The hound, though deceptively adorable moments ago, was undeniably a monster. Kaiser was a hundred percent sure of it now.

Its body began to bulge, muscles rippling beneath its fur, which parted in patches to reveal stretches of twisted, sickly flesh. What had been a furry, almost friendly-looking creature twisted into something far more grotesque as it started to rise on its hind legs, its form shifting and elongating unnaturally.

Its paws are contorted, elongating into limbs almost human in shape, though grotesquely twisted. Sharp, deadly claws sprouted from what had been its soft pads, now transformed into vicious instruments of death. As it stood on two legs, towering and hunched, the creature’s face—no longer the familiar head of a hound—was a nightmare blend of human and beast. No, Kai can't view it similar to the human face at all!

It was twisted into a hideous caricature of both, but failed in the aspect of beauty terribly. Its eyes, now fully exposed without lids, bulged with an unholy intensity as they bore down on Kaiser, giving it a lifeless, nightmarish expression, round and nightmarish. Its maw split open in a jagged, unnatural grin, wider than normal could ever be. Revealing rows of jagged teeth, each one honed to a razor point. The long nose of the hound in that visage was completely out of place, ruining it further and making its appalling factor shoot up beyond the ceiling of scary.

It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to call it a devil. Atop its hedious face was two standing ears, akin to horns of a demon.

The transformation looked like a horrible experiment gone wrong, a failed attempt to mimic a werewolf but falling into something far more disturbing. Well, the thing basically forcefully shifts to a humanoid monster, disregarding the damaging strain on its body to create this horrid figure.

Even the other hounds, which had been quietly eating moments before, shrank back in their cages, cowering from the monster’s presence.

An icy dread washed over Kaiser, and he took an involuntary step back, his body tense as he watched the creature, now looming at the end of the aisle where the last Hound's cage was located. It stared at him with those unnatural eyes, devoid of any function except to instill terror. Then, with a guttural snarl, it lunged.

Taking advantage of the young man's startled state. In a split second, the monster’s body dropped to all fours and leapt forward, its mouth stretching wide, revealing a black, endless chasm within that seemed to devour anything that entered. It aimed to devour Kaiser whole.

The distance between them was short, and the monster closed it in a heartbeat. Kaiser had only a split-second to react. If he had been any other Hunter, he would have been swallowed instantly, lost to the void within the creature’s maw. Fortunately, he possessed Zara’s bestial instincts and reflexes. In that brief instant, he managed to dart to the side, narrowly avoiding the gaping mouth.

That single move shattered the silence and ignited the chaos.

Decisively, Kaiser didn't try to counter attack or challenge it on one on one. It was too risky, because despite having an immortal body, Kai isn't sure if he'll live in that devouring void of its maw. Something feels really wrong in that thing. Without stopping, he slammed himself against the side of the shed with all his might, bursting through the wooden wall in a splintering crash. Meanwhile, the monster, having not expected its prey to react in time was thrown off balance by its own missed strike, stumbled forward, its momentum carrying it into the shed’s double doors, which burst apart under the impact.

The creature, momentarily disoriented, found itself outside—and came face to face with a circle of waiting Hunters.

Unknowingly, the pretentious normality outside was long gone. Replaced by dozens of armed warriors stood in grim formation, weapons glinting in the faint light. Axes were held out, swords drawn, and bows and crossbows leveled, each one loaded and aimed with unflinching precision. These were the best of the Hunters, their grim resolve now solidified by the sight of the beast before them.

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They had been skeptical at first, unsure if the young Player’s theory would prove right, but that doubt was now obliterated by the unmistakable, horrific sight of the monster in the flesh. In that instant, a collective fire burned within them, driving their hearts to rage and finally destroy the creature that had terrorized their people, their comrades and innocent civilians.

“Fire!!!”

The air was filled with a whistling fury as arrows and bolts soared through the dimming light, each one cutting a path toward the monster with deadly precision.

The monster twisted and dodged, dashing back into the shed to use its walls as cover from the onslaught of arrows. Yet, despite its agility, several projectiles still struck it hedious hide, sinking into the unnatural flesh with a wet thud. But as expected, the creature was barely affected by the wounds. It didn’t stagger, nor did it bleed for it doesn't even have blood running through its veins.

The devil seemed utterly indifferent to its body. After all, it even twisted itself the grotesquely form it is now, stretching its figure even further in defiance of pain or damage without care. Each contortion makes it more terrifying and disturbingly flexible that a Hounds body structure can't manage.

Despite the revealed muscles and wounds, it moves as if everything is fine.

Kaiser, rolled to his feet after his escape from the shed, glanced up just in time to see the creature burst through the back wall, charging toward the shadowed tree line of the forest.

He grinned, knowing what awaited. "Sorry, pal, we’ve got that covered too."

To the monster's dismay, a fresh volley of arrows launched from the trees shot at it as soon as it appeared. Hidden rangers perched in branches let fly a wave of projectiles, each one slamming into the creature's misshapen body. Arrows tore through its hide, and one crossbow bolt even struck deep into its skull. But the beast didn’t flinch; it simply continued forward, dragging the bolts and arrows along with it. Only a few shots that struck the joints seemed to hinder its movements, forcing it to twist awkwardly to maintain its gruesome momentum.

With ranged attacks failing to bring it down, the Hunters’ frontline warriors surged forward. Their battle cries echoed through the night as they charged the beast to meet their blades, for the thought of letting it escape was denied, only death for the creature.

The creature leaped high above the first wave, only to be met by the second—each Hunter’s blade flashing as they aimed to bring it down.

What followed next is a slaughter. The horrid creature struggles in the flood of enemies trying to drown it in the tide of blades. Axes, swords and varying types of weapons were brought down. If it can't be done by fatal strike, then chop it down to shreds.

Kaiser let out a heavy breath as he watched the fierce, chaotic battle ahead. His pulse quickened as the sight of the Hunters rallying undaunted, to keep the monster boxed in. Violent and exciting, he almost forgot the gratifying sense of liveliness, intense situation made him feel.

However, the monster's resilience was really troublesome. It shrugged off fatal wounds without hesitation, hacking it to bitsy pieces might be the only option left. But that isn't easy, either.

A heavy slap landed on his back, jolting him out of his thoughts. "Good job, kid!"

Praise a Hunter vigorously, it was brief and short because they can't delay in aiding their comrades in the fight ahead. But Kaiser could subtly feel their gratitude to him for not only identifying the elusive predator munching on their comrades in the dark, but also giving them an advantageous position in hunting it to avenge the victims and end its vileness.

His glad, too. But not a second after, another follows, and another, expressing their gratitude as they passed by, to the point his back ached from their friendly taps.

"Yeah, yeah, enough already," he grumbled under his breath, his back sore from the countless slaps. Still, his glad too.

Ahead, the battle raged on. The devil, now heavily wounded and surrounded, was trapped as more Hunters poured in to close the gap. Their shouts mingled with the beast’s guttural screeches as they sliced at it relentlessly, each stroke an attempt to hack the creature into oblivion.

He considered joining them, knowing every sword mattered. But seeing the tight cluster of warriors pressing in on the creature, he gave up that idea. At this point, finding a place in that writhing mass of steel and fury would be difficult—and maybe best left to those already locked in the fray.

He wondered briefly is this is what the Bandits felt back then when facing Zara's rampage. Or what would the Hunters feel if the immortal opponent was him?

Then again, the strategy seems to be working. If things keeps going like this, the undying devil would eventually fall.

Shaking off these thoughts, Kaiser scanned the scene, his eyes landing on a familiar figure just outside the chaos - A tall Hunter with bulky muscles and brown skin. Clad in dark, thick leather armor that seemed molded to his chiseled frame, Alfred stood watching the battle with a calm, unreadable expression.

Kai frowned seeing that the Hunters leader was analyzing outside the fight instead of fighting alongside his men, is that what a leader should do? The big man's expression was calm and unreadable, his gaze sharp, so he didn't know what the man was thinking, but knowing Alfred, his actions may be cold at times, it always had a reason behind it.

Walking closer to the Hunter, Kai noticed the Great Sword strapped behind him, the same one Alfred carried when they returned from the bountiful Hunt several days ago.

Upon closer inspection, it was the biggest sword he had seen and looked really heavy, so it makes sense that the Hunter doesn't bring it with him all the time for convenience sake, only dragging it in serious battles.

Noticing Kai, he spared him a calm glance.

"Nicely done, your keen mind has helped us greatly."

Kaiser didn't react in any way, indifferent to praises, he didn't like it, nor hate it. Kai was more interested in what the stoic Hunter is doing.

Alfred’s gaze remained locked in the battle. He added, his voice low and measured.

"But don't get comfortable just yet. Never relax until the prey is dead, Kaiser. Remember that."

Just as he finished, a subtle shift rippled through the frenzied struggle ahead.

And that was when Alfred finally moved.

"Follow me."