Chapter 9 : The hunt begins

The mana hound’s growl reverberated through the garden, low and guttural, vibrating in Ryo’s chest. Its glowing eyes locked on him, crimson and merciless, the ribbon dangling between its fangs like a trophy.

Andrea.

His throat tightened. Was this a warning… or proof she had already...?

The beast’s ears twitched. Then it lunged.

Ryo barely had time to roll aside, grass scraping his palms. Claws raked the ground where he had stood, tearing up soil and stone alike.

Move, human! the Beast inside him snapped. If you stand still, you’re dead

“I’m trying!” Ryo barked back, stumbling to his feet.

From inside the manor, muffled screams reached the garden. The hounds weren’t alone.
Lady Rose appeared, surrounded by golden arrows rising from the ground like roots. The beasts exchanged wary glances before one of them lunged at her with ferocity. Its wide-open jaws were pierced through by the golden arrows, its entire body then crashing through the wall and colliding with the beast that had been chasing Ryo.

“Well” she declared as her mark grew brighter. “Who’s next?”

Her usual playful expression was gone—her eyes burned with focus.

Through the hole in the wall, Ryo watched the brothers fighting against five more mana hounds. The Sunwhispers showed no signs of backing down, battling as if their very lives depended on it.

Something in the sky caught Ryo’s attention.

A… flying spider?

The figure riding on the spider’s back fixed their gaze on him. In an instant, the creature dove toward Ryo, snatching him up before soaring back into the sky.

“Found you,” murmured a woman’s voice—one Ryo didn’t recognize.

“Ryo!” Lady Rose shouted.

A mana hound spun and leapt again, but Elowen intercepted, steel clashing against monstrous teeth. Sparks flew, the creature snarling as if amused.

More howls echoed in the distance.

“They keep coming,” he muttered, his stomach sinking.

Where are they from?

Rose confirmed grimly. “A pack. Someone wants a massacre tonight.”

As if summoned by her words, armored figures stormed into the garden from the manor gates, Amos stood in front, his translucent eyes betraying no emotion—and yet, worry lingered within them. Tightening his grip on his axe, Amos swung it mercilessly into the monster’s skull. The blade pierced straight through the creature’s head, dead center, before returning to his hand like a boomerang.

“Hold the line!” he roared.

The hounds answered with a chorus of howls. The battle began.

Ryo froze as the clash erupted under him—knights struck with discipline, their shields shuddering under claws, spears piercing thick hides. For a moment, it seemed the tide might be turned.

Then a knight was hurled across the lawn, armor dented like paper. Another beast tore a man’s throat open in a spray of red.

“They’re too strong,” Rose muttered, her seal already forming in the air. “Ordinary steel won’t be enough.”

At that moment, two new figures entered the fray.

The first was a tall young man in a courier’s uniform.

" Oh my, it is so chaotic here..." He said ironically.

His green hair was tied back, his posture steady, muscles flexing as he drew a massive war hammer from his back. With a grin, he waded straight into the hounds, swinging the weapon in a brutal arc that crushed a beast’s skull like glass.

“Delivery, on time as always!” he shouted with a laugh. “Looks like you needed the heavy package.”

Beside him, a slender boy in black uniform stepped forward, his hands glowing with a soft green light. A knight he touched gasped as torn flesh knitted and shattered ribs realigned. His voice was hesitant almost trembling.

“Don’t... don't get reckless, Gordon. I... I can’t patch you up if... if you get ripped in half.”

“Relax, Norton. I’ll keep my promise—no dying before payday!” Gordon smashed another hound into the ground, the earth trembling from the impact. Before running to one of the soldiers to deliver his package.

“The reinforcements will arrive soon, but I’ve been authorized to give you some support. Gordon, at your service.”

" And I am Norton, his twin brother and healer." Norton replied, lowering his hood.

Up in the sky, Ryo was still being held captive, by the girl and her giant flying spider.

“How is it that you’re still alive, are you really infected my dear ?”
Ryo was left speechless by the girl, her fuchsia hair and eyes of the same shade veiled by a vast, translucent spiderweb.

She looks insane

“What do you want?” he asked.

Elowen cut another hound down, his eyes lifted to the flying spider that had been prowling around the estate, now reduced to ruins

I knew he would cause trouble, but does anyone ever listen to me?

The Beast inside Ryo purred.
So you finally see it. Power. Blood. The hunt. Do you want it?

Ryo’s fists clenched, he felt like a shadow, useless and trembling.

Then one of the mana hounds charged straight for Rose who was now breathing heavily, struggling, as she maintained a wall that she generated to protect the civilians outside while using her powers to fight.

She let out a pained groan, clutching her mark.

It was burning.

Ryo didn’t think. His body moved, the beast too.

He released a wave of energy that forced the spider to drop him midair. He painfully caught himself on the roof and began running across it, but the tiles gave way beneath his feet, sending him plummeting—right above a beast that opened its jaws the moment it saw him.

The mark on his chest burned as blue light flared again, sharpening his senses, filling his veins with fire. The monster swallowed him, but Ryo immediately burst out from its side.
He slammed into the beast before it could reach Rose, his bare fists colliding with hide as hard as iron. Bones cracked under the blow.

The hound collapsed, twitching. Ryo staggered, chest heaving, blood dripping from his knuckles.

For a heartbeat, silence fell around him. Knights, Rose, even Amos—all stared.

“Not bad,” Gordon finally barked with a grin. “Looks like this boy got fangs”

But the moment didn’t last.

From the hedge line, a massive shape emerged. Twice the size of the others, violet flames rippling down its mane, jaws dripping with black ichor.

The alpha.

The smaller hounds fell silent, circling their leader.

Norton glow dimmed, his expression tightening. “This… this one is different.”

The Beast inside Ryo chuckled darkly.

Now the real hunt begins.