NOVEL NEXT Chapter 165: 165: Face Off!
"Say, after this operation. We just need to accumulate contribution points and we will be able to purchase the recipe for the next tier of our paths, right? I'm excited to become a tier 8! I wonder what abilities tier 8 blood hunter has."
"Isn't it common sense already? It's blood-related ability, you know. It's a pity the seniors weren't in the same camp as us or we would have already witnessed what abilities the next subsequent tiers of our path possessed."
"Hmph... Common sense isn't so common already nowadays. Yeah, I know it's a blood-related ability since the name is literally Blood Hunter. However, what I want to know is what specific blood-related ability it was."
Caleb, who was leaning on a tree, quietly opened one of his eyes and listened secretly to Kidd and Kazuto's conversation. What are they even talking about? Blood hunter? Blood ability? Their way of thinking is too simple! Although the name of the tier was Blood Hunter... It doesn't necessarily mean that those tiers really had blood-related ability!
It might even be a weakness of the tier or it's just that the blood hunter specializes in hunting creatures related to blood. For example, vampires, ghouls, and so on...
Caleb remembered the movie "Interview with a Vampire" where the main character, Louis, possessed supernatural abilities tied to blood. Louis could mesmerize his victims, heal his wounds by drinking blood, and had superhuman strength. He thought that if the Blood Hunters' abilities were related to blood, they might share some similarities with Louis' abilities. However, he couldn't jump to conclusions based on just one film.
Another instance, In the anime "Demon Slayer," the Breath of Water style does not necessarily grant the user control over water. Instead, it's about breathing techniques that complement swordsmanship. Similarly, the "Blood Hunter" tier might not mean the user literally controls blood but instead specializes in hunting creatures associated with blood, much like how the Breath of Water style isn't about water manipulation. In "Tokyo Ghoul," ghouls don't necessarily have ghoul-like abilities, but they are humans who consume human flesh. Just like the "Blood Hunter" tier might specialize in hunting creatures related to blood rather than having direct control over blood.
So, blood hunters don't necessarily possess blood-related abilities! In the movie "Blade," the main character is a vampire hunter. Although the title might suggest a vampire-like ability, Blade is human and doesn't possess vampire abilities. Similarly, the "Blood Hunter" tier might not grant blood-related powers but could specialize in hunting vampires, ghouls, or creatures that feed on blood.
Thinking of this, Caleb couldn't help but feel that his two friends Kazuto and Kidd lack imagination because they aren't cultured enough! They didn't experience the rich knowledge provided by fiction! After all, in this world, entertainment is now less emphasized since every day, people fight for survival! Though nobles and high-ranking families were different. They could still live however they wanted and were well-versed in all sorts of entertainment, unlike the common people.
After all, they don't need to live in fear and worry about how they would eat. No, their problem is what to eat. They don't need to worry about their security since every one of them had Destiny protecting them from Apokalips and not well-intentioned people.
'Hmmmm??' Suddenly, while Caleb was lost in his thought. His heart suddenly missed a beat for a second. Following that, Caleb stood up with a grim expression. He could feel the hairs on his skin stood up and his eyelids twitched nine times.
When this was happening, he knew that it was his danger senses that were warning him. A warning that something really bad is about to happen. What confuses him is... What's gonna happen? There was nothing in the area where they were. Just yesterday, they scanned the whole perimeter of the area and near the wall, but there was no potential danger.
Rozho, Kidd, Rekka, and Kazuto were startled at Caleb's sudden behavior. Rozho looked at Caleb and asked: "What's the matter?"
However, Caleb didn't answer Rozho. Puzzled, Rozho looked squinted his eyes, and looked around them carefully. Then... A spectacular scene happened. The space around shattered akin to a glass. The irritating sounds of cracks reverberated in the perimeter.
Following that, under the dumbfounded eyes of everyone. Humongous silhouettes of Apokalips came out of the cracks. There are hundreds of them. No! Thousands!!
"Like my gift? My dear old friend."
In the middle of the packs of behemoths stood Shu with a casual smirk on his face. A golden robe was donned on him, lazily hanging on his shoulders like that of a navy admiral. His entire being exuded an aura of majesty as the tier 9 Apokalips of various sizes walked beside him with hollow eyes on their face.
It was a weird scene for Caleb. After all, Apokalips should be ferocious. However, the ones in front of him look like empty puppets devoid of their souls and only capable of simple commands.
Caleb stared directly at Shu's eyes and said: "We met again, T-R-A-I-T-O-R..." he said, emphasizing every letter of the word.
"Ohhh... It hurt my feelings that you treat me coldly now." Shu put on a sad face and clutched his chest dramatically. A second later, his face returned to normal, and he smiled faintly. "To think our second meet would be us standing on opposite sides. You know, we're very similar to each other. We would really make a great friend if we hadn't become an enemy." He sighed with a hint of bitterness.
"Stop spouting nonsense. You're here to prevent us from sealing the wall, aren't you? Well, you have to step over my dead body if you want to." Caleb put on a fighting stand.
Rozho, on the other hand, had a complicated expression on his face. "Shu, why do this? It's not you..."
Shu shifted his gaze from Caleb's face to Rozho's. Then he shook his head and let out a soft chuckle. "This isn't me? Don't tell me who I am because you don't really know me. The year that we've spent together is just a facade. Don't be naïve, Rozho..."
Hearing this, Rozho became silent. He couldn't help but look at the sky with sorrow. He finally made real friends that didn't look at him with prejudice, or on what is his origin... They treated him well. Now, he had to fight off those friends.
"Shu, I won't forgive you! You don't even show a slight bit of remorse about what you've done. You literally killed a child like us who has dreams! They had family waiting for them, you know! Parents who are worried about them!! How dare you? You still have the guts to put a smile on your face!?" Kazuto said with indignation. "Let me wipe out that smile on your face, then!"
Kidd also clenched a fist.
The corner of Shu's face rose, and he gave Kazuto a mocking smile. "Such big words... I hope you can back it up." Then he crossed his arms on his chest, looked at the Apokalips around him, and instructed with a loud, deep voice: Discover more stories at M-V-L
"Kill them!!!"