Leon was sent crashing into the distance. His body bounced off the ground once before skidding even farther across the battlefield.

Archie and Jasper immediately rushed to help him.

Oliver wanted to do the same. But before he could take a single step...

"Don’t move." A voice suddenly echoed in his ears. Oliver’s eyes had landed on Charlie. Instantly, his entire body stiffened. His muscles locked up. No matter how hard he tried, his limbs didn’t obey his commands anymore. Oliver’s expression changed.

Meanwhile, Jasper was already charging toward Leon. ’I need to save that kid.’

But he didn’t get far. Bravo appeared in front of him and casually flicked his hand. A black sphere of gaseous energy shot forward. The moment it reached Jasper...

Everything went dark. The battlefield vanished. The mansion vanished. Even the sounds disappeared.

Jasper swung his fist instinctively. It struck nothing but empty air.

"Damn it!" He cursed.

Only Archie remained. He continued rushing toward Leon at full speed.

Then suddenly...

Something tiny bit him. Archie frowned. Before he could even look down...

His vision blurred. His legs gave out beneath him.

Thud!

Archie collapsed onto the ground. In the distance, Foxtrot watched the scene unfold and smiled in satisfaction.

The A-Class hunters stared in horror. One after another, the three S-Class hunters had fallen. And the assassins had done it without suffering a single casualty.

A few of the hunters could no longer stand by and watch.

"We have to help our guild masters!" one of them shouted. "If they fall, we’re all dead! And those assassins are only A-Class! Same as us."

"He’s right!" David from the Razor Guild stepped forward. "We can’t just sit here and do nothing!"

Two hunters immediately raised their staffs.

Steam condensed into smooth iceballs before one of them.

In front of the other, a tiny orange spark rapidly expanded into a blazing fireball.

Both spells were aimed at Charlie, who was standing before Oliver.

At the same time, another hunter slammed both palms onto the ground.

Rumble!

Jagged spikes of earth erupted from beneath him and shot toward Bravo at high speed.

Not far away, a female hunter unsheathed her bow. She aimed directly at Foxtrot and pulled the string back. Three glowing arrows materialized out of thin air.

Each one radiated a ferocious aura. Ready to tear through the air.

Meanwhile, a male and a female hunter rushed toward Archie. They immediately crouched beside him.

One placed a hand on his chest.

The other touched his forehead.

Soft light began flowing from their palms.

Healers.

At the same time, three more hunters charged toward Leon. One carried a shield.

One wielded a sword. The last held a staff.

Then...

Every attack was unleashed. The arrows tore through the air. The fireball and ice spell surged forward. The earth spikes shot across the battlefield.

But just before they reached their targets...

Spatial rifts appeared. One after another.

Delta stood at the mansion entrance calmly, his hands behind his back.

Every attack vanished into the rifts.

The hunters’ expressions changed instantly.

Then came the retaliation.

The next moment, the two healers tending to Archie were blasted away. One was struck by the fireball. The other by the ice spell. Blood sprayed through the air as both were sent flying.

At the same time, the three glowing arrows emerged from the back where the hunters were standing.

One pierced the hunter who had cast the fireball.

Another struck the hunter who had launched the ice spell.

The last buried itself into the hunter whose palms were still pressed against the ground.

The female archer with the bow didn’t fare any better. The jagged earth spikes she had watched race toward Bravo suddenly emerged beneath her feet instead.

Boom!

She was blasted into the air.

The three hunters rushing to Leon’s aid didn’t even see what hit them. One moment, they were running.

The next...

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

All three were sent flying backward. Injured bodies crashed onto the battlefield one after another.

Silence fell. The few remaining A-Class hunters who had yet to move stared in horror.

Every attack they launched had been turned against them. And they hadn’t even managed to touch their enemies.

Meanwhile, Leon had somehow forced himself back to his feet.

But before he could fully stand...

Bam!

Something slammed into his stomach with overwhelming force.

Leon doubled over instantly.

"Blarrghhh!"

A mouthful of blood burst from his lips as his body doubled over.

’Fuck... At this rate, I’m going to die before I even reach Jenny.’ Leon wiped the blood from the corner of his lips. ’This guy is definitely using stealth. No wonder that bulky guildmaster said even they weren’t sure of defeating them with ease.’

A faint smile appeared on his face. ’But, if you love playing hide and seek, then let’s see how you handle stealth yourself.’

Leon slowly straightened his back. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Alpha, still concealed in stealth mode, noticed the movement. ’Enough playing around. It’s time for you to die.’

Gripping a short sword, he shot forward like a phantom.

Then...

He swung.

Just before the blade could touch Leon’s skin, Alpha heard something.

Whoosh!

A sharp whistle cut through the air. The next moment, something sliced across his arm.

Blood splattered. His eyes widened. ’Invisible weapons?’

Alpha’s eyes narrowed. ’No wonder something felt wrong earlier. That S-Class tank was being pushed back without anyone even attacking him. So he can use stealth, too. But it doesn’t matter anymore. You are going to die now.’

He leaned forward and was about to charge again.

But, Leon meanwhile, grinned even more.

"There you are," Leon said excitedly. And then...

He waved his hand.

Instantly, his invisible daggers shot toward the spot where the blood had just appeared.

Before Alpha could even move...

Schlk! Schlk!

The next moment...

Something struck the ground with a heavy thud, kicking up dust and debris.

Leon looked ahead, a competitive smile tugging at his lips.

"One down. A few more to go."