal sigils burned along his arms as he raised both hands.
"Scatter," Lyra screamed.
Too late.
Chains of molten light burst from the ground, ensnaring three squad members mid sprint. Their screams cut short as the heat cooked them alive.
Kael clenched his teeth.
"Focus fire on the demon," he commanded.
Spells flew.
Arrows streaked.
Explosives detonated.
Brago did not dodge.
He walked through it all, magic barriers flaring briefly before reforming. With a flick of his wrist, another wave of lava surged forward.
Only Kael's daggers saved them.
The blades intercepted the spell midair, dispersing it just enough for survivors to escape immediate death.
"Summoner," Kael growled. "Where is the summoner?"
As if answering him, a new presence emerged.
A man stepped into view.
Young. Pale. Eyes burning with manic focus and exhaustion.
Aldrin.
He stood behind the demon, staff trembling slightly in his grip.
"There," Lyra whispered. "He is the source."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"So the reports were wrong," he said quietly. "The demon did not come alone."
A ghoul dropped from above.
Firak landed among the hunters with a feral snarl, claws ripping into flesh. One man went down screaming as his throat was torn open. Another barely blocked in time, only to have his leg severed at the knee.
Chaos erupted.
Kael sent his daggers flying.
Two struck Firak, pinning him briefly to the ground. The ghoul howled, writhing.
"Kill the summoner," Kael shouted.
Lyra moved.
She was fast. Faster than any normal human should be. Her blade aimed straight for Aldrin's heart.
She never reached him.
Brago appeared in front of her in a blink.
His hand closed around her face.
"Do not," he said calmly.
Fire consumed her.
She did not even have time to scream.
By then, the squad was breaking.
Garron finally fell, regeneration overwhelmed as lava consumed his torso entirely. Two more hunters were crushed beneath collapsing stone.
Kael felt it then.
This was unwinnable.
"Retreat," he ordered. "Now."
Only three of them were still moving.
Kael.
A shield bearer with half his face burned away.
And a mage whose mana was nearly depleted.
Kael's daggers formed a defensive ring as they fled, Brago watching them go.
Aldrin did not pursue.
He was shaking.
"I cannot keep going," Aldrin muttered.
Brago placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You have done enough," he said. "They will spread fear."
They vanished into the snow.
Hours later, the survivors collapsed at the edge of civilization.
Kael barely stayed conscious long enough to report.
Zeke listened in silence as the bloodied remains of Squad Five knelt before him.
"Say it again," Zeke said slowly.
"The demon is bound," Kael rasped. "Summoned. Loyal. There is a summoner. Young. Powerful. Reckless."
Zeke's expression hardened.
"So he lived," he murmured.
Kael met his gaze.
"Yes, Guild Master. And if left unchecked… he will become a calamity."
Zeke stood.
"Prepare the kingdom," he said. "This is no longer a demon hunt."
"It is a war against a Summoner."