Amidst the burning forest, only flames flickered in the surroundings. Thick smoke filled the air, carrying the scent of charred wood and scorched flesh. Embers danced between fallen trees, glowing like the tongues of a demon seeking to consume everything.
There, two figures stood facing each other Dzeth Takahashi and Pyro Cursed. Neither of them moved, only watching each other with intense focus. The scorching winds from the raging fire did nothing to break their concentration.
Dzeth tightened his grip on the Heavenly Dagger. His left hand trembled slightly, but not out of fear. It was his body preparing to strike at any moment. Pyro, on the other hand, smirked, his eyes glowing with a fiery red light like embers burning within a furnace.
Without warning
Swosshh!
Dzeth dashed forward like lightning, thrusting his blade toward Pyro's neck. But..
Boom!
The ground beneath Pyro's feet cracked as he evaded the strike in a split second. Dzeth quickly halted his momentum, spinning his body and slashing sideways. Pyro countered by smacking the blade away with his fire-covered arm, causing a small explosion in midair.
Both of them returned to their original positions. Their breaths remained steady. They knew this fight had only just begun.
-
A Fierce Battle
Dzeth activated Exchange, switching to Limitless Hunter Technique. A misty blue aura enveloped his body, making gravity itself seem to bend to his will..
Maximum Negative Reversal!
The ground trembled, and in an instant, Pyro was forcefully pulled toward Dzeth with an irresistible gravitational force.
Dzeth floated backward, raising his hand..
Maximum Blue!
A vortex of blue energy materialized in his palm, launching toward Pyro like an unstoppable cannonball. Pyro raised his arm in defense, but..
Boom!
The explosion sent Pyro crashing to the ground. However, before the dust could fully settle, a shadow leaped out from the cloud of debris.
Hell Core!
A massive sphere of fire formed in Pyro's hand, swirling like a miniature sun. He hurled it toward Dzeth at an unthinkable speed..
Booom!
Dzeth had no time to evade. The fireball detonated directly against his chest, sending his body hurtling backward, smashing through multiple trees.
Pyro wasted no time. He appeared beside the wounded Dzeth and began a relentless barrage of attacks.
Dush! Dush! Dush!
Bones cracked. Blood splattered onto the scorched earth. Dzeth tried to lift his hand to defend himself, but each time he attempted, Pyro struck even harder.
The onslaught continued mercilessly.
Finally, Dzeth's body collapsed to the ground, no longer moving. Blood pooled beneath him.
"I told you," Pyro said, his voice filled with arrogance. "You'll never defeat me."
"Dzeth!"
Akanza, witnessing the entire ordeal, could no longer hold himself back. He rushed toward Dzeth, his face filled with dread. But..
Swosshh!
Pyro suddenly appeared in front of him, gripping his throat tightly before hurling him far into the distance.
Bam!
Akanza crashed against a massive tree. He coughed up blood before his vision blurred, and his body fell limp.
Pyro turned his gaze back to Dzeth's lifeless form. He lifted him with one hand, then spoke in a menacing tone,
"Goodbye."
Then..
Crack!
He ripped out Dzeth's heart with his bare hand.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Dzeth's body went limp, and Pyro carelessly tossed it onto the ground.
Without looking back, Pyro headed toward the city.
-
Destruction in the City
Upon arriving at the city, Pyro was met by a lineup of Grade S Hunters who had prepared to fight.
"Don't let him advance!" one of the hunters shouted.
A fierce battle erupted.
But Pyro was beyond their level.
In less than ten minutes, all the Grade S Hunters had fallen. Syafi and Silakh were among those gravely injured.
"This thing…" Syafi whispered, his body trembling. "It's not just an ordinary cursed being…"
Pyro laughed maniacally. He stepped into the heart of the city, destroying buildings and slaughtering anyone in his path.
From a distance, Syiro, who had just arrived, witnessed the devastation with wide eyes.
"A cursed being…?"
But before he could react
Boom!
Pyro punched him square in the chest, knocking him unconscious instantly.
The sky darkened. Hope was nearly lost.
But then
Fwooshhh!
A massive blue light emerged from the front of Pyro.
Pyro narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the silhouette standing within the light.
"Impossible…" Pyro muttered.
From within the glow, Dzeth Takahashi stepped forward, his eyes radiating with an intense blue brilliance. His body, which was supposed to be dead, was now fully restored.
"Dead?" Dzeth smirked. "There's no way I'd die just from losing a heart."
Pyro took a step back. "H-how…?"
Dzeth lifted his head slightly, his glowing blue eyes intensifying.
"I have awakened… with my new power."
Awakening: Heavenly Eyes.
Suddenly, everything around Pyro changed.
The world around him turned into an abyss of absolute darkness. No ground, no sky only an endless void.
In the far distance, a lone blue light shone. Dzeth walked forward from within that glow, a faint smirk on his lips.
Before Pyro could react..
Zasshh!
In an instant, Inferno Core inside Pyro's body had been cut.
"Atomic Fission."
Pyro's Inferno Core shattered into countless fragments down to the atomic level.
The dark void vanished. Pyro returned to reality but his body was now limp, his eyes wide with terror.
Dzeth turned his back on him, his gaze cold and unwavering.
He lifted his hand and recited,
"Al-Ma'idah…"
"Whoever kills a person without just cause, it is as though he has killed all of humanity. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he has saved all of humanity."
Pyro collapsed.
His body no longer moved.
The ruined city fell into silence once more.
Chapter 28 Ends...