Chapter 33 – Loss of Power

“Тhеn lеt’s fight tо thе death.”

“Kill him! Кill him!”

Аt Kanеmitsu Toshiо’s wоrds, thе аngеl Gаrp besidе him raised its vоiсe in а bаttlе сrу.

Garр was thе angel раrtnеr thаt apрeаred right after thе First Оutbreak.

Commоn fоlk called it an angеl, but it оpenly declаrеd that it lovеd the mоmеnt оf humаn death most of аll. Such a сrеаture cоuldn’t роssibly be аn angel.

Аnyway, with the аngеl’s cry, Тоshio brоke into а run.

The yоung man bеfоre him—Yuki Asuto—was the vеry оnе whо had rаvaged Ноund Dоg’s territorу.

Aссоrding tо thе Guild’s molе whо hаd infiltratеd thе Hunter Association, Yuki’s Hunter Rank was F. It was said he had only just Awakened the other day.

If word got out that a low-ranking Guild Member had been beaten one-sidedly by such a weakling, and that the Dungeon Leader Shinjo had been cowed by fear, Hound Dog’s reputation would hit rock bottom.

As a fellow Guild Member, it was shameful.

(After I crush him, I’ll have to properly silence him.)

If you kill someone inside a Gate or Dungeon, no physical evidence remains.

There are no witnesses besides members, and the body transforms into a Magic Stone.

Using a Dungeon or Gate is the best way to silence someone.

“Oraoraoraoraora!!”

From the very start, he unleashed a barrage of blows.

Crushing arrogant bastards who got a little strong and started acting up was Toshio’s very reason for living.

The moment when he laughed and trampled over the sight of an arrogant bastard crying and begging for help was the greatest happiness.

The moment when he made someone pleading for their life believe they were saved for an instant, only to then kill them, was the ultimate pleasure.

(I wanna have fun with this guy, soon!!)

“—Oraa!!”

Using the Skill 〈Straight〉, he punched Yuki.

But it was only now that Toshio finally noticed something was wrong.

(There’s no… impact…)

He had already unleashed numerous attacks.

But not a single one of them had the feeling of hitting a person.

Yuki, without a single wound, opened his mouth with a cold expression.

“Are you finished?”

“…! I was just warming up!!”

(How dare an F-Rank!)

Throb.

His temple pulsed.

Driven by anger, he swung his fist.

The attack he thought would surely hit was Evaded at the last moment.

Yuki closed the distance.

“—Gah!!”

A Liver Blow.

His fist sank in deep, as if embedding itself.

Unable to bear it, he took a Backstep.

(This guy… he’s not F-Rank!?)

His body, which should have been warmed up, turned cold in an instant.

Toshio was a C-Rank upper-tier Veteran Hunter.

He had the True Strength to kill an F-Rank with a single finger.

Despite that, he never expected not only to fail to land a hit, but to receive a counterattack.

(Could it be… the staff fed me false info!?)

If so, this was dangerous.

Toshio had already declared a one-on-one fight.

If he ordered everyone to attack now, it would look pathetic, and his True Strength might be called into question.

Hound Dog was a Guild based purely on True Strength.

Not only Hunter Rank, but they had a System that particularly valued those who killed Monsters or humans and achieved results.

Conversely, they showed no mercy to those who failed.

If deemed lacking in True Strength, one might be punished until death.

(If by any chance I lose…)

‘We’ll need to make an example so trash like this never becomes an Executive again.’

He would undoubtedly be killed by the other Executives or the Guild Master.

(Tch, this is no time for pride.)

“You bastards, what are you standing around for! Attack, attack!!”

Even if many against one looked bad, it didn’t matter.

As long as they won, that was all that mattered.

It was just as Toshio gave the order to all members.

“What are you standing around for during combat?”

A chilling voice rang out right beside him.

Toshio tried to move his feet, but Yuki’s kick pierced his abdomen faster.

“Guh!!”

From the fierce blow, Toshio’s knees buckled uncontrollably.

Next, Yuki raised his Dagger.

Toshio rolled on the ground to evade.

Yuki’s strike somehow passed horizontally through the air, away from Toshio.

While relieved he was saved, the thought of what would have happened if that strike had been aimed at him sent a chill down his spine.

(This is seriously bad…)

He no longer had the luxury to worry about appearances.

In a panic, Toshio tried to open the System.

He would use the Gold he’d saved up to Purchase a reversal Item.

However,

“I-It won’t open… the System… H-hey Garp, what’s going… huh?”

Looking up, Garp, who should have been there all along, was nowhere to be seen.

The one who had been with him constantly for five years, the one who never disappeared no matter how much he sometimes wished ‘if only you’d disappear,’ was gone.

That shock numbed his brain.

“Why…?”

Angels never disappear.

No matter how much you fight, no matter how foully you curse, no Hunter had ever had their angel disappear before.

So, he thought angels didn’t disappear.

(Then why… did it disappear…?)

He couldn’t understand it at all.

But right now, he was in combat.

And he was also an Executive of Hound Dog.

He couldn’t stay on all fours like this, continuing to show this pathetic sight.

He tried to stand, but his upper body was pulled down by something.

—The Knuckle.

The Knuckle he had been freely wielding until just moments ago was now too heavy to even lift.

“What in the world…”

In the midst of his confusion, Asuto’s toes suddenly appearing before his eyes completely severed Toshio’s will to fight.