Hunters: The Prequel - Chapter 300

*Bang*

The large head of the beast fell down with a thud. There was silence for a while as everyone spectating, from Samoa and the fighters on the sidelines to the Predators on the battlefield, all took a while to understand what had just happened. They were quiet for several seconds, their brains processing what had just occurred, and then they exploded into cheers.

“YEAH!!!”

The thunderous shouts of the people shook the ground. Men who had never been touchy jumped up in joy and hugged each other. Soldiers who boasted of never shedding tears couldn’t stop the waterfall that fell down their eyes. Ecstasy filled the hearts of all who were on the battlefield. Spectators and warriors alike were all happy with the results. And soon the names of the warriors who took down the beast were screamed out by the spectating fighters.

“Durandal!”

“Durandal!”

“Durandal!”

“Head Fan!”

“Head Fan!”

“Head Fan!”

“Domineering Tiger!”

“Domineering Tiger!”

“Domineering Tiger!”

“Frowning Tiger!”

“Frowning Tiger!”

“Frowning Tiger!”

“Rash Tiger!”

“Rash Tiger!”

“Rash Tiger!”

“Beastly Tiger!”

“Beastly Tiger!”

“Beastly Tiger!”

“Wandering Cheetah!”

“Wandering Cheetah!”

“Wandering Cheetah!”

“Unbound Mongoose!”

“Unbound Mongoose!”

“Unbound Mongoose!”

The names of the 8 warriors that took the centre stage resounded in every part of the village. It didn’t matter if it was those in the Central Demarcation Line who had no fighting capabilities, or those on the battlefield itself. Everyone heard the mighty shouts of the warriors. Arthur’s title, Durandal, was proclaimed the loudest. After all, everyone had seen how he fought since the very beginning, even before the Pseudo Legendary Class Magical Beast appeared. And many of them were in awe of their future chief.

Village Head Fan still had numerous fans. Although they didn’t understand his action of not coming out until the last moment, his domineering entrance was engraved in the minds of all. Added to the fact that he was the one to behead the beast, and that it happened right after he made an appearance, the image of invincibility that he had built all these years was further solidified. Many didn’t even bother to call him by his title – Caliburn. For the longest of times that had been his name. But ever since his retirement from active duty, everyone called him Village Head Fan. And that was the name they unintentionally proclaimed in their joyful mood.

The names of Domineering Tiger and Frowning Tiger weren’t shouted out with quite the same level of exuberance as the first two. But they weren’t quiet nonetheless. Rash Tiger and Beastly Tiger also had their convoy of fans, and they didn’t let the two Tigers down, making everyone in the village know that the two men were more than spectators in this fight. They were also frontrunners.

The names that were sure to surprise everyone in the Central Demarcation Line, who could hear the loud shouts of the people yet couldn’t see what was happening, were the names of the Predators that weren’t extraordinary amongst their peers. And to be honest, they usually weren’t. But this time they had shown their worth. Unbound Mongoose was known for his dexterity and ability to evade every attack by a hair’s breath. It didn’t matter how fast his opponents were. As long as it came to reaction time and speed of evasiveness, Unbound Mongoose was undoubtedly at the top of the food chain. Even Blistering Cheetah, who was faster than him by quite a distance, couldn’t land a blow on Unbound Mongoose in his best of days. And the Pseudo Legendary Class Magical Beast had learned this the hard way.

Although it was a large beast, Unbound Mongoose always found a way to evade its paws by the narrowest of margins. Even when it tried to surprise him and had brought out its claws at the last minute in one of its attacks, it still failed to land a blow. The Predator still evaded the surprise attack, and that too by a narrow margin.

The Mongoose’s effort was integral to their game plan, as he mostly drew the attention of the beast so that the others could attack. Before Frowning Tiger’s sneaky attack aimed at the beast’s injured toe stamp, it was the Mongoose that had been drawing the beast’s attention. To be fair, Unbound Mongoose’s performance wasn’t anything unexpected. Anyone who knew just how he fought would know that this was just normal. After all, why else would he be called a Mongoose if he didn’t fight that way? That was Mongooses were so rare. Their fighting method was too dangerous for anyone to attempt to develop.

The one who surprised everyone was Wandering Cheetah. The Cheetah that was known as average amongst Cheetah’s, had finally proven today why he was someone who was hailed as having the greatest talent in the past. His blurry figure as he evaded the beast’s attacks whilst carrying Arthur was etched into the eyeballs of all who saw it. They couldn’t believe that the unassuming ‘failure’ was actually much faster than Blistering Cheetah at his peak!

The man had opened their eyes today and revealed that he was never a failure. Even though he didn’t become the Tiger people thought he would have become, he didn’t become an average Cheetah either. His speed that seemed to warp space itself was beyond anything they had ever seen. And all of a sudden there were many people who admired him. Amongst these were members of the older generation who had disdained him before. But after seeing his amazing speed that got Arthur close to the beast, and his accurate throw, there was no way those former feelings would hold water. The only question on everyone’s mind was, if he could do this, why did he never reveal his talent?

Listening to the people chanting their names, the 8 men who had been on the brink of death throughout the entire battle, fell to their knees. Even Village Head Fan who had only just arrived, fell to his knees as well. Durandal flew from the man’s grasp and into the arms of its partner once the beast was dead, but it had taken so much from Village Head Fan’s vitality to perform the finishing blow. Since Village Head Fan wasn’t Arthur, the weapon didn’t restrain its power, and allowed Village Head Fan to tap into its full strength. And it did that whilst bolstering its power with the older man’s life force.

“Are you okay Father?”

Hugging Durandal into his bosom like precious child, the breathless Arthur enquired. His father’s pale complexion was enough reason for the boy to worry.

“I’m fine. I just need a bit of rest” Village Head Fan waved his hand and said. It had been long since he last used Durandal so he had forgotten this feeling of weakness the weapon left him in whenever he drew upon its strength. Added to the fact that it had taken far more than it usually did, he was definitely not in good shape. But the battle was over, and as long as he got a bit of rest, he would be okay.

“We finally did it,” Frowning Tiger had a rare smile of relief on his face as he spoke. The others nodded their heads in approval and slumped onto the ground to rest. The other Mythic Classes escaped into the Enchanted Forest as soon as the Pseudo Legendary Class Magical Beast fell. So there was nothing left for them to do.

“Something isn’t right” Back on the sidelines, Samoa couldn’t shake off this strange sense of unease that assaulted his senses. Something didn’t feel right. They had killed the beast that threatened the sanctity of the village and its people. He should be happy. But he wasn’t. There was this discomforting feeling that was pushing onto his soul. He couldn’t help but think that something was wrong.

“Wait. I finally know what that beast is!”

Samoa suddenly exclaimed, drawing the attention of all on the battlefield. Most of them looked at him in bewilderment. The damned beast was already dead, what else was important? Maybe the boy wanted the beast’s species so that when the story was passed on to their kids, they would know just what animal put them in such grave danger. But they were wrong. It was something that was scarier than anything else.

“It’s a Resurrection Cat! It’s a Resurrection Cat! Get out of there now!” In his anxiety, the usual politeness that coated his voice whenever he spoke to a superior was no longer there. But his words caused the expression of all who knew what that creature was to change.

The Resurrection Cat was a weak High Class Magical Beast that had a rare ability. It had weak attack power, a feeble defense, and the only thing that it got working for it was its impressive speed. If it wasn’t for the fact that it had an ability, it wouldn’t even be recognized as a Middle Class Magical Beast. For it had the physique of a Low Class at best. But its special ability was so impressive that it was ranked as a High Class. What was this special ability?

Extra Life

Yes, Extra Life. It was exactly that. The beast had an extra life. Even if it was burnt into ashes, it would rise again in tip top condition. It was a once in a lifetime use ability, but it was still an enviable one. After all, who wouldn’t want to have an extra life in hand? But the beast was so weak that it was inconceivable for it to become a Mythic Class, much less a Pseudo Legendary Class Magical Beast. Especially when the one before them had so much power. But no sooner had this thought crossed their minds, did Domineering Tiger and the others felt a chill down their spine.

“Watch out!” Wandering Cheetah exclaimed as a giant paw came crushing down on Unbound Mongoose. But the brilliant Predator was able to roll to the side at the last minute and avoid the deadly blow. The others didn’t have such luck. None of them were fast enough. And their unpreparedness left them wide open. Fortunately, Wandering Cheetah was around.

*Bang*

*Bang*

*Bang*

*Bang*

*Bang*

Five loud bangs, and five new pits revealed themselves.

“How?” Beastly Tiger exclaimed in shock seeing that he was fine.

“Wandering,” Domineering Tiger stated with a complicated expression. Just when the paw was about to crush him, a blur carried him out of range and out of reach. It was the same for the others. The only person left was Arthur.

*Roar*

The beast roared in rage seeing that they had all escaped, and cast its sight towards the young Arthur. Then it struck its paw at him with all its might. Arthur was going to block. Even with Durandal, this attack was sure to wound him. But he had no choice. It was either this or die. And he wasn’t going to choose the die option. But no sooner had he lifted his sword than a blurry figure appeared before him.

“Wandering?”

Arthur exclaimed, finally understanding that he had underestimated the speed of the Cheetah. Wandering Cheetah tried to carry Arthur out, but he failed. The boy was unusually heavy, unlike he was before he was holding his weapon. He couldn’t carry him!

“In that case,” wandering Cheetah gritted his teeth and made a decision he never thought he would make.

“I would kick you away!” And he channeled all his energy into his leg and kicked Arthur out of the way. His decision saved the boy’s life, but condemned his own.

*Boom*

The beast trampled on Wandering Cheetah mercilessly, then it picked up his broken figure by his clothes. Under the dismayed gazes of all, it tossed him into its mouth and swallowed loudly.

“NOOOOOO!!!!”