Jackson burst into laughter.

"Chosen by the Lords? What are you—

some priestess of a faith?"

His tone was mocking—

but his crimson, serpent-like eyes glowed faintly.

"That boy is nothing but a human ...

both blessed... and cursed."

At the same moment he spoke,

Jackson shifted into a combat stance ...

catching everyone off guard.

But the shout that came from above an instant later

made the reason clear.

"Monster incoming from the front! Everyone, prepare!"

Ethan and Chai had spotted it first ...

a monstrous giant, cloaked in pitch-black fur,

horns bursting from its skull,

with massive arms far larger than its own body.

Ethan’s expression darkened the moment he saw it.

It was the same creature

he had encountered in his early days.

"So fate finally brings us together again...

you cursed beast."

Ethan was about to draw the Executioner’s Blade ...

but he stopped at the last moment,

as a towering figure leapt skyward.

Jackson.

His jump was so powerful

that he soared above Ethan and Chai—

no grappling hook, no aid ...

just raw, overwhelming strength.

He landed briefly on a rooftop,

then sprinted forward with terrifying speed,

his massive arms swinging wildly ...

like a living war machine.

The monster noticed him instantly,

letting out a deafening roar as it charged forward.

Its massive arm smashed into the building

where Jackson had been ...

obliterating it with a single, explosive blow.

But Jackson had already leapt ...

now airborne directly above the creature.

Drawing in a massive breath,

his lungs filled as his arms swelled—

veins coiling beneath his skin like serpents.

He pulled his fist back as far as it could go ...

using the momentum of his fall

to unleash a devastating strike.

The punch tore through the air and crashed directly into the monster’s skull.

Before Ethan and the other Hearts,

Jackson’s fist shattered half of the creature’s head ... 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

a colossal beast reduced to a screaming, broken thing,

howling in agony.

But Jackson didn’t stop.

Grabbing onto its fur,

he rained down a barrage of crushing blows ...

each strike so powerful

that shockwaves rippled through its body.

The monster staggered ... slamming into buildings,

bleeding profusely—

until it finally collapsed, lifeless,

its skull half gone and face completely destroyed.

Jackson stood atop its corpse,

exhaling slowly ...

before turning back toward the hunters.

"Let’s keep moving."

Watching him obliterate such a beast so effortlessly,

Ethan let out a quiet laugh as he moved forward.

"Maybe we should’ve just let him search on his own..."

Even now, he was astonished ...

Jackson had crushed one of the strongest monsters

with nothing but his bare fists—

without even activating Aura Armor.

’Aura Armor grows stronger with mastery...

Jackson must be at least on the level of a Saint...

so how strong would he be if he actually used it?’

Ethan wondered ...

but quickly dismissed the thought.

As long as Jackson was an ally ...

that was all that mattered.

The raid continued.

And little by little ... more horrors began to emerge.

Creatures far more grotesque

than anything in the outskirts ...

some resembling massive insects,

crawling on eight limbs,

with enormous heads covered in hundreds of eyes—

like monstrous flies.

They spat highly corrosive acid ...

capable of melting flesh and bone

within seconds—

making them extremely dangerous to deal with.

Jackson handled most of them ...

but even he couldn’t cover everything alone.

Soon, the hunters were forced to engage in battle.

Especially when other creatures appeared—

twisted humanoids,

their limbs replaced with bladed edges ...

sharp enough to slice through stone and brick effortlessly.

They came in overwhelming numbers—

forcing Ethan to descend from the rooftops

to fight alongside the others below ...

while Chai remained above,

raining arrows down upon the battlefield without pause.

Relying on the Executioner’s Blade and his Aura Armor,

Ethan managed to cut down many of them ...

but it was anything but easy.

Their flesh was unnaturally tough,

forcing him to pour immense strength into every strike just to sever them.

The mages supported from the rear,

and it quickly became clear that fire was their weakness ...

the moment flames touched them,

the creatures faltered, thrashing violently.

That discovery shaped their strategy ...

burn them first,

then finish them with blades and heavy weapons.

The twisted humanoids attacked in swarms ...

relentless and overwhelming ...

unlike the giant insect horrors,

far stronger, but thankfully handled by Jackson alone.

"This is insane... half of us would be dead

if not for that man."

Ethan muttered grimly, realization sinking in.

"If this is the level of monsters here...

then what exactly is that cursed cathedral hiding?"

He refused to dwell on it—

instead, he focused on the battle.

Taking a deep breath,

he unleashed his control .

guiding the Executioner’s Blade through the skulls of his enemies,

while wielding another massive greatsword with his Legion Arm.

Though the second blade was heavy ...

longer than his own height ...

he manipulated it with ease,

thanks to the mechanical arm.

Cutting through monster after monster,

Ethan carved down large numbers ...

easing the pressure

on the other hunters.

After nearly half an hour of relentless combat,

the monstrous tide finally subsided ...

and they secured victory.

The corpses of the twisted humans littered the ground ... grotesque bodies piled in horrifying numbers,

their foul blood seeping from their mutated forms,

polluting the battlefield.

Jackson’s battlefield was even worse.

Each insect corpse was the size of a building—

yet he had crushed them all,

some reduced to pulp beneath collapsed ruins.

They had won.

But not without cost.

In that first battle alone—

four hunters died.

Five more were injured—

some lightly... others gravely.

Covered in blood,

Ethan exhaled slowly, surveying the aftermath.

He himself had taken damage but his demonic body endured it without issue.

The others weren’t so fortunate.

Jackson returned as well ...

his skin burned red from enduring the corrosive acid.

What Ethan saw

was far from reassuring.

"All this...

from just the first battle."

Muttering under his breath,

Ethan began to seriously doubt

whether they could accomplish anything

with their current strength.

Fortunately—

there was one piece of good news.

Chai’s voice rang out from above.

"Over here! I found something!"

From the rooftops—

he had seen flames...

and other humans fighting in the distance.

They had found them.

Moon... and the others.

And with that ... hope returned.