The Hunter Becoming the Prey

"The organization won’t let you off."

Evan’s voice came out hoarse and venomous.

Blood continuously dripped from the wounds in his body onto the cold ground beneath his feet. His breathing had already become unstable, and the aura around him fluctuated chaotically like a candle flame struggling against the wind.

Yet even in such a miserable state, the arrogance in his eyes had not completely faded.

For years, the Obsidian Wing had stood above countless shadows. Fear itself was one of its sharpest weapons.

He believed these two women should fear it too.

But Lina Ashford merely stared at him coldly beneath the dim moonlight.

"So what if they won’t?"

Her voice was icy.

There was no hesitation anymore.

The long green-haired woman who once obeyed his orders now looked at him as if staring at a corpse.

A breeze swept through the empty street, gently lifting strands of her hair. The military knife in her hand still carried fresh blood.

Lina coldly stared at Evan and said, "Daring to do this proves I’m not afraid."

"The organization hid secrets from us, and we know everything now. Prepare to die."

Liza Voss said through gritted teeth.

The moment those words fell, the hatred hidden in her black eyes finally erupted completely.

Julian D’Aurelius had already completed the investigation and told her the whole truth.

For years, she believed her family died because of enemies hunting them.

For years, she thought the Obsidian Wing had taken her in out of mercy.

What a joke.

Her fingers tightened around the dagger until her knuckles turned pale.

Her father...

Had died because of the organization itself.

Her mother had once been an assassin under the Obsidian Wing.

After falling in love with her father at first sight, she chose betrayal over obedience. The two abandoned everything and wandered the world together, hoping to escape the darkness behind them.

Her father had even left the D’Aurelius household voluntarily to avoid dragging them into danger.

But the Obsidian Wing never forgave betrayal.

Never.

They hunted traitors like beasts.

Experts were sent after her parents.

In the end, her father died fighting alongside one of the organization’s assassins.

Her mother, already pregnant with Liza, escaped back to the D’Aurelius household to hide herself.

But even then, the Obsidian Wing still found her.

Forced to flee again.

Forced to hide again.

And eventually...

Still unable to escape death.

The memory burned like poison inside Liza’s chest.

Meanwhile, beside her, Lina’s expression grew even colder.

Her hatred was no less deep.

The truth Julian uncovered for her was even crueler.

Years ago, the household she came from had not been slaughtered by enemies at all.

It had been destroyed by the former patriarch of the Obsidian Wing himself.

After taking Lina away, that old monster fabricated an entirely different story. He raised her with lies, feeding her hatred and turning her into a killing machine loyal only to the organization.

A weapon.

Nothing more.

The organization she devoted her life to...

Was actually the butcher that destroyed her family.

That truth nearly shattered her sanity when Julian first revealed it.

She and Liza both had deep-seated grudges against the Obsidian Wing organization!

Hearing the two women’s words, Evan’s face turned pale.

The hatred in his eyes trembled slightly.

At this moment, he finally understood why these two women had betrayed him.

So that bastard Julian had investigated everything already.

No wonder.

No wonder tonight’s trap felt so precise.

That damned man had quietly dismantled everything around him step by step.

At this moment, Julian D’Aurelius caught up from behind.

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed calmly through the silent street.

Under the moonlight, Julian slowly walked forward with one hand in his pocket.

His black hair moved lightly in the wind, while those golden eyes remained calm from beginning to end.

Not hurried.

Not nervous.

It was the gaze of someone already certain of victory.

Behind him, several ambushers hidden in the shadows finally revealed themselves one after another, surrounding Evan completely.

Some stood on rooftops.

Some blocked the alleyways.

Some silently cut off the retreat behind him.

He was trapped with no way out!

Seeing Julian arrive, Evan cursed with resentment.

"Julian, you coward, if you have the guts, don’t play dirty!"

His voice almost sounded hysterical now.

Tonight, every single one of his plans had collapsed.

Every trump card had been overturned.

Even the women under him had betrayed him.

Meanwhile Julian merely smiled faintly.

There was no anger on his face.

Only amusement.

"Fine, let’s have a fair duel."

Julian nodded and said to the others, "Don’t interfere, this is between him and me."

For a brief second, the atmosphere became strangely quiet.

"..."

Both girls were momentarily speechless and stepped back to show they wouldn’t interfere.

Even Liza blinked slightly in surprise.

Evan was already half dead.

Yet Julian still chose to face him directly.

Under the moonlight, Julian slowly raised a hand toward Evan.

"Come on, don’t say I’m bullying you, I’ll let you make the first move."

His tone sounded relaxed.

Almost mocking.

But his golden eyes remained sharp.

He could clearly see Evan’s condition already collapsing.

His internal injuries were severe.

His true energy was nearly exhausted.

The poison inside his body had spread further.

The strange elixir’s effect was also disappearing rapidly.

In this state, he was not far from death.

Evan, with bloodshot eyes, charged at Julian, ready to fight desperately.

A furious roar exploded from his throat as he rushed forward like a wounded beast cornered at the edge of a cliff.

His fist tore through the air violently.

But in his current state, he couldn’t match Julian at all.

Julian calmly tilted his head aside and avoided the punch effortlessly before driving his knee directly into Evan’s abdomen.

Boom!

Evan’s body bent violently.

Blood sprayed from his mouth.

Before he could even stabilize himself, Julian grabbed his shoulder and smashed him onto the ground.

The stone pavement cracked instantly.

After being knocked down three times in a row, he barely had the strength to get up.

His body trembled violently.

Blood covered almost half his face now.

Even standing became difficult.

Yet those eyes...

Those hateful eyes still stared at Julian like a mad beast unwilling to die.

He glared at Julian with wide eyes, full of resentment and unwillingness.

Why?

Why did everything end like this?

He was the chosen one.

The future Obsidian King.

The man destined to stand above everyone.

How could he lose to this useless rich second generation he once looked down on?

Just as Julian was about to finish him off—

Suddenly—

The world froze.

The wind stopped.

The moonlight stopped.

Even the dripping blood suspended silently in midair.

Suddenly, time stopped and he found the surroundings had turned into a void.

Everything vanished.

The streets disappeared.

The people disappeared.

Even Evan’s body disappeared completely.

Only endless darkness remained.

Julian’s expression finally changed slightly.

Then—

A giant tree appeared before him.

In front of him, a giant tree had appeared at some point.

It stood within the endless void like an ancient existence from the beginning of time itself.

Its trunk was unimaginably enormous.

Its roots spread endlessly into darkness below.

Its branches stretched so high they seemed capable of supporting the heavens themselves.

Ancient golden runes slowly flowed across the bark like living rivers of light.

Every leaf emitted a faint sacred glow.

The surrounding void trembled slightly beneath its presence.

The giant tree stood there like an insurmountable mountain, exuding an oppressive aura.

Standing under the tree, Julian felt as small as an ant.