A crossover anime/manga series, starting with Kaguya's fiancé.

Without another word, the scout turned and disappeared back into the shadows.

“Let’s go too,” Lethesa ordered the members behind her.

The girls immediately stood up and checked their equipment with practiced ease.

Artemis walked up to Lynn and said, "705U.COM, Orion, be careful."

"Don't worry." Lynn turned her head and gave her a reassuring look. "I'm being very careful. Stay in a safe place and don't let your guard down."

"And could you please stop calling me Orion and just call me Lynn?"

“Okay, O…” Artemis actually nodded obediently, “Lynn, I’ll listen to you.”

Luckily, Letesha was packing her things, otherwise she would have given Lynn another dressing down.

Following the scout's directions, the group swiftly traversed the dark, dense forest.

Ryu followed closely behind Lynn.

The deeper they went, the stronger the smell of blood became.

The scout stopped in front of a destroyed camp, lowered his body, and made a warning gesture.

Lynn's brows furrowed instantly.

The scene before him was far more horrific than he had imagined.

Several tents were roughly slashed open with sharp tools, and the contents inside were ransacked.

The campfire had long since died out, leaving only charred charcoal.

The most jarring sight was the several corpses lying in the center of the camp.

Those are not traces of a monster attack.

Lessa and her group arrived, and many gasped in shock when they saw the horrific scene inside the camp.

“This wasn’t done by Andares’s derivative.” Letesa strode forward, examined a corpse, and concluded in a cold voice, “The wound is a sword wound, and… it was fatal.”

"But even after he was killed, they didn't stop; their methods were extremely cruel."

Lynn didn't speak; his gaze swept across the entire camp, taking in every detail.

There were five dead people in total, all dressed as adventurers, and their levels were probably not high.

Their deaths were extremely gruesome.

It wasn't just a simple killing; it was more like suffering inhuman torture before death.

This has gone beyond the scope of combat; it's more like a massacre.

Ryu walked up to Lynn, her face flushed with anger; "Why did you have to go this far?"

She couldn't understand. Even among enemies, giving them a quick death was an unwritten rule among adventurers.

This cruel method caused her physical discomfort.

Lynn did not answer. He walked around the body and toward the rummaged luggage to the side.

His gaze was drawn to several items scattered on the ground.

A magic compass used to calibrate directions.

Several entrenching tools clearly used for digging.

There was also a strangely shaped device with a dull magic stone embedded in it.

Lynn recognized it as a low-end version of the magic stone detector, specifically designed to find minerals or items with specific energy fluctuations.

These pieces of equipment, when combined, point to a very clear purpose.

What are they looking for?

In the Bio Valley, such groups used to be plentiful, but now there are far fewer.

Their goal is to find the Black Dragon Scales...

“These people were trying their luck searching for black dragon scales,” Lynn said as he approached. “Their deaths don’t seem like a conflict of interest among their peers.”

Lessa looked up at him, puzzled.

"The legend of the Black Dragon Scales has been circulating in Orario for over a thousand years. The hype has long since died down, and while there are occasionally a few persistent treasure hunters like them, they can't form a large-scale operation, let alone have any conflict of interest that would warrant such a ruthless act."

Lynn's gaze swept over the corpses again.

"This is not for money, nor is it to silence witnesses."

"This is a warning."

"Warning what?" Letsa pressed, realizing that she had unknowingly been completely drawn into the man's train of thought.

Lynn did not answer directly; he looked toward the darkness deeper into the valley that the map pointed to.

"A warning to the other adventurers in Bio Valley: if you're afraid of dying, get out of here!"

The girls of Artemis's Familia felt a chill run down their spines.

While they were hunting the monster, another, even more ruthless group of "people" were also conducting some kind of hunt in this valley.

"But...why?" Letesa still didn't understand. "Even if it's just to monopolize the clues about the black dragon scales, is it necessary to go to such lengths?"

"This is the best way."

Lynn frowned and shouted, "Letesa!"

"Have your scouts re-investigate."

"This time, we need to find not only the monsters, but also the people. I need to know how many other teams are in this valley besides us, where they are, and what they are doing."

Lethesa looked up and asked, "You mean..."

“We may have more than one enemy,” Lynn said sharply. “And that unseen enemy may be even more dangerous.”

110. Eliminate them all without leaving a trace (Please subscribe)

"We can't stay here any longer."

Since there are enemies lurking in the shadows, we cannot let our guard down.

Lynn immediately said, "It's easy to be watched here. For safety's sake, let's leave first."

The girls of Artemis's Familia tensed instantly, instinctively gripping their weapons.

Lessa reacted the fastest; without uttering a single wasted word, she directly gave orders to the members behind her.

"Pack your bags and move immediately!"

The group quickly left.

Led by Lynn, they returned to the place where Artemis was hiding.

Artemis stood up, picked up a water pouch, and walked over to Lynn.

"Have some water."

Lynn turned around and took the water pouch.

"Thank you."

He unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

The cool spring water slid down my throat, it felt so good.

"Is it troublesome?" Artemis stood beside him, gazing into the darkness with him.

Lynn didn't hide anything, "The people who appeared in the shadows were very professional, and... very arrogant."

"arrogant?"

“Yes.” Lynn put down the water pouch, his gaze becoming deep. “They left such a horrific scene not to cover anything up, but to deliberately make people see it. It’s a warning, a warning that this valley is their hunting ground, and all intruders must die.”

"Only a madman with absolute confidence in his own abilities would do something like this."

“You… don’t seem afraid at all.” Artemis looked at Lynn’s profile, which showed no sign of tension.

Lynn suddenly smiled. "What's the use of being afraid?"

He turned his head and looked directly into Artemis' eyes; "I'm just thinking about how to wipe them all out, without leaving a single one alive."

Artemis's voice was even softer than before.

"I believe you, Lynn."

"Ok?"

“I believe you can do it.” Artemis looked at him again, her eyes filled with unwavering trust. “Orion… is destined to be the strongest hunter.”

Lynn twitched the corner of her mouth and didn't correct the way she addressed him.

This identity is very useful now.

Not far away, Letesa saw all of this.

She's almost used to it...

The scouts were sent out again.

This time, the wait wasn't long.

The scout girl returned silently;

"We found another campsite not far away."

She paused, as if to catch her breath; "Exactly the same as the previous place, the adventurers' deaths... exactly the same. All torture and murder."

The first discovery was just a guess, but the second discovery is an undeniable fact.

A group of extremely cruel thugs are carrying out an indiscriminate "clearing" operation in this valley.

A girl named Lanti walked up to Letesa and lowered her voice;

"Commander, this man... seems to really have some ability. His judgment is completely correct."

Lessa didn't speak; she looked at Lynn not far away with a complicated expression.

She had to admit that from the moment they met until now, the man's calmness, decisiveness, and extraordinary insight had been remarkable.

"Never mind that for now, let's find Andares at our own pace."