The Basement Prison
Ash's breath was shallow. Hours had passed—maybe more. His arms ached from the chains, but his mind never stopped working.
They made a mistake chaining me above ground level, he thought.
His eyes scanned the room—stone walls, metal door, a leaking pipe... and a sharp bolt lying just a few feet away. Probably dropped by the careless hunter who checked on him earlier.
Ash rocked his body, back and forth. Slowly. Silently.
The hook holding his wrists creaked.
One more sway—
CLANK!
The hook snapped free, and Ash fell hard, grunting as his body hit the floor. Pain shot through him, but freedom tasted sweeter.
He crawled toward the bolt, gripping it between numb fingers. He worked it against the cuffs.
Click.
The chains loosened.
Ash grinned.
"I'm not dying in a basement," he whispered.
At the Hotel
"Still nothing?" Kaien asked sharply.
Koharu shook her head. "I checked every block where he might've gone. I even asked the local guilds."
Luna was pacing furiously. "This isn't like him. If Ash found a hunter, he would've left a signal—anything."
Rei clenched his fists. "This is bad. If they took him... they won't let him go."
Naoto Yatsuki stood near the window, silent. His eyes glinted as if deep in thought.
"Naoto," Misaki said, "you've worked with the underground before. Can you track them?"
He finally spoke. "I know where they might've taken him. But getting there is suicide."
"We don't care," Kaien growled. "Lead us."
Naoto turned. "Alright. But if we're going into that hell... you better be ready to fight monsters worse than hunters."
The moonlight bathed the streets in silver as the group followed Naoto Yatsuki through the narrow alleys of the city. Tension pulsed in the air like a second heartbeat.
Naoto finally stopped in front of a large, crumbling building at the edge of town. Its windows were dark. The entrance sealed.
"Here," Naoto said firmly.
Luna narrowed her eyes. "How do you even know this place?"
Naoto didn't look at her. "That's not important."
Kaien stepped forward. "If there's even a chance Ash is inside…"
He didn't finish the sentence. His eyes told the rest.
Naoto raised his hand, and a small flame erupted from his palm, pressing against a rune-marked wall. With a low rumble, the sealed door split open, revealing a stairway spiraling down into blackness.
Everyone hesitated.
"Stay close," Naoto said, already descending.
The team followed. The air grew colder with every step, the scent of rusted metal and damp stone filling their lungs.
As they reached the bottom, they found themselves in a vast underground complex—part prison, part fortress. Cells lined the walls. Magical wards shimmered faintly. It was quiet—too quiet.
"They're here," Naoto whispered.
Kaien drew his blade. Luna summoned her light. Rei cracked his knuckles, and Koharu readied a spell. Misaki held her dagger tighter.
Ash burst through a side door, knocking out a guard on the way. His body was scraped, burned, bleeding—but he didn't stop.
Sirens echoed. Lights flashed. The hunters were onto him.
He sprinted into the woods behind the hideout.
A blade scraped his shoulder as one last hunter slashed at him.
Ash turned sharply, ducked, and slammed a punch into the man's throat. The hunter collapsed.
Ash collapsed behind a tree, panting. "I need... to get back."
Suddenly—footsteps.
Ash weakly raised his fists—but froze.
"Ash," Koharu gasped.
From the darkness, footsteps echoed.
Then—voices.
Multiple figures stepped into view. Clad in dark armor, masks hiding their faces.
"Welcome," one of the hunters said coldly. "We were expecting you."
Naoto's eyes narrowed. "Then let's not disappoint."
The air tensed—then cracked.
A flash of lightning burst from Rei's palm, striking the ground in front of the hunters. Dust exploded. Shadows danced. It began.
Kaien moved first, vanishing in a blur and reappearing behind a masked hunter. His blade sliced through the air with precision—but the hunter turned just in time, blocking it with a curved dagger. Sparks flew as steel met steel.
"You've improved," Kaien muttered, kicking the hunter into a wall.
Rei leapt into the fray, launching orbs of thunderous energy that bounced between enemies, disorienting them. "Come on! Who's next?!"
Luna raised both hands—golden light erupting like wings behind her. "Illuminate!" she chanted. A radiant shockwave burst forward, blasting three hunters off their feet and lighting up the entire chamber.
Naoto stood still, analyzing. "There are at least ten... no, twelve. All elite."
From the side, Koharu channeled a barrier, protecting Misaki as she darted forward.
"Cover me!" Misaki yelled.
She spun through two hunters, her twin daggers cutting shallow lines before she flipped back. "Fast, but not smart."
A hunter roared and charged toward her—but Rei stepped in and punched the air. A burst of concussive force sent the enemy flying into a cell gate.
Naoto finally moved.
He raised his hand—and a flaming phoenix spiraled from his palm, crashing into a group of hunters like a meteor. The explosion shook the walls.
One hunter emerged from the smoke—charred but alive—and raised his sword.
But Kaien appeared above him mid-air.
"Too slow," he said—and slammed his heel into the man's skull, dropping him instantly.
Meanwhile, two hunters tried to flank Luna. Koharu shattered her barrier to throw up a new shield around Luna. "Focus, Luna!"
Luna nodded, took a breath, and unleashed a focused beam of holy light that pierced straight through both enemies.
Ash stood in the center of the chaos—dust swirling, fire flickering on stone walls, the clang of weapons echoing. But his mind was far from the noise.
I was careless.
His knuckles tightened.
I thought I could handle it alone. Catch one hunter, find the truth. But they were ready. They knew I'd come... like they were watching me from the start.
He glanced toward Luna—her light shielding Misaki. Rei was shouting something. Koharu stood with her arm bleeding. Kaien was breathing heavily but not backing down.
They all came for me.
That thought hit deeper than any punch he'd taken in the prison.
Even after everything. They still trusted me.
He clenched his jaw, staring at the hunter who had chained him days before. The one who had smirked when he screamed under the suppression cuffs.
You thought I was weak. You thought I'd break. But all you did was remind me...
The chains around his wrists snapped off in a hiss of black energy.
I'm not the one trapped here. You are.
Ash stepped forward, every movement charged with purpose. A dark aura swirled around his fists.
This ends tonight.
Ash stepped forward, power radiating from his body now unrestrained. "Let's finish this together."
The hunters regrouped, but now surrounded and disoriented, their movements slowed.
Naoto narrowed his eyes and walked past the team.
"There's still one more," he said quietly. "The commander."
As if summoned by his words, a door deeper in the complex creaked open.
A figure cloaked in shadows stepped into view, clapping slowly.
"You found me," he said with a grin beneath his hood.
Kaien stepped forward, gripping his sword tighter. "You… You're not just a hunter."
"No," the figure said. "I'm the reason they exist."
Underground Prison – Main Hall
Explosions rocked the chamber as Naoto's team stormed through. Koharu sent waves of ice down the corridor, freezing enemy after enemy. Misaki deflected arrows mid-air with telekinetic bursts. Kaien moved like a ghost, slicing through shadows.
In the center, Luna channeled a brilliant sphere of light—her power shielding the team from the hail of attacks. Drax roared as he crashed into the fray, punching a Hunter through the wall.
Ash stood at the back, eyes locked on the tall figure approaching with cold, commanding steps.
Commander Varun.
Silver armor, red cloak. The one who had tortured Ash in silence.
"Ash kurogane," Varun said, voice smooth as glass. "Still trying to play hero?"
Ash stepped forward, fire flickering in his palm.
"No," he replied. "I'm here to end you."
Suddenly—
Boom!
A massive explosion tore the left flank. Hunters poured in.
"Too many!" Koharu yelled.
Naoto shouted, "Fall back to the second chamber!"
But Drax stayed.
"GO!!" he shouted, arms wide as he blocked the tunnel. "I'll hold them off!"
"No! Drax!" Luna screamed.
Drax turned, blood on his face but smiling. "Someone has to close the gate. And I'm the only one strong enough to take this blast."
He slammed his fists into the walls. Runes glowed. The ceiling began to collapse.
"DRAX!!" Rei shouted, trying to run, but Kaien held him back.
"LIVE, idiots," Drax said, then faced the enemy alone as the tunnel sealed behind them.
Silence.
Ash gritted his teeth. His hands shook.
"He bought us time," Kaien whispered.
Ash stepped into the next chamber, where Commander Varun stood waiting.
Ash vs Commander begins.
Varun lunged, sword flashing.
Ash dodged—barely.
They clashed. Sword to fist. Magic to magic.
Ash's thoughts screamed.
Drax died because of him. I won't let that be in vain.
Ash unleashed everything—fire, speed, shadow strikes.
But Varun countered each one.
"You've grown," Varun said, "but you're still not enough."
Ash wiped blood from his mouth. "Then I'll break my limits."
He closed his eyes.
A surge of black energy erupted.
His aura exploded.
Ash's true power awakened.
The final round began