"We got played," Nekola gritted his teeth as he was sent flying through the air, crashing through walls as his back bore the brunt of the impact.
He didn't know what had happened to his other comrades, but one thing was for sure: they were all wounded by that surprise attack.
No matter how strong a hunter was, they were still human.
Without conscious effort to protect themselves, their bodies would be susceptible to damage.
Drawing his sword mid-air, he slamd it into the ground to break his fall.
The blade tore through the floor, sending sparks flying as he finally ca to a stop.
He knelt on the floor, gasping for breath, his body trembling from the impact.
"BUAHHHHH!" he vomited violently, blood bursting from his lips as the adrenaline faded. His body convulsed with each heave, blood splattering against the cracked floor.
Trembling, he reached for his chest, fingers tracing the jagged lines of broken ribs poking through torn flesh.
"This is not good, " With a gasp, he realized the extent of the damage, feeling the searing pain of internal ruptures in chest.
But despite the searing pain, he fought to stay conscious .
As a seasoned veteran hunter, he had faced wounds like this before and knew what to do.
He took a deep breath and activated his body's natural healing process.
When a hunter reached a certain level, they could regenerate their bodies like demons by accessing the Rune embedded inside them.
The Rune inside him was similar to the one Jayden had found in Summit City, but unlike Jayden's, which had been forcibly activated, Nekola's had been absorbed naturally.
As a result, it had adapted and stabilized, resembling a Demon Core in its properties, but without the need for human consumption to fuel its growth.
This was also how they were able to execute such massive attacks before.
They were unaware of the origin of these runes or how they ca into existence.
All they knew was that they could be harnessed by hunters, particularly those who had perfected their breathing techniques to a certain level.
However, not just any hunter or human could use them.
One must possess a certain level of skill to absorb the runes, or they would just explode from the concentrated energy inside it.
In a way, Jayden not dying on the spot after forcefully using it ant that his potential was extraordinarily high.
Had Jayden not t his death at the hands of Reign, he could have reached a legendary status within the Hunter Association.
"I need to regroup with the others," Nekola mumbled, determination flickering in his eyes as he sensed that he could move again.
The only way they could survive this situation was to coordinate their attacks. There was no way they could win one-on-one against a demon lord of Reign's caliber.
"I'll help you with that," a sadistic and playful voice echoed from behind, forcing him to turn and slash his katana out of instinct.
But instead of his weapon striking the demon, Nekola's gaze fell on Reign, who held Bynum's wounded body in his grasp
NO!!!" Nekola shouted with regret, but it was too late.
The montum of his blade had already begun, and Reign cruelly maneuvered their leader's body so that it would sever his neck.
SLASH!
Bynum's head flew into the air as the force of his own long ti teammate's attack struck him dead on the spot, severing his neck like a piece of paper.
In that mont, mories flooded Nekola's mind—countless battles fought side by side, shared victories and defeats, monts of camaraderie and friendship.
"This is not a movie so stop daydreaming," Reign's cold voice echoed as he seized the opportunity to swing his Skull Grinder, now thinner after the upgrade.
"I will kill you!" Nekola roared in anger, matching his opponent's swing with his own sword.
The air humd as both sides swung their weapons with the intent to kill.
BOOOOOM!
The clash of steel reverberated through the air, causing a shockwave that echoed across the building.
Nekola's muscles strained as he pushed against Reign using his two hands to grip his katana.
anwhile, Reign grinned from ear to ear, effortlessly holding his weapon with one hand, barely exerting any effort.
'Ti to test it an actual combat,' he thought to himself.
BUUZZZZZZ
The cutting teeth of the Skull Grinder began to spin, forcing Nekola to moved his katana away to avoid the downward force .
He then leaped backward to create distance, knowing his enemy was a master of close-quarters combat after their brief exchange.
But once again, he was caught off guard as small projectiles bombarded him.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Forced to swing his sword faster and faster, Nekola struggled to block the nonstop barrage of bone shrapnel coming from Reign.
Each shard glinted as his blade moved quickly, slashing through the air.
Sparks flew each ti he deflected a piece.
His arms tired out, muscles straining with each swing, but the attack continued, and he had to keep controlling his breathing to sustain blocking the projectiles.
He didn't know what these bone shrapnels could do, so it was better to avoid being hit by them if possible.
But as ti passed, he discovered a scary realization: the shrapnels were getting faster and heavier, indicating that his enemy was toying with him, slowly increasing the power of the attacks.
It felt like trying to fend off a heavy rain with just an umbrella, each shard wearing down his strength and focus.
The floor around him beca littered with pieces of bone shrapnel, showing his desperate fight.
'What the hell is this fighting style?' Nekola couldn't believe what he was seeing.
He had fought demon lords before, but this was the first ti he had encountered soone who could seamlessly transition from one combat style to the next.
He could tell that every movent and action that his enemy was doing was calculated, part of a ticulously planned strategy being executed flawlessly.
'Not good.' Sensing danger, he leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the chains that erupted from the floor.
The chains weren't strong enough to actually harm him, but because he was being constantly attack , he assud they possessed greater power than they actually did.
This was another of Reign's psychological tactics to disrupt his opponent's rhythm.
Now, vulnerable in mid-air, Nekola was open to attack.
Reign wasted no ti, seizing the opportunity.
With a quick motion, he lunged forward, his Skull Grinder gleaming and humming ominously in the air.
Before Nekola could even register what was happening, the blade sliced through his neck with laser like precision, blood spraying out in a crimson arc as his head was cleanly severed .
THUD!
THUD!
Nekola's body and head fell separately to the ground with a dull thud.
His eyes fixed on his own decapitated body, the strike had been too quick that it took a mont for his head to comprehend that he was already dead.
As his vision slowly blurred, he saw Reign walking towards him.
"Don't worry," Reign sneered as he crouched down to get a better look at Nekola's head. "I'll make sure to make you stronger and less stupid after I make you my slave."
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