KA-BOOOM!

"ARGH!" Those who were unconscious were instantly jolted awake by the humongous shockwave that blasted through the entire battlefield.

The vibration alone rattled the cracked earth, making dust and debris rain down in small showers. Slowly, they all began rising up in unison, groaning and blinking in disarray. Among them were Zach, the snake hybrid, and his other friends.

Along with Jasmine and Jim.

"Wh… what happened?" Zach muttered as he held his head, totally dazed from being knocked out. His eyes were unfocused, his legs wobbling as if they could give way at any moment.

'Wh… why do I feel strange? What just happened? And how did I get knocked out?' Jasmine thought in confusion as she scanned the broken battlefield, struggling to piece together the chaos around her.

The dust finally began to settle, revealing the aftermath. Jake was now on his knees, huffing and panting heavily. His hybrid form had reverted back to his human body, but his skin was bloodied, his arms bruised and torn. The exhaustion in his gaze was clear, yet there was still a flicker of defiance burning in his eyes.

A few metres away lay Lenny's body. He was sprawled inside the massive crater, his head buried deep in the center while the rest of his form remained visible. His body was still encased in his hybrid form, but he was unmoving, as still as a corpse.

Zach, who had only just regained his senses, froze at the sight.

'Huh? How did brother lose? How did Jake win?' He staggered forward, his heart pounding in his ears. 'But why isn't he moving? Is he unconscious? He has to be unconscious… right?'

Lana and Daki, who had witnessed everything from beginning to end, exchanged worried glances. They knew the truth. They had seen Jake's final strike, and they feared the reaction Zach was about to have.

Zach slowly made his way towards the crater, his boots crunching the shattered ground. But the moment his eyes fell fully on his brother's figure, he halted, his entire body stiffening like stone.

His pupils dilated in horror. Lenny's head was twisted at a grotesque, unnatural angle, blood trickling from the torn veins in his neck, dripping into the crater. His eyes were wide open but lifeless, staring blankly into the void.

"Wh… what happened? Br… brother Lenny!" Zach stammered, his voice trembling as his legs quivered beneath him. He couldn't bring himself to move forward, his eyes growing moist as realization clawed into his heart.

"No, no, no, no!" Zach finally screamed as he forced his body to move. He dashed forward in a burst of desperation, dropping into the crater in a rush. He grabbed his brother's limp head with both hands, shaking him frantically.

He touched his neck. No pulse. He pressed his chest. No rise. No fall. No breath.

Zach's head spun almost instantly, his mind collapsing into a haze of disbelief and anguish.

"Le… Lenny? Lenny! Lenny! Wake the fuck up now!" Zach roared in pain, his voice breaking as tears began spilling freely down his face.

Nearby, Jim, who was staggering and bleeding, scanned the battlefield through blurred vision. His heart sank when his eyes landed on Max's body, lying far away in the dust. With every ounce of energy he could muster, he forced himself forward, dragging his injured frame step by step.

'No, no, no, no! Please Max! Please be okay. You have to be okay.' Jim pleaded inwardly, his vision trembling with moisture. Within a minute, he collapsed beside Max and dropped to his knees.

"Max? Max!" Jim called out in desperation as he turned the dragon's limp body onto his back. His hands trembled violently as he checked for signs of life. At first, there was nothing.

Then, he noticed it. Max was still breathing, but the breathing was shallow… too shallow. It looked like he wasn't breathing at all, yet his chest barely moved. He was alive, but only barely clinging on.

"Thank goodness." Jim exhaled shakily, relief washing through him even as dread lingered.

But then a heart-wrenching cry pierced the air, louder than anything else on the battlefield.

"NOOOO! Lenny! You can't go like this!" Zach roared, his tears falling endlessly onto his brother's corpse. His cries were filled with torment and despair, echoing against the ruined land. "What am I supposed to tell Dad? What should I tell our older brother? Come on bro! Come back here now!"

The battlefield grew eerily silent except for his desperate wails, the sound of a heart breaking apart in real time.

Jake was still on his knees, his head bowed low as blood freely trickled down from his abdomen and face. His breathing was ragged, shallow, yet despite everything, he was still alive. His body trembled, but his spirit remained unbroken.

Jasmine, Lana, and Daki stirred, exchanging quick glances before they walked toward him. Their expressions were tense, concern lacing every step as they moved to shield him instinctively.

"Wh… who did this to you?!" Zach cried out suddenly, his voice breaking with anguish. But then the reality struck him like a dagger. He remembered that Lenny had been battling Jake. His grief twisted into fury in the blink of an eye, and his gaze snapped toward the hunter on his knees.

Wiping the tears roughly from his face, Zach stood tall. His body quivered with rage, and without hesitation, he bolted straight at Jake, who was now surrounded protectively by the three girls. Dust kicked up beneath his sprint, his eyes blazing with venomous intent.

"I will kill you!" Zach thundered angrily, his voice cracking with both rage and despair. Spikes erupted violently from his skin, jutting out with sharp intent as he prepared to strike. But before he could reach Jake, Lana spun around, her eyes flashing. With a sharp crack, a single wing burst out from her back, and she swung it forward with brutal force.

Zach instinctively raised his arms in front of his face. The spikes hardened, covering him like a shield. He managed to block the wing strike, but the sheer force sent him skidding across the ground, carving lines into the cracked dirt.

Grinding his teeth, he steadied himself. Swinging his arm out with fury, he scowled deeply, his bloodshot eyes locked on Jake.

"Step aside now! He killed my brother!" Zach roared, his voice echoing across the ruined battlefield.

"You caused this yourself!" Jasmine snapped back, her tone sharp as steel. She glared directly at him, her voice rising with fury. "If you had stayed in your damn lane and not messed with Max, none of this would have happened.

He wouldn't have retaliated, which means you wouldn't have dragged your gang into this mess. You were the one who called them here and forced your brother into this fight. If anybody is to blame for Lenny's death, it's you, Zach! You killed your brother!"

"NO!" Zach cried out, his voice breaking as his hands shot up to grab his hair. He tore at it, trembling violently as tears streamed endlessly down his face.

Jake said nothing. He remained silent, staring blankly into space, his eyes clouded with exhaustion and pain. He didn't even flinch as the girls tightened their stance around him, shielding him from any further harm.

"I didn't kill Lenny! I never wanted to kill him!" Zach sobbed, his voice hoarse. "I just… I wanted him to teach Max a lesson and maybe… maybe kill him! I thought he was strong enough! I thought… I thought I would be avenged!" His body shook uncontrollably as he fell to his knees, clutching his chest as his head spun with despair.

"Too bad your foolishness cost you your brother's life." Lana's voice cut through the air, cold and merciless. "I don't feel sorry for you. Not one bit. You brought this upon yourself." Her face was devoid of pity, her eyes as sharp as blades.

Zach collapsed completely then, sobbing into the ground. His shoulders trembled violently, his hands pressed against the dirt as if he could bury his grief there. Slowly, he lifted his head toward Lenny's body. His vision blurred with tears, and unwanted memories began flooding in.

Memories of him and Lenny playing as children, laughing and sharing moments of joy. Memories of their father, the head of their family, a powerful man who had birthed three sons and molded them for different paths.

He had entrusted the eldest with the gang's future, given Lenny his trust as an enforcer, and decided that Zach would walk another road—the path of the Hunter Association. His reasoning had been to give Zach respect, recognition, and security.

But Zach had never felt chosen. He had always been the overlooked one. The one their father and older brother never had time for. Only Lenny had made the effort, always finding moments to be by his side, to laugh with him, to remind him he mattered. Lenny had been his anchor, his favorite brother, the one who had made him feel seen.

And now that anchor lay broken in a crater, lifeless.

"Argh! NOOOO!" Zach's scream ripped through the battlefield, raw and broken as he clawed at the ground in grief. His cries carried the weight of a shattered soul.

Then suddenly, without warning, glowing portals began to form around the battlefield. The air hummed with power as two rifts ripped open in space, their edges swirling like whirlpools of light.

From the first stepped the Association's medics, dressed in white uniforms, their expressions grim as they rushed forward with urgency. From the second emerged a superior hunter, his presence heavy and commanding, his sharp eyes scanning the devastation in an instant.

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