"We got yed," Nek gritted his teeth as he was sent flying through the air, crashing through walls as his back bore the brunt of the impact.


    He didn''t know what had happened to his otherrades, but one thing was for sure: they were all wounded by that surprise attack.


    No matter how strong a hunter was, they were still human.


    Without conscious effort to protect themselves, their bodies would be susceptible to damage.


    Drawing his sword mid-air, he mmed it into the ground to break his fall.


    The de tore through the floor, sending sparks flying as he finally came to a stop.


    He knelt on the floor, gasping for breath, his body trembling from the impact.


    "BUAHHHHH!" he vomited violently, blood bursting from his lips as the adrenaline faded. His body convulsed with each heave, blood sttering against the cracked floor.


    Trembling, he reached for his chest, fingers tracing the jagged lines of broken ribs poking through torn flesh.


    "This is not good, " With a gasp, he realized the extent of the damage, feeling the searing pain of internal ruptures in chest.


    But despite the searing pain, he fought to stay conscious .


    As a seasoned veteran hunter, he had faced wounds like this before and knew what to do.


    He took a deep breath and activated his body''s natural healing process.


    When a hunter reached a certain level, they could regenerate their bodies like demons by essing the Rune embedded inside them.


    The Rune inside him was simr to the one Jayden had found in Summit City, but unlike Jayden''s, which had been forcibly activated, Nek''s had been absorbed naturally.


    As a result, it had adapted and stabilized, resembling a Demon Core in its properties, but without the need for human consumption to fuel its growth.


    This was also how they were able to executesuch massive attacks before.


    They were unaware of the origin of these runes or how they came into existence.


    All they knew was that they could be harnessed by hunters, particrly those who had perfected their breathing techniques to a certain level.


    However, not just any hunter or human could use them.


    One must possess a certain level of skill to absorb the runes, or they would just explode from theconcentrated energy inside it.


    In a way, Jayden not dying on the spot after forcefully using it meant that his potential was extraordinarily high.


    Had Jayden not met his death at the hands of Reign, he could have reached a legendary status within the Hunter Association.


    "I need to regroup with the others," Nek mumbled, determination flickering in his eyes as he sensed that he could move again.


    The only way they could survive this situation was to coordinate their attacks. There was no way they could win one-on-one against a demon lord of Reign''s caliber.


    "I''ll help you with that," a sadistic and yful voice echoed from behind, forcing him to turn and sh his katana out of instinct.


    But instead of his weapon striking the demon, Nek''s gaze fell on Reign, who held Bynum''s wounded body in his grasp


    NO!!!" Nek shouted with regret, but it was toote.


    The momentum of his de had already begun, and Reign cruelly maneuvered their leader''s body so that it would sever his neck.


    SLASH!


    Bynum''s head flew into the air as the force of his own long time teammate''s attack struck him dead on the spot, severing his neck like a piece of paper.


    In that moment, memories flooded Nek''s mind—countless battles fought side by side, shared victories and defeats, moments of camaraderie and friendship.


    "This is not a movie so stop daydreaming," Reign''s cold voice echoed as he seized the opportunity to swing his Skull Grinder, now thinner after the upgrade.


    "I will kill you!" Nek roared in anger, matching his opponent''s swing with his own sword.


    The air hummed as both sides swung their weapons with the intent to kill.


    BOOOOOM!


    The sh of steel reverberated through the air, causing a shockwave that echoed across the building.


    Nek''s muscles strained as he pushed against Reign using his two hands to grip his katana.


    Meanwhile, Reign grinned from ear to ear, effortlessly holding his weapon with one hand, barely exerting any effort.


    ''Time to test it an actualbat,'' he thought to himself.


    BUUZZZZZZ


    The cutting teeth of the Skull Grinder began to spin, forcing Nek to moved his katana away to avoid the downward force .


    He then leaped backward to create distance, knowing his enemy was a master of close-quartersbat after their brief exchange.


    But once again, he was caught off guard as small projectiles bombarded him.


    CLANG!


    CLANG!


    CLANG!


    CLANG!


    Forced to swing his sword faster and faster, Nek struggled to block the nonstop barrage of bone shrapneling from Reign.


    Each shard glinted as his de moved quickly, shing through the air.


    Sparks flew each time he deflected a piece.


    His arms tired out, muscles straining with each swing, but the attack continued, and he had to keep controlling his breathing to sustain blocking the projectiles.


    He didn''t know what these bone shrapnels could do, so it was better to avoid being hit by them if possible.


    But as time passed, he discovered a scary realization: the shrapnels were getting faster and heavier, indicating that his enemy was toying with him, slowly increasing the power of the attacks.


    It felt like trying to fend off a heavy rain with just an umbre, each shard wearing down his strength and focus.


    The floor around him became littered with pieces of bone shrapnel, showing his desperate fight.


    ''What the hell is this fighting style?'' Nek couldn''t believe what he was seeing.


    He had fought demon lords before, but this was the first time he had encountered someone who could seamlessly transition from onebat style to the next.


    He could tell that every movement and action that his enemy was doing was calcted, part of a meticulously nned strategy being executed wlessly.


    ''Not good.'' Sensing danger, he leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the chains that erupted from the floor.


    The chains weren''t strong enough to actually harm him, but because he was being constantly attack , he assumed they possessed greater power than they actually did.


    This was another of Reign''s psychological tactics to disrupt his opponent''s rhythm.


    Now, vulnerable in mid-air, Nek was open to attack.


    Reign wasted no time, seizing the opportunity.


    With a quick motion, he lunged forward, his Skull Grinder gleaming and humming ominously in the air.


    Before Nek could even register what was happening, the de sliced through his neck withser like precision, blood spraying out in a crimson arc as his head was cleanly severed .


    THUD!


    THUD!


    Nek''s body and head fell separately to the ground with a dull thud.


    His eyes fixed on his own decapitated body, the strike had been too quick that it took a moment for his head toprehend that he was already dead.


    As his vision slowly blurred, he saw Reign walking towards him.


    "Don''t worry," Reign sneered as he crouched down to get a better look at Nek''s head. "I''ll make sure to make you stronger and less stupid after I make you my ve."