Vol. 4
Chapter 51: A New Hunter in the Mist
The wind was cold.
Daijin stood at the edge of the battlefield, his blue eyes following the silhouettes of Kim Han and his group as they vanished into the misty horizon. The war was over, but the weight of it hadn't left his chest. He could still feel the blood on his hands, the crack of Renji's bones under his blade.
Haru limped up beside him. "They're really gone, huh?"
Daijin nodded. "Yeah. Just like that."
Aya had looked back only once before disappearing into the fog. Taro and Mikasa didn't say a word. And Kim Han… he never looked back.
Akane sat nearby, tending to Yeon's wounded arm. The group was bruised, quiet, and hollow. They had won, but they weren't celebrating.
Because something didn't feel right.
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From the Shadows…
Unseen from the tree line, a lone figure observed the broken battlefield. Cloaked in black, the figure wore a half-mask of bone, its edges cracked and jagged. A faint red gleam flickered in one eye—non-human, cold.
As Kim Han's group disappeared, the figure stepped back and faded into the forest, his presence vanishing like a breath in the cold.
> "Tenshi is dead... and now the real hunt begins."
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Later that Night – Daijin's Camp
The fire crackled weakly.
Daijin sat alone, staring into the flames. The others had fallen asleep, but he couldn't. His mind kept replaying everything—Kim Han's raw fury, the promise they shared, and that shadow… the one he thought he saw before leaving the battlefield.
"I know someone was watching," he muttered.
Suddenly, a soft crunch of gravel behind him.
Daijin turned instantly, blade halfway drawn—but it was Yeon.
"You can't sleep either?" she asked.
He shook his head.
Yeon sat beside him, glancing at the fire. "Kim Han… he still carries everything, doesn't he?"
Daijin didn't answer.
She continued, voice softer. "He looked so calm walking away… but I could see it in his eyes. That rage never left him."
"I know," Daijin whispered. "That's why I'm worried."
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Meanwhile – Kim Han's Group
Far into the forest, Kim Han walked alone at the front of his squad.
Mikasa walked beside Aya, whispering, "He hasn't said a word since we left."
Aya's eyes were locked forward. "Let him be. He's thinking."
Taro spoke up. "Or planning."
Kim Han suddenly stopped.
Everyone behind him froze.
He knelt down, touched the ground, and stood back up.
"Someone followed us," he said coldly.
Aya's eyes narrowed. "That shadow?"
Kim Han nodded. "No one from Tenshi's army. This one was... older. Quieter."
"Who?" Taro asked.
Kim Han stared into the trees.
"I don't know yet."
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Final Scene – Unknown Location
The cloaked figure knelt in a dark chamber.
Before him stood a woman draped in crimson robes, her hair long and silver, her voice like silk on a blade.
"So... it's true," she said. "Tenshi has fallen."
The figure nodded.
"And the one who killed him?"
"Kim Han," the shadow replied.
The woman smiled.
"Then we no longer have to wait. Tell the others... it's time to wake the Crimson Circle."
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To be continued…
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