A rge flock of birds of various colors, seemingly startled, fpped their wings furiously and asded into the sky from the vast expanse of Aokigahara's forest. Each bird scattered in a different dire, their cries fading into the distance.

  This was the western and southern edge of Aokigahara's Sea of Trees. Yet to most people, there was no noticeable differeweewions, the sery looked the same no matter where oood.

  "Run!!"

  "Run!!!"

  A desperate shout suddenly echoed through the forest. It was a man's voice—loud, but trembling with ay.

  "No! I... I 't leave you behind!"

  Another male voice followed, younger and higher-pitched, though it quivered with fear.

  "Enough with the nonsehe first voiapped back. "In a situation like this, there's only ohing to do—run!"

  The undergrowth not far ahead began to shake violently, and a young man stumbled out, clutg a bck shotgun. He was disheveled, his movements frantid he kept gng back over his shoulder.

  Behind him, the sounds of the forest grew louder and more chaotic, as though something massive was tearing its way through the trees. The dense opy above blocked out most of the sunlight, casting the area in deep shadow.

  Suddenly, with a loud crash, something huge burst from the jungle.

  "Boom!"

  A dark shadow hurtled out from the trees, tumbling across the ground several times before ing to a stop.

  "Grandpa!"

  The young man's face paled as he ran toward the fallen figure.

  If Kaminari had bee at this moment, he would've immediately reized them as the grandfather and grandson pair he had met on the Shinkansen—Hideo Sato and Ryoichi Sato, the so-called "Matagi Hunters."

  "Cough… cough..."

  "I'm fihe older man gasped, his voice strained. "I mao block it with my spear..."

  Hideo Sato, a man in his sixties, tried to reassure his grandso his face ale, and his breathing bored. He g his steel spear with lingering fear. A deep dent marred its shaft, the on had saved his life just moments ago.

  If the spear hadn't absorbed the brunt of the blow, he would have been killed instantly. Even so, both his hands were bleeding, the skin split from the force of the attack.

  "It's to... far beyond what a normal bear should be capable of," Hideo muttered, his expression grim.

  The sound of crag wood cut him off. Ahead of them, the three rgest trees in their line of sight snapped like twigs under immense force, falling to the ground with deafening crashes. Emerging from the wreckage was a terrifying creature.

  "ROAR!!!"

  A massive bck bear, as tall as a small building, stepped into view. Its bloodshot eyes gred at the pair with unbridled rage. Its roar was deafening, carrying pure, primal fury.

  "What a terrible mistake..." Hideo muttered, his face torted with regret.

  "I didn't realize... the one I lured out was its cub."

  Days earlier, when they first arrived at Aokigahara, the tent their time searg for the so-called "legendary three-meter bear." Although they had entered several ordinary bck bears, ched the description of the mythical beast.

  But early that m, luck seemed to be on their side, they stumbled upon the cave of what they believed to be the giant bear. Wasting no time, Hideo set up a rge bear trap and used "gentori bamboo," a type of bait irresistible to bck bears.

  However, the first creature to emerge wasn't the legendary bear, but a cub barely a meter tall.

  When the cub triggered the trap, its arms were broken instantly, and its agonized cries echoed through the forest. The smell of blood soon attracted its mother, who turned out to be far rger than expected, closer to five meters i than three.

  From that point onward, things had spiraled out of trol. Hideo, despite being an experienced "Matagi hunter" with decades of expertise and strength that rivaled professional heroes, was pletely outmatched by the enraged beast.

  Faced with its near-imperable hide and overwhelming power, Hideo had no choice but to retreat, relying on his knowledge of bck bear behavior and his agility to evade death.

  But this was no longer about hunting—it was about survival.

  "Bang!"

  "Bang!"

  "Bang!"

  "Stay back! Don't e any closer!"

  Ryoichi's hands shook as he fired his shotgun at the bear, his legs trembling with fear. But the bear didn't flinch. The on might as well have been a toy against its thick hide.

  "Stop wasting ammunition and run!" Hideo shouted, his voice hoarse with urgency. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed his spear and charged the beast once more.

  "Ryoichi, listen to me!"

  "I've spent my life hunting bck bears, hundreds of them! If I die here, uhe cws of this 'Bear King,' so be it. That's an honorable death for a Matagi hunter!"

  "But you... you're the in line. You're the future of this profession. If you die here, the legacy of the Matagi hunters ends with you. Do you want that?"

  Despite his age, Hideo's movements were sharp and precise. He dodged the bear's massive cws, striking at its oints whenever he could. Yet every attack was blocked by its thick, imperable fur.

  His eyes glinted with an unnatural yellow hue—his Quirk, "Hawkeye." It enhanced all aspects of his vision, granting him an ultra-wide field of view and exceptional dynamic sight.

  Teically, using his Quirk during "work hours" without a Hero Lise was illegal, even though he held a hunti. But none of that mattered now. His only was buying enough time for Ryoichi to escape.

  "I 't leave you!" Ryoichi cried, his face streaked with tears. "I 't do it!"

  "You have to!" Hideo roared back. "Do you wao die filled with regret?"

  In that moment of distra, Hideo's rea faltered for just a sed.

  "Boom!"

  The bear's massive paw struck him with full force, sending him flying like a ragdoll.

  "Grandpa!!!"

  Ryoichi's scream tore through the forest as he watched Hideo's body hurtle toward a tree. Blood sprayed into the air, and the impact was certain to be fatal.

  But just as Hideo was about to collide with the trunk, a crag burst of electricity split the temosphere.

  "Zzzzt!"

  A fsh of golden light streaked through the air, catg Hideo mid-flight aly l him to safety.

  "Looks like you've gotten yourself into some trouble..." a familiar voice said.

  AnnouChey new books:

  ☆DC: Rise Of The Kryptonian Tyrant

  ☆GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond the Ice

  ☆Drift Of The Multiverse

  Check my profile, under Series.

  Junkdog