Episode 8 — Triple Threat
Cold Open — The Siege Begins
[Recap Montage]
— Xavier's meteoric rise (Level 1 → 12), flashes of key battles.
— The twin kills of Episode 7: Harpy and Minotaur falling under Cross Fang Assault Lv.2.
— The Cloaked Hunter's hood falling back, molten gold eyes gleaming.
— His voice over darkness:
Four lieutenants remain.
EXT. CITY SKYLINE — DAWN
The morning sun is smothered by smoke plumes. Guild sirens wail across the rooftops. Civilians flee down streets as hunters rush in the opposite direction.
Guild Comms (blaring):
Warning! Three lieutenant-class mana signatures detected inside the city! All available Hunters mobilize immediately!
The roar of beasts cuts through the comm signal.
Act 1 — The Three Arrive
From the northern gate — Frostfang Chimera bursts through, lion's body wreathed in frost, serpent tail lashing, eagle wings blotting the sun. Its breath spews freezing mist, flash-freezing stone.
From the rooftops — Crimson Mantis drops, red chitin gleaming, scythe-arms slicing through lamp posts with a single swipe. It moves in sudden, disorienting bursts.
From the south — Obsidian Troll lumbers forward, each step cracking streets like mini-quakes, black armor plates shimmering with mana.
HUD: Threat Levels — 34, 36, 38.
In the central square, Xavier (Level 12) stands with Kai (Level 11) and two veteran Hunters, blades drawn.
Veteran Hunter:
We split targets — rookies take the mantis!
Xavier:
No. We take all three… together.
Kai (grinning, resigned):
…You're insane. I'm in.
Act 2 — Citywide Chaos
The Hunters scatter — civilians are pulled to safety while the three lieutenants rampage.
Xavier vs. Crimson Mantis — He weaves through a blizzard of scythe slashes using Volt Breaker Overdrive, sparks cutting through the frost haze, but the Mantis's burst speed keeps him on the defensive.
Frostfang Chimera dives low — a freezing gust blasts the street, trapping civilians in jagged ice statues.
Obsidian Troll smashes through a building wall, raining debris into the battlefield.
Xavier (breathing hard):
We need an attack that hits all of them at once…
Beast Sense flares — his vision overlays all three beasts' mana cores in glowing, pulsating light.
Act 3 — New Technique Awakens
Xavier's Hunter's Core surges — gold and blue mana spiral together in his chest.
A memory — his mentor's voice echoing:
Your blade isn't just for one enemy… it's for every threat in your path.
Xavier roars:
Hunter Technique — Arc Storm Cleave!
Lightning erupts from his sword, extending in a spinning, whip-like arc that cuts across the battlefield in one sweeping motion.
The crackling blade passes through all three lieutenants in a single, blinding flash.
Kai (staring):
…That's cheating.
Xavier (smirking):
That's leveling up.
Act 4 — Victory & Rank Up
The three lieutenants stagger from the strike — armor cracked, breath ragged.
Kai and the veterans leap in, delivering finishing blows:
— Kai's twin blades sever the Mantis's head.
— A veteran spear-wielder pierces the Troll's heart.
— Another Hunter drives a frost-forged glaive into the Chimera's skull.
The beasts dissolve into shards of mana light that scatter like burning snow over the city.
HUD:
LEVEL UP! 12 → 15
NEW AoE SKILL — Arc Storm Cleave (Lv.1): Wide-range electric blade slash, strikes multiple targets simultaneously.
Kai (grinning):
Guess we're officially overpowered now.
Xavier (serious):
No… the dragon's still out there.
Ending Cliffhanger
INT. SKY TYRANT'S MOUNTAIN LAIR
The chamber glows with volcanic light. Only one lieutenant remains — a massive, armored serpent, scales black as obsidian, coiled protectively around the Sky Tyrant's throne.
The Cloaked Hunter steps forward.
The last lieutenant is mine. Tell the boy to come claim his final kill… if he can.
CUT TO — Guild Master in the war room, looking directly at Xavier.
Your next hunt… is the most dangerous yet.
CLOSE-UP — Xavier's hand tightens on his blade hilt, his eyes burning with resolve.