From the helicopter, Dario descended with measured steps, his presence a stark contrast to the tension thick in the air. As he approached Skiller, they clasped hands firmly — an ironic smile flashing across Dario's face for a fleeting moment.
"The Snova family's favorite transport, right on time," remarked Steven, standing between the two brothers.Dimitri, unconscious but still clutching a strange button, suddenly passed a jolt of current through Skiller's hand. The hunter cursed, threw the device to the ground, and crushed it underfoot.
"Take off that collar, Skiller. Here comes your brother-in-law," Steven warned.
"Thanks, pretty-eyed hunter," Skiller shot back with a smirk.
Steven simply observed, stoic, stepping aside.
"Brother-in-law! Daesa asked me to remind you — your honeymoon is long overdue. No more excuses," said Dario, removing his helmet with a teasing tone.
At the mention of Daesa, a rare softness crossed Skiller's gaze. He sighed, a strange blend of nostalgia and gratitude flickering through him. He clamped his hand over his brother's mouth as Dimitri stirred, ready to protest.
"You're right, Dario. Time to keep that promise," he admitted, scratching the back of his neck.
Dario nodded, his expression growing more serious as his gaze drifted toward the dense forest.
"Tell her in person... Another brotherly fight?"
"Typical. If he acts up or gets restless, use this antidote on his wound," Skiller instructed.
"And him?" Dario gestured toward Steven.
"That's a hunter — Steven. Anti-social as hell," Skiller quipped.
"Soon as he saw me, he turned and left with your cousin, Aisha," Dario noted.
At the mention of Steven, Skiller frowned. There was always something about that hunter — a blend of mystery and danger — that unsettled him.
"The White Wolf... I forgot," Skiller murmured, rubbing his temples as if trying to shake off a lingering thought.
Without another word, he boarded the helicopter and powered the engines. He adjusted Dimitri's seat, stabilizing him, while Nikolai and Ishana strapped in silently. Dario sat nearby, eyes locked on Skiller, as if trying to read the storm behind his gaze.
From the nearby underbrush, Steven watched them. Tense, alert — his eyes gleaming in the darkness, wary and calculating.
The whir of the helicopter blades blended with the whisper of the forest — a moment steeped in unspoken glances and decisions yet to be made.The real battle was only beginning.
Meanwhile, at Gate Five, Lionel stood amid corpses. His blood-stained hands trembled as his body flickered between hybrid and vampiric forms. The stench of death was suffocating — but the hunger, the insatiable hunger, was worse. It had driven him to consume Nikolai's team.
Steven arrived silently. He advanced with caution, scattering small seeds that released a sweet scent, masking the rot.
"Show yourself. I know you're still here," Steven commanded — firm, yet free of hostility.
Lionel emerged from the shadows, eyes gleaming with madness.
"Hunter… your master Falco's favorite dog," he sneered, lips curling.
Steven remained calm, gaze hardening.
"I've seen your pathetic fight, infected one. You're nothing now, Lionel. I'm not taking chances."
Suddenly — an explosion. Flashbangs burst around them.A searing blast mangled Lionel's leg. He crawled desperately toward a lone shaft of sunlight cutting through the gloom.
"I won't betray Rasen. Never have," Lionel hissed through gritted teeth, defiant.
Steven's stare was cold as Lionel called out to the corpses he'd bitten — now burned to ash in the light.
"I won't run. I won't betray him the way you did. You turned Rasen's trust into pain. That was your real crime — using him as bait when he was still human."
With ruthless precision, Steven shattered Lionel's leg. The vampire shrieked — yet laughed through the pain.
"Wrong, Lionel. Very wrong. You're just a shadow of the White Wolf now."
"To me, Rasen and Cristal are everything," Lionel spat, raising a shield with his slider.
Steven's foot came down, crushing Lionel's other foot with a brutal stomp.
"Stop trying. I'm living proof — I'm not human. But I'm not a monster either. I am complete — part White Wolf, part man. A botched copy like you can't match me," Steven mocked.
Lionel, clawing through the wet earth, snarled:"If you let me live… I'll be your worst nightmare."
Despite the agony, he let out a desperate howl. Thick fog began to roll in — giving him cover. Lionel vanished into the mist, leaving Steven alone.
"Your end was written long ago, Lionel," Steven muttered, driving his slider deep into the blood-soaked ground.
In the depths of the tunnel, a figure emerged — Rasen.A dark energy pulsed around him, swallowing light. The air grew cold.
"Lionel has never failed me," Rasen said softly, voice laced with pain and threat. "But you, Steven... You left me when I needed you most."
Steven froze. The weight of those words hit harder than any blade. He couldn't meet Rasen's eyes — the eyes of a friend turned stranger.
Now, Rasen radiated an oppressive aura — as though darkness itself had claimed him.
"Rasen… it's not what you think," Steven tried, voice shaking.
But Rasen's reply cut like a knife:Cold. Bitter. And beneath it — heartbreak.
Inside Steven, something battered against the walls of his soul.A voice.Not his own.Not Rasen's.
Sariel.Stronger. Sharper. More dangerous.
"Don't justify it. I chose Lionel. And you hunted him worse than an animal."
The air between them thickened.Steven's hands trembled on his sword. Rasen began a dark ritual — every movement more disturbing than the last.
"He will be reborn," Rasen whispered. "And he will live."
The shadows around him throbbed, alive.
Steven's horror boiled over. He drew his blade, voice raw:"Rasen! Do you even see what you're doing?!"
For a heartbeat, Rasen faltered — as if Steven's voice pierced through the darkness.But then — his gaze hardened. Eyes black as void.
"I would rather you hate me than abandon me," Rasen whispered — voice breaking under the confession.
The words slammed into Steven's heart — but he refused to back down. With a roar, he lunged.
Before the blade struck, thick chains erupted from Rasen's body — binding Steven mid-air.The links pulsed with dark energy — alive, suffocating.
"Stop this, Rasen! Fight it! Say something!" Steven pleaded, voice cracking.
Rasen met his gaze in silence — crimson eyes gleaming.A whisper escaped his lips:
"This is a warning, hunter."
Steven's gaze dropped, shattered by grief.
"Is nothing left?" he whispered. "You're not the Rasen I knew."
Suddenly, the chains trembled — as if something within Rasen fought to resist.Slowly, he released Steven, letting him fall to his knees.
"The body I inhabit... still does not wish to harm you," Rasen murmured — a strange mix of control and resignation.
Shaking, Steven forced himself upright, sword in hand.
"Rasen. Fight me — one last time. Fair and true," he said — voice resolute, yet stained with sorrow.
The tunnel fell silent.Rasen — or the thing inside him — tilted its head.
Then, lazily — it accepted.
Their blades clashed. In the first exchange, Steven's sword sank into Rasen's shoulder. But before he could withdraw, black chains snared him once more — hoisting him into the air.
"You win, hunter," Rasen sighed, almost amused. "But it will change nothing."
At that moment, Falco arrived. He watched Rasen with disgust and grim resolve.
"This is not Rasen. It's something else. An abomination," he said, drawing his blade.
Steven struggled to intervene, but the chains held him fast.
"Falco, WAIT!" Steven shouted — but Falco's strike landed true.
The shadows peeled away — revealing the true puppet master.
Sariel.
"I am Sariel," the voice echoed, filling the tunnel with ancient power.
In a swirl of mist, Sariel vanished — taking Lionel with him.Steven could only stare at the empty space they left behind.
"Farewell, Steven. Perhaps one day… you'll understand," Sariel whispered, fading into the dark.
Silence fell. Only Steven's ragged breaths and Falco's footsteps remained.
"If you lack the strength to stop him... perhaps you are unworthy of being my disciple," Falco said coldly — then vanished into the shadows.
Steven clenched his fists — tears streaking his face.
"I can't leave you like this, Rasen… I can't lose you too."
But the void left by Sariel was the only answer.