The Summoner: Rise Of The Night Vanguard

CHAPTER 8: THE HUNTER BECOMES THE HUNTED

It was currently afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly in the sky. Adrian walked through the empty street, hands in his pockets, walking without caution or any need to look behind him, but it was all a ruse.

This was the side of town where abandoned industrial companies were located. A part of Ashvale had been left behind years ago. Factories had closed, workers were gone, and only the occasional scavenger or criminal still bothered to walk these streets.

Outwardly, Adrian looked like any other young man taking a walk. Inside, however, every sense remained sharp. After everything that had happened, he no longer trusted these quiet streets. He already suspected that he was being followed, and to confirm he was right, the system notified him that he was being followed. So he came out here to these empty streets to lure the person out.

The familiar blue system panel appeared in front of him.

[Main Quest Updated]

A hostile presence has been following Host for the past ten minutes.

Objectives:

• Eliminate the assassin.

• Discover Smoke’s location.

• Kill Smoke.

• Retrieve Nyx.

Adrian didn’t stop walking. In fact, a small, cold smile simply curved the corner of his mouth.

If this assassin was sent after him, then he probably knew where Smoke's base was.

“You’ve been following me for a while,” Adrian murmured out loud, finally coming to a stop in the middle of the empty road.

He slowly turned around, his voice steady and clear as it carried down the street.

“I know you’re there. If you’re going to kill me… at least have the courage to show yourself.”

For several seconds, only the empty street was in his vision. The silence stretched until it felt disturbing, and Adrian, at one point, almost wondered if the system was wrong.

Then a piercing screech rang loudly through the air.

Adrian went on alert immediately. He threw his body backward just as enormous talons slammed into the exact spot where he had been standing.

When he created a safe distance and looked up, there was a gigantic falcon flying over him, its presence dominating the entire street.

The beast was well over five meters tall. Dark bronze feathers mixed with black covered its powerful body. Its hooked beak looked sharp enough to tear through steel, and its golden eyes locked onto Adrian with predatory hunger. When the falcon partially spread its wings, a violent gust of wind swept down the road, sending more leaves spinning into the air.

Adrian’s expression remained the same as he muttered, “A Void Falcon.”

Animal-type summons were the most common in the world, and seeing one wasn’t rare at all. Finding the human controlling it from a safe distance was the real challenge, especially in this situation.

The falcon let out another sharp cry and launched itself forward with terrifying speed, talons outstretched.

Adrian raised his hand, and darkness immediately erupted. Noir stepped out and parried an attack from the Falcon.

The falcon beat its powerful wings, lifting itself high into the air before diving again.

Noir met every assault with trained precision, and the empty street soon became a battlefield.

While the two clashed, Adrian’s eyes never stayed fixed on the fight for long. He kept searching the surrounding buildings.

Someone controlling a flying summon this strong would never stand in the open. From his information search, he even found out that some people could see through the eyes of their summons.

Meaning, if that was true, then the attacker was somewhere observing him, waiting for the right time to strike. A rooftop, a nearby building, an abandoned water tank—anywhere that offered a clear line of sight down the street. The only way to bring this summon down was to kill the summoner.

The falcon suddenly changed tactics. Instead of continuing its duel with Noir, it dove hard and rushed straight toward Adrian, its massive wings spreading wide to block his vision.

And at that exact moment, a gunshot filled the air.

Pain exploded through Adrian’s chest as his blood sprayed across the cracked pavement, and he staggered before collapsing to the ground.

Noir dissolved the instant his master fell, and the falcon landed on a building nearby, folding its wings and standing guard over the motionless body.

Several long seconds passed. Nothing moved.

Finally, a man stepped into view on a nearby rooftop. He wore dark clothing and carried a long-range rifle casually over one shoulder. A satisfied grin spread across his face as he looked down at the body in the street.

“Too easy.”

He climbed down the fire escape with relaxed confidence and walked toward Adrian. The sniper pulled out his phone, already planning the photo he would send as proof.

Just as he raised the phone, a hand shot upward from the corpse and locked around his wrist with surprising strength.

The assassin’s eyes widened in pure shock.

“What?”

Adrian’s eyes opened. Cold, focused, completely alive.

He yanked the assassin forward and drove his forehead into the man’s nose. Blood poured down the assassin’s face as he stumbled backward, clutching his broken nose.

The assassin’s bullet really did hit Adrian in the chest, but the Night Vanguard Cloak was fast enough to protect him and prevent the bullet from going any further. Knowing it was a sniper, he then took the chance to play dead so he could lure the assassin out, and fortunately, it worked.

“You should’ve confirmed the kill,” Adrian said, already closing the distance.

The assassin tried to raise his rifle, but Adrian kicked it cleanly out of his hands. The weapon crashed down the road. The two men crashed into each other in a brutal exchange of close combat.

Punches, elbows, and knees flew in rapid succession. The assassin was clearly well-trained with years of professional work but he was a Sniper. Long distance was his major strength.

He slipped behind Adrian and drove an elbow toward the back of his neck, but Adrian ducked under the blow, turned, and brought his B-Grade dagger upward.

The assassin barely twisted away in time as the blade missed his throat by less than an inch.

The giant falcon immediately abandoned its position and dove toward Adrian with a furious screech, stretching its talons.

But Adrian summoned Noir again. The Shadow Knight appeared with only one intention: keeping the Falcon from interfering in his master’s battle.

Meanwhile, the fight between Adrian and the sniper intensified. The assassin managed to draw a combat knife from under his jacket and slashed across Adrian’s shoulder, making blood spray, but Adrian didn’t stop for even a second.

Both of them went for a round of blade to blade fighting, but the assassin was no match for Adrian, who had been training with Noir. Adrian was currently a beast in close combat. He stepped inside the man’s range, driving his dagger upward.

The blade sank deep into the assassin’s chest, making the man freeze. His eyes dropped slowly to the weapon buried in his body in disbelief, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Adrian leaned in close, his voice low and cold.

“Where is Smoke?”

The assassin let out a weak laugh.

“You… you’re already dead…”

Adrian kicked the man, making him fall to the floor on his back, and twisted the dagger. The man screamed in pain.

“I’ll ask you one more time, WHERE?”

“…Warehouse…” the assassin gasped between coughs of blood. “…Dock District… Building… 17…”

His body finally went limp, meaning he was dead.

At the exact same moment, Noir’s broadsword cleaved the falcon cleanly in half. The summon dissolved into countless particles of light and vanished completely.

Silence returned to the street as only Adrian’s controlled breathing remained.

Adrian looked toward the distant skyline where the docks lay, a cold smile slowly forming on his face.

“Found you.”

He wiped the blood from his cheek with the back of his hand, recalled Noir into his soul space, and began walking toward the docks without looking back. Smoke had unknowingly handed him the exact information he needed.

The hunt was over, and now the execution would begin.