After the relentless barrage, Hiroshima finally fell still.
His eyes were gouged out, his face twisted into something unrecognizable—no longer human. Blood pooled beneath him, steaming faintly.
"That's it," Yura muttered, his breath uneven.
Kozuki Toya turned sharply toward June. His voice was cold, final.
"If you want to run, do it now. Or I will kill you myself."
June stumbled back, terror overtaking reason—and ran.
Then—
THUD.
Something landed from the sky.
Black mirror-like veins pulsed across Noctyre's body, crawling beneath his skin as if alive. His presence felt wrong—twisted.
Yura's eyes widened.
"Noctyre…? What happened, my friend?!"
Kozuki Toya's expression shifted instantly. He shouted—
"Stay away! That's not Noctyre."
A laugh echoed—deep, distorted, ancient.
Neraxis.
"Death is calling you both," he said, his voice dripping with malice. "You damn hunters."
Kozuki Toya unsheathed his backup sword, stance firm despite the pressure crushing his chest.
"What happened to Ishihara?"
Neraxis smiled.
"He's standing on death's door."
Toya's grip tightened—but he didn't move.
He knew exactly who stood before him.
Neraxis cloaked his fists in burning crimson Vital Force. The air screamed.
Yura's heartbeat spiked violently, chest heaving.
What kind of monster is that…?
Neraxis vanished—
—and reappeared in front of Yura.
THUD!
A single punch slammed Yura into a wall, bricks exploding outward. He coughed blood, vision shaking.
From behind—
Swish!
Kozuki Toya struck—
—but Neraxis was already gone.
Mirror shards erupted from Neraxis' body and detonated.
BOOM! BOOM!
Toya was blasted back, blood spilling from his mouth as his feet skidded across the ground.
Neraxis sighed, bored.
"You guys are no fun."
From his back, a falcon tore itself free—formed of dark Vital Force and shards. Neraxis stepped onto it effortlessly.
With a final grin, he ascended into the sky and vanished.
Silence followed.
Neraxis was on a completely different level than SS-grade hunters.
A looming devil—
and the world had just been warned.