Demonic hunters were, by nature, ruthlessly petty and arrogant. They had grown accustomed to standing above ordinary people, deciding the fate of demons with their weapons and strength, so when someone beneath them dared to resist, that humiliation was rarely something they could simply forget. Those traits were especially pronounced in low-level demon hunters like Samuel Twig, who possessed enough strength to look down on others but not enough experience to understand how insignificant he truly was.
After being defeated by someone he had considered nothing more than prey waiting to be slaughtered, Samuel had been unable to sleep peacefully. Every time he closed his eyes, the scene would replay itself in his mind. Jackson’s calm face, the way he had escaped from his grasp, and the humiliation of being forced into retreat all returned like a blade being dragged across an old wound.
Even whenever Samuel went out to hunt new prey, he would occasionally see Jackson’s face in his imagination. It didn’t matter whether he was fighting a demon or walking through the forest. That figure seemed to follow him everywhere, constantly reminding him of the defeat he wanted desperately to forget.
Jackson had become his heart demon.
Samuel understood that if he wanted to live peacefully again, he had to find that lamb and kill him with his own hands. Only by completely erasing Jackson from this world could he finally rid himself of the shadow that had taken root inside his heart.
For days, Samuel searched everywhere.
He moved through the forest, investigated hunting grounds, questioned other hunters, and followed every faint trace he could find. Yet Jackson was far more careful than Samuel had expected. He left behind almost no clues, carefully concealing his movements and never allowing himself to be tracked for long.
As the days passed without results, Samuel’s confidence gradually turned into frustration.
Eventually, he began to wonder whether Jackson had already died somewhere in the wilderness.
Perhaps that rat had wandered into the territory of some powerful demon and been torn apart. Maybe his corpse was lying forgotten in some ditch, already being devoured by wild beasts.
Thinking about it gave Samuel a strange sense of satisfaction.
But it wasn’t enough.
He wanted to be the one who killed Jackson.
Just when Samuel was about to give up, he happened to notice a hunter rushing out from the direction of the inner forest. The figure was moving quickly, seemingly eager to leave the dangerous region behind.
Samuel had originally given chase on nothing more than a whim.
There was no particular reason for him to do so. Perhaps he was simply bored, or perhaps the hunter’s sudden appearance had caught his attention.
But as Samuel gradually closed the distance, his expression changed.
That familiar figure.
That familiar presence.
Samuel’s eyes widened.
It was him.
The same rat who had slipped through his fingers before.
The same person who had humiliated him.
The same nightmare that had haunted him for days.
Jackson.
For a moment, Samuel simply stared.
Then his face slowly twisted into an excited grin.
The frustration, irritation, and sleepless nights of the past few days seemed to disappear in an instant. They were replaced by a surge of exhilaration so intense that his entire body trembled.
He had finally found him.
His prey had walked directly into his hands.
Samuel let out a thrilling laugh, his voice echoing through the forest.
"Kekeke..."
His gaze locked firmly onto Jackson’s back.
"It seems dying under my hand is your fate..."
The killing intent surrounding him grew increasingly intense.
"So come and accept your death."
Meanwhile, the moment Jackson saw Samuel appear, he didn’t stop to think for even a second.
He ran.
His body shot forward without hesitation, his feet pounding against the forest floor as he put as much distance between himself and the demon hunter as possible.
Damn... just how bad is my luck?
How did I run into this damned hunter again?
The Blood Demon Forest was enormous. He had deliberately left the inner region and was already heading toward the safer outer region, yet somehow, out of all the hunters and demons wandering through this vast forest, he had encountered Samuel again.
It was almost as if fate itself was determined to make his life difficult.
Then another possibility suddenly flashed through Jackson’s mind.
Could he have been tracking me?
The thought sent a cold shiver down his spine.
Jackson’s expression became solemn.
All this time, he might have been moving through the forest believing himself to be completely undetected, while someone had quietly followed his trail from behind.
If Samuel had truly been tracking him, then there was a terrifying possibility he couldn’t ignore.
What if he had attacked me while I was injured?
Jackson’s pace didn’t slow.
Had Samuel appeared during one of his weaker moments, when his body was exhausted or wounded after fighting a powerful monster, he might not have had any chance to resist.
He would have been completely finished.
The realization made Jackson even more cautious.
He couldn’t afford to underestimate this demon hunter again.
Behind him, Samuel watched Jackson suddenly accelerate and couldn’t help but snort coldly.
"Thinking of running?"
His voice was filled with contempt.
"Too late."
Samuel’s figure surged forward.
He absolutely could not allow Jackson to escape a second time.
If he let the same prey slip through his fingers again, what kind of demon hunter would he be?
He still didn’t know exactly how Jackson had managed to escape the last time. There were too many details he hadn’t figured out.
But none of that mattered now.
This time, he would make sure Jackson had nowhere to run.
"You are not going anywhere, brat!"
Samuel’s roar exploded through the forest.
His killing intent surged outward, filling the surrounding air with an oppressive chill. The trees trembled as his aura spread, and even the creatures hiding nearby instinctively fled from the terrifying pressure.
This is bad...
Jackson’s heart tightened.
There was still considerable distance between them, yet the sense of danger approaching from behind was becoming increasingly intense.
Then he heard a strange sound cutting through the air.
Whoosh!
Jackson’s pupils contracted.
Dark chains suddenly shot through the forest behind him.
They twisted and coiled through the air like enormous black dragons, moving with terrifying speed as they tore through branches and vegetation.
At the end of each chain was a sharp, piercing tip.
They weren’t merely meant to restrain him.
They were aimed directly at his body.
Jackson’s instincts screamed.
If those chains pierced him, the consequences would be disastrous.
He gritted his teeth and pushed his speed even further, desperately trying to evade the incoming attack.
Behind him, Samuel’s laughter echoed through the forest.
"Kekeke..."
The hunt had begun.
Without even blinking, Jackson instinctively attempted to use the same trick he had relied on the last time he faced Samuel.
His consciousness immediately reached toward Samuel’s status window, attempting to interfere with it.
But the moment he made contact, Jackson’s expression darkened.
Resistance.
A powerful force pushed back against his spiritual consciousness, preventing him from manipulating Samuel’s status window as easily as before. The sensation was completely different from their previous encounter, and for the first time, Jackson felt as though he had run into an immovable wall.
What is this?
His heart tightened.
Compared to the last time they had fought, Samuel’s spiritual force had clearly grown considerably stronger.
How...?
Jackson couldn’t help feeling shocked.
Even for a demon hunter, increasing spiritual force shouldn’t have been this easy. Spiritual cultivation was notoriously difficult, and a significant improvement in such a short period was something that shouldn’t happen without a special opportunity.
What exactly happened to him?
Jackson’s thoughts raced as he continued fleeing.
Perhaps it was because his attention had been divided, or perhaps Samuel had deliberately taken advantage of his momentary distraction.
Whatever the reason, the chains behind him had already closed the remaining distance.
Whoosh!
Several dark chains tore through the air.
Jackson’s pupils contracted.
The sharp tips were already less than a few meters from his back.
There was no time left to dodge normally.
At the critical moment, a pale blue shield suddenly flickered into existence behind him.
Bang!
The dark chains slammed into the shield.
For a brief instant, the translucent barrier trembled violently under the impact.
Then cracks spread across its surface.
Crack! Crack!
The shield shattered almost immediately.
But that tiny delay was enough.
Jackson twisted his body and threw himself violently to the side.
The sharp tips of the chains brushed past him, missing his body by the narrowest possible margin.
Boom!
The chains slammed into the ground where he had been standing moments earlier, sending dirt and shattered stones flying into the air.
Jackson rolled across the ground before quickly regaining his footing.
His breathing had become heavier.
That shield hadn’t been strong enough to withstand Samuel’s attack.
But it didn’t need to be.
It had only needed to slow the attack for that single instant.
And that brief moment had been enough to save his life.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter