Chapter 256

Chapter 256 - From the Abyss

"We're going!" The demon who had spoken to Ajin waved his hand backward. In the next moment, he leaped off the mountain peak!

A pair of translucent gray wings sprouted from his back, and with a roar, one of the Abyssal Monster's heads turned in his direction.

The Gray-Winged Demon didn't intend to give his opponent any time to react. Swift as lightning, he flapped his wings a few times, vanishing from Ji Huan's sight. When Ji Huan saw him again, he was already atop the middle head of the monster, but now, his once-skinny figure had swollen to five times its original size! His upper limbs were especially bulky, suspended in mid-air as he raised a gigantic fist, then, with all the downward force, he swung it fiercely—

The central head of the Abyssal Monster was smashed into the snowy ground!

"Come on!" The demon bellowed. As his cry faded, Ji Huan noticed several figures that had appeared above without his notice. They were part of the same squad as the previous demon and clearly well-trained and accustomed to working together. Almost simultaneously, they charged at the three-headed Abyssal Beast just like the first demon, using their bodies to attack!

Caught off guard, all three heads of the Abyssal Beast were buried in the snow!

Before the monster could retrieve its heads, the demons split up into action. Each one took out something from their pockets—transparent, thread-like objects. They paired up, connecting their threads to lengthen them. Afterward, they started running swiftly, using the threads to tightly bind the struggling beast as they moved.

The monster was merely slow to react. Upon realizing it was restrained, it began thrashing violently. However, despite the immense force it exerted, the thin threads seemed impervious. On the contrary, after a few struggles, the threads automatically tightened!

"Next, weaken it," the captain of the hunting squad finally issued a new command.

The binding was merely the first step; what followed was the most crucial part.

The monsters retrieved small boxes from their bosoms. Swarms of minute black insects emerged, crawling out in dense clusters. Ji Huan was too far away to discern their appearance, but their rapid spread made his scalp tingle.

"What...are those?" he whispered, unable to resist the question.

Though Ji Huan's voice was soft, Ajin heard him.

"They're Bloodsucking Beast Bugs. They're tiny and feed on the blood of high-ranking monsters or magical beasts. The creatures they feed on will weaken rapidly in a very short time."

Ajin's voice came from above Ji Huan's left. Hearing this, Ji Huan lifted his head slightly and caught sight of Ajin's profile.

Ajin's expression at that moment...

Ji Huan suddenly shuddered.

But Ajin noticed the shiver almost immediately.

"Cold?" Ajin turned to look at him and promptly removed his cloak, wrapping it around Ji Huan's shoulders.

Ajin's body temperature was perpetually cold; no garment could absorb warmth after being on him for long. Thus, the cloak draped over him felt anything but warm, carrying a chill instead. Yet—

Ji Huan found himself genuinely feeling warmer.

When Ajin draped the cloak over him, its vast expanse also enveloped Hei Dan, who was nestled by Ji Huan's legs. The diminutive monster instinctively clung to Jiujiu's calves, sharing the same cloak with them. Despite his small size, the little monster radiated warmth.

Ji Huan continued observing the "hunting" ahead.

To capture the remaining three newly arrived Abyssal monsters, the creatures employed all their tricks and skills, leaving nothing hidden. Although the Abyssal monsters' massive sizes were intimidating, there were only four of them. One had already been subdued by Hei Dan, while another was incapacitated by a hunter squad that had acted swiftly. With only two monsters left amidst nearly a hundred hunters, it didn't take long before those two also let out pained cries.

One of the magical beasts broke free from its restraints, opening its maw to devour several other monsters in one bite. However, it was soon surrounded by more creatures, and its deadly head was ultimately severed, crimson blood spattering across the pristine snow.

The chaos caused by this beast captured the attention of most hunters, allowing the last magical beast to attempt an escape. But with an overwhelming number of monsters and skilled hunters around, no matter where it fled, it was relentlessly pursued by frenzied pursuers.

Ultimately, the beast was trapped by a hunter, frozen into an icy statue, its terror and roar forever frozen in time.

The hunt persisted through the entire day, concluding only when nightfall descended upon them.

Throughout the ordeal, Ajin stood at the cliff's edge. He seemed to be watching the hunt unfold, yet his gaze appeared empty. Nobody could discern his thoughts, and due to his detached demeanor, nobody dared to approach or speak to him.

Yet, Ji Huan knew what Ajin was looking at.

Ajin... might have seen his past self in them?

The seven-day-long hunt was much more extended, and Ajin must have been far stronger than these four prey. Conversely, the monsters hunting him back then would have been even more powerful than today's hunters.

The outcome of that hunt must have been thousands of times more gruesome than this one.

This hunt had come to an end.

Though the hunters were battered and bruised, their four captured prey were on the brink of death. They were preparing to deliver the final blow before dragging them to the assembly point.

Despite their exhausted and aching bodies, the monsters seemed to be in high spirits. After all, they had hunted a rare Abyssal Beast that appeared once in a century. For hunters, this was a remarkable achievement!

Among all the monsters, Black's expression was probably the most contradictory – both the best and the worst.

His good mood stemmed from being the first to complete the hunt. As one of the top hunters, he had captured such a formidable beast without sustaining any severe injuries. Thus, his face naturally looked well-rested. However, knowing that other monsters had also caught beasts of similar rank dampened his pride, preventing his expression from truly reflecting his triumph.

"Would you like some food?" Seeing the hunters start to return, Ji Huan offered the food to Ajin. "The hunt is over. Should we head down too?"

While Ajin stood by watching the hunt, he could indeed remain motionless without eating or drinking, but Hei Dan couldn't endure it - the young monster was in the midst of growth and his stomach would get hungry on time.

Thus, as Ji Huan fed Hei Dan, he instructed the guards to take turns eating and consumed a little himself to conserve energy. Among all the monsters present, only Ajin didn't eat anything.

"I'm not hungry," Ajin shook his head.

Seeing his determination, Ji Huan passed the food down to Hei Dan, who, with his small backpack, had already gotten used to storing things for Jiujiu. Moreover, after employing Nigadi with food, he had developed a new hobby: collecting leftovers.

Thoughtfully, Hei Dan stowed away the "leftovers" Jiujiu gave him into his tiny pack. Recalling that there were still some leftovers set aside for Ajin, he scampered off with his short legs, deciding to pack those too.

Just then, Ajin's expression suddenly changed: "Wait - we can't leave."

His current demeanor was vastly different from before, and his tone was unusually grave. Not only did Ji Huan notice this, but the surrounding Huo and other monsters also perceived the shift, their gazes instantly turning towards Ajin.

However, Ajin remained silent, his slender black eyes narrowing slightly as he looked in another direction.

It was the direction where the sun was setting, towards the depths of the forest where the four Abyssal Beasts had disappeared. He kept staring, his face as still as water. His appearance was peculiar, as if... something else might emerge from there...

Wait...

It was as if something truly was approaching from that spot.

Despite being unable to see anything and the area being eerily silent, Ji Huan suddenly felt his scalp tingle, his heart pounding faster and faster, filling him with inexplicable panic.

This feeling didn't even arise when he saw the four Abyssal Beasts earlier!

The aura that even he could sense was naturally detected by the other monsters, who perceived it more acutely than Ji Huan! Wuyi's face paled, and several guards immediately transformed into their beast forms.

"How terrifying! W-What is that?!"

The sky was still bright, and the sun had yet to set in that direction. However, to the monsters, that area was now more terrifying than a black hole! Endless waves of pressure rolled in from that direction, soundlessly, yet every monster could feel the almost frightening strength emanating from it. The sensation of that awe-inspiring force was—

The Abyssal Beasts, who were initially subdued, suddenly struggled violently. This resistance far surpassed their previous defiance against the hunters. In their desperation, they burst with a strength multiple times greater than before. All but the three-headed Abyssal Beast with one severed head broke free from their restraints. They… fled?

Strangely, the hunters around them allowed them to escape. The reason was simple: Though their perception was slower than Ajin's, they too had noticed something amiss in that direction by now!

Cold sweat dripped profusely down the monsters' foreheads.

All the hunters, including Black, turned their gazes in one direction. They watched as darkness crept up the tree branches, obscuring the sun and snuffing out the last vestiges of light. Elsewhere, like the ground beneath their feet, remained illuminated. But the dense forest was already shrouded in pitch-black darkness, dividing the world into two halves of light and dark. The darkness steadily advanced, relentlessly squeezing the last stronghold of light in this bizarre spectacle.

It wasn't until the darkness enveloped their feet that the monsters realized they had been standing in the shadow of their adversary!

A deep, resonant roar suddenly echoed through the darkness, a sound that seemed to originate from the depths of ancient wilderness, reverberating in every monster's ear.

In the midst of the darkness, six enormous red lamps flickered to life. Moments later, the monsters finally caught sight of the owner of these "red lamps" - an immense, three-headed... monstrous creature of unparalleled size.

The previous four Abyssal Triple-Heads now appeared as mere ants before it. Upon seeing this monstrous beast, all the creatures believed they were staring into the abyss itself.

An abyss that moved!