Asio and five of his soldiers moved along the treeline, leaping silently from branch to branch. Leaves barely rustled beneath their boots.
Asio followed the pull of his compass when two men suddenly appeared beside him mid-stride, keeping pace as they reported in.
"We recovered a hair strand from the Gravedigger during his imprisonment," one of them said, handing it over.
Asio took the strand—and licked it.
The compass artifact could track up to two targets at once. He licked the compass next, and the needle began to spiral before snapping sharply toward a direction.
He was close.
"Good," Asio said. "We'll capture both targets once we locate them."
"But didn't the Captain say we shouldn't intercept?" one of the soldiers asked carefully.
Asio gritted his teeth. "Iron doesn't believe in my strength. He only sees me as a messenger." His voice trembled with frustration. "I'm sick of it."
"With this unit, we'll capture the two fugitives. I'll earn my promotion—and Captain Iron's respect."
"Yes, sir," the soldiers replied.
Asio turned his gaze forward.
Now for the first target.
***
Knife sprinted across the branches, clutching his poorly bandaged wounds. Pain flared with every movement, but he forced himself onward.
Then he felt it.
Several presences—closing in.
He skidded to a stop and looked back just as armored figures appeared around him, landing on nearby branches with practiced ease.
"Target number one found," Asio muttered.
Knife scanned the area calmly, counting. Ten enemies.
"Who are you clowns supposed to be?" he asked.
"That doesn't concern you," one knight replied. "Cooperate, or face the consequences."
Knife chuckled, slipping into a fighting stance. "I think you already know the answer."
Behind his mask, Asio's eyes narrowed.
In the next instant, throwing knives flew at Knife from every angle. He sprang upward, dodging them effortlessly—only to meet a blade slashing at his back.
Asio watched closely. Perfect timing. Impossible to dodge.
Knife bent his body at an unnatural angle without even looking, the strike slicing harmlessly through the air. He snapped back with a counterpunch, sending the attacker crashing to the ground.
"What—?!" Asio exclaimed.
"One down," Knife said calmly, turning toward the others. "Nine to go."
Asio sneered. This guy… his reflexes are on another level.
"We have to be cautious," Asio said, pulling something from his pocket. His soldiers followed suit.
Smoke bombs hit the branches and exploded, thick clouds swallowing the area whole.
Knife coughed as his vision vanished. He narrowed his eyes, straining to sense movement—but it was useless.
A sword suddenly burst from the smoke. Knife barely twisted aside, throwing a counterpunch that struck nothing but air.
Then a spear stabbed from behind.
He dodged again—but when he swung back, his enemy was gone.
Damn it, Knife thought. How can they see me when I can't see them?
His jaw tightened.
It must be one of those artifacts he heard about
Hidden within the smoke, Asio glanced down at his compass. The needle spun slightly, then steadied.
Knife the Sharp, he thought. Known for speed and counterpunching.
"If he can't see his target," Asio murmured, "we strike and retreat before he can retaliate. It's the perfect countermeasure."
His grip tightened around the compass.
"With this tactic, we'll wear him down," Asio continued coldly. "And then—he falls."
Knife stood still amid the swirling smoke.
He slowly closed his eyes.
"An opponent you can't see…" he said calmly, exhaling. "Yet another hurdle I need to clear."
He focused—sharpening every sense.
Hearing? Nothing.
Smell? Nothing.
Even the faint disturbances of movement were gone.
They leave no sound… no presence.
His brow furrowed.
Tch. Then that leaves only one thing.
Instinct.
Asio raised his hand slightly. "Now."
One of the knights burst forward, sword drawn back for a decisive swing.
But before the blade could move—
CRACK.
The knight's face snapped sideways as Knife's fist slammed into him, the impact echoing through the smoke. The man was sent flying backward, armor clattering as he crashed through branches and vanished into the fog.
The remaining soldiers froze.
Asio's eyes widened behind his mask.
Impossible… he struck before the attack even began.
Knife slowly opened his eyes, lowering his fist.
"…Found you," he said quietly.
The smoke continued to churn around him.
Knife didn't wait.
Instead of standing his ground, he moved.
The smoke shifted unnaturally, parting for brief instants as shadows flickered through it. One moment a presence was there—
the next, gone.
A sharp gasp cut through the fog.
Then a scream.
It ended abruptly.
Asio's head snapped toward the sound. His grip tightened around the compass as the needle spun wildly, unable to settle.
"What's happening?" one soldier shouted.
No answer came—only the dull thud of something heavy hitting bark.
Another cry rang out, closer this time.
Asio's breathing quickened. One by one, the faint presences around him vanished from the compass entirely.
No… they're being picked off.
A blur crossed his vision. Steel clattered against wood. Then silence.
"Form up!" Asio barked, forcing steel into his voice. "Don't separate—!"
Too late.
A shadow burst from the smoke behind one of the knights. A single, precise strike. The man collapsed without a sound.
Asio stumbled back, heart pounding, spinning in place as he tried to track anything.
"Show yourself!" he shouted, fear bleeding through his command.
Nothing answered.
Only the soft rustle of leaves.
Knife's voice drifted through the smoke—calm, steady, and terrifyingly close.
"You made one mistake," he said.
"You assumed I needed to see you… to hunt you."
Asio's eyes widened as the compass needle snapped straight toward him.
Slow footsteps echoed in the fog.
And for the first time since the chase began—
Asio realized he wasn't the hunter anymore.
The smoke began to thin.
Asio staggered back as the fog peeled away in ragged strips, his breath caught in his throat.
Knife emerged from it.
He was walking calmly toward him—too calmly—holding a severed arm in one hand. Blood dripped down his wrist as he lifted it to his mouth and bit down, tearing flesh with his teeth. He sucked at it briefly, then grimaced.
"Tastes awful," Knife muttered, his mouth smeared red.
Asio couldn't move.
His legs trembled as he stared at the monster in front of him, mind screaming while his body refused to listen. This wasn't a man. This wasn't even a beast.
It was something that hunted.
With a broken roar of desperation, Asio finally charged. He dropped the compass as he ran, screaming—more in fear than rage.
There was a sickening sound behind him.
Something being penetrated.
A wet, final impact.
Asio's body collapsed lifelessly to the forest floor.
The compass hit the ground beside him, spinning once… then stopping. One arrow pointed at the fallen corpse.
The second arrow slowly turned—
Pointing elsewhere.
Footsteps.
New ones.
Knife crouched over Asio's body, tearing into his leg now, chewing thoughtfully. Blood stained his jaw as he frowned.
"Tastes even worse," he said calmly.
He barely noticed the presence behind him.
The newcomer stopped a short distance away and pressed a shovel into the ground, the metal biting into earth. The stance was steady.
Knife paused.
Then his eyes lifted.
He froze—not at the weapon, not at the posture—but at the figure's hand.
A ring glinted in the sunlight.
Knife's lips slowly curled upward. His smile wasn't human anymore—it was ravenous.
He rose to his feet in a single, fluid motion, blood dripping from his chin.
Suddenly, the smiling figure lashed out—a swift, slicing punch that cut through the air. His fist drove forward with precision, aiming to catch his opponent off guard.
But the man hastily turned around and blocked the strike with his hand.
Knife's eyes gleamed with excitement. His grin widened. "Finally"