"...Who are you?" he asked cautiously.

Silence lingered for a moment.

Then ...

"Are you alright? Have your wounds healed?"

She answered with a question of her own.

Ethan frowned instinctively.

"I’m fine... thanks to you, I assume.

Were you the one who treated my injuries?"

"Yes! That’s right!"

Her reply came with clear enthusiasm.

From her voice ... and the shape of her shadow ... Ethan estimated she was in her twenties.

She seemed to be wearing a dress... and a veil or head covering.

She wasn’t a hunter.

"You were completely collapsed... lying in a pool of your own blood.

Luckily, my sisters and I found you and brought you here."

She continued, almost cheerfully.

Ethan smiled faintly.

"You brought me here?

...Where exactly?"

A soft laugh came from behind the door.

"A safe place.

No one will harm you here."

"A safe place?"

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

"...Is there such a thing in a cursed city like this?"

The girl tilted her head slightly.

"A cursed city? What are you talking about?"

She smiled gently.

"There’s no such thing, dear.

Now... come out. My sisters and I are waiting for you."

As he listened, Ethan slowly and silently began removing his bandages ...

carefully inspecting his body.

Within seconds...

His bare skin revealed everything.

"I see... I’m coming."

His voice was calm, almost friendly—

enough to bring a smile to the girl’s face outside.

And then ... Ethan stepped out.

But not before sending a small "gift" ahead of him.

A massive greatsword—nearly two meters long—

A slab of metal infused with a dark crimson aura burst through the door like a raging spear hurled by a giant.

The Executioner Sword tore through the wood—

And pierced straight through the girl’s chest—

Launching her backward...

Until the blade embedded itself deep into the far wall,

pinning her body in place like a nail.

She screamed in pain.

And only then did Ethan step out—

his gaze settling on the one who had "cared" for him.

She wore a black dress.

A veil of the same color draped over her head,

revealing only a hint of her hair.

Her body was flawless ...

even alluring, by all appearances.

But her face...

Told a completely different story.

One look—

And Ethan knew.

He had been right.

Her skin was deathly pale—whiter than milk foam—

as if she had drowned for days before being pulled from the depths.

Her eyes were dark... blood-soaked.

Her mouth—split, smeared with crimson.

Her teeth—stained red.

Her expression—terrifying.

And Ethan recognized that blood immediately.

It was his.

Because the moment he removed the bandages ... There were no wounds from his previous battle.

Only bite marks.

As if some cursed vampire had been feeding on him.

"That explains why I felt so weak the moment I woke up."

Ethan walked forward slowly, approaching the girl who was still screaming in agony.

His body ... demonic in nature, far beyond human endurance ... should not have felt such weakness.

That alone had been suspicious.

But now, everything made sense.

The bite marks told the full story.

The girl before him had been feeding on his blood... for far longer than he could determine.

His strength had been drained, siphoned away while he lay unconscious.

"I hope you enjoyed your meal."

He stopped in front of her, his gaze cold.

"And now... spit it all out."

With a single motion from Ethan, the Executioner Sword twisted violently inside her body.

The blade churned through her from within, forcing her into a convulsion of pain.

Her scream tore through the air—raw, desperate, unrestrained.

It wasn’t a smart move.

Noise attracted monsters.

And in a cursed city like this...

A mistake like that could be fatal.

But Ethan didn’t care.

He was angry.

Furious.

Moments ago, he had stood at death’s door ... helpless, unable to even defend himself.

Now...

Everything was different.

The Executioner Sword tore deeper through her abdomen, forcing her to vomit an overwhelming amount of blood—mixed with filth and rot.

"Spit it out," Ethan said coldly, his expression twisted into something terrifying.

"Spit out every drop of blood you stole from me."

He tortured her... until she died.

Pinned to the wall, her body went still far too quickly.

Too quickly for his anger to fade.

But he didn’t need to worry.

More prey arrived soon enough.

This was the first floor of some abandoned building.

The moment the girl’s screams echoed through the structure ...

Her "sisters" came running.

Two of them burst into the room through the staircase below.

The moment they saw him—

Ethan turned, smiling.

They looked identical to the one he had just killed.

Same clothes.

Same pale features.

Same blood smeared across their mouths.

The instant they arrived ...

Both let out a furious, ear-piercing scream.

Then lunged at him.

Ethan summoned the Executioner Sword without hesitation.

"I’m not in the mood right now."

His voice was calm... but laced with something far darker.

"You drank my blood—so you’ll bear my wrath in return."

Gripping the sword with all his strength, his telekinetic force surged around it ...

And in a single motion ..

He cut them down.

The strike tore through both bodies simultaneously.

Their upper halves collapsed to the ground at the same time ...

Entrails spilling out, scattering across the floor before him.

Their legs remained standing for a brief moment—

As if they hadn’t yet realized what had happened.

Or how they had both been killed... in the same instant.

Resting the Executioner Sword over his shoulder, Ethan exhaled.

"...Sorry. That was harsh."

He paused.

"...I should be thanking you."

Turning his head away, he walked toward one of the windows ...

glancing outside at the silent streets of Old Ashvarn.

"If it had been any other monster instead of you..."

"I’d already be dead."

"But your greed—your thirst for my blood..."

"...kept me alive."

"For that... you have my thanks."

Ethan gave a slight bow toward the three corpses.

Then he turned ...

And left.

Stepping back into the quiet, fog-filled streets of Old Ashvarn.

He looked ahead—his expression steady now.

"...Now."

"Let’s conquer this city."

"This time... properly."

With that vow etched into his mind—

Ethan began the hunt.

And in the darkness of Ashvarn...

The hunter had returned.