The four thugs swiftly spun around to check on their companions, suddenly their eyes widening in shock when they realized that there were only four of them left, while the other two had disappeared without a trace. They did not even make any sound, which made their trepidation even worse. Screaming in panic, they hastily ran behind their leader to hide.

For the first time that night, Grimscar refrained from reprimanding his men for their cowardly acts. Witnessing the gravity of the situation himself, he knew how serious and dangerous it was. It couldn’t be denied that someone or something was hunting them. Squinting his eyes, he scanned their surroundings, trying to find their enemy, who he knew was lurking in the shadows and watching them.

“Boss, the ghost…”

“Shut up! There’s no damn ghost here! Tsk, it’s just our enemy hiding somewhere,” Grimscar exclaimed, cutting off the thug's statement. With a deep scowl, he abruptly unleashed his aura, feeling it coil tightly around his entire body, strengthening it, and sharpening his senses. As he extended his perception to detect their opponent, he found nothing, which wasn’t surprising since it was not his expertise. It did not help that it was also dark, and raining very hard, which hampered his senses greatly, making it even more challenging to locate their already elusive enemy.

“Boss, we… we gotta get the hell out of here,” one of his men stuttered, his voice quivering with terror as he darted anxious glances in every direction. “If we stick around, we’re gonna…”

Before he could finish his words, Grimscar’s hand shot out and grabbed his head. With a sickening crunch, he crushed it like a melon, killing him instantly. Casting a chilling glance at the three trembling thugs, he growled and warned them, “You so much as breathe the word ‘run’ again, you’ll suffer the same fate as this coward!”

Turning his attention forward, Grimscar smirked and bellowed, “Do you honestly believe you can intimidate me? I am Grimscar, and I ain’t afraid of no one! I am the boar of carnage—the undefeated—and a leader of the Crimson Talon. Do you think I’ll run like these idiots? Think again!” Pausing briefly to search his surroundings for any sign of his foe, finding none, he continued, “You’re the coward here, hiding in the shadows! If you’re really a man, show yourself and face me in single combat. Let's see who’s truly afraid here.”

When no one responded to his provocation, Grimscar scowled in frustration. Gritting his teeth, he screamed, “Coward!”

Suddenly, a thud sounded from behind, as if something had dropped. They quickly turned around, wary of any potential threats. When the lightning flashed, the entire room lit up, revealing the severed heads of all their comrades who had disappeared. Too shocked to speak, they just stood there frozen, staring at the ghastly faces of their fallen friends and comrades, as if beckoning them to join in their gruesome fate. Overcome by extreme fear, the remaining thugs scattered, fleeing in all directions.

Seeing his men’s cowardly action, Grimscar snapped out of his shock, consumed by rage. Gritting his teeth, he propelled himself forward like a charging boar, crashing into the fleeing thug on his right with such explosive force, sending him airborne like a rag doll. As the thug crashed to the ground, Grimscar mercilessly stomped on his head, crushing it beneath his boot. “I warned you not to run!” he roared, his voice dripping with fury.

Witnessing their comrade getting killed, the two remaining thugs ran even faster, screaming like men on the edge of madness. Who could blame them though? Not only were they facing a mysterious foe, seemingly supernatural in nature, but they were also being hunted by their terrifying leader, hell-bent on killing them. No matter what they chose, certain death awaited them. So, they just ran, hoping and praying to the gods that they somehow got out of this alive.

“Do you think you can run from me?!” Grimscar exclaimed, grinning savagely as he relentlessly hunted for his prey. Propelling himself forward, he demolished everything in his path, like an unstoppable juggernaut built only for one purpose—destruction.

Escaping such a monster was simply impossible, more so for mere mortals. As if ordained by fate, the escaping thug was blown to pieces by the explosive force of Grimscar’s momentum.

“Didn’t I tell you? You can’t run from me?” he declared, relishing the carnage he brought as blood and flesh flew all around him. Turning his attention to the last escaping thug, he frowned. 

 

‘It seems this one has a knack for running away. He’s already outside the house, sprinting through the rain and shouting like a lunatic. I’m embarrassed that they even work under me. Makes me wonder why these weaklings even bother working for me if they act this way. Don’t they know I hate sissies? 

Why do I even get these kinds of men? Shouldn’t the headquarters give me fearless and ruthless subordinates? Not these cowards!’

 

At the end of the day, it didn’t really matter, since Grimscar could easily catch up to him. No matter what, he was determined to kill every one of them. He couldn’t let such behavior corrupt his men. Staring intently at his target, Grimscar sprinted again through the pouring rain like a beast fully consumed by rage. But midway through his pursuit, the screams of his prey suddenly disappeared. He immediately stopped running, looking around for his target. His eyes widened when he realized that he had vanished like the others before.

 

‘This is really getting on my nerves!’

 

“There are only two of us!” Grimscar’s roar pierced the air amidst the pouring rain as the sound of thunder reverberated around him. Despite facing a hidden and dangerous foe, he never once considered retreating. He had unwavering confidence in his victory. He stood his ground defiantly, issuing a challenge with unwavering resolve. “Reveal yourself! Let’s fight! Or are you a sissy, who wouldn’t fight like a man? Show yourself, coward!”

Instead of accepting his challenge, Grimscar was met with a stone pebble striking his left knee. Growling in pain, he inspected the injury, revealing blood and some torn flesh.

 

‘Sh*t! If I hadn’t kept my aura up, I’d be in real trouble. Fortunately, it ain’t bad enough to slow me down.’

 

 As Grimscar looked down, his head and arm were struck in quick succession. The impact on his head made him stagger, instinctively raising his arms to shield himself. Immediately, he honed his senses, trying to pinpoint the source of the projectiles. The heavy rain streaming down his face only worsened his situation; compounded by the ringing in his head from the impact, it made for a grim scenario.

“You coward, come out and face me!” Grimscar roared in the rain, his voice filled with fury and frustration. As his words echoed through the night, they were only met with silence. Another projectile hit his left knee again from behind, causing him to stagger momentarily. But instead of desperation, Grimscar's lips curled into a sinister grin. “Caught you!” he bellowed, launching himself toward the source of the relentless attacks, like a vengeful demon emerging from the abyss—unstoppable and out for blood. “You’re dead meat!”

The earth erupted in a sudden and violent explosion as Grimscar crashed into the ground; the sheer force of the impact was staggering, sending shockwaves rippling through the earth. Debris was hurled into the air, scattering like shrapnel, while the ground beneath him trembled and cracked, forming a jagged crater in its wake.

“I told you, you're dead. I always keep my damn promise,” Grimscar remarked softly. His labored breathing was a testament to the considerable energy expended in that attack. A slow grin spread across his lips, and his face lit up with jubilation at the sight of the mangled corpse lying at the center of the crater. His laughter echoed through the night air, cutting through the sound of the pouring rain and the roar of thunder as he bellowed, “I’m goddamn invincible. That’s what you get for crossing me, punk!”

With a sinister grin stretching across his face, Grimscar slowly reached out and grabbed the torn-up body by the hair. As he inspected the face, his amused expression drained away, turning his grin into a frown before changing completely into outright concern. Instead of the elusive foe he expected, it was rather the last thug that disappeared.

 

‘F*ck! What the hell is going on?!’

 

For the first time, Grimscar’s usually unshakable confidence disappeared, giving way to anxiety. His once assured demeanor crumbled, replaced by a pale and worried expression that clearly showed his current state of mind. His frantic gaze darted around, seeking out any lurking enemies concealed within the shadows. The hairs on his body stood on end, a physical manifestation of his rising fear. At that moment, Grimscar felt the grip of genuine terror tighten around his heart.

“Show yourself now, you damn coward!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice laced with a hint of panic seeping through the cracks of his tough facade. Despite it all, he refused to run. He stood his ground, unwavering, and continued to shout in challenge into the darkness. “You think you’re tough hiding in the shadows? If you’ve got any balls, step out, and let’s settle this like men! Let’s fight in single combat!”

Once more, the only thing that showed up was the howling wind, the rumbling of thunder, and the stone projectile that struck his left knee again. With the added strain of his earlier injury coupled with exhaustion, he dropped to one knee.

Grimscar growled, and just as he was about to stand up, another blow struck the same spot. Gritting his teeth, he summoned all of his aura and charged toward the location of the attacks. Unlike before, he found himself in an area filled with trees. Undeterred and fueled by rage, he plowed through it with furious determination.

Like before, Grimscar found nothing but torn trees. There was no sign of his hated foe’s body. He wasn’t surprised; somehow, he had expected this outcome. The only things he gained from the attack were some minor injuries from colliding directly with the trees and a depleted aura. He knew he shouldn’t have blindly charged into the trees, but what choice did he have? The enemy refused to reveal himself. Overwhelmed with anger and frustration, it was undeniable that his judgment was clouded. Even now, kneeling on the ground, breathless and exhausted, his emotions were maintaining full control over him, like a beast consumed by fury.

Suddenly, Grimscar felt a presence looming behind him, sending a shiver down his spine as he slowly turned to confront it. There, perched upon a large rock, stood a small boy, his gaze piercing like a hunter finally catching his prey, while his expression remained eerily devoid of any emotion. With a low growl, his lips curled into a snarl. “You finally revealed yourself!”

As Grimscar continued to stare at the boy, his anger suddenly turned into confusion.

 

‘Am I fighting a kid all this time? 

Nah, can’t be. That ain’t no regular child. Maybe, just maybe, they were onto something! This punk might be the ghost of one of the brats I’ve killed.

Nah, I ain’t buying that.

No matter what this punk is, I am gonna kill him.’

 

“Who are you?” Grimscar questioned, his voice strained as he slowly struggled to rise. Just as he was about to stand up, he fell down again—totally exhausted. Gritting his teeth, fueled by sheer determination alone, he forced himself to stand up. Despite his trembling legs, he managed to rise, a testament to his unyielding resolve in the face of the mysterious entity that only brought death.

Instead of responding, the boy just yawned as if bored, ignoring him altogether.

 

‘How dare this kid treat me like this?!’

 

This behavior from the boy instantly reignited his boiling fury. With all that he had, even if it meant facing certain death, Grimscar unleashed all his aura with a fierce roar. He leaped into the air, his great sword extended outward before him, poised to pierce anything in its path as he descended upon the boy with terrifying speed.

With an indifferent gaze, Elysian simply looked at the gargantuan man. Suddenly, a horrifying grin spread across his face, sending chills down the spines of anyone who witnessed it. In a cold and emotionless voice, he muttered, “Raijin no Ikari.”