In the end, everyone was forced to abandon the residential area, fleeing with tears streaming down their faces, their sobs echoing the pain of being treated like mere cattle, their existence reduced to mere sustenance for another''s hunger.


    Reign decided to inflict further damage, taking the lives of couple dozens more before returning to the site and beginning to absorb everyone present.He could not let all this dead bodies go to waste .


    [Level up + 1]


    [Level up + 1]


    He leveled up two more times, bringing his level to 17.


    Reign decided to also speed up the absorption process, and allocated two more skill points to Bone Eater, enhancing his ability to quickly consume corpses.


    And even with that, it still took him a while, the process of absorbing hundreds of dead bodies consumingtime.


    During this gap, those who managed to escape had enough opportunity to call for backup.


    "What''s that sound?" Reign questioned, his attention momentarily diverted from his gruesome task of devouring more humans, as a loud noise came from the sky above.


    And when he focused his eyes, utilizing the enhanced vision of Mantis eyes, he saw something that nearly made him thought that he was on a war zone.


    Four Apache-type helicopters and one carrier-type ck helicopter were en route, their full speed and roaring engines indicating they meant business.


    Little did Reign know, there was a military base nearby.


    Unlike gangs, drug dealers, and other criminal organizations, the government protected legitimate businesses fiercely.


    They would bring forth hell to anyone who dared disrupt any part of the Chamber of Commerce.


    Reign had managed to evade the full force of the government''s wrath after the massacre of Cyril''s family due to their involvement in the retailing business, a sector perceived as receable.


    However, the tycoons who owned the manufacturing industry were shielded byyers of protection, making them almost untouchable.


    WOOOOSH!


    The four helicopters suddenly fired missiles in his direction, causing Reign to be a bit intimidated by it.


    Uncertain of the power of those weapons, he couldn''t help but feel threatened by it.


    Reacting fast, he used his full speed to dodge the iing projectiles.


    The subsequent explosion mirrored a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster, with houses being decimated one after another in its wake.


    The loud explosions sent shockwaves through the air, engulfing the entire residential area in billowing clouds of ck smoke.


    But the attack was far from over.


    "Let''s go!" A man in his 40s, d in a ck kimono, barked out the order.


    With him were five more Hunters, who leaped to the ground, determined to finish the job with their own hands.


    These two groups, assigned to the military base nearby, were far stronger and more experienced than the one Reign had encountered before.


    While they were still far from the level of the Two Digits hunters, their extensivebat experience allowed them to act and utilize their strengths more efficiently.


    As theynded on the ground, they immediately donned visors over their eyes and activated their breathing techniques to increase their physical attributes.


    Their movements were fast and powerful, they moved with incredible speed as they tried to pin point the location of the demon that had cause all this trouble.


    From within the swirling cloud of smoke, Reign observed the iing group, a creepy smile slowly forming on his face as he recognized their strength and skill.


    "Finally, some good mutation material," he chuckled sadistically, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.


    But he was not foolish enough to engage them head-on right away.


    Instead, he focused his gaze on the helicopters, which continued to provide them with aerial surveince.


    He raised his right arm and grasped it with his left, then knelt on the ground like he was nning to use a rocketuncher.


    Using bone control, he altered the shape of the w bullet.


    This time, the w bullet forming in his palm was thicker and shaped like a sharp spike, rather than the usual smaller version.


    With his exceptional eye coordination and reaction time, Reign predicted the direction the helicopter would move.


    Shooting from the ground up required more energy, but it posed no issue for him given the ample reserves he possessed.


    "Lock on," Reign muttered, his body vibrating from the recoil.


    The smoke around him scattered as the shockwaves from his attack pierced the air with a powerful force.


    "Evade ! Evade !" the co-pilot shouted as he saw the projectile hurtling toward them.


    But their efforts were futile.


    The projectile found its mark, destroying their rotors with devastating force, forcing them into an emergencynding.


    The pilots of the other helicopters, witnessing the fate of theirrade, immediately increased their altitude in a bid to evade another attack.


    However, Reign wasted no time inunching his assault against them .


    BOOOOOOOM!


    One of the helicopters was directly hit, the force of the impact causing it to explode mid air.


    BOOOOOOOM!


    Another one went down as the cockpit and the pilot were directly prated, causing the helicopter toe crashing down to the ground.


    As for the fourth one, it managed to ascend to a height beyond Reign''s reach, evading any further attacks.


    On the ground


    The hunters were taken aback by the sudden chain of explosions, their expressions shifting from determination to concern and disbelief.


    "Shit, we''re dealing with at least a Mid or maybe Peak High Demon!" one of them eximed, realization dawning upon them.


    They had thought they were here to trap and kill a demon, but now they understood that they were the true prey in this deadly game.


    "Let''s retreat..." A man with bald hair suggested, but before he could finish his words, he instinctively felt danger and raised his sword.


    CLANG!


    He was struck by a projectile, and was sent staggering back ten steps, his sword trembling from the force of the impact.


    "Be careful, it''s here," he groaned in pain, his wordsced with urgency and warning.


    "You''re the one that needs to be careful," Reign''s voice echoed behind him.


    The hunter pivoted to intercept the iing strike with his sword, but Reign''s w was faster, already piercing his abdomen before he could fully react.


    "I... Impossible," the bald hunter gasped, blood seeping from his lips, his eyes filled with despair as he saw Reign''s power firsthand.


    The realization struck hard: this was not something that a mere two groups of veteran Hunters could handle.


    It wasn''t that the bald man was weak. In fact, he was at least twice as strong as James.


    Butpared to Reign now, who had be dozens of times stronger, there was simply no chance for the hunter to win.


    Reign pullout his w , and did not waste time and run towards the other hunters .


    This time, the hunters were prepared, and the two of them attacked Reign simultaneously, believing that their teammate''s death was due to a surprise attack, and not because of overwhelming gap in power.


    "Too slow," Reign sneered in contempt as he effortlessly dodged the first attack, sidestepping the iing strike.


    Then, with a backflip, he evaded the second hunter''s attempt to pierce his side abdomen. .


    "Hey, you gotta do more than that if you want to hit me," Reign taunted, hisughter echoing through the air as he jumped effortlessly out of reach of their attacks.