Daphne followed the trail of carnage, tracking the sinister presence through the dense forest. She could sense her opponent's quartz energy nearby. Unfortunately, the area was lush with vegetation—an awful battleground for someone whose technique relied on fire. From that alone, she realized the enemy's leader had information about them.
The deeper she ventured, the more intense the sinister aura grew. But Daphne wasn't fazed. She knew what true terror was—and this wasn't it.
With her golden hair and piercing dark blue eyes, Daphne was both beautiful and deadly. Her elegance was the result of tireless discipline and training. Among all the female hunters, she stood out not just for her strength—but for her presence.
At last, she found the man she was hunting. He stood trampling the corpse of a civilian.
Daphne: "You know... your disgusting feet have no business being on the body of that innocent civilian."
Naoki: "Hooo! Thee art not disgusted by the smelleth of blood? Then thee might just beest a hunteth'r…"(You're not disgusted by the smell of blood? Then you must be a hunter.)
Daphne vaguely understood his strange speech.
Daphne: "Yes, I am a hunter. And who are you?"
Naoki: "Mine own nameth is Naoki, and I am h're to breaketh havoc in thy miserable state."(My name is Naoki, and I am here to wreak havoc in your pitiful country.)
Daphne scowled—not just at his grotesque appearance, but also at his attitude.
Daphne: "Beauty defines a being's worth. Humans tend to judge others by beauty first—face, clothes, posture. Then comes the beauty of thought, of speech. But you? You're not beautiful in any way. You're just repulsive."
Naoki: "Hanketh thee f'r the compliment… but I still must slay thee."(Thank you for the compliment, but I need to kill you.)
Daphne: "Before we get to that, I have one question."
Naoki: "Wend ahead."(Go ahead.)
Daphne: "What are your objectives?"
Naoki: "Slay, breaketh havoc, and... slay Hayato!"
Her expression changed instantly. No one could possibly kill Hayato, but just hearing his name made her uneasy.
Naoki: "Didst I mention thy lover by any chance?"(Did I mention your lover?)
Daphne: "No. And even if you had, it would make no difference to me."
Naoki: "Is that so…"
Without warning, Naoki's hands twisted grotesquely, morphing into long, sharpened eagle claws.
Naoki: "Metamorphosis: Eagle Claw."
He lunged with alarming speed. Each slash created arcs of cutting wind, capable of slicing through solid matter. But Daphne, composed and agile, slipped between the attacks with ease, reading his movements like a seasoned warrior.
Naoki: "Not lacking valor f'r a mistress."(Not bad for a woman.)
Daphne: "Spare me the hollow praise. You're unrefined."
Without breaking stride, she closed the distance. Her katana flashed once—a swift, precise cut carving a deep wound under Naoki's left eye.
Naoki: "Thou accursed wench… that hurteth!"(You bitch, that hurts!)
Daphne: "You're just now realizing the gap between us?"
Naoki's eyes shifted from dark brown to a blazing crimson red. His aura surged with something twisted and wild.
Daphne: (flatly) "A change in color won't help you. Try if you must."
Her own eyes turned from midnight blue to an icy, radiant light blue. As Naoki's form twisted further, his movements became savage—wildly faster and more destructive. The surrounding forest was torn apart under the weight of his uncontrolled power, but none of it touched her.
Observing calmly, she returned her katana to its sheath.
Naoki, now consumed by rage, paused.
Daphne: "You're not a true hunter. Just a tool—used and discarded by someone far beyond your grasp. I don't pity you. But I will put an end to you."
Naoki: "What doth thou mean… manipulated? Mine own queen would nev'r—"("What do you mean, manipulated? My queen would never—")
She didn't let him finish.
One step. One strike. A brutal blow to his stomach made him spit blood. Without hesitation, she followed with a rapid series of controlled, merciless punches.
Every time Naoki tried to respond, she was already moving—countering, sidestepping, striking. It wasn't a battle. It was an execution.
After eighty-six uninterrupted blows, Naoki collapsed—his body broken and bleeding.
Daphne stood over him, eyes cold and unreadable.
Daphne: "It's done."
She turned to leave, already calculating the route back to Gugark. But the sound of shifting flesh made her pause. She turned slowly.
Naoki's corpse stood up, eyes vacant.
His body convulsed, then exploded in a burst of blood. From the remains emerged a grotesque hybrid—part fox, part bear, crowned with jagged horns.
Daphne: "...Of course. It wasn't going to be that easy."
The beast let out a roar, and the blood around them swirled unnaturally.
Daphne: "Blood Art? I thought he was human."
Only demons were known to wield such techniques. The alternatives were grim: domination over a demon… or possession.
In this context, "art" wasn't just technique—it was the manifestation of perfection. Whatever had taken over Naoki wasn't just strong. It was precise.
Above her, the swirling blood condensed into a massive blade, then shot toward her like a missile. Daphne raised her katana, but the sheer force overwhelmed her defense. She dropped the weapon and dodged—barely.
The beast lunged.
She evaded again, its enormous palm smashing into the ground where she had stood a second earlier.
Daphne: "Tch. Spoke too soon."
The forest, once dense, had been reduced to an open battlefield—cleared by Naoki's earlier wind attacks.
With each step, the monster launched more strikes, forcing her on the defensive. She couldn't sense any quartz energy—it wasn't fighting like a hunter. But its instincts were sharp, its speed feral.
A sudden strike grazed her arm, tearing through fabric and flesh.
She didn't flinch.
Daphne: "So you're not entirely for show."
She narrowed her eyes. Escaping wouldn't end this. She needed to end it.
Predicting and dodging were two different things—the beast's relentless, rapid swings finally bruised Daphne's right arm.
She barely flinched. A faint spark of excitement flickered in her eyes.Daphne: "Not so weak after all."
Cautious but resolute, she knew she had to end this fight—or die trying. Closing the distance, she exchanged punches and blocks with the beast. Then, seizing the moment, she kicked it back hard and unleashed a fireball that scorched its body.
The creature rose, conjuring blood slashes from the ground like Naoki had before, striking from multiple directions.
As she dodged, Daphne noticed some slashes veering off course—an opening. She summoned another technique.Daphne: "Crimson Red, Circular Zone."
In an instant, everything within twenty meters burst into flames, burning to ash. The beast's control over its blood vanished.
A rational being might have panicked or changed tactics. The beast did not. It pressed on, relentless.
Daphne needed only confirmation that this was a puppet, controlled by another.
She retreated deeper into the woods, the beast smashing through everything in pursuit. At top speed, she suddenly spun and struck it in the nose—breaking the beast's snout and causing a hemorrhage.
She watched, calculating.
The beast rose and manipulated its lost blood again.
Daphne thought, Two things: this thing acts on pure instinct. And it has no quartz energy. I can finish it with purgatory flames.
The creature charged. Daphne's left foot blazed with fire. She leapt, aiming a kick at its head. The beast blocked with its left arm, then blood-imbued its right arm and punched her, sending her crashing into a tree.
Her judgment faltered—but one thing was clear: the beast could not use quartz energy, nor defend against her deadly flames.
She won—but at a cost. Her left arm was lost to the blow.
Daphne glanced at her injured arm, expression unreadable. "Well, that wasn't exactly a win." She paused, then deadpanned, "Perfect timing. Just what I needed — a full lecture from Hayato. Can't wait." Without another word, she turned away, her stoic face betraying nothing… except maybe a tiny eye-roll.