"What is the meaning of all this? Zach!" Jake roared in anger as he glared at the hunter who was grinning like a man who had already won. His voice echoed across the battlefield, filled with disbelief and fury. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ noⅴelfire.net
Max was currently on his knees, fingers digging into the dirt as if trying to anchor himself while huffing and panting in pain.
The poison was spreading through his veins at a terrifying speed, burning him from the inside out. His face was pale, veins bulging along his neck as sweat dripped from his forehead.
Zach, completely unbothered by Max’s suffering, calmly walked towards the hundred men now stepping out from the shadows, their formation tight with a single man leading them.
The man in front was tall, towering at about six feet. He had long golden-blonde hair that shimmered under the dim light, flowing like silk around his shoulders. His mischievous, wicked grin only deepened when his eyes fell on Zach, who approached him casually without an ounce of fear.
The other hunters that had arrived with Zach also advanced, forming a line. Among them, the green-haired hybrid licked his fingers with a twisted smirk, his tongue flicking over his skin as if savoring the faint taste of the poison he had just injected. A dangerous glint flickered in his eyes as he strolled away like he had just finished playing a delightful game.
"What else? It’s my little revenge," Zach replied with a wide smile plastered on his face. His tone was calm, yet venomous.
The moment the blonde-haired man stepped forward, he ruffled his hand through Zach’s hair in a way that seemed casual, but it carried the weight of authority.
"Good job, kid brother," the blonde-haired man said with amusement, and Zach lowered his head slightly in a bow of respect towards his elder brother.
Meanwhile, Jim quickly bolted to Max’s side, his face tight with panic as he reached the dragon who was barely holding on. Max’s breathing came in ragged gasps, and his hands twitched violently as the poison surged through him like fire.
"Please, hang on," Jim whispered desperately. He moved quickly to catch Max before he collapsed face-first onto the ground.
Straining under his weight, Jim pulled Max up, letting the dragon slump against his shoulder. His chest heaved in panic, his mind racing for a solution he didn’t have.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Lana roared in outrage, her voice trembling with fury. She knew exactly what kind of ability the green-haired hybrid possessed.
She had seen him demonstrate it earlier when they were fighting the beasts. His power was poison, and she had no doubt that was what was coursing through Max’s bloodstream now.
"Do you even realize what you’ve done?!" Jasmine barked in anger, her sharp glare fixed on Zach like daggers. "You could get kicked out of the association for harming a fellow hunter! You’ve broken one of the highest codes!"
"And do I look like I care?!" Zach snapped back, his tone like venom. The spikes on his forearms vibrated dangerously, their metallic hum echoing like a threat.
"This bastard kept antagonizing me at every chance he got. He pushed me, mocked me, and even dared to humiliate me in front of all the hunters! Tell me, how do you think that made me feel?!" His voice cracked with fury, raw emotion spilling out in every word.
"But you were the one who always tried to harm him!" Jim fired back with uncharacteristic boldness, his voice shaking from anger.
"You bullied him every time you got the chance just because you thought he was weak, just because he wasn’t a hybrid. How in the hell is it his fault for finally standing up for himself?!" Jim’s teeth ground together audibly, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"Shut the fuck up!" Zach roared, his glare locking onto Jim with the intensity of a predator. "When I’m speaking, weaklings like you should keep your filthy trap shut!"
The tension crackled in the air like lightning ready to strike.
"Honestly, it looks like you had everything under control. Why did you even bother asking for my help?" the blonde-haired man asked with a raised brow. His voice was calm, but his grin was sharp as he studied his younger brother with intrigue.
"I thought it was going to be a little harder considering the bastard was quite strong," Zach chuckled darkly, eyes narrowing at Max’s trembling form. "But in the end, his own rage blinded him."
"Honestly, I doubted this plan would even work," the green-haired hybrid admitted with a low laugh, still licking his fingers as if proud of his handiwork. "It wasn’t easy convincing the higher-ups to let us tag along on this joint mission. Took quite a bit of acting."
"Luckily, it worked out," Zach said with a grin so wide it bordered on madness. His eyes glinted with satisfaction as he turned to the others, his voice carrying across the battlefield. "And now, step one of my revenge is complete."
Jake didn’t say anything at first as he kept listening. But one thing was evident, and it was the fact that the young hunter was barely holding back his rage.
The ground beneath his feet was cracking by the second. Even his teeth couldn’t stop grinding back and forth, the sound sharp and unnerving as it echoed in the tense silence. His chest rose and fell heavily, each breath labored, as though his fury itself was weighing him down.
"Now, in order for this not to get worse, step back and let us take him with us," the blonde-haired man said as he stepped forward, his tone calm yet filled with authority.
"And what if I don’t?" Jake asked as he finally lifted his head. His eyes had already narrowed down into dangerous slits, glowing faintly with the intensity of his anger.
"Don’t act cocky, Jake," Zach called out with a small smirk on his face, though his voice carried a trace of unease. "You might be a B-ranked hybrid, but trust me, you don’t want to mess with Lenny, who is on par with double A-ranked hunters. And he is a hybrid at that."
"And do you realize what you have just done by harming Max?" Jake asked, his arms shaking, trembling even. But it wasn’t fear. It was sheer, consuming anger. His back broadened as though his body was preparing itself for something monstrous.
"You have just gone and pissed me off."
"We can do this the easy way," Lenny—Zach’s brother said as he stepped forward. His hands elongated unnaturally, joints popping, and his body began to twist and morph.
After a few seconds, his transformation was complete. What now stood before them was a warped, menacing frame, half human and half crustacean.
Its upper body still retained a man’s outline, but jagged, crimson-hued shells jutted from his chest, shoulders, and spine, forming natural armor. Where human hands should have been, massive serrated pincers extended outward, snapping together with bone-chilling force that promised to shear through steel.
Its lower body was supported by thick, jointed crab-like legs that dug into the ground with each step, leaving deep gouges in the soil. The gait was unnatural, shifting between an upright stride and a scuttling sideways lurch, like something dragged out of the sea’s darkest trenches.
The face, though vaguely human, was partially concealed beneath hardened plates, its eyes gleaming faintly like black pearls. Mandible-like growths twitched and clicked at the corners of its jaw, giving it a grotesque, alien quality.
Every movement produced the grinding of shell against shell, the scraping of chitin upon itself, while the stench of brine and seawater clung to its body as if it carried the abyss within it.
"Or we can do this the hard way. Choose one," Lenny said coldly as Jake slowly unclenched his trembling fists, his anger held on the thinnest edge of control.
"Fine," Jake sighed, stunning his own teammates greatly. For a moment, silence fell, and hope flickered in the eyes of some.
’That’s better. You all should run. Run far away. I can survive,’ Max thought weakly as he tried to push Jim away. But his strength was slipping rapidly, drained from his body like sand through open fingers.
"Let’s do things the hard way instead." Jake grinned, and instantly, the whole atmosphere shifted. The ground seemed to tremble, and the air grew heavy with pressure as though the world itself braced for what was coming.
He began changing rapidly, muscles bulging and bones reshaping until, in the span of a second, his transformation was complete. Every single individual froze in shock.
The transformation left Jake’s body twisted into a towering half-gorilla monstrosity. His torso bulged with unnatural muscle, veins crawling across his skin as though his flesh was barely able to contain the surging power within.
His shoulders stretched wider than ever before, supporting four massive arms. Each arm ended in hands as large as boulders, knuckles thick and heavy, promising devastation with a single strike.
His legs lengthened into powerful gorilla-like limbs, his feet broad and crushing, capable of shattering the earth beneath every step.
Despite his beastly bulk, his face remained hauntingly human. Yet it was a face twisted by rage, veins snaking across his temple, sweat dripping down, and eyes glowing with primal fury.
His jaw was clenched, teeth grinding so harshly it sounded like grinding stone, and every breath he drew rumbled like a growl, vibrating in the chests of all who stood near. The sheer presence of him was enough to chill the blood.
"And I’m going to make you pay badly," Jake muttered darkly.
Then he leaned forward, and in the very next instant, a thunderclap resounded across the battlefield.
The sound of air being torn apart echoed, and in the twinkle of an eye, Jake had vanished from his spot. He was now in the air, towering above the men, his massive form blotting out the light as a roar tore free from his jaws, a roar that promised unrelenting destruction.