I. The Descent of the Blooded
The silence Supremo had ordered was absolute. For six hours, the Phantom Troupe remained in the clearing, appearing as nothing more than a group of weary travelers resting after a difficult hunt. They ate, they maintained their gear, and they spoke in low, inconsequential tones.
But beneath the surface, the "Engine" was idling at high RPM. Supremo had distributed his aura in a subtle Focus (30%) and Mind (30%) split, maintaining a constant background analysis of the atmospheric pressure and heat displacement in the canopy.
Aboard the Kyl'k'an, K'tharr's patience was reaching its limit. The Yautja culture was built on the thrill of the chase, and the "prey" below was refusing to run.
"They are mocking us," Dax growled, his thermal vision locked on Phinks, who was currently taking a nap. "They treat our presence as a mild weather anomaly."
"No," K'tharr corrected, his eyes fixed on Supremo. "The Director is holding them in check. He knows that to move is to reveal a pattern. To attack is to reveal a limit. He is forcing us to make the first move."
K'tharr stood, his armor clicking into place. "Dax, V'khen. We will not engage the group. We will isolate the one who thinks. If we break the Director, the Spiders will scatter."
II. The Phantom Displacement
High above, three cloaked forms detached from the scout ship. Using gravity-dampening boots and active camouflage, the Yautja descended. They didn't drop into the clearing; they landed 400 meters away, moving with a silent, predatory grace that even a Nen master would find difficult to detect without active En.
Supremo felt it. Not a sound, not a scent, but a sudden, sharp spike in his Instinct (20%). The "Unseen" were no longer observing from a distance. They were on the ground.
"They're here," Supremo whispered, his voice barely a breath. "Two o'clock, four o'clock, and ten o'clock. Closing in. Do not use En. If you flare your aura, you give them a target for their technology. Stick to the plan."
Feitan's hand tightened on his umbrella. "Let them come."
Suddenly, a shimmer appeared in the air near Supremo—a distortion of light. A Plasma Caster bolt, blue and searing, streaked from the trees. It wasn't aimed at Supremo's head, but at his shoulder—a disabling shot meant to capture, not kill.
III. The Logic of the Engine
Supremo didn't flinch. He had already pre-calculated the trajectory based on the displacement of leaves milliseconds prior.
> Decision: Tactical Transition (The Fluid Shift)
>
| Attribute | Allocation | State |
|---|---|---|
| Reflex | 50% (Ultimate Reflex) | UI Evasion: His body twisted with inhuman fluidity, the plasma bolt scorching the air where his sleeve had been a microsecond before. |
| Focus | 50% (Chronoscope) | Time Dilation: He locked his gaze on the origin point of the bolt. Specialist Mode Active. |
The Result: In the slowed world of the Chronoscope, Supremo saw the "Invisible." He didn't see a person, but he saw the heat venting from the Yautja's shoulder-cannon and the microscopic refraction of light around the Hunter's cloaked frame.
Through the blur, he saw the Yautja's face—not the mask, but the thermal signature behind it. Cold. Focused. Honorable.
"I see you," Supremo thought.
IV. The First Contact
K'tharr, stunned that a "hominid" had dodged a point-blank plasma shot without looking, realized the Director was no longer playing defense.
"Engage!" K'tharr roared in his native tongue.
Dax decloaked mid-air, a hulking nightmare of mesh armor and blades, swinging a Combi-Stick down toward Supremo. Simultaneously, V'khen fired a Net Gun, the shimmering wire mesh expanding to trap the entire tree Supremo stood upon.
Supremo's response was a masterclass in King Engine efficiency.
> Decision: The Momentum Shift (No Overclock)
>
* Speed (50%) / Perception (50%): He used Speedforce to launch himself off the tree just as the net closed, moving so fast he appeared to simply vanish.
* Mind (50%) / Perception (50%): Mid-air, he activated Psychokinesis.
The Action: Using his Perception (50%) to guide his Mind (50%), Supremo didn't attack Dax. He grabbed the Net that V'khen had just fired and telekinetically yanked it into Dax's path.
Dax, caught off guard by his own teammate's weapon being turned against him, was slammed into the trunk of the tree, tangled in the electrified wire.
Supremo landed softly on the forest floor, 10 meters away. His aura was calm, but his Instinct was flared to the maximum.
"You use tools to hide your nature," Supremo said, his voice echoing in the clearing. "But in this world, nature is all we have. Show yourselves, or die in the dark."
V. The Unmasking
A low, guttural clicking sound emerged from the shadows. K'tharr stepped into the light, his cloak bleeding away like oil on water. He was massive, towering over Supremo, his skin a mottled pattern of yellow and green, his mandibles flared in a grin of respect.
He reached up and removed his bio-mask, revealing the terrifying, noble face of a Yautja Elder. He dropped his shoulder cannon to the forest floor—a gesture of Duelist Honor.
"You... analyze... well," K'tharr growled, the translator in his collar struggling with the HxH language. "Small creature. Great spirit. I am K'tharr. You are the Director."
"I am Supremo," he replied, his Engine shifting to a 50/50 Mind and Instinct split. He wanted Chrollo's "Devil" effect ready. "And you are trespassing on a hunt that does not belong to you."
Dax finally ripped himself free from the net, decloaking with a snarl of rage, his wrist blades extending. But K'tharr raised a hand, silencing him.
"This is not a trophy," K'tharr said, looking at Supremo. "This is a Trial. Your 'Nen'... it is the ultimate evolution. We wish to see if it can be broken by the ultimate skill."
The rest of the Troupe decloaked their own killing intent. Feitan, Phinks, and Machi moved into a semicircle behind Supremo. The air became heavy, the red tint of Supremo's Primal Sovereignty beginning to leak into the clearing.
The Yautja vs. The Spiders. The hunt was no longer hidden. It was a war of the Apex.