Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls

Chapter 493 493: Extermination coming soon.

Kael's body cut through the air the instant he launched himself from the top of the cathedral, but unlike a normal fall, there was no loss of control, no dizziness, no brief moment when the human body realizes it is plummeting to its own destruction. Before he even gained enough speed to become a real fall, the wind around him responded.

Not like a breeze.

But like something alive.

An invisible current formed beneath his feet, compressing the air into a solid enough base to support him, while other currents intertwined around his body, adjusting his trajectory with almost surgical precision. The impact that should have come never happened, replaced by a gentle impulse that launched him forward, tearing through the night in a fluid and controlled movement.

Kael was flying.

The city below became a blur of distant lights, the urban sounds quickly swallowed by the silence of the open sky as he advanced with increasing speed, the wind passing by him like an obedient ally, molding itself to his will without any resistance. His eyes were fixed on the horizon, but there was no contemplation there, no admiration for the night landscape or the spectacle of the lights.

There was only focus.

And something else.

Rage.

Not the impulsive, uncontrolled rage that explodes without direction.

But a cold rage.

Dense.

The kind that doesn't shout, doesn't show off, doesn't waste time with recklessness.

The kind that decides.

Kael tightened his grip slightly as the air around him adjusted again, further accelerating his advance towards the forest that surrounded the capital. The darkness beyond the walls approached rapidly, a dense and silent mass that contrasted with the constant life of the city.

He didn't slow down.

He didn't hesitate.

Because, for him, this wasn't uncharted territory.

It was destiny.

Kael wasn't someone easily affected by the world around him. He had already seen too much, lived through too many situations, witnessed the kind of cruelty that broke most people long before they understood. He knew exactly what the world was capable of, and, most of the time… he accepted it.

Not out of indifference.

But out of pragmatism.

The world was an imperfect place.

Violent.

Cruel.

And trying to react to everything… was a direct path to self-destruction.

So he chose.

He chose what mattered.

He chose when to act.

He chose what to ignore.

But there were things…

That simply didn't fit into that logic.

Children.

That wasn't negotiable.

It never was.

The wind around him swayed for a brief moment, reacting to the subtle shift in his energy, as if even the element perceived the emotional state of its controller. The speed increased even more for a moment, before stabilizing again as the line of trees finally rose ahead, dark, dense, almost oppressive against the night sky.

The forest.

Kael slowed down precisely, the air beneath his feet gradually dissipating as he descended in a smooth arc, landing between the trees with an almost nonexistent impact. His feet touched the leaf-covered ground, but the sound was minimal, muffled by the very presence he carried.

The silence there was different.

Heavier.

More… conscious.

The forest wasn't dead.

But it wasn't still either.

Kael stood still for a few seconds after landing, allowing his senses to fully adjust to the environment. The smell of damp earth, the slight rustling of leaves, the distant sounds of small animals—everything seemed normal at first glance.

But there was something beneath.

Something wrong.

Something that didn't belong there.

He raised his gaze slightly, his eyes scanning the darkness between the trees, analyzing each shadow, each space where the moonlight didn't fully reach. It wasn't just the absence of light, it was the presence of something hiding within it.

Something watching.

The air felt colder.

Denser.

As if the forest itself were holding its breath.

Kael took a step forward.

Slowly.

Without haste.

But intentionally.

And then he spoke.

"Vampires."

His voice wasn't loud.

But it didn't need to be.

It spread through the forest in a strange way, carried by the wind that obeyed its will, passing through trees, circumventing obstacles, infiltrating every space where something might be hidden.

It wasn't just a call.

It was an order.

"You have one minute."

He paused briefly.

His eyes fixed on the darkness ahead.

"To present yourselves here."

The silence that followed wasn't empty.

It was… tense.

Heavy.

Laden with expectation.

The kind of silence that exists when something has been challenged.

And now needs to decide how to respond.

The silence that followed Kael's call wasn't immediate in its response, but it wasn't empty either. The forest reacted in a subtle way, almost imperceptible to an ordinary person, but completely evident to someone like him. The air shifted unevenly between the trees, shadows seemed to lengthen where they shouldn't, and that weight in the atmosphere became denser, more present, as if something had finally decided to move.

First came the sound.

One step.

Then another.

Light.

Controlled. Then, a low, drawn-out laugh, laden with a contempt that seemed almost rehearsed.

"Look…"

The voice emerged from the darkness to the left, accompanied by the appearance of a silhouette that slowly revealed itself among the trees. A tall, thin man, his eyes reflecting the moonlight with a slightly reddish glow, his smile stretched unnaturally as he observed Kael as if he were facing something curious, not threatening.

Another appeared soon after.

And another.

And two more.

The figures began to materialize gradually around him, emerging from the darkness with that unsettling naturalness of those who already completely mastered that type of environment. Some leaned against tree trunks, others walked slowly in circles, assessing, measuring, but all carried the same expression.

Disdain.

"A human," said another, his voice deeper, his eyes narrowed as he tilted his head to the side. "Calling us over like he owns the place."

A laugh swept through the small group.

Loose.

Shared.

"You're far from the city, kid," added a third, crossing his arms as he took a few steps forward. "Here… nobody will hear you yell."

Kael didn't move.

He didn't answer immediately.

He just watched.

His eyes slowly scanned each of them, registering faces, postures, positions, as if cataloging something of minimal interest.

One of them took another step forward, clearly the most confident of the group, his smile widening as he noticed the lack of reaction.

"So tell me…" he began, leaning slightly toward Kael. "Did you come here alone just to die, or—"

He didn't finish the sentence.

There was no visible movement.

There was no preparation.

There wasn't even a perceptible change in Kael's posture.

Just… a gesture. A slight movement of the hand.

And then—

Silence.

For a fraction of a second.

The vampire's body was still there.

Standing.

Momentary.

The smile still fixed on his face.

But the head…

No.

Kael now held his head by the face, his fingers pressing lightly against the still-warm skin as dark blood began to trickle slowly down his wrist, dripping onto the ground with an almost inaudible sound.

The headless body took a moment to react.

Then it fell.

Heavy.

Lifeless.

The impact against the ground echoed dryly among the trees.

The group froze.

The laughter died.

The expression of disdain dissolved as if it had never existed.

And, for the first time…

There was real silence.

Kael looked at the head in his hand for a brief moment, as if assessing something completely uninteresting.

Then he let go.

It fell beside the body with a damp sound.

He lightly wiped his hand on his coat, as if removing ordinary dirt, not blood.

And then he looked up again.

This time…

Without any trace of indifference.

"Let's try again."

His voice was low.

Calm.

But completely devoid of any patience.

He took a step forward.

The forest seemed to recede.

The air grew heavier.

"All of you."

A brief pause.

His eyes now scanning the deepest darkness between the trees, not just those that were visible.

But those that were still hidden.

"Introduce yourselves."

The wind moved again.

Stronger now.

More aggressive.

The surrounding leaves began to vibrate slightly, branches creaking under an invisible pressure that was beginning to accumulate in the air.

Kael tilted his head slightly.

And then he concluded.

"Before I exterminate every single one of you…"

Another pause.

Shorter.

Sharper.

"…leaving no room for doubt."

The silence that followed didn't last long this time.

Unlike the first moment, where there was doubt, hesitation, and even a somewhat poorly disguised disdain, now the forest reacted more directly, more honestly to the reality of the situation. The air became even heavier, as if something had finally abandoned any attempt at subtlety. The presence that had previously hidden now began to reveal itself shamelessly, carelessly, like predators who realized they were no longer dealing with ordinary prey.

And then came the eyes.

First a pair.

Appearing from the shadows of a more distant tree trunk, shining with a dull red, fixed directly on Kael.

Then another.

Further to the right.

Lower.

Then two more.

Three more.

More…

In a matter of seconds, the darkness of the forest began to fill with small points of crimson light, scattered at different heights, different distances, some close, others almost imperceptible in the background, but all with the same characteristic.

Observing.

Calculating.

Waiting.

The effect was almost suffocating.

As if the night itself had developed eyes.

Kael remained motionless in the center of that scene, his body relaxed, his posture simple, but the contrast between him and everything around him was absurd. While dozens of presences accumulated in the shadows, he remained alone, still, without even showing the slightest intention of retreating.

His eyes began to move slowly.

Left.

Right.

Deeper.

Higher.

He wasn't just looking.

He was counting.

Each point of light.

Each presence. Each breath held within the trees.

The wind around him adjusted once more, circulating almost imperceptibly, carrying information, small variations in temperature, smells, minimal movements that revealed exact positions.

A few seconds passed.

Silent.

Precise.

Until he finally let out a sigh.

Low.

Controlled.

"Thirty-three."

The count came out in an almost casual murmur, as if merely confirming something simple, something expected, something that carried no real surprise.

But the meaning of it…

Was something else.

The red eyes didn't disappear.

But some moved.

Subtly.

As if the count had been… noticed.

Kael tilted his head slightly to the side, his gaze still scanning the shadows, but now there was something different there.

It was no longer just focus.

It was a decision.

He took a small step forward.

And the wind responded immediately.

The leaves on the ground began to rustle slightly, subtle circles forming around his feet as the ambient pressure increased gradually, steadily, inevitably.

"Great."

The word came out almost in a sigh.

No rush.

No exaggerated emotion.

But completely firm.

Kael then raised his hand slightly.

Not abruptly.

Not like someone preparing a desperate attack.

But like someone initiating an inevitable process.

"Then I won't need to search."

The wind changed.

This time it wasn't subtle.

Currents began to form around him, swirling slowly, lifting leaves, dust, and small fragments from the ground as the pressure increased even further, visibly compressing the air in some areas.

Eyes in the shadows began to react.

Some recoiled slightly.

Others moved more aggressively.

But none disappeared completely.

Not yet.

Kael closed his eyes for a brief moment.

Just a second.

As if organizing his own mind before beginning.

Then he opened them again.

And this time…

There was nothing there but intention.

"I will begin the extermination."

The sentence was spoken with the same calm as before.

Without raising his voice.

Without dramatizing.

Without haste.

But its effect was immediate.

Because, at that moment…

Everyone there understood.

That wasn't a threat.

It wasn't provocation.

It wasn't a warning.

It was the beginning.

And Kael had already decided.

No one would leave.