"Local transcendent contestants. From Grandmoon Kingdom." Jack muttered. Identifying the first three. "They're being hunted."
He turned his focus to the ten hunters. As his [Eyes of Judgement] processed their information, a frown deepened on his face.
"This is wrong." Jack said with a dark tone.
"What is it, Dear?" Reina asked. She had already climbed up and perched beside him.
"The hunters. Two from the Purity Cult. Three sorcerers from the Black Market Syndicate. One warlock from the Undeath Sect. Two fallen acolytes from the Circle of Wealth. And two witches from the Eternal Soul Cult." Jack counted.
Reina whistled low. "That's... a bunch of 'problematic' factions. They don't usually get along well, do they? The Purity Cult thinks the Undeath Sect is an abomination, and the Circle of Wealth doesn't do anything unless there's a profit. To see them in a united group... that's not a coincidence."
Jack's mind raced. He had read too many stories in h his previous life and lived long enough in this world. He could guess that when those 'evil' factions shook hands, nothing good would happen.
"They're herding them." Jack observed. "The Grandmoon team is being driven toward the dead-end site in the ravine over there. If they get trapped there, those ten will slaughter them."
"But why?" He added in bafflement. "They should know that the tournament's winners were calculated by points from killing monsters. Not from targeting other contestants."
"Unless they kill all other contestants." Barnaby commented dryly. "If all the others are dead, they win."
"Not likely." Reina said. "The time was limited. And this realm should be huge. Comparable to the Grandmoon Island. They won't have enough time to spread all over the realm searching for tournament contestants to kill."
Jack nodded. "If these factions are working together here, they might be working together outside. I'm afraid the tournament won't end with normal award ceremony this time..."
He looked at his team. They looked slightly tired. But, they still had more than enough energy. They didn't have any advantage in number compared to the ten hunters they were observing. However, that had never been a problem for their team.
"Let's intervene." Jack said. "We'll likely be involved sooner or later anyway. Whatever scheme these people have, I doubt they will let anyone involved in the tournament to leave peacefully."
"So, what's the plan?" Ned asked.
"Let's save the hunted three. Kill most of the hunters. Leave one or two for questioning. I have a way to make them talk." Jack said. He checked his steamrune shotgun. Reloading some fresh shells into its chambers.
"Ned, stay high." He commanded. "Prioritize the undeath warlock and any of the cultists. We don't need undead or divine interference. Barnaby, don't play your song before we strike them."
Barnaby nodded. His fingers were hovering over the strings. Itchy to play a battle song. But, he held back.
"Love! Kid! You take the witches. They shouldn't be any problem for both of you. Just like the old witch you two faced in Barrentree." Jack continued. "I'll handle the others. Help me when you're done with the witches."
"What about the hunted team?" Reina asked.
"If they're smart, they'll turn and fight once we hit the hunters. If they're not, don't bother interacting with them." Jack replied casually.
Rune pulsed a bright, aggressive red. The fairy knew that the situation in the realm was about to get much more dangerous.
Jack looked toward the horizon where the chased and the chasers were disappearing behind a ridge.
"Move!" Jack commanded.
The team blurred into motion. They didn't run normally like common soldiers. They moved like a pack of apex predators.
Ned and Barnaby leaped from branch to branch with supernatural grace. Reina and Aella blinked from one point to another point instantly. Closing the gap in seconds.
Jack transformed back to his rakshasa form and ran straight down the center. He didn't care about stealth as much as the others. He was the vanguard. The tank. The one who was supposed to attract attention.
As they neared the ridge, the sounds of spells clashing and desperate shouts reached them. The hunted team was cornered. The hunters were closing in. Their faces were twisted in a unified, eerie grin. One that suggested they weren't just playing a game. They were performing a ritual.
But, Jack didn't wait for them to start. "Now!" He roared his command. The place immediately exploded into violence.
Before the hunters could fully register the new threat, Jack was upon them. He crashed into their formation. Just like bowling ball crashing through the bowling pins. Throwing two of the syndicate sorcerers away with his shoulder charge.
His main target was a Purity Cultist. A gaunt man in pristine white robes who was already chanting hateful litanies.
Jack's immense left hand shot out. Activating the [Chains of Vengeance] out of his bracer. A black chain was unleashed and extended with a metallic hiss. Blazing with fiery flame as it lashed forward. Moving like a venomous serpent.
It wrapped around the cultist's throat. Yanking him off his feet with bone-jarring force. The man's eyes bulged. His chant was cut short to a gurgle.
Before the cultist could even fully register the situation, Jack was already in range. The [Judgement Warhammer] moved in a deadly arc through the air. A blur of destructive power struck his head. Ending his life instantly.
Jack rotated his body and brought the hammer down with a thunderous crack. Striking the earth directly in front of a Black Market Syndicate sorcerer. KA-BOOM!
The impact destroyed the ground violently. Sending shattered rock and dirt flying like shrapnel.
The sorcerer was momentarily stunned by the shockwave and flying debris. He stumbled back. His spell fizzled out.
Jack didn't give him a moment. The [Chains of Vengeance] retracted. Pulling the dead cultist back towards him. He then swung the cultist's dead body like a ragdoll. Smashing it into the two syndicate sorcerers he previously rammed away.
They crumpled. Groaning. Two more taken out temporarily. Jack's moves were blunt. But they were pretty effective.
Meanwhile, Reina and Aella moved with an almost supernatural synchronicity. They didn't let out any loud sound like Jack. They simply appeared in strategic locations.
Reina materialized behind one of the Eternal Soul witches. Her [Absolute Blink] left almost no trace but a faint puff of grey smoke. The two steamrune handguns on her hands were aimed at her target.
BANG! BANG!
Two shots rang one after the other. Hitting the same target. One bullet tore through the witch's energy shield. Shattering it like glass. The other, incredibly accurate, found the exact same point. Piercing the back of the witch's head.
Reina blinked again. Reappearing several meters away. Reloading with elegant swiftness. Her expression was cold and focused.
Aella had also used her [Voidfire Blink]. She appeared directly above the second Eternal Soul Cult witch. Dropping onto her shoulders like a miniature, malevolent gargoyle.
The witch was startled. She looked up just as Aella's small hand slapped a voidfire revolver to her temple.
BANG! The voidfire revolver barked a deadly voidfire bullet. It fired condensed bolts of raw voidfire energy.
The witch's head snapped sideway. Her eyes rolled up. She dropped. Convulsing. A faint wisp of smoke rising from the hole on her temple.
Aella was already blinking away. She didn't spare her opponent a second glance. Her target was down almost instantly. Much weaker compared to the other opponents she faced before.
Ned also lived up to his position as the scout of the team. He was not on the ground with the chaotic brawl. He was an invisible ghost in the canopy. Perching high behind glowing red foliage.
BANG! His steamrune rifle barked a loud sound. He picked his targets with surgical precision. The cultists from the Circle of Wealth. A difficult, but predictable target.
His first shot found an acolyte from the Circle of Wealth. The one attempting to launch a barrage of gold-infused arcane bolts. The bullet struck a defensive energy automatically appearing around his target.
The acolyte had a defensive artifact. For the rich cultist from that Circle of Wealth, it wasn't that rare.
Ned didn't mind the failure. BANG! His rifle exploded again. This time, the bullet pierced the man's head. The cultist stumbled and fell down. His legs were twisted at an unnatural angle. It was a clean shot to the head.
Ned repositioned himself. Melting further behind the shadows of the foliage. His eyes were scanning for new targets.
The clash got heated. The hunters, initially confident in their numbers and unified purpose, were thrown into disarray. Their ritualistic grins evaporated. Replaced by expressions of shock, anger, and then fear.
They were facing an unexpected, overwhelming counter-attack. A hulking rakshasa was taking their hits and dishing out worse. Two teleporting women were eliminating their spellcasters with cold precision. And an unseen sniper was picking them off from the trees.
It was in this moment when the hunters' morale began to crack, that Barnaby joined the fray. He remained hidden on his chosen tree branch. Slightly further back than Ned.
His fingers danced across the strings of his lute. Weaving a melody that was both haunting and empowering. This was his recently created song, the 'Raging Sea of Spirits'. A battle hymn born from their adventure in Grim Spirit Sea.
The air around Jack's team shimmered. Jack's blows struck harder. His already unpredictable and formidable movements gained even greater fluidity.
Reina and Aella's rate of blinks became even faster. Their shots were imbued with a subtle, disruptive energy that made enemies falter.
Ned's rifle rounds gained a slight homing quality. Finding their marks with eerie certainty.
Conversely, a subtle static haze descended on the hunters. Their spells were a fraction slower. Their aim was slightly off. And their movements turned slightly sluggish.
Barnaby's music was a tide. Pushing his allies forward. Dragging his enemies down.
The three hunted contestants had been cornered and desperate. Now, they had a chance to strike back. But, they didn't use it. Instead, they used the sudden chaos as an escape route.
They scrambled away. Not bothering to look back at their unexpected saviors. They likely considered it a temporary reprieve. Not trusting the new group any more than the old one.
Jack's team paid them no mind. Their objective now was the hunters. And the information they carried.