The knight's black steel armor groaned as he raised his sword. Green fire bled along the blade, casting shadows across the ruins. His hollow eyes locked on me—not mindless like the others. Focused.
The Murim warrior moved with terrifying calm. His qi shimmered in the air, robes fluttering though no wind touched them. His stance was flawless, his gaze unshaken. Not fractured. Whole.
The Abyss-shadow crouched low, its condensed form rippling like tar. Its mouths whispered in three voices—an old woman's, a child's, and my own.
Three predators.
And me, the chosen prey.
✦
The system's voice pulsed through the silence.
[ Hunt escalation confirmed. ][ Predators locked. ][ Objective: Survive until the crimson fracture stabilizes. ][ Time remaining: Unknown. ]
Of course.
No time.
No mercy.
Just survive.
✦
The knight moved first, a burst of fire in black steel. His sword cut downward with enough force to shatter the ground.
I raised the Inkblade, shadows flaring. The impact shook my bones, sparks flying as fire clashed against ink. My legs nearly buckled, but I shoved him back, lungs burning.
The Murim warrior was already there, blade flashing. I barely twisted aside, his strike slicing a line across my shoulder, blood spraying.
The Abyss-shadow surged from below, claws snapping for my ankle. I slammed shadows downward, barely deflecting.
Three fronts.
No room to breathe.
✦
The Inkblade howled in my grip, shadows writhing like snakes eager to bite.
"…beautiful… three feasts at once… bleed them into me and I will end this charade in one strike…"
I clenched my teeth, blocking another strike. My ribs screamed, my arms shook.
Not yet.
Because if I gave in now, I wasn't sure I'd come back.
✦
The knight pressed forward again, sword blazing. His strikes were brutal, each one meant to crush me into the dirt.
The Murim warrior's movements were the opposite—clean, elegant, cutting only where it mattered. His qi burned against my blade, searing my skin.
And the Abyss-shadow darted between them, slashing whenever my guard faltered, laughing in three voices at once.
I was drowning.
Every clash chipped more of me away.
Every breath hurt worse.
But every strike also showed me something.
Patterns.
Threads.
✦
I closed my eyes for a heartbeat.
And let Fracture Sense bloom.
✦
The world exploded in threads.
The knight's strikes dragged thick crimson cords behind them, unstable and heavy. His armor shimmered with fractured lines—weak points.
The Murim warrior was different. His threads glowed white, taut and precise, no cracks in his form. But his movements strained the cords around him, stretching them to breaking.
The Abyss-shadow was chaos. Its body was nothing but tangled threads, twisting and snapping, a knot of fractures.
Three predators.
Three weaknesses.
If I could live long enough to cut them.
✦
I opened my eyes, shadows flaring, blood dripping from my side.
The Inkblade hissed in amusement.
"…ah… you see now… pull the right thread, and even gods unravel…"
"Then let's test it."
✦
The knight charged again, sword roaring green fire.
Instead of meeting the strike head-on, I stepped aside, shadows slashing not at the blade—but at the crimson fracture glowing across his chestplate.
The armor shattered.
The knight staggered, fire sputtering.
I grinned through blood. "Got you."
✦
The Murim warrior didn't falter. His blade swept low, qi humming, precise enough to cut air itself. But I saw it—the white cords around his stance, stretched taut.
I stepped wrong on purpose, baiting his strike. He lunged, perfect.
And the moment his blade passed, I cut the thread snapping behind him.
His qi faltered, his movement stuttered, his flawless stance breaking for just a second.
It was enough.
I slammed shadows into his ribs, sending him sprawling.
✦
The Abyss-shadow shrieked, its voices overlapping into a scream. Its tangled cords writhed violently, snapping like whips.
I tightened my grip, chest heaving.
This one wouldn't break clean.
It was chaos.
But chaos could still be cut.
✦
The three predators regrouped, circling me again. The knight's armor smoked, the warrior's stance faltered, the shadow hissed.
But I was bleeding out, vision swimming, ribs grinding with every breath.
And the crimson thread pulsed ahead.
Mocking me.
Calling me.
✦
I raised the Inkblade, blood dripping from my fingers, and whispered:
"Come on, then. Let's see who's really prey."
The knight's sword flared green fire again, brighter, angrier. The Murim warrior's qi coiled tighter, his stance regaining precision. The Abyss-shadow slithered forward, its mouths muttering curses that scraped my bones.
Three predators.All stronger than me.All marked to hunt me down.
I wiped blood from my mouth and grinned anyway.
"Let's end this."
✦
The knight moved first, roaring, his blade swinging like a guillotine. Sparks exploded as it met my Inkblade, shadows writhing outward.
But I didn't aim at him.
I aimed at the crimson fracture glowing across his arm.
The shadows sliced through it—
And his sword arm shattered at the joint.
The knight staggered back, screaming in a voice that wasn't his. Green fire sputtered wildly from the broken limb, eating into his armor.
I didn't stop.
I cut again, slicing through the fractures on his chestplate, tearing him apart piece by piece until only ash remained.
The knight fell.
One predator down.
✦
The Murim warrior didn't flinch. His eyes burned with focus, his blade humming with qi. He surged forward, movements still cleaner than mine, still faster, still sharper.
But Fracture Sense revealed what he couldn't hide.
Every perfect strike stretched cords of white light around him, tighter and tighter, threatening to snap.
I stepped into his strike, shadows intercepting his blade, sparks spraying. My ribs screamed, my blood soaked the ground, but I didn't stop.
Instead, I slashed downward—not at him, but at the taut thread behind his stance.
It snapped.
His balance faltered. His blade wavered for the first time.
And in that instant, I struck.
The Inkblade pierced his chest, shadows devouring qi, ripping through his flawless form.
His eyes widened, shock breaking his calm, before his body dissolved into sparks of light.
Two predators down.
✦
The Abyss-shadow shrieked in fury, its mouths twisting in rage. Its cords writhed chaotically, a knot of fractures snapping in every direction.
No clean weak point.
No perfect strike.
Just chaos.
It lunged, claws slashing, voices screaming in unison.
"You are nothing."
"You are ours."
"You are already written."
I staggered under the assault, blocking with shadows, every strike tearing more blood from me. My body screamed, my vision swam.
But I kept fighting.
Because chaos wasn't unbeatable.
Chaos could be cut.
✦
I closed my eyes for a heartbeat, letting Fracture Sense bloom fully.
The world filled with threads—knots, tangles, snapping cords. The shadow's body was a storm of fractures, impossible to follow.
But amid the chaos, one thread pulsed faintly.
Thin. Fragile.
The one holding the knot together.
I grinned through blood.
"Found you."
✦
I lunged, every muscle tearing, every bone screaming. Shadows surged with me, the Inkblade howling in delight.
The shadow's claws tore into my side, ripping deep. Blood sprayed hot, burning.
But I didn't stop.
I cut straight through the fragile thread.
The Abyss-shadow froze.
Every mouth opened in silent horror.
Then its body unraveled, cords snapping, smoke dissolving into nothing.
The shadow screamed as it collapsed into ash.
Three predators.
All gone.
✦
I dropped to my knees, blood soaking the ground, chest heaving. My ribs felt shattered, my arms trembled so badly I could barely hold the Inkblade.
But Arjun's ember still pulsed faintly against me.
Alive.
The system's voice rang in the silence.
[ Predators eliminated. ][ Hunt escalation complete. ][ Achievement: The Prey That Hunts. ][ Title unlocked: Hunter of Threads. ]
A laugh tore from my throat, sharp and broken.
Hunter of Threads.
From prey to predator.
Even the system couldn't ignore it.
✦
The Inkblade purred in my hand, shadows curling like smoke.
"…yes… you cut them beautifully… you are becoming something new… something dangerous…"
I exhaled slowly, pressing Arjun's ember closer.
"Dangerous is the point."
✦
The crimson thread ahead pulsed again, brighter, leading deeper into the convergence.
I pushed myself unsteadily to my feet, blood dripping from every wound. My vision swam, my legs shook.
But I walked anyway.
Because the Hunt wasn't over.
Because the gods were still watching.
Because I refused to die as prey.