Forsaken Hunter-Chapter 25: The Day Death Stood

The hammer was about to crash down—

Boom!

A fireball exploded from behind, small but sharp enough to disrupt the attack. Smoke curled through the air as Hammer Head staggered slightly from the impact.

Beno whipped his gaze toward the source.

There, barely standing, was Charles. His knees trembled, body bruised and bloodied, but his outstretched hand still glowed faintly with dying embers. He had used the last of his strength... to save Sam.

Hammer Head turned, a slow snarl spreading across his face.

"You again?" he growled.

With a sudden blur of motion, Hammer Head vanished—then reappeared in front of Charles. His foot slammed into Charles' chest with a crack, sending him crashing through a stone wall like a ragdoll.

Charles slumped on the ground, coughing blood.

Hammer Head approached with terrifying calm, raising his weapon high.

"Dām... Dām..."

Each step thudded like a war drum.

Then—SLAM!

The hammer crashed down, splattering blood across the broken pavement.

Beno's brain snapped.

A sharp pain struck his head—like knives digging into his skull. He dropped to his knees, trembling.

"Stop... stop... please stop..." Beno cried, voice cracking. Tears ran down his face as his vision blurred. "Please... let him go..."

He clutched his head, overwhelmed by helplessness, breaking down like a child lost in a nightmare.

And Hammer Head—he was laughing. He relished it. The fear. The despair.

He wanted more.

Across the battlefield, Luna froze.

She had just finished off the skinny one—his body lay limp, throat slashed clean. But Beno's scream cut through the chaos like a blade through silk. Her breath caught. She turned, eyes widening at the sight of Beno on his knees, sobbing, broken.

And then she saw Charles—unmoving. Blood pooling.

Her heart cracked.

"You hurt my friends..." she whispered, her voice trembling with fury and grief. "You pushed Beno... to this limit..."

Tears spilled from her eyes, but her rage was absolute. The ground beneath her feet trembled.

A chime echoed in her ears.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations! Level Up Achieved — Emotion Surge Bonus Granted.]

Wind whipped around her as she gripped her sword tighter. Her aura surged—no longer the calm breeze it once was, but a violent, howling storm.

She closed her eyes.

A single breath.

"WIND STRIKE: Silent Killer Slash."

Flash!

A bladed gust of wind tore through the air toward Hammer Head. He moved—fast—but not fast enough. The wind clipped his shoulder, drawing blood.

But Luna wasn't done.

Before he could recover, she was already in front of him.

His eyes widened.

Too fast.

CRACK!

Her foot slammed into his face—his nose crunched as his head jerked back violently.

She flowed into motion, graceful and deadly. Like a whirlwind, her blade danced. Slashes carved through broken buildings and debris as she charged. Her strikes were relentless, precise—every swing aimed to kill.

But Hammer Head met her attacks with brutal strength, blocking and parrying with monstrous force. Sparks flew as metal clashed with blade.

And yet—he grinned, blood leaking from his nose.

"YEAH!" he roared. "That's it, bitch! Show me more!"

He lunged.

Grabbed Luna by the hair.

SLAM!

Her head smashed into the road with bone-cracking force. The impact shattered the stone beneath her.

He lifted her up, still clutching her by the hair.

Blood dripped down her face. Her arms hung limp—yet her eyes, barely open, still burned with rage.

---

Beno watched.

He couldn't move.

His knees trembled. His breath caught in his throat like a lump of stone. Every heartbeat was like a hammer blow inside his skull. His vision swam, colors bleeding together as if the world itself were breaking apart.

There they were.

Charles—slumped against a shattered wall, blood trailing down from his mouth, his body limp, face pale.

Sam—half-buried in a crater, his chest barely rising, skin soaked in red, eyes shut tight like he was afraid to wake up.

And then...

Luna—the last one still standing. Barely. Her legs shook. Her blood-matted hair clung to her face. Her sword trembled in her grip.

She was about to fall too.

No. No. NO.

A scream tried to claw its way out of Beno's throat, but only a choked gasp came out. His body wouldn't respond. His heart slammed against his ribs like it wanted to escape.

Then—

One of the Hammer Head grunts, his voice twisted with filth, spoke up behind the monster.

"Boss... you broke her too much. How're we supposed to enjoy her now?"

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Hammer Head chuckled darkly, rolling his neck as blood trickled down his chin. "She's still breathing, ain't she? That's enough. Let's make use of her while she lasts. We'll ride her 'til her last breath."

The words seared into Beno's ears like hot oil.

His eyes widened.

Snap.

He screamed.

Pure, raw, animal.

"I'LL KILL YOU ALL! If you touch her—I swear—I'll rip every one of you apart!"

But before he could even take a breath—

CLANG!

A slim, pale man appeared from the side like a ghost. Without a word, he drove his sword straight into Beno's chest.

Shlk.

Beno's body jerked.

He staggered.

Blood coughed up from his lips, splattering across his chin. His legs gave out as the cold blade slid free. He fell hard onto the ground, gasping like a dying fish.

Hammer Head crouched beside him, amused. "You should've just watched," he said with a low chuckle. "We were gonna let you see your sweet little girlfriend become our toy. Then we'd send you to hell after. But now?"

He stood up, arms wide.

"Now you'll miss the best part."

Beno lay there, twitching, blood pooling beneath him. His heartbeat slowed, a dull thud... thud... thud...

His vision blurred.

Colors faded.

Sound warped.

And then, silence.

---

A dream? A memory? A dying vision?

Beno opened his eyes—and found himself standing in a vast, golden field.

Sunlight poured down from a crystal-blue sky. Wind rolled gently through the tall grass. It felt... warm.

In the distance, he saw her.

Luna.

But not the Luna bleeding out on stone. She was just a child here, running barefoot through the grass, laughing. Her silver hair glowed in the sunlight. She turned to him with a bright smile, her eyes untouched by pain.

"Beno!" she called out cheerfully, waving. "What's wrong? You look so serious!"

He blinked, tears in his eyes.

"I... I saw something terrible," he whispered, choking. "They were going to hurt you—I couldn't stop them—I was useless, I—"

She giggled, spinning through the grass like it was a game. "You're always so dramatic. No one's going to hurt me."

"No!" Beno yelled, voice breaking. "They will! They already did! I... I couldn't protect you—I let you down—I let everyone down...!"

Luna walked up to him and gently took his hand.

"You promised me something once," she said softly. "Remember?"

He stared at her.

She smiled again—so bright it hurt to look at. "You said even if you died, even if everything was taken from you—you'd still protect me."

"...I did," he whispered.

"Then get up, Beno," she said, her voice like wind over fire. "Go fulfill your promise."

---

Back in reality—

Beno's body convulsed.

His heartbeat, which had nearly stopped, suddenly surged.

THUMP.

THUMP.

His fingers twitched. His blood, once still, began to boil.

And somewhere deep inside, something cracked open. Something dark. Something ancient.

---

Meanwhile, the battlefield was quiet for just a moment. The air was heavy. Thick with blood, broken stone, and malice.

Four of Hammer Head's grinning men stood nearby. One of them dragged Luna by the hair, her body limp, her blade knocked far from reach.

Only the five of them remained now:

- Hammer Head, laughing like a god of carnage.

- Four monsters with no humanity in their eyes.

- And Beno...

...who hadn't moved.

The shattered ruins stood still, eerily quiet after the chaos.

Luna was barely conscious, blood trailing down her forehead, vision blurred. Her body trembled, and her sword lay shattered beside her.

The remaining four Hammer Head members circled her like hyenas, eyes gleaming with twisted hunger.

One stepped forward and yanked off her shoulder armor.

Luna winced, struggling, but her strength was gone.

Hammer Head chuckled darkly.

"She killed one of ours... guess we'll enjoy her nice and slow."

Then—

"Stop."

A voice cut through the air.

Soft. Calm. Yet... unshakable.

So silent, so heavy, it was like the world itself paused to listen.

Hammer Head froze mid-motion. His head snapped up, eyes scanning the horizon.

No one.

"What the hell..." he muttered. "Who said that?"

He looked around, confused—no new presence, no footsteps.

He shook his head. "Tch. Just my nerves. Keep going."

But then—

The air changed.

The sky... darkened.

Clouds rolled in, not gray—but a deep, unnatural violet, swirling like a storm birthed from nightmares. The light vanished. The ground shook.

A wave of pressure exploded outward—dense, black and violet aura spiraled like a storm. The weaker Hammer Head members dropped to their knees, clutching their chests, gasping for air.

"W-What is this...?!" one cried. "I—I can't breathe—!"

Hammer Head's eyes slowly widened as he turned toward the source.

There.

Beno.

Still soaked in blood.

Still with a sword wound across his chest.

Standing.

No... Rising.

His body was soaked in blood, a deep gash across his chest. But he stood tall now. Straight.

Not like a boy fighting monsters.

But like a king returned from the grave.

That black-violet aura poured off him in waves, tearing cracks into the ground with every breath he took. The sheer gravity around him warped the space—air shimmered, light bent.

One of the thugs whispered, voice trembling, "H-He was dead... he was dead! I stabbed him through the heart!"

Hammer Head's mouth dried. His fingers tightened around his war hammer. "That...

That's not a human aura."

Beno raised his eyes—those once-soft, unsure eyes were now cold, distant, endless.

Eyes that no longer belonged to a mortal.

And then—a sound.

A voice—barely a whisper, but somehow everywhere.

In the air. In their bones.

In the very earth.

"Kneel... or bleed."

The command wasn't shouted. It didn't need to be.

It was law.

Every living soul on the field froze. The weaker ones dropped, eyes blank, spines locking up. They weren't just afraid—they were on the verge of surrendering their very will.

Even Hammer Head... shook.

Charles, still barely alive and collapsed against the ruins, forced his head up. His vision swam, his mouth filled with blood. But when he saw Beno standing there—

His eyes widened with tears.

"The King... he's awakened..." he whispered, voice raspy and broken.

"May the King live forever."