X-Rank Hunter

"What are you talking about, it's not as if I'm not supplying my collections with a frightening amount of World Energy every day." Seeing the contempt look of the other party, Karen immediately interjected. "It really is bothersome to get loads of soul to help me supply all of it you know."

"Well, it's much better than nothing..."

"Enough with that," Karen interjected as she continued, "You killed the both of them immediately, they would probably come back here to avenge themselves."

"Yeah, I know." Lelith responded with a smile, "But we can have more fun with that right?"

Karen didn't reply to her and only smile. She was just about to dillydally around but...

"!"

"What the hell is that thing?" The duo muttered in unison as they both turned their gazes to the direction of where the boys had gone on. In that place, they saw a ball of fire of about three meters in diameter floating higher and higher from the ground.

Dark clouds seemed to gather around as it eventually covered the clear sky. At that moment, Karen and Lelith felt a dangerous premonition that was about to happen anytime soon.

Because only those who were truly strong and had overcome their limits as an S-rank could affect the weather with their presence. And now that they were looking to the one who was affecting the weather in his wake, they couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.

For they knew full well who was this ball of fire really was just by feeling the familiar aura leaking out from it. And they could guess correctly as well what had likely to happen to their teammates. Both of them had surely been dispatched by now by the human fire boy who they were facing!

Just by thinking about it could make both of them feel a shudder down to their spine as they thought how frightening the other party really was to even win against two opponents with the same rank.

They both narrowed their eyes in great wariness as Lilith pointed her bow to the ball of fire floating in the midair while Karen waved her hand and five coffins appeared in front of her, ready to be opened at any moment.

That time, however, as Jino, the now ball of fire, felt the hostile aura coming towards Lelith and Karen, immediately came towards their direction threatening to cause destruction in his wake.

Intense heat covered the land as it started to be on fire!

So without any further delay, Lelith stretched the seemingly invisible string of her bow as she immediately unleashed the dark arrow the very moment it was ready.

But to her surprise, she had just unleashed the arrow and a small ball of fire immediately obstructed its way and the arrow couldn't help but vanish rig away!

Seeing this, Karen didn't just stand as well, as she snapped her finger and the five coffins opened in themselves. Five figures were revealed inside the five coffins. That included the two S-ranks from before that Karen had just collected but was burned to ashes by Jino.

But it seemed that she could restore their body and could use them again as her fighter for as long as she wanted. Or perhaps, for as long as she had enough World Energy.

So without further delay, the pale-looking body inside of each coffin opened their eyes and used their own abilities to attack Jino!

It seemed that all five of them had a water-base ability. The other S-rank she just collected a while ago, the female one, seemed to be using ice ability while the male one was using water. The other three were also using a water ability as all five of them simultaneously launch an attack and spurted out from their hands, pillars of water and a spike of ice towards the incoming Jino!

It seemed that Karen thought this from the start. She knew that water was the very weakness of fire and could extinguish it in a given time.

But what neglected Karen the most was that fire could also be a weakness of water as it could turn water into a mist with enough heat of it.

That being said, the thing she would never believe, happened right before her eyes! The four pillars of water, even though it combined itself to form a much bigger pillar of water, and the spike of ice accompanying it were all been turned into a mist as it failed to touch the ball of fire coming in their direction!

It was obvious to say that those pillars of water and spike of ice were turned into a mist by just the scorching presence of the ball of fire! Seeing this, Karen and Lilith could only swallow a mouthful of saliva as both of them had only one thought,

Run!

With that in mind, they both turned around and looked for the portal they came from. As they caught sight of it, they immediately ran towards it without any hesitation!

"What a disgrace."

However as they were nearing the orange portal floating in the midair, they heard a voice from around them with a noticeable disdain blended with it. They both halted their steps as fear immediately engulfed their hearts. They turned around in great difficulty and there they saw the strongest among the Demon Captains in this mission and Kristina who was beside him.

"M-m-marco?" Both Karen and Lelith muttered in fear as cold sweats were starting to form on their foreheads and their hands couldn't stop shaking!

"W-what are you doing here?" Suppressing her trembling body, Karen asked the other party.

"Isn't it obvious? I just finished slaughtering four humans that's why I came here to see what the lots of you are doing." With a cold gaze, Marco answered coldly as he paused for a moment to look for his surroundings only to feel disappointed.

"F-four humans? I thought you were just fighting two humans..." Lelith asked this time with fear still lingering in her voice.

"Yeah, that was before. But after I defeated the two humans who were good at the sword, I went to the humans who defeated Janus and Rak, and I slaughtered them both." Marco answered but the disdain in his voice didn't leave away and it was as if growing stronger the more he talked. So with a growing disdain in his feelings, he narrowed his eyes towards Lelith and Karen as he continued, "But both of you are running away from a human... ...both of you really are a disgrace."

"I-I'm sorry!" With a shivering voice, Lelith and Karen immediately bowed down to apologize without any hesitation. They didn't even put any reason at all for they both admitted their faults.

But what made them fall into shock was that the teammates who Lelith sent away to fight in a one-on-one against the humans, Janus (Semi-Demon 2) and Rak (Semi-Demon 3}, were actually defeated by the other party! But what made them shocked even more was that Marco who was the strongest among them, and was also the leader of the Demon Captains, went to those humans and defeated them right away.

Just by thinking about it could make them realize how frightening this person in front of them really was. They could only hope that the other party would turn a blind eye towards their misdoings.

But to their dismay, they both found that the world before them was rotating wildly. That time, they immediately realized what had happened to them. They were just beheaded!

So at the moment before they breathed their last, they heard the cold voice of their leader saying, "Remember this as a lesson when you revived, we're not allowed to run away from a human no matter who it is. When you face them, it's only a do or die."

After hearing those words, only then both of them breathed their last.

"Now then," Marco then turned around only to see the ball of fire just watching them, as if wary towards his presence. Marco narrowed his eyes flashing with a cold glint as he said, "It's your turn... ...exiled member of the Santermo Clan!"

****

"Just why the hell are you preventing us to go back to the battlefield?!" Nene complained impatiently.

Somewhere inside the village, many Hunters had gathered around. A couple of them had a seemingly stronger aura above all the others and were itching to go back to the battlefield already.

If one would take a closer look, one would immediately notice that they were the S-rank hunters who had just resurrected from the resurrection platform.

The resurrection platform was hidden underground and no one was allowed to enter without permission or stay in there for a long time. They were only required, to exit immediately after they were resurrected.

So just above the resurrection platform, the widely opened area, they were all gathered around. Right now, all the S-ranks were there except Jino. There were a total of nine of them now!

Derik who had escaped from the curse of Beels finally managed to resurrect himself after Beels was killed by Jino! He almost got traumatized this time.

The two S-ranks who were caught off guard and were used as a collection by Karen had broken free from the other party as well and were resurrected when Karen was killed. They really were gritting their teeth, wanting to avenge themselves already.

The four S-ranks that were killed by Marco were also there, ready for revenge at any moment. The same went for Anna and Nene, they were really itching to go back and avenge themselves.

But they were unable to.

Because Sofia, the one who was appointed as their leader by their Village Chief Sam, was preventing them to leave the village.

She was just an A-rank Hunter, but the S-ranks were completely helpless and had no choice but to follow her order even though their rank was obviously higher than her. And that fact made their frustrations go stronger even more!

"No." Sofia responded in nonchalance, not caring about the fuss making by the S-ranks.

"Huh? Why?" All the S-ranks gritted their teeth. They were insisting to go there for a long while now but they were still unable to get the point of the other party.

So for a moment, as Sofia saw all the S-ranks had all finally gathered to one place, except Jino of course, she then swept her gaze to all of them. After her gaze landed on all of them, she then said nonchalantly,

"Only because that place will turn into hell."