CHAPTER 24: [BACK-UP ARRIVES]

Kairo landed with force, boots crunching into the fractured asphalt. His crimson dome of blood dissolved behind him with a hiss, retreating into steam and droplets that vanished midair.

No hesitation.

No wasted breath.

The moment his boots hit the ground, the rest of his team followed—leaping from the shattered ledge of the crumbling building above. T

hey dropped down like streaks of movement, landing in perfect sync beside him. No words were needed. They’d done this a hundred times before.

Formation came naturally.

Mio fanned out to the left, thread-laced fingers twitching like a puppet master waiting to pull strings. Zaira moved right, her aura flickering with subtle psychic static.

And Melon—smirking, loose, half-joking as always—stayed just a step behind Kairo, his hands already glowing with the green pulse of summoned flora.

But the ogres didn’t chase.

Again.

Like puppets with no master to pull the string... they simply stood there.

Watching.

Waiting.

The boss ogre’s hulking figure was still rooted in place, its massive greatsword planted into the earth at its side like a totem. Its mouth still hung open, vibrating with that unnatural roar—only now, it wasn’t just sound.

It was pressure.

Every pulse of noise vibrated through the ground.

And the mutated ogre?

Still twitching. Still snarling. But not moving.

’They’re not attacking unless we do...’ Eli realized, heart thudding against his ribs. ’They’re guarding something. Or someone. Or maybe—each other?’

His eyes drifted to the way the boss ogre kept glancing—not at them, but at the scattered corpses of the fallen ogres on the battlefield.

’No... it’s watching the dead. Why?’ Did it have a way to make them move again?

The idea sent a cold chill down his spine.

Kairo clicked his tongue, a sharp and familiar sound that brought Eli back into the present. The S-Class Hunter turned and gave a single, tight nod to his squad.

"Stay close," he ordered.

No questions. No comments. They obeyed without hesitation, falling back behind the half-toppled frame of what used to be a storefront—windows shattered, shelves overturned, a broken neon OPEN sign blinking weakly above their heads.

For a few precious seconds... they had cover.

"Kai," Mio said first, voice low but urgent. He flexed his hands, strands of invisible thread dancing around his fingers like they had a will of their own. "Quick rundown. What the hell are we looking at?"

Kairo didn’t answer immediately. He took a deep breath.

Then...

"The one with the sword is the boss. S-Class classification—maybe higher. It hasn’t stopped roaring since this began, and from what we’ve seen... it’s powering the other one." He gestured toward the snarling, vine-entangled mutant still struggling a block away. "That one."

"Higher?"

Mel squinted toward it. "The fuck? You’re telling me it’s... buffing the mutated one? Just by yelling?"

Zaira let out a low whistle. "I didn’t know ogres could do that."

"They can’t." Kairo’s voice was grim, clipped. "Not the ones we know. This is new. Different. Mutation didn’t start until after the roar began. Doesn’t match any dungeon signature I’ve seen—not even the deep-tier ones."

Mio’s brows drew tight, eyes narrowing. "So... what? You think it’s evolving... on command?"

Eli flinched.

’Evolving...’

That word wasn’t just unnerving. It was terrifying. It meant unpredictability. It meant escalation.

Monsters were already strong enough in their base forms.

But evolving?

’That’s something the hunter’s association really need to look into... before something worse shows up.’

Kairo didn’t reply. But the way his jaw tightened said enough.

Zaira stepped forward, brushing debris off her jacket. "If it helps, we know why no one else showed up."

Kairo turned to her. "Talk."

"There are monsters across the whole city. Not just here in Aureum Heights. We passed two torn districts on the way—Hunters were spread thin. Some were on break, and monsters just showed up in their own neighborhoods. Others are mid-raid and haven’t even gotten the alerts."

Kairo swore under his breath. "Of course they haven’t."

Zaira’s face hardened. "D-Class and C-Class responders tried to contain the early breakout here. Either got evacuated or... wiped. We found their last location. No signals left."

A breath passed between them.

Kairo let it out through his nose, sharp. "Then we end this. Now."

He turned to Mel without waiting for a reply. "You’re with me. The boss is huge, but don’t let that fool you—it’s fast. I’ll aim for direct strikes. You slow it down. Trip it. Bind it. Distract it. Whatever it takes."

Mel gave a two-fingered mock salute. "Copy that, Captain."

Kairo turned again, eyes sharp as knives. "Zaira. Mio. Mutated ogre’s yours. Keep it busy. Kill it if you can. Especially if it tries to protect the boss."

Zaira cracked her knuckles and smiled like she’d just been handed dessert. "Gladly."

Mio gave a half-shrug, letting a few strands of thread tighten between his fingers until they vibrated in the air like tuning forks. "If it even looks at you funny, I’m going to strangle it six ways ’til Sunday."

"Understood?" Kairo asked.

Three voices answered as one.

"Understood."

Eli stared at them—utterly starstruck, mouth slightly open.

’Oh my god. I’m watching the Twilight Guild coordinate in real time.’

They were everything he’d read about and more. The infamous elite team that made up the core of the Twilight Guild—the same team always put toe-to-toe against Lion’s Fang in joint ops, tournaments, and S-Class territory skirmishes.

’This is like... like something straight out of a raid livestream.’

They weren’t just powerful.

They were terrifying.

Kairo, of course, was their anchor—cold, focused, unshakable.

The nation’s #1 alongside Caelen. But seeing his squad move into place beside him, unbothered by the chaos, ready to follow him into hell with no hesitation—it made something twist in Eli’s chest.

’Their reputation precedes them.’

He swallowed.

Mio Zhi, Kairo’s Vice-Captain, stood like he owned the battlefield. Ranked #12 in the Top 25 S-Class Hunter rankings, Mio was elegance and danger personified.

His ability, Threadbound, let him manipulate near-invisible razor-thin threads that could slice through steel or pin down beasts twice his size.

He fought with subtlety, his hands constantly in motion—spinning, weaving, directing.

But it was more than that.

Mio was smooth. Effortlessly flirty. Always smiling with that I-know-something-you-don’t tilt of his head. Women loved him. Men wanted to be him. Enemies feared him.

And the worst part?

He knew it.

Mel O’nner, usually called Melo by fans, was the exact opposite in vibe—chaotic sunshine with a side of unsolicited flirting.

Officially ranked A-Class, though Eli had always suspected he was on the verge of an S-Class re-evaluation, Mel’s ability Bloombind allowed him to grow living flora—vines, thorns, flowers—from any surface.

His vines moved like snakes, tripping enemies, spearing through armor, or forming shields on the fly. The battlefield was his garden.

And personality-wise?

Unhinged in the most entertaining way.

Mel was all energy and sass, with a reputation for being the team’s loudest member. His nickname on fan forums was "Negative Rizz Prince"

—because for all his flirting, he never actually landed a date.

And finally—

Zaira Minho, the only woman on the team and perhaps the most dangerously underrated. Also A-Class, her ability Charm Shroud wasn’t flashy—but it was devastating in combat.

Zaira emitted a subtle aura that manipulated perception and emotion. She could make enemies hesitate, fear her, ignore her allies, or even feel compelled to turn their backs.

She was the team’s support specialist.

Elegant, calculating, and always three steps ahead. She rarely spoke unless it mattered, and when she did, people listened.

Eli had been a fan of all three for years.

He’d written analysis threads about them. Studied their public battles. Voted for them in the Hunter Association’s fan polls.

’And now I’m in the middle of the field with them. I’m literally in Kairo’s arms. This isn’t happening. This can’t be real.’

But any awe he still had evaporated when Mel suddenly turned toward him, eyes going wide.

"Wait, wait, wait..." Mel’s voice shot up, loud and incredulous as he pointed directly at Eli. "Kai."

Kairo didn’t look. Yet.

"I’ve been meaning to ask..." Mio drawled, stepping a little closer, his eyes twinkling with curiosity. "Who’s the pretty lady on your arm, and why are you carrying her like a stolen bride?"

Zaira arched an eyebrow, her lips tugging into an amused smile. "That’s right. It’s rare for you to be close to anyone. Did our cold-blooded Kai finally fall for someone?"

"Nah," Mel said, eyes practically sparkling. "I’m with Mio on this. This screams kidnapping."

He took a step closer and raised his voice with exaggerated concern. "Pretty lady, do you need help? Did our scary Kai kidnap you?"

Eli’s brain short-circuited.

His entire face lit up in a violent shade of red, ears burning, eyes wide. "I—I—WHAT?! I’m not a—!"

He tried to scramble for a response, arms flailing half-heartedly in Kairo’s grip.

"I’m not a—!" he squeaked, voice cracking in pure humiliation.

Kairo sighed loudly. Without missing a beat, he adjusted Eli like luggage—just a casual shift higher into his arms as if Eli were a duffel bag instead of a human being.

"Focus, idiots. We’re in the middle of a fight."

’My face feels hot.’

Even though this wasn’t his real body, the flustered heat blooming up Eli’s neck was very real. He squirmed in Kairo’s arms, trying to hide his burning face behind both hands.

"Protective." Mel and Zaira exchanged smug grins.

Mio tilted his head, threads glittering faintly in the light. "Let’s interview her after the fight."

Eli let out a sound that could only be described as a wheeze of despair.

’I want to die.’