Hunter Of The Six Realms

Chapter 4

Outside the portal

"How many hours has it been?" Cladius, one of the evacuation and rescue team members asked his other teammates.

"About....three hours."

"If they aren't out after 1 hour, we go in." Cladius concluded.

The evacuation and rescue team were all earth realm users, they could manipulate earth, tell location by listening to the earth for footstep echoes, heal injuries, create walls for protection and we're also good in combat just in case of emergency. They were all either B or A rank.

Inside the portal (Beast realm)

"How is he always so damn accurate with time?"Stark asked as he looked down at his pocket watch to confirm if Kaizen was correct, he raised a brow in both amazement and intrigue.

"He can sense mana accurately too." Someone chipped in.

"Lara, is Rael fully healed now?" Hawk asked, his gaze still locked on the direction the last beast had come from.

Lara gave a quick nod. "Physically, yes. But he'll need rest. That hit did a number on his ribs."

Rael shifted with a wince. "I'll live. Just don't ask me to sprint anytime soon."

"Good. Stay in the center from now on," Hawk instructed. "We can't afford another surprise hit like that."

Kaizen stayed quiet, arms folded as he leaned slightly against a tree. He wasn't trying to fade into the background, it just happened naturally. He was used to being the unoticed side character since no one ever expected much from him.

Stark, the ice-user turned to Rael. "Seriously though, how did you not see that coming? You've got quicker reflexes than most of us."

Rael gave a dry laugh. "Didn't expect a tank-sized beast to burst through trees like a drunk bear. Guess I got too comfortable."

"You're lucky you're not dead," Kira said plainly, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, well..." Rael's eyes flicked briefly to Kaizen. "I had unexpected backup."

Several of them turned to look at Kaizen but no one commented.

"Alright," Hawk said, interrupting the quiet tension. "We've got roughly forty-five minutes before the rescue team starts prepping to enter. That means we find the hound stone now and get out before they even take a step through the portal."

"What if there's more of those armored beasts?" Stark asked, wiping some sweat from his neck. "We got lucky this time."

"We don't depend on luck," Hawk replied firmly. "We use formation, control, and teamwork. Everyone keeps their positions tight, no wandering off."

"And Kaizen?" someone muttered from the back.

"He sticks close to Rael," Hawk said without missing a beat. "He's already proven he's not dead weight, and Rael's still recovering."

Rael didn't argue.

Kaizen gave a small nod and took a few steps closer to the center. He didn't smile or say anything. He didn't need to. For now, no one was pushing him away. And that feeling gave him a sense of fulfillment he couldn't describe.

All his life, he had always been the outcast, the unusual one, the unlucky one, the bastard with no origin. But for once, just for this one time, they accepted him. All because he saved a life? Well, if that's what it took to be accepted by everyone, he was just gonna keep saving lives any chance he gets.

They started moving again, but the deeper they went, the more unnatural the terrain became. Trees grew at strange angles, and the soil felt hot underfoot in patches. The air grew denser too, like they were walking into a cave without walls.

"Anyone else feel like we're being watched?" Kira asked suddenly, scanning the dark shapes between twisted roots.

"You're not wrong," Stark said, his hand resting near the hilt of his blade. "The mana's… different here. Feels like something's hiding."

Kaizen's eyes narrowed. "I can sense two signatures ahead. Low movement. One's pacing. The other hasn't moved at all."

This time, he decided not to hide anything from them. Before now, he used to prefer to just shut the hell up during raids since no one ever took him seriously whenever he mentioned something. He could sense mana, which meant anything containing mana, human, beast and portal, Kaizen could sense them from miles away.

The squad froze.

"How far?" Hawk asked.

Kaizen pointed. "Just beyond those trees. Not far. One of them is large. The other is… irregular." somehow, he couldn't sense the rank of the second one, but the first was definitely a D rank beast.

"Stark. Kira. Flank left. Lara, stay back. The rest, come with me," Hawk ordered immediately.

The team split without hesitation.

Kaizen followed Rael, who kept a firm grip on his weapon despite still limping slightly. "You sure you're good?" Kaizen asked quietly.

Rael snorted. "Don't go getting soft on me now."

They moved quickly.

As they approached the location Kaizen had mentioned, they came into a small clearing. A beast, four-legged, thick-skinned, with glowing blue lines pulsing under its hide stood still, staring right at them.

And right behind it, half-buried in a pile of stones, was what looked like the hound stone.

"There it is," Kira whispered.

"We take out the beast fast and clean," Hawk said. "No fancy spells. Just coordinated strikes."

The squad spread out.

But just as they were preparing to move, the second mana signature shifted.

And then they saw it.

A second beast. Not four-legged. Not glowing.

It was Humanoid.

Its body was thin, almost skeletal, with stretched skin and glowing red eyes. It had no mouth. Just a twisting black hole where one should be.

It let out a soundless screech.

"What the hell is that?" Stark breathed, stepping back instinctively.

"No clue," Hawk said, jaw tightening. "But that thing is not supposed to be in a D-rank portal."

The soundless beast lunged, not at the squad, but straight toward Lara.

Damnit it's smart, it knows she's the healer of the team and wants to get rid of her first.

Lara stumbled back, caught off guard.

Kaizen moved first, without wasting a moment.

He threw himself between the creature and Lara, dagger already in motion. The blade cut across the thing's chest, but it didn't bleed. It didn't even flinch.

The soundless beast shoved him with one long, bony arm.

Kaizen flew back, hit the ground hard, rolled twice before stopping near a tree trunk.