The time is nigh. The moon settles on top of them, at the center of everything. Hannibal leaped behind and a bird like monster appeared and caught him. It has an appearance of seagull but is hideous, its wings are jet black as a crow.

“That shithead told me that you don’t look like strong.” Hannibal hisses. “It seems that he’s wrong. Of all times, you lot manages outwit the monsters I’ve prepared as a trap.”

“Monsters?” Alastor rest his blade for a moment. “The only thing that we caught is the leader of the pack of Beninghols.”

Hannibal’s expression turns to disconcerted. “I’m sorry what?”

“The only monsters that we saw are the dead ones.”

Hannibal were able to discern lies and truth, and hearing Alastor’s words, he doesn’t seem to lie. He cracked his head to find the right words and finally came up. He nodded and face Alastor once again.

“That sounds right. No wonder why beninghol fall into madness.” Hannibal grinned but behind those are pity and broken emotions. “It seems that our experimentations failed. Lucky are truly on your side.”

“Our? So that means you’re not the only who’s into this.”

“Yes.”

“And I guess that one is one of the lord’s guards.”

“Very perceptive.” Hannibal commended.

“It’s nothing to be brag of. Not with such hostile eyes spewing right to us.”

“Hmm. Haha. I guess his undiscerning motives has some merits over your quick achievement, but finding the truth doesn’t mean winning.” Hannibal looked at his right, “Isn’t that right, Jett?”

The wind disrupted and fluttered the leaves. A shadow extended outside the borders of the trees. The man leans over the tree. Unlike Hannibal who has a petite figure, the new guess is bulkier and has more muscles compared to them two.

“Oh? You’ve been watching us all this time?”

His companion, Jett, raised his broadsword and carried it in his shoulder and walked forward with a serious expression. His dissatisfaction is hidden within his composure.

Jett hissed. “Enough darting around, we’re leaving.”

Hannibal raised a brow. “Eh? But what about…?”

“The experiment is a big failure. There’s no need for us to stay here.” He coldly said. “Plus, this is a perfect chance since the lord’s attention are far from us.”

Hannibal contemplates. “I guess you’re right. But we should kill them while we still have a chance.”

“Suit yourself. We will meet there after you finished with your job.”

Hannibal chuckles, it was all but a laugh of a blood thirsty man. “Well then, shall we continue?”

Alastor felt tremendous amounts of creatures, all their murderous intention directed at him. A bunch of beninghol, the same size he defeated just now.

Their claws and fangs flashes as they leap on him.

Alastor created a chantless spell of two transcendent walls that gave him a wide berth to escape their attacks. He swung his sword sideward and cut off the head of the beninghol.

Rolled and leaped evading more of incoming attacks. Without breaking a sweat, he cut off another three beninghol.

Alastor’s senses heightened and even predicted the enemies’ attacks. This allows him to move fluidly and counter the enemies’ attacks with his sword and use chantless magic to protect himself.

At some point, Hannibal ordered his dogs to withdraw.

“What’s the matter?” Alastor asked. He played his sword. “It’s all pointless.”

“No.” Hannibal shrugged his head. “I just realized something.”

A smirked write of in his face. “For somewhile now, I noticed that you’re not using any kind of magic except that wall magic. Thus, I came to a conclusion… you’re just a Mana Folder after all!” Hannibal broke to laugh. “All this time, I’m having a trouble against a mere some weakling. You certainly are lucky.”

Alastor hisses. “So what?”

“You are not worth understanding anymore.”

“I was worried that you’re might be a Hunter, but it turns out that you’re just a disappointment. My, my, what has gotten with your comrades to think it’s a good idea to let you go all alone. But nonetheless, now I know what you are, I know how to deal with you.”

Hannibal whistled and the Beninghols mouths began to emit fire.

“Shit.”

The enemies shoot out fireballs. Alastor leap and use his sword to deflect some of the fireballs, but alas, he was caught on. He blasted and his back broke against the trees.

If it weren’t for his breastplate, he would’ve been drop dead by now. Although, his worries about the enemies’ abilities are logical, it is his superfluous thoughts are the one who delayed his decision. His unknown innate ability that allows him to move reflexively, desist to his panic attack.

“Damn it all.” He muttered under his breath. Alastor got up and intend to return the favor. “That fucking hurts.”

Hannibal laughs. “Then, what will you do now? Given that your abilities are limited. This is going to be interesting.”

“I’m going to return a few favors to you.”

Alastor inhaled, intaking the nervousness and broke to dashed. His speed rivaled the beninghol. With playful sword skill he managed to kill four of the beninghol. After that, he created five walls slanted directly to Hannibal. A stairway created with his creative imagination. It was at this moment Hannibal knew what he’s going to do.

“What?”

The bird flew up high, out of the stairway’s range.

“Fool, I can see your move.”

A fireball flung out of the bird’s mouth. Alastor uses one of his new abilities; that is to cover his sword with mana. He discovered this kind of ability while he was in Vesoga Plain, but he never fully explored it as he was busy on the mission.

He threw it like a javelin and the fireball was split in half, diverging away from his path. The sword flung and pierce through the bird’s neck. The monster couldn’t let out a voice as his throat was clogged by the blade. Alastor leap and in surprise, Hannibal swung his blade, but Alastor evaded it and jumped, he spun and delivered a spinning kick right into his face. The force strives Hannibal back to the ground, his face head on first.

With the spell broke, the monsters left. Out of pile and rubbles, Hannibal crawled his way out of the ground. He chuckles. “You’re good, far too good to be a Mana Folder. I thought that you lot are supposed to be weak.”

Alastor plucked out his blade greased in blood. “Who told you that?” Hannibal hissed.

“You shouldn’t judge people because of what label that person has,” Alastor strained and slash the sword in the air, removing the blood that stained it. “It will be your damnation.”

“Perhaps yes, perhaps not.” Hannibal spat blood, “I thought you’re just a simpleton, perhaps you may more than that. Are you sure you’re not a hunter?”

“Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Guess not.” Hannibal shrugged his shoulder.

“Please, do tell me. What the hell are you doing in this place?”

“We were experimenting.”

“Experimenting what?”

“You see, we Tribunal Hunters has certain abilities; we can copy the abilities of monsters we have slain. We can control for a certain extent the monsters to do our bidding. But the downside is that, the more we are more controlling the more the monster will reject the user, the most important in controlling is the willpower, but it proves to be bothersome when it comes to combat. Thus, some of us resort into something else,”

“Slaving.”

“Bingo. Some of our members use magic to slave the monsters and began experimenting it. But our clan leader decided to ban it, because it violates the oh-so law of nature.”

Alastor fell in his thoughts and begin to analyze. “If it’s ban, then I guess you turned your back on them.”

“Perceptive, but not quite.” Hannibal stand up and gaze in the moon. “We were able to connect the lifeline of the monsters to ours and because of that, we gained much power that we had expected. We were able to prolong the abilities. Jett and I are on the next expedition of our experiment when you lot came here.”

“And what is the next phase of your experiment?”

“Of course, to enslave the water imp in the lake.”

“Now I understand. You guys are the reason why that water imp is so hostile.”

“Yes.” Hannibal confessed, “We attempt to lure it and capture it, but that shit proves to be hard to get.”

“You know well the consequences about trying to kill an imp, right?”

“Yes, we know, and frankly, we don’t care.”

His words proves that he’s dangerous to let go, hence, Alastor tried to kill him, but a bird came to pick him up.

“Don’t worry, we won’t do anything for now!”

Hannibal left with a grinned in his face.