Bright Sword Chapter - First Hunt

"Charlotte was taken out? How is that possible? He was the strongest among the werewolves this time!"

"My Lord Steward, I suspect a demon hunter has infiltrated the crowd. I request permission to enter the island and investigate!"

"Don't be impatient, Lilith. It is impossible for a demon hunter or anyone from the Holy See to have slipped in. The island is equipped with holy power detectors. Charlotte's death could just as easily be the result of infighting. You must remember that there are very cunning individuals among the vampires. Ge Luka, a newborn from the same family as the Council President—though his raw power isn't great, he far surpasses Charlotte in other aspects. He is the true ace for this qualifying tournament. Lilith, rest easy and watch. That fellow Ge Luka might just end up killing everyone else."

"Understood, My Lord Steward!"

On the island...

The corpse was slowly fading away, the sunlight evaporating every part of it. Zhi sat on the grass opposite the remains, gasping for air. If Ellis and the others hadn't rushed over just now, he might have been the one to die. Ellis and her companions no longer looked as shocked as they had moments ago.

Just minutes earlier, Ellis had felt that something was wrong and ran back with the others. Seeing Zhi fighting the werewolf from a distance, the four of them hadn't known how to process the scene. It wasn't until Zhi began to lose ground that Ellis did the only thing she could, and in doing so, she saved his life.

"Is this... a werewolf?" Ellis asked Zhi, her voice trembling.

Zhi stood up and walked toward the evaporating corpse. "I believe it is indeed a werewolf. Ellis, could you ask Lundes to help me retrieve that thing?" He pointed to the heavy crossbow not far away.

Before Ellis could even translate, Lundes had already run over and hoisted the heavy crossbow onto his shoulder. "This thing is really heavy. I can't believe you can use a weapon like this!"

Zhi took a few more deep breaths. "Ellis, tell them to follow me. It's not safe here anymore. I've realized a lot of things, and I need to have a serious talk with you all."

Half an hour later, the five of them arrived at the place where Zhi had hidden his supplies. In addition to the heavy crossbow and the silver sword, Zhi had three silver daggers, a black bow, three black arrows, over a dozen iron-tipped crossbow bolts, five silver arrows, one golden arrow, and a silver short blade.

Everyone except Zhi was stunned. Ellis spoke for the others, "Why do you have so many weapons? It's too strange. Are you really a demon hunter?"

Zhi shook his head. "That's why I boarded the plane in Hong Kong. These items were originally meant for a weapons exhibition in Japan, but it seems that won't be necessary now..."

"Alright, let me explain the situation as I currently understand it."

"First, we have confirmed that there are creatures on this island other than humans—actual demons. I don't know how many there are or how many different types exist, but I am certain there is more than just one."

"Charlotte likely went to verify the body himself to prevent others of his kind from touching it. That's not the full reason, but it's certain that they cannot identify their own kind while in human form. After you all ran off, Charlotte kept saying something in place; he probably mistook the 'monster' you saw for one of his own."

"If that's the case, I believe these demons are here on the island to complete some kind of mission. They know other demons exist, but they can't identify who they are. Why would that be?"

"Competition. They might be here for a specific purpose, and it's a goal every demon must achieve. That's why they hide their identities, searching for others to either cooperate with or fight. That explains Charlotte's actions perfectly."

"But if this is true, we are facing the most terrifying scenario. Since a werewolf has appeared, it's not impossible for vampires to be on this island as well. Are there other types? Witches? Hags? We have no way of knowing how many enemies there are. Therefore, I believe we must begin our basic plan immediately. First, we stop trying to identify the enemies; ensuring our own safety is more important. Only by staying alive can we take the next step. We won't act until they make their intentions clear. What do you think? I want to hear your views and ideas."

Ellis translated Zhi's words to the others. Her companions nodded, deep in thought, which made Zhi feel strangely at ease. Why would he, someone who had always fought alone, feel this way? He hadn't felt like this since Kuo Zhe and the others had left...

Parker and Lundes nodded, having nothing to add. Freya voiced her own idea, and after listening, Ellis translated it immediately: "I might have a way to draw out other demons, but it's dangerous. I don't know if you'll agree."

"I could take a silver dagger from here and go into the crowd, claiming I found it while diving—saying it's some kind of treasure. I doubt ordinary people would know what it is, but if the other party is a demon, they would definitely want to investigate..." Before Ellis could finish translating, Zhi interrupted her. "Too dangerous. No. And what if the weapon is taken by someone else? The identities of the five of us must not be exposed. That is the only requirement for everything we do. Only by staying hidden can we deal with the other demons lurking in the dark. There is an old Chinese saying: 'It is easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark.' If we remain in the shadows, they cannot act first. We only managed to kill Charlotte this time because he was the one who exposed himself first!"

Without any heated debate, the five of them established their first common goal. Before moving out, Ellis made a bold suggestion: she wanted them all to be pricked by the silver sword. Silver causes massive damage to demons, but to humans, it would be no different from an ordinary scratch.

In the end, all five accepted, and they all passed the test safely. A squad acting without reservations naturally has the highest efficiency, which was exactly the kind of team Zhi wanted.

After packing their gear, the five set off. This time, only Zhi carried a dagger, and he kept it well-hidden. His reasoning to the others was that there was no need to run around with weapons in plain sight before a direct confrontation began.

"According to what you said, this island is huge. If we were just looking for a place to build a base, that would be simple, but we don't know what kind of place you're looking for. Can you be more specific?" Ellis asked as they walked.

Zhi replied as he walked, "The base must be underground, primarily because of the surrounding environment. To prevent the base from being discovered, we must choose a spot not far from the crowd, yet one where no one would come. We also have to watch out for the island's wildlife. You've seen that people have caught deer; if they were jumping around on top of our base..."

After a day of searching, they hadn't found a spot that fully satisfied Zhi. However, there was one place the others thought was acceptable. Since time was tight, Zhi had to agree with Ellis's suggestion. After all, this was a team effort; he couldn't make every decision himself, and the place wasn't bad—it barely met his requirements.

Back on the beach, some people were already starving. It could be said that they were eating the very last of their food, and the expedition team still hadn't returned.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Zhi: "Why haven't they returned? Are they unable to, or are they unwilling to? No matter how big this island is, it shouldn't take two days to traverse. Could it be that they were attacked? By other demons? If I were a demon, what would I do after attacking the others?"

"I would definitely make up an excuse, saying everyone else died, explaining how I managed to survive, and then claim that others might still be alive, offering to lead people to find the survivors? Or perhaps I would return alone, claiming to have found food or something similar, and then trick others into following me?"

"Regardless, if someone returns alone or in a small group, the situation is definitely not that simple!"

Zhi found the others on the beach and told them everything he had been thinking.