"Annan, status?"
Annan pressed two fingers to his earpiece, crouching near the cracked wall of the building's east wing. "I'm in position. Beta scan shows three regular phantoms in this sector. I'm heading in. What about you guys?"
Saya's voice came through, cool and sharp. "Roof access. I sense four of them circling near the top. I'll enter from above."
Ryan chimed in, far more cheerful than the situation required. "Front entrance for me. Same number—four signatures. They're restless."
Annan nodded to himself. "Alright then. Move swiftly, clear your sectors, and we're done."
"No need to tell me twice," Saya said with a small smirk in her tone.
Ryan clicked his nunchucks together. "Let's get this show on the road."
Inside the abandoned industrial complex, the phantoms stirred. Their animal instincts clawed at the dark, reacting to the sudden influx of spiritual energy.
They felt the Hunters coming.They welcomed the challenge.
And they prepared to kill.
Annan made the first move.
The steel back door didn't just open—it exploded. The blast tore it off its hinges and sent it whistling across the room. It crashed into concrete with a deafening clang.
A hulking phantom hissed, its distorted claws scraping sparks across the floor as it charged. Its arm swung down like a guillotine.
Annan ducked, feeling the wind of the strike rip across his hair. Flames roared across his fists in an instant, swirling and snapping like hungry lions.
"Back off."
His punch landed in the phantom's chest—an eruption of fire burst outwards, swallowing the creature whole. It screamed once before collapsing into burning embers, dissolving into the air.
Two more phantoms streaked toward him.
The first had the tail of a stingray, crackling with compressed force. It lashed out, each whip creating a sonic boom that distorted the air. The tail shot toward Annan's throat—
—but he caught it bare-handed.
Flames surged up his forearms as he yanked the creature forward.
"Got you."
He inhaled, chest expanding with heat—then exhaled a blazing torrent of fire directly into its face. The phantom evaporated in an instant, leaving behind only a fading scream.
The third one was faster.Stronger.Smarter.
Its entire body compressed, legs bending like loaded springs. Needle-like thorns vibrated around its head—thousands of them.
The second it launched, the air shattered.
Sonic booms rippled through the hall as it flew like a living spear.
Annan shifted his stance, grounding himself. Flames burst from his fists, brighter, hotter—white at the centre.
"Come on then."
The phantom collided with him.
Annan struck.
The resulting explosion tore through the room. Brick dust shot into the air, phantom blood splattered the floor, and the creature's body fragmented violently before vanishing entirely.
Annan straightened, brushing soot from his jacket. "Three down."
Saya was already inside the rooftop corridor.
The moment she pushed through the door, a screech ripped across her ears—a razor-sharp soundwave that nearly knocked her off balance. A bat-like phantom burst forward, wings slicing the air like blades.
Another three hovered behind it, eyes glowing with hunger.
Saya grimaced. "Too noisy."
Her void sword materialised into her hand—sleek, black, and curved like a sliver of night. She drew it in one smooth arc.
"Void Wave."
A surge of violet-black energy exploded outward.The first phantom's head separated cleanly.The second was sliced diagonally.The third tried dodging but its wing was severed, and the wave consumed it whole.The fourth swooped down, claws raised—
Saya pivoted, sliding beneath it.Her sword flickered.The phantom's torso split silently, dissolving into ash.
She moved deeper inside—only four kills, exactly as she sensed. Not one more.
"All clear."
Ryan entered through the front.
Lightning crackled across his nunchucks, sparks dancing across the metal rods and flicking up his arms. He grinned as the four phantoms rushed him from different angles.
"Now we're talking."
He blurred into motion.
A lightning bolt disguised as a man.
His nunchucks cracked into the first phantom, launching it through a concrete pillar.
He pivoted.CRACK.Another phantom was electrocuted mid-swing before collapsing into smoke.
Two left.
Ryan vaulted into the air, spinning with unnatural speed. Sparks spiralled around him like a storm. He came down with both nunchucks striking in perfect sync.
CRACK-CRACK.
Both phantoms dropped, their cores shattered before their bodies faded away.
Ryan blew a puff of smoke from the end of one nunchuck. "And that's that."
All three Hunters regrouped at the designated meeting point behind the building—a cracked courtyard lit faintly by the moon.
Annan and Ryan arrived at the exact same moment.
Annan rolled his shoulders. "Cleared my sector."
Ryan flicked a spark off his nunchucks. "Same here. Quick and clean."
Moments later, Saya landed lightly on the pavement, void sword sheathed.
Annan raised an eyebrow. "Well, well. Look who finally showed up. Took your sweet time there, slowpoke."
Saya scoffed. "Please. My entry point was the furthest from here."
"Excuses," Annan teased. "I've heard better ones from rookies."
Saya narrowed her eyes. "You little prick."
Ryan stepped forward, hands up. "Actually, Annan… you and I arrived at the same time. And you had fewer phantoms. So technically—" He tapped Annan's shoulder. "You're the slowpoke."
Saya burst out laughing. "Ryan, you legend."
Annan's jaw dropped. "Oi! My phantoms were tougher! That last one launched sonic booms!"
"Oh really?" Ryan grinned. "So you're making excuses now?"
"I swear to—"
Saya slid between them, pushing them apart. "Enough. Mission's complete. Let's give our report to the Chairman and call it a day."
Ryan smirked. "Fine by me. I'm starving."
Annan snorted. "You're always starving."
Saya walked ahead, waving a hand dismissively. "Then hurry before Ryan eats the paperwork."
The three Hunters set off down the street, bantering all the way, their shadows stretched long beneath the moonlight.
They had no idea this easy mission was the calm before the storm.
Soon, their world—and the fate of all Hunters—would change forever.