The forest grew colder the moment Fenrir spoke.
“Hunters are coming.”
Kael didn’t move immediately.
He simply listened.
Not to the forest.
Not to Lyra.
But to the faint vibrations in the air.
They were there.
Many of them.
Fast.
Coordinated.
And heavier than anything he had faced before.
The system flickered sharply.
====================
Warning!!!
High-Level Hostile Forces Detected
Multiple Rare Mage Signatures Confirmed
Estimated Strength: Mid to High Rare Tier Units
Direction: North-East Forest Approach
====================
Kael exhaled slowly.
“…They’re fast.”
Lyra’s face tightened.
“…You’re saying more people are coming after you?”
Kael looked at her briefly.
“…Not just me.”
His eyes shifted to Fenrir.
“…Also you.”
The Divine Beast gave a low, calm growl.
“Let them come.”
The ground trembled slightly as Fenrir stepped forward.
Kael’s shadow shifted beneath him.
Not aggressively.
Just reacting.
Lyra swallowed.
“…This is getting worse by the second.”
A distant sound echoed through the trees.
BOOM.
A tree collapsed far away.
Then another.
The hunters were clearing a path.
No stealth anymore.
No hesitation.
They were confident.
Lyra stepped closer to Kael.
“…We should retreat toward the academy barrier.”
Kael didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes were fixed on the direction of the incoming presence.
“…If we leave now, they follow.”
Lyra frowned.
“So what? You want to fight them here?”
Kael replied quietly.
“…I want to understand why they came so openly.”
The system flickered again.
====================
New Directive Detected
Priority Shifted
Objective: Survive Encounter With Hunter Forces
Secondary Objective: Identify Noble Family Involvement
Reward: Shadow Points +900
Rare Artifact Information
====================
Kael’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“…Noble families.”
Fenrir’s golden eyes narrowed.
“So they move openly now.”
Lyra shook her head.
“…This is insane. Noble families don’t personally send hunters for one student.”
Kael looked at her calmly.
“…Unless that student is already a threat.”
A silence followed that statement.
Then—
FOOTSTEPS.
Heavy.
Numerous.
Close.
The first group emerged from the forest mist.
Armored figures.
Rune-engraved armor.
Beast-core weapons glowing faintly.
Behind them—
a crest.
A burning silver lion.
Lyra’s eyes widened slightly.
“…That’s…”
Kael noticed immediately.
“…You recognize them.”
Lyra hesitated.
“…Ashborne Family enforcement unit.”
Silence.
The air changed instantly.
Kael’s expression remained calm.
But his shadow deepened slightly beneath him.
The lead hunter stepped forward.
His voice was cold.
“…Kael of the academy.”
Kael replied simply.
“…That’s me.”
The hunter’s gaze shifted slightly toward Fenrir.
Then to Lyra.
Then back to Kael.
“…You are accused of interference with noble operations, destruction of controlled assets, and association with an unregistered divine-class beast.”
Lyra whispered sharply.
“…Unregistered?!”
Fenrir growled softly.
The hunter continued.
“…By authority of the Ashborne Family, you are to be eliminated on sight.”
Silence.
Kael tilted his head slightly.
“…Eliminated.”
The hunter raised his weapon.
“…Do you have any last words?”
Kael paused for a moment.
Then replied calmly.
“…Yes.”
A faint wind moved through the forest.
“…You came personally.”
The hunter frowned slightly.
“…And?”
Kael’s shadow moved.
Just slightly.
“…That means I don’t need to look for you later.”
BOOM.
Shadow Step activated.
In an instant—
Kael vanished.
The hunter’s eyes widened.
“…Engage!”
The forest erupted instantly.
Hunters moved in perfect formation.
Beast-core weapons ignited.
Fenrir roared, shaking the entire forest.
Lyra raised her wind mana desperately.
“Kael—don’t go alone!”
But Kael was already inside them.
One hunter fell instantly.
Then another.
Shadow movements tore through the formation like fractures in space.
The hunters weren’t weak.
But they were prepared for distance.
Not something that fought inside their formation.
The lead hunter’s expression darkened.
“…He’s adapting faster than intel reported.”
Kael appeared behind him.
Shadow blade forming silently.
“…You’re slow.”
SHINK.
The hunter barely blocked in time.
CLASH.
But the force still sent him sliding backward.
His eyes narrowed instantly.
“…So this is the anomaly.”
Kael didn’t respond.
Because he noticed something.
These hunters weren’t afraid.
They were expecting something.
The system flickered.
====================
Warning!!!
Secondary Ambush Signature Detected
====================
Kael’s eyes sharpened instantly.
“…There’s more.”
Above the trees—
mana condensed.
A circle formation.
Then—
a massive binding array activated over the entire forest clearing.
BOOM.
Chains of light descended from the sky.
Fenrir roared furiously.
“A sealing formation!”
Lyra’s face turned pale.
“…They planned this from the beginning…”
Kael looked upward.
The shadow around him began to react violently.
Because for the first time—
the system didn’t suggest survival.
It recalculated.
====================
Survival Probability: Decreasing rapidly
New Condition Detected: Containment Field — Active
Recommendation: Break Formation Core Immediately
====================
Kael exhaled slowly.
“…So it was never a hunt.”
He looked at the Ashborne hunters tightening their formation.
“…It was a trap.”
And above them—
the sealing array fully activated.
The forest dimmed.
And Kael, Fenrir, and Lyra were locked inside it.