Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 413: Predator

Chapter 413: Predator

A mere fraction later and the Afterlife would have been her next destination.

The thought of that alone set her off while also reminding her that she wasn’t there yet.

She was merely a 2nd Lock Mystic and their opponent carried an aura even greater than Fatima from BoneHaven which put him at roughly the 7th Lock of the Monster Wheel also known as Predator.

With that analogy, it was easy to surmise why the man had charged at them so casually with the eyes of a predator eyeing prey.

He most likely saw Ana as an opportunity to advance further up his Wheel.

But that knowledge only helped to make her understand the gap that stood between them.

According to what she believed, there was no way any of her Abilities would be able to harm the Gryphon so common sense dictated that she focused her resources elsewhere.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced at Ana and then at Arwen before shifting her gaze back to the Gryphon hovering above.

"You are quite resourceful, devil. I’ll give you a chance to leave. I only wish to hunt the dragon, neither you nor your banshee friend needs to get hurt." He spoke as though he were conceding out of his greatness causing Ana to snort.

"Let’s begin." She intoned, addressing Nadia and Arwen.

The negotiation table was ruined before it even had a chance to be utilized.

With that clear, the Gryphon acted without hesitation.

He utilized an Ability, rushing forward at the speed of light to appear before the trio with the intent to end Nadia.

Ana was ready.

She froze time with a simple exertion of her will before speeding up her time to take Nadia and Arwen to safety.

"I am the one in charge. Back me up." She remarked, taking the responsibility of the leader quite seriously.

Exchanging looks, both Nadia and Arwen agreed with her.

Satisfied with their response, Ana didn’t hesitate to transform into her dragon form, bloating out the rays of the Lightbringer illuminating the battlefield.

The Gryphon snorted derisively though his eyes shone with intrigue.

His prey had gotten bigger and with that, it got even more interesting to kill.

Just as he made to move, Nadia chanted.

Abrogatio

Expecting the spell to strike him, the Gryphon was caught off guard as Ana appeared right next to him.

As he met her cold gaze, he immediately lit up his body, utilizing the agelessness of the Lightbringer to offset whatever temporal attack she might throw at him.

However, his first mistake was thinking Ana intended to face him with her power over time.

His second was not looking out for the tail that came swinging in a second later.

Bam

The Gryphon was sent flying in one hit.

***

"Who... no, what are you?" Douglas inquired as he instinctively stepped back before catching himself.

The boy took a step forward before innocently replying. "Ashtyx."

"You... you are the Branch of the Absolute?"

"I guess. But I don’t like being called that."

Douglas hesitated, unsure of what to make of the situation he was in.

After much thought and struggle to calm himself, he intoned. "Why?"

"It reminds me that I’m a portion of a larger whole. I just want to live my own life, not be jumbled up with those other guys."

The fact that the pouty young child before him was claiming to be Ashtyx and he was believing him caused Douglas to feel a great sense of discordance.

Taking comfort in the fact that the mystical world was one filled with such anomalies, he took a deep breath before remarking. "I’m here to take you away."

"Where?"

"... I’m not too sure myself."

"Well, that complicates things."

"I guess it does." Douglas acknowledged as he pondered how to take this child out of the surreal painting he was in.

Speaking of, wouldn’t that be considered kidnapping?

Shaking his head, Douglas did away with unnecessary thoughts while Ashtyx remarked.

"Wanna play a game?"

"... What game?"

"Hide and seek."

Douglas frowned. "What do I get if I win the game?"

"Well, I guess I get to go with you."

"And if I don’t?"

"You can stay here and play with me. It’s been a while since I had someone do that. The last girl was so serious, never wanting to play with me and always studying."

Hesitant at first, Douglas ultimately asked. "What happened to her?"

"Oh, I kicked her and her people into limbo for not playing with me."

As realization dawned on Douglas at who Ashtyx was referring to, he found himself backing away in fright.

***

"I am New beginnings."

The words were said in a tone so low, it could be considered a whisper.

Its effect, however, was anything but small as the destruction about them ceased without a trace, after which they returned to the real world.

Of course, there was a stark difference compared to when they entered the palace doors.

The hall was incredibly dark with most of its pillars broken, its shattered pieces laying haphazardly on the ground with corpses mixed in with the debris.

Stained with dried blood and reeking of death, the throne room was nothing as they recalled, causing the already shaken duo to tremble even more as they tried to back away.

"Hmmph, how do you know about the Cycle?" Enoch inquired, upset that the duo hadn’t died yet.

Alex had Ana to thank for that but couldn’t muster the courage to say that so instead, remarked. "It’s a draw."

"Hmmph, unfortunately."

"That means you can’t kill me." Alex felt it important to point that out as a deep sense of dread fell upon him.

Enoch stuck his tongue out only to pause, yet another literal gas lamp appearing over his head.

Alex’s breathing immediately turned erratic as he feared the worst, then the Emperor remarked.

"Well, even though I can’t kill you... yet. I can kill her." Enoch said with a sly grin as he pointed at Elena. "Adam said nothing about her life or death. Which means..."