The eternal equilibrium of nature shattered in an instant. The blue expanse of the horizon transformed into a smoldering, blood-red canvas, as if the very veins of the firmament had ruptured. The atmosphere grew so dense and saturated that drawing a breath felt akin to inhaling microscopic particles of white-hot iron into one's lungs. Across the perimeter of the entire metropolis, a translucent, crimson, pulsating barrier materialized, sealing the populace inside a burning crucible.
The screeching wails of emergency Danger-Break sirens erupted simultaneously—not merely within the Hunter Association Central Command, but through every narrow alleyway and towering structure across the city. The reverberation was so apocalyptic that concrete foundations trembled and glass panes shattered into fine dust. Dungeon Gates fractured wide open across all sectors, releasing swarms of ravenous, supernatural beasts directly onto human ground.
Sprinting through the panicked streets, Hero glanced upward, his heart seizing in dread. The sky rained down an oppressive silence mixed with the stench of burning sulfur. An icy wave of horror coursed through his spine as he bolted toward the nearest underground shelter.
Deep within the sanctuary of his mind, he projected his thoughts frantically, "Time! What is happening so suddenly?! Why has the sky turned to blood? Do you know anything about this catastrophe?"
Time's voice echoed—cold, ancient, and hollow, resonating from the absolute abyss of cosmic silence, "You need not concern yourself with the mysteries of this chaotic event right now, Hero. Focus strictly on preserving your fragile, mortal existence. This is no ordinary monster wave—this is a terrifying 'Monster Kill Wave.' If you fail to cross the threshold of that shelter's heavy steel doors within moments, you will become raw biomass for these beasts."
Hero grasped the lethal gravity of the situation. Pushing his body to its absolute limits, he dived through the massive mechanized steel vault doors seconds before they slammed shut.
Inside the suffocating atmosphere of Central Command, Elena locked her frost-rimmed gaze onto Ken. Her icy blue eyes flared with absolute resolve, "Ken, we have no time for bureaucratic delays! The vampires have fully awakened their profane blood formation. The dimensional gate is in its final stage of opening. If we hesitate, their General will step onto this world... and this entire planet will be reduced to ash."
"Where do we even look for those parasites?!" Ken roared in fury, slamming his fist onto the primary console, sending distortions through the holographic map. "This red barrier is disrupting our scanning grid!"
"An associate of mine is already present in this city," Elena replied without blinking. "She is not a combatant, but a rare asset—a top-tier S-Rank Healer currently inside the primary shelter. She just transmitted the precise coordinates of the demonic energy source to my consciousness. That is the root of the blood sky. The vampires are there! We must eliminate them and destroy that gate permanently!"
Without losing a second, Elena and Ken boarded an armored Association vehicle, tearing through the compromised streets at full speed. The path was a nightmare of destruction. The monsters emerging from the gates were no longer standard entities—they had absorbed ambient demonic energy and evolved into horrifying forms. Elongated horns protruded from their brows, their eyes burned like crimson embers, and their hides hardened like obsidian. They were razing entire districts to dust.
Stepping on the accelerator, Elena turned to Ken, "Ken... even if we fail to destroy that profane formation, we still have one final contingency. I possess a secret method where I can sacrifice my soul's binding medium to suppress the General's power to such a degree that he won't be able to use his full strength for centuries to come."
Ken stared at her in shock, "What?! What kind of method is that, Elena?!"
"Now is not the time for explanations!" Elena cut him off, focusing strictly on the monsters blocking their path. Through Elena's absolute frost magic and Ken's violent strikes, they carved a path of slaughter directly to the subterranean subway terminal where the ritual was taking place.
Inside that dark, underground chamber, Mortis opened his hollow eyes. Black, viscous blood trickled from his claws onto the blue sigils glowing along the cavern walls.
"Vladix... powerful, unidentified entities are approaching our location rapidly," Mortis warned.
Vladix unleashed a sinister laugh, his crimson eyes gleaming with pure madness, "Do not worry about those insects, Mortis! I will face those humans myself, demonstrate the true extent of Demonic Energy, and erase them! You simply focus on feeding power into the array so the General can descend at full strength."
Mortis turned to Xeros, his tone raspy and grave, "Xeros, the maintenance and defense of this formation now falls on you. This cycle must not falter under any circumstance. Once the process completes, you must keep this formation active and protected for exactly ten minutes."
Xeros puffed his chest in arrogant pride, "Just ten minutes? Mortis, why do you fear humans so much? You speak of ten minutes—I could defend this formation for an entire hour against any hunter!"
Mortis cut him off coldly, "Do not underestimate human strength, Xeros! They are aided by ancient spirits and unpredictable awakening powers. If even a microscopic crack appears in this formation, the General will not be able to cross over at full capacity. And if that happens... nothing in this cosmos will save us from the General's wrath!"
With those words, Mortis turned away, "I am heading out to gather human sacrifices. Thousands are gathered inside the primary shelter. I will harvest their fresh blood and soul energy to fuel this formation!" With that thought, Mortis departed toward the bunker.
Meanwhile, Ken and Elena breached the subterranean chamber where the formation burned. Vladix and Xeros stood waiting. Seeing the human hunters, Vladix and Xeros activated their demonic power and launched a lethal assault.
Elena did not hesitate for a fraction of a second. Awakening her Legendary Spirit's sovereign frost authority, the ambient temperature plummeted below zero. She struck the stone floor with her palm—a massive blizzard erupted, freezing both Xeros and Vladix inside massive pillars of ice!
At that exact moment, the dark red glow of demonic energy began cracking through the ice pillars from within. Vladix and Xeros were about to shatter the ice using their unsealed demonic power, but Ken sensed the immediate danger.
Before they could fully detonate their demonic energy, Ken launched himself into the air, his fists enveloped in crushing mana. Concentrating his entire physical and spiritual power into a single strike, Ken delivered a devastating punch directly to the critical point of the frozen Xeros before the vampire could activate his demonic energy shield!
A deafening explosion echoed! Xeros couldn't even activate his energy barrier before Ken's strike shattered his body to pieces. Xeros screamed as his existence was erased forever.
Enraged by the death of his comrade, Vladix absorbed a vast surge of demonic energy into his body. His frame expanded, his skin darkened, and his physical combat power amplified ten-fold!
Opening his jaw, Vladix unleashed a catastrophic Sovereign Sonic Attack! The sonic wave was so destructive that Elena's frost constructs crumbled into fine powder instantly!
Seeing the sonic wave coming toward them, Elena summoned a colossal ice shield. The wave impacted the barrier with a deafening boom that shook the subterranean ceiling.
A violent clash ensued. With his power multiplied ten-fold, Vladix was overwhelming both Elena and Ken. His demonic strikes pushed Ken's defense to the absolute limit.
Panting heavily, Elena called out to Ken, "Ken! His power is far too high! We cannot defeat him in a direct clash... but I will create an opening! You just need to land even a light strike on that formation! A single crack will interrupt the General's invocation!"
Yet, under Vladix's overwhelming speed, neither Elena nor Ken could force an opening.
Deep inside the subterranean shelter, hundreds of citizens huddled in terror as explosions echoed from above. Hero sat isolated in a corner, analyzing the subtle vibrations.
"This is unprecedented..." Hero thought. "A standard gate break doesn't warp the sky into blood, Time. The situation outside is far worse than what we think."
Time's voice echoed, "The threat is not merely worse, Hero... it is as absolute as your own destruction! Do you truly believe these concrete walls will shield you?"
Hero replied, "This bunker is built to withstand high-tier monster attacks. We are safe here."
"You are far from safe," Time mocked. "Because devastation itself is stepping through the door in ten seconds."
Before Hero could ask further, the multi-ton alloy vault doors were blown inward with a deafening detonation! Through the smoke, Mortis stepped inside. His crimson eyes and overflowing demonic energy caused dozens of civilians to faint in terror.
"A vampire..." Hero gasped. "His power exceeds even high-tier S-Rank entities! We are doomed!"
Hero asked mentally, "Time! Can I use that 'Blaster' skill you taught me to eliminate this vampire?!"
Time laughed dryly, "You wouldn't survive ten seconds in his presence, let alone eliminate him."
"So we are all destined to die here?!"
Time's tone turned grave, "There is a way to save these people... and preserve your own life. But the price will cost you your left arm completely."
Hero looked at his hands without hesitation, "If sacrificing an arm saves hundreds of lives, I accept! Tell me how to kill him!"
"Calm yourself," Time commanded. "Control your emotions and walk up to him with absolute calm. Do exactly as I say."
Hero suppressed his fear, stood up, and walked directly into Mortis's path. Looking into the vampire's eyes, he spoke coldly, "I warned your leader not to create complications for me... it seems he failed to understand my warning."
Mortis halted, eying the boy who lacked any detectable mana, "So... you are the human Vladix spoke of? You show no presence that threatens me."
Mortis flared his demonic energy to crush the boy's psyche, but Hero forced his body to remain still.
"Step closer now," Time instructed. "Look into his eyes and place your left hand on his shoulder."
Hero stepped forward and placed his left palm onto Mortis's shoulder.
Mortis was stunned that a mortal could approach him without fear and place a hand on his shoulder!
Hero's expression turned utterly indifferent. Looking into Mortis's eyes, he said, "There is no need for astonishment, you insect... Have you become so blind that you cannot recognize your own death?"
"NOW!" Time roared. "Channel the Blaster skill! Direct your mana strictly into the tips of your two fingers!"
Hero obeyed. But the moment mana flooded his fingertips, an excruciating shockwave surged through his body as if his internal organs were rupturing. The overwhelming pressure of the Blaster skill forced his arm to move at instantaneous speed.
Before Mortis could react, Hero's two fingers impaled the vampire's neck—and then exploded!
A terrifying localized blast erupted! The recoil of the Blaster skill vaporized Mortis's head and chest instantly. Simultaneously, the violent feedback completely tore Hero's left arm from his shoulder!
Mortis's headless body collapsed, while Hero fell to the ground, covered in blood.
Lyra, the S-Rank Healer hiding in the corner, rushed to Hero in shock. The boy had eliminated a high-tier vampire in a single blow!
Seeing Hero's missing left arm and noticing a severed arm lying nearby, Lyra—without realizing the arm belonged to the dead vampire Mortis—frantically used her high-grade healing magic to attach the demonic arm onto Hero's bleeding shoulder!
As Hero's consciousness faded into darkness, a pure demonic arm was permanently fused into his body.
Back at the subway terminal, the situation was dire.
Vladix was dominating both Ken and Elena. At the center of the chamber, the blood portal tore wide open, and the massive silhouette of the Demonic General began to step into the world!
Vladix laughed wildly, "You cannot defeat me! In moments, the General will be here! It is over for all of you!"
Despair washed over Elena and Ken.
Suddenly—
The red sky exploded into brilliant white flames! A massive pillar of fire ripped directly through the subterranean ceiling, slamming into the cavern floor!
"SOLAR CLEAVAGE!"
With a roaring blast, a towering figure descended alongside the flames, striking Vladix with absolute force! The kinetic impact launched the amplified vampire through multiple walls, while the shockwave shattered the blood formation into harmless dust!
As the smoke cleared, Elena and Ken looked on in disbelief.
Standing in the crater was Arthur, the Global Rank 2 World-Rank Hunter!
Elena's eyes widened, "Arthur! You cleared the S-Rank Rift in Egypt and came straight here?!"
Arthur stepped forward, engulfed in golden solar flames. He moved to finish Vladix, but a sudden explosion of dark demonic fog swept through the cavern. Arthur immediately raised a flame barrier for protection.
When the smoke cleared... Vladix had vanished, using the dark haze to escape into the deep underground.
Arthur extinguished his flames, "He escaped... No matter, we will hunt him down later. Elena, Ken—we must clear the evolved monsters surface-side first. The energy haze has mutated them beyond S-Rank; standard hunters are being slaughtered."
Elena and Ken nodded and moved out with Arthur to reclaim the city.
In a desolate ruin far from the city center...
Vladix knelt before a dark altar, clutching his bleeding chest. Black blood pooled on the floor beneath him.
From the crack of the shattered portal, a monstrous voice echoed, "You have failed me, Vladix..."
Vladix bowed his head, his crimson eyes burning with hatred, "Forgive me, My Lord... the human anomalies disrupted the formation. But the game is far from over! Give me time, and I will sacrifice not just a city, but this entire world to you!"