Instead of hiding—
He stepped cleanly out from behind the pine tree.
He casually rolled one shoulder before stretching his neck to release the tension of the transition.
"Here I am."
He lifted one bare hand into the freezing air.
"I'm over here."
A confident grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Come on, little wolf."
...
Nothing happened.
The Wolfrezon didn't lunge forward.
Its savage crimson eyes weren't even focused on his position.
They were fixed...
Somewhere directly behind him.
"...Huh?"
Every sharp instinct inside his body immediately whispered the exact same warning:
Don't turn around.
He turned anyway.
A deep, low-frequency vibration spread through the deep snow.
It wasn't the sound of approaching footsteps—it was the compression of space itself.
The freezing air shimmered unnaturally, like heat rising above burning desert stone.
Loose snow slowly drifted away from an colossal entity that had always been standing there.
A gigantic silhouette emerged through the white haze. Massive, heavy hooves pressed deeply into the frozen earth.
A colossal stag.
It was nearly twice the size of the ordinary white deer Zekai had seen moments earlier in the woods.
The Snow Monarch Deer slowly revealed its full form to the clearing.
It hadn't just arrived at the scene. It had been silently watching the entire time.
Waiting.
Judging.
Choosing the absolute perfect moment to reveal its presence.
Its massive body had blended so flawlessly into the white snow environment that even the winter forest itself had concealed its presence.
Crystal antlers rose high like a frozen, majestic crown. Volatile, scarlet energy pulsed faintly beneath the translucent ice of its horns.
Its burning eyes never left the Wolfrezon.
It had witnessed its own kind being slaughtered and devoured.
Zekai blinked.
"...Seriously?"
He slowly, awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"...I wasn't even the target."
Both monsters ignored his presence completely.
"I walked right in between you two?"
Their eyes remained locked onto each other, trading lethal intent.
A brief beat of silence passed.
"...Well. ...That's awkward."
The colossal Snow Monarch Deer suddenly roared, the sound splitting the valley.
Its majestic antlers ignited with blinding power. Intense scarlet energy gathered rapidly between the branching crystal horns before condensing into a volatile, blinding sphere.
Then—
A beam of raw crimson light erupted violently toward the Wolfrezon.
The Wolfrezon didn't even bother to dodge the incoming laser.
Instead, it reached down, grabbed the half-devoured carcass lying beside it with one hand, and hurled it directly into the path of the beam.
BOOOOM!!
The beam vaporized the frozen corpse instantly.
Steam and pulverized snow exploded outward across the clearing, blinding the perimeter.
Neither beast retreated. Neither hesitated.
Both monsters roared together in defiance—then charged.
The brute collision shook the foundations of the entire forest. Plumes of snow erupted high into the air.
Zekai understood.
If either monster noticed him...
he'd die before he could blink.
The Wolfrezon reached the stag first. Its massive, clawed hands clamped tightly around the base of the crystal antlers before they could gore its chest.
Massive muscles bulged beneath its thick silver fur.
With terrifying, unnatural strength—it lifted the colossal stag completely off the ground.
"...What?"
Even Zekai blinked in disbelief.
That monster...
was lifting an opponent nearly twice its own physical size.
Then—
BOOOOM!!
The stag crashed violently into the frozen earth.
The kinetic impact shattered layers of ancient ice beneath the surface snow.
Again.
BOOOOM!!
Again.
BOOOOM!!
The entire clearing trembled under the assault.
The Snow Monarch Deer kicked its hooves desperately, its antlers blazing brighter by the second. Scarlet light erupted from its horns again and again, scorching the air.
None of it mattered.
The Wolfrezon's raw physical strength completely overwhelmed the stag's mystical output.
With another deafening roar, the Wolfrezon raised the heavy stag high overhead.
Higher.
It was preparing to deliver a definitive, finishing blow to shatter its spine.
The Snow Monarch Deer screamed in agony.
Its crystal antlers erupted with scarlet light at point-blank range.
BOOOOM!!
The localized explosion completely swallowed both colossal beasts.
Blinding snow and shattered chunks of ice burst high into the sky.
When the thick smoke finally cleared...
The Wolfrezon was still standing firmly on its feet.
Hot steam rose from its scorched silver fur.
Deep, raw burns covered its chest, yet it hadn't released its iron grip for a single second.
Instead... it tightened its claws around the deer's cracking antlers.
CRACK.
Fine, spiderweb fractures spread rapidly through the crystal horns.
The stag's struggles became frantic, weakening.
It wasn't escaping—it was losing.
The Wolfrezon opened its massive jaws.
Black steam rolled ominously between rows of enormous, razor-sharp fangs.
One bite...
would end the battle.
Then—
SLASH!
A sharp, silver arc flash split cleanly through the blinding snowstorm.
SHHKK!!
Dark blood scattered violently across the pristine white snow ground.
Something heavy spun through the air, casting a long shadow.
The Wolfrezon's right arm. It landed several meters away into a drift with a dull thud.
Silence reclaimed the clearing.
The severed limb struck the snow with a dull crash.
Volatile steam poured from the open wound. Even the falling snowflakes refused to touch the corrupt, black blood leaking onto the ground.
Both giant monsters froze in place.
Between them—
A lone figure slowly lowered his sword.
White snow drifted lazily around his frame.
His damp coat fluttered gently in the rising winter wind.
In his hand... Null Drakular gleamed beautifully beneath the pale sunlight.
Not a single drop of black blood remained upon its pristine white blade.
Zekai looked up at the towering Wolfrezon without the slightest hint of fear left in his expression.
Only absolute, cold focus.
"You've hunted enough."
For the first time since entering this frozen hell...
Zekai smiled.
It wasn't because he enjoyed the act of killing, but because he finally possessed the tangible strength to protect what mattered.
The Wolfrezon staggered backward, its balance shattered.
Its severed shoulder poured streaming, corrupt blood onto the white snow.
Zekai slowly raised Null Drakular once more, leveling the white point.
A faint smile appeared.
"...Because..."
He shifted smoothly into a refined, low-center ready stance.
"...the real hunter..."
His grip tightened flawlessly around the hilt of Null Drakular.
"...is me."
The Wolfrezon's crimson eyes narrowed to slits.
Its roar exploded outward across the frozen forest, a sound of pure fury.
Birds scattered into the pale sky. Heavy snow fell from the branches of the surrounding trees.
And for the very first time—
The hunter had found prey...
That absolutely refused to run.
Somewhere far beyond the frozen, overcast clouds...
Unseen eyes quietly opened.
One... then another.
Something had witnessed the birth of a new hunter.
And it did not look away.
✦ End of Chapter 53 — The First Hunt ✦