Hunter of the Lost Gates-Chapter 18 - : Uneasy Alliances

The aftermath of the battle lingered in the air like a suffocating mist. The Abyssal creature was gone, but its presence still clung to the ruined campsite, its mark burned into the land. Sai sat on a crate near the remains of the hunter encampment, his thoughts racing.

Around him, the Silver Fangs Guild worked to salvage what they could, clearing the wreckage and tending to the injured. Despite their efficiency, the tension in the air was thick—not just from the battle, but from him.

Sai could feel their eyes on him. The way their hands never strayed far from their weapons. The way their voices lowered whenever he passed.

They had seen what he could do.

They had seen the shadows move for him.

Sai clenched his fingers, looking down at his open palm. When he had activated Abyssal Grasp, it had felt too natural. Like an instinct he never knew he had. The Abyss was growing inside him.

And the hunters knew it.

A heavy footstep approached.

Sai looked up to see Captain Aldrin, the leader of the Silver Fangs, standing before him. Clad in silver-plated armor, with a battle-worn greatsword strapped to his back, the man carried himself like someone who had seen too much war—and wasn't done fighting yet.

"That thing came for you," Aldrin said, arms crossed.

It wasn't a question.

Sai sighed. "Yeah."

Aldrin's gaze didn't waver. "Why?"

Sai hesitated. He had options. Lie. Tell a half-truth. Or... trust them?

But before he could answer, Aldrin spoke again.

"The Order wants you dead. That thing wanted you dead. And the dungeons are changing." His eyes narrowed. "You're at the center of all of it."

Sai met his gaze.

"The Order is hiding something." He spoke carefully, choosing his words. "The Lost Gates aren't normal dungeons. They were never supposed to be erased. They were sealed. And now..."

He exhaled, rubbing his temple.

"Now, something inside them is waking up."

The words hung heavy in the air.

Aldrin studied him for a long moment.

"How long has this been happening?" Sai asked.

Aldrin frowned. "Three months ago, we started noticing something strange. Normally, when a dungeon is cleared, it collapses. But we found cases where they stayed open—completely empty, like something had been erased."

Sai's breath caught.

"The Order covered it up?"

Aldrin nodded. "They moved fast. Wiped everything before we could investigate." His expression darkened. "And then they started killing hunters who got too close."

Sai clenched his fists.

The Order wasn't just hiding the truth anymore.

They were eliminating anyone who got too close.

Aldrin leaned over the table, tapping his fingers against a map spread across the wooden surface. Several locations were marked in red ink.

"Another Lost Gate appeared."

Sai's system pulsed before the words even left Aldrin's mouth.

[New Lost Gate Detected]

[Location: Ruins of Dusk]

Sai's heart pounded.

Aldrin pointed to one of the red-marked locations.

"Ruins of Dusk," he said. "And the Order is already there."

Sai gritted his teeth.

"I need to get there first."

Aldrin's gaze didn't waver.

"Then you better come up with a damn good plan."

A Plan of Desperation

Sai stood with Kara and Rell, two of Aldrin's best scouts, just outside the ruined campsite. The night air was crisp, but there was a weight hanging over them.

Kara, a hunter with short red hair and twin daggers, folded her arms. "This is a bad idea."

Rell, a quiet man armed with a longbow, glanced at the horizon. "They'll be expecting us."

Sai knew they were right.

The Ruins of Dusk weren't far. If the Order had already set up defenses, infiltrating would be nearly impossible. But he didn't have a choice.

"We won't fight them head-on," Sai said. "We just need to get inside before they erase the Gate."

Kara sighed. "Fine. But if this goes wrong, it's on you."

Rell simply nodded.

With that, they moved.

Arrival at the Ruins

After nearly an hour of silent travel, the group reached a ridge overlooking the ruins.

And that's when Sai felt it.

The same warped energy that had filled the City of Those Who Knew.

The Ruins of Dusk were unstable.

He swallowed hard.

"Something's wrong."

Kara frowned. "What do you mean?"

Sai's Lost Gate System pulsed.

[Warning: Gate Integrity Unstable]

[Timeflow Distortion Detected]

Sai clenched his jaw.

"The dungeon isn't just open." His voice was low. "It's breaking apart."

That meant something inside was waking up.

And then—they saw it.

The Lost Gate stood at the center of the ruins—a massive, shimmering black rift. Unlike normal dungeon gates, this one cracked with unstable energy, distorting the space around it.

And in front of it—

A force of Order enforcers.

Sai's breath caught.

One of them stood out immediately.

A tall figure clad in jet-black armor, radiating pure killing intent.

"An Order executioner," Kara whispered, her face pale.

Sai's stomach twisted.

Executioners weren't just assassins.

They were the Order's most elite killers—hunters who had sacrificed their own identities to serve as enforcers of the Order's will.

Sai barely had time to process before the executioner spoke.

"We were expecting you."

Sai gritted his teeth.

The race for the Lost Gate was over.

The battle had already begun.

The Fight Begins

Sai moved first.

He activated Abyssal Step, blinking five meters to the left as a mana-infused spear slammed into the spot where he had just stood. The ground shattered, sending debris flying.

The Order executioner advanced, drawing a curved black sword, its edge glowing with an eerie blue light.

"You've been interfering long enough," the enforcer said.

Sai exhaled sharply.

"That makes two of us."

The hunters behind him split up, engaging the Order's forces. The ruins erupted into chaos—blades clashing, magic igniting the air.

But Sai only had one target.

The executioner.

He lunged forward, daggers flashing.

Their blades met in a burst of mana pressure. The force sent a shockwave through the air, cracking the stone beneath their feet.

The enforcer was fast.

But Sai was faster.

He ducked under a horizontal slash, pivoting to strike at the enforcer's ribs—but his dagger slid off the armor as if repelled by an invisible force.

Sai's instincts screamed. He rolled back just in time to avoid a downward slash that split the ground open.

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.

"Tch." Sai narrowed his eyes.

A defensive barrier.

His daggers wouldn't pierce through that.

"You've been marked by the Abyss," the enforcer said, raising his blade again. "That means you die here."

Sai clenched his fists.

The Order wasn't just trying to stop the Abyss.

They were trying to erase him.

And now, he had no choice but to fight.