On the road—
Gein noticed the Claw Gang members retreating from the forest.
His attention shifted for only a moment.
A mistake.
BAM!
A powerful punch slammed into his chest.
"Ugh!"
Gein was thrown from his horse and hit the ground hard.
The soldiers gasped.
"Mayor Gein!"
Standing where he had been moments before was a woman with tiger ears.
Selena smiled and waved.
"Hi there, commander."
Gein slowly stood up and grabbed his sword.
Dust covered his armor.
"I assume you're one of Rin's officers."
Selena grinned.
"You bet I am."
Several soldiers immediately rushed toward her.
"Protect the mayor!"
But Gein raised his hand.
"Stop!"
The soldiers froze.
Gein pointed toward the convoy.
"Focus on protecting the civilians."
"That's our priority."
The soldiers hesitated before nodding.
"Yes, sir!"
They quickly returned to formation.
Selena laughed.
"Aw."
"Using your men as shields?"
Gein pointed his sword at her.
"No."
"I'm keeping them alive."
Meanwhile—
inside the forest—
Morgan narrowly dodged another string attack.
A tree behind him was sliced cleanly in half.
Fern clicked his tongue.
"Annoying."
Morgan fired a shot.
BANG!
Fern tilted his head and the bullet flew past him.
Then Fern smiled.
"Where's your leader?"
Morgan frowned.
"Why do you want to know?"
Instead of answering—
he suddenly lunged forward and kicked Fern directly in the face.
THUD!
Fern stumbled backward.
Morgan immediately raised his gun.
BANG!
Another shot rang through the forest.
Fern twisted aside and avoided it.
A small cut appeared on his cheek.
He touched it and looked at the blood.
Then smiled.
A dangerous smile.
"After I kill you..."
His strings slowly stretched between the trees.
"...I'll kill him next."
Morgan's grip tightened on his gun.
The battle was only getting worse.
At Lorum Village—
a loud bell suddenly rang through the streets.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Villagers immediately stopped what they were doing.
The sound meant only one thing.
Danger.
Saito and Takashi rushed out of the mansion toward the main gate.
A guard was already waiting there, breathing heavily.
"Sir Saito!"
"I see the convoy!"
Saito's eyes narrowed.
"Open the gate."
Without hesitation—
he turned and gave a sharp order.
"Wolfbeasts! Move!"
At once, Wolfbeast soldiers rushed forward from inside the gate and out into the road.
They sprinted toward the incoming convoy.
Saito stepped forward beside Takashi and watched carefully.
The convoy was coming in fast.
Too fast.
Carts were shaking.
Soldiers were shouting.
Civilians looked frightened.
Saito frowned.
"...Why are they running?"
Takashi adjusted his glasses.
"...They're in trouble."
Saito's expression immediately sharpened.
The Wolfbeast escorts reached the convoy and began guiding it toward the gate.
"Move!"
"Stay together!"
"Keep formation!"
Behind them, dust rose from the road—
and the sounds of chaos could still be heard from the direction they came from.
High above the battlefield—
on thick branches hidden by leaves—
Rin stood watching the chaos below.
His scythe rested lightly on his shoulder.
He tilted his head.
"…Should I interfere?"
Before he could move—
SHHNK!
A sharp metal spike shot through the air, piercing the branch right beside him.
Rin's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Huh."
The metal didn't stay still.
It slowly melted.
Like liquid.
Then flowed back through the air.
A man stood on a nearby branch.
His arm shimmered.
The liquid metal reshaped itself into a solid arm again.
He spoke calmly.
"Boss order."
"Save your energy for Blue Scarf."
Rin sighed.
"…Annoying."
He glanced down at the convoy moving below.
"So they sent you too."
The man nodded.
"I'll handle this."
Without waiting—
he jumped from the tree.
Below—
the convoy continued rushing toward Lorum gates.
Wolfbeast escorts were shouting orders.
"Faster!"
"Stay together!"
Saito stood at the gate watching everything unfold.
Takashi narrowed his eyes.
"…This is getting worse."
Saito didn't respond immediately.
His gaze stayed fixed on the forest.
Something felt off.
Then—
a figure dropped from above and landed directly in front of the convoy.
At the rear of the convoy—
Rick rode quickly beside the wagons, trying to keep the villagers moving.
"Come on—hurry! We're almost there!"
The carts rattled loudly as the convoy pushed forward.
Then—
SHHK!
A sharp spike of metal shot out from the forest.
"Ugh!"
A soldier at the back was suddenly struck and fell from his horse.
Rick's eyes widened.
"What?!"
The metal didn't stay still.
It melted mid-air.
Then slowly flowed backward—
returning to the man hidden among the trees.
The attacker stepped out.
Calm.
Controlled.
His eyes scanned the convoy.
"…Not here."
He didn't even look at Rick.
He immediately moved toward the villagers.
Fiona suddenly turned her head.
"Behind us!"
The guards reacted instantly.
"Stop him!"
They rushed forward.
But the man didn't slow down.
He simply raised his hand.
SLASH.
A clean strike.
Two guards were cut down instantly and collapsed.
The convoy erupted in panic.
"Move! Move!"
Fiona tightened her grip on her horse.
Rick's expression hardened.
"…This is bad."
He immediately spurred his horse forward.
"Fiona! Keep moving!"
The man continued walking through the chaos, closing in behind Fiona.
Step by step.
Unstoppable.
"…Almost there."
Fiona glanced back again.
Her eyes widened.
"He's right behind me!"
The guards tried to intercept him again.
But—
SLASH!
They were cut down before they could even reach him.
Rick gritted his teeth.
"…No time."
He suddenly turned his horse sharply.
"FIONA—MOVE!"
Then—
Rick jumped.
He launched himself off his horse and slammed directly into the attacker.
THUD!
Both of them hit the ground hard, rolling across the dirt.
On the main battlefield—
Gein and Selena clashed again and again.
Steel and fists moving at high speed.
Gein swung his sword.
Selena slipped to the side and landed a sharp punch to his shoulder.
"Ugh!"
Gein slid back slightly, then immediately turned his head.
The convoy.
It was almost at Lorum's gate.
His eyes sharpened.
"…The villagers are almost there!"
"Hold them off!"
The soldiers roared in response.
"YES, SIR!"
With the Claw Gang fighters now assisting them, the Hiraki troops surged forward with renewed force.
The battlefield erupted into chaos.
Selena clicked her tongue.
"Heh…"
"I thought this would be an easy job."
She cracked her neck.
"…I underestimated you, commander."
Gein raised his sword again.
"You should've."
Selena lunged forward.
Gein swung.
She dodged.
She kicked.
Gein caught her leg mid-air.
Selena's eyes widened slightly.
Before she could react—
Gein spun and threw her.
THUD!
Selena slammed into a nearby tree, cracking the trunk.
Deep in the forest—
Morgan continued moving through the shadows.
Every step calculated.
Every dodge precise.
SHHK!
A string sliced through the air.
Morgan ducked behind a tree.
The string passed—
and the entire tree split cleanly in half.
Fern clicked his tongue from the darkness.
"Still running."
Morgan peeked from behind cover, gun already raised.
"You talk too much."
BANG!
The shot echoed through the forest.
Fern twisted his body at the last second—
the bullet grazing past him as he disappeared back into the trees.
The battle between hunter and hunter continued—both using terrain, speed, and instinct to outread the other.
And neither was close to finishing yet.
At Morguin Town—
the air outside the White Hat base was tense and still.
White Hat members stood in formation in front of the gate, weapons ready but not raised.
Everyone was waiting.
At the front—
Shiro stood calmly with his hands in his pockets.
His eyes were fixed on the distant road leading into Morguin.
"…What will your next move be?"
He spoke softly.
"…Scrapper."
A White Hat member nearby glanced at him.
"Boss… do you think they'll come here?"
Shiro didn't look away from the horizon.
"…Not yet."
"But they're already moving."
Behind him, Herion stepped forward slightly.
"Morguin is still secure."
Shiro gave a small smile.
"That's what worries me."
The wind moved through the streets.
Flags on the buildings fluttered slightly.
Then—
Shiro's expression changed just a little.
"…They're testing us."
He lifted his head slightly.
"…Or watching our reaction."
Herion frowned.
"So what do we do?"
Shiro finally turned away from the distance and looked at his members.
"…We wait."
"But stay ready."
His smile returned—calm, but sharp.
"…Because whatever Scrapper is planning…"
"He's not coming alone."