Hunters Vs Pixies

All the hunters came to a halt just before reaching the island, standing still on the frozen lake, as they heeded the caution given by the man in purple. Meanwhile, inside the island, Butterbell and Creambell were armed and ready for any potential confrontation. Finn stood by their side, poised to offer assistance in case the hunters decided to make a move. He even used appraisal on each one of them, and for the bald armored man, the screen displayed,

"Human

Threat Level – E

Description – They are one of the humanoid races, with the least lifespan. However, they are the most populous race. Renowned for their resilience, creativity, and insatiable ambition, members of this race do not possess any innate racial skills like the Pixies' seasonal camouflage or telepathic antennae.

Height – 6 feet"

When Finn used appraisal on the man in purple, the screen displayed,

"Unable to identify the race due to lack of visibility.

Threat Level – D

Height – 5 feet 8 inches"

Appraisal of the man in the green and white robe displayed all the details of a human except Threat Level – F and Height- 5 feet 6 inches. And finally, the appraisal of the giant holding the corpses of 2 White Akuma Bears on his shoulders displayed,

"Giant Human Hybrid

Threat Level – D

Description -  They have the mixed traits of a human and a giant. Even though they are shorter than an average giant, they are very agile considering their huge body mass. Due to their giant lineage, they can lift 10 times more than their weight, and due to their human lineage, they have a more strategic mind.

Height – 11 feet"

Meanwhile, the hunters also noticed Finn and were taken aback by his unusual appearance. "Are you some kind of tormented soul, who died here?" asked the bald man, his curiosity piqued.

"My name is Finn Darkling of the Nightmare," Finn replied. However, the hunters couldn't hear him; they could only see his lips moving. The bald man requested, "You need to speak louder."

In a louder voice, Finn exclaimed, "MY NAME IS FINN DARKLING OF THE NIGHTMARE."

Still, the hunters were unable to hear him clearly. "I'm unable to hear you," the bald man stated and glanced at his team for confirmation. "Can you guys hear him?"

"No," replied the man in purple, and this was confirmed by the giant and the man in the green robe.

To ensure their response, Finn turned to the pixies and inquired, "Can you guys hear me?"

"Yes," confirmed Moonlight and Creambell.

Curious, Finn telepathically asked Manual, "Why can't the hunters hear me?"

"When you're in your apparition form, your voice can only be heard by those within the house's area," Manual explained.

Meanwhile, the bald man turned his attention to the pixies and inquired, "Hey, pixies, what is this tormented soul saying?"

Creambell, raising his voice to ensure they heard him, replied, "He's warning you to leave, or else he will kill you. Can't you see all the corpses of the water salamanders? He alone has killed them all."

After hearing Creambell's warning, Finn decided to play along. He contorted his face into a menacing expression, attempting to intimidate the hunters. However, instead of appearing fearsome, he came across as comical and bizarre to them. This unexpected sight prompted the hunters to burst into laughter. Witnessing their reaction, Finn dropped the menacing act, sighed, and muttered to himself, "I should've definitely taken some acting classes."

Meanwhile, the man in purple declared, "Let's get down to business." Instantly, the jovial atmosphere dissipated, and everyone adopted a serious demeanor. The man in purple continued, "Hand over the pixie queen to us, and we won't harm anyone here."

"Why don't you step onto the island, then?" taunted Butterbell, his tone laced with defiance.

"Do you truly believe we're afraid of entering the island?" retorted the man in purple.

"Yes," Butterbell replied, a smirk playing on his lips.

The bald man erupted in laughter. "It seems you're not aware of who we are," he boasted. "We are the Four Calamities, the most infamous group of hunters across all of Central Island. We've never failed in any of our hunts throughout our entire career."

A shiver of fear coursed through Butterbell upon hearing the group's name. "There's no way they can be the Four Calamities," he whispered under his breath.

"The descriptions of the members match what I've read about them," Creambell said, both pixies poised in attack stances.

"What should we do, then?" Butterbell asked in a hushed voice.

"We should remain inside, as Finn can assist us on the island," Creambell suggested.

"Agreed," said Moonlight.

Meanwhile, as the pixies huddled together in a quiet discussion, the bald man's patience wore thin. "Alright, enough. If you don't want to surrender, then we don't have a choice but to step onto the island," he declared. He then smirked and added, "And once we're done with you and this apparition, you can't even imagine what I'll do with your queen." He licked his lips and made an inappropriate gesture. "It's rare that we receive requests to hunt women of royalty."

Butterbell and Creambell were incensed by the bald man's vulgar threat, and even Finn grew more serious. Having lost his sword and other weapons in the previous battle, Finn swiftly transformed a charred wall fragment into a sword, bringing it into position in the blink of an eye.

Observing this, the man in the green robe asked in a hushed tone, "Was that instant teleportation?"

"Yes, but it seems he can only use it within the island," replied the man in purple.

"So, should we step onto the island?" inquired the bald man.

"Don't worry; I've cast all the protective spells on both of you," assured the man in the green robe as he looked at the giant and the bald man.

"I also attempted to cast spells on the island, and they worked," added the man in purple. He then turned his gaze towards Finn and remarked, "It appears that this barrier serves as the apparition's confinement. You don't need to worry; we can easily assist you from outside the island."

"Alright then, let's go," said the bald man, preparing to enter the island alongside the giant, who placed the corpses of the two White Akuma Bears on the ground before going in.

As they stepped onto the island, the man in purple grasped his staff with both hands and initiated the casting of fiery projectiles from above, targeting the location where the pixies were positioned. In response, Moonlight used her ice-based abilities to counter the incoming fireballs. The distraction caused by this fiery exchange drew the attention of everyone present.

Seizing the moment, the giant and the bald man leaped toward Creambell and Butterbell, poised to strike. However, Finn swiftly teleported himself between the attackers and the pixies, swinging his sword with precision.

The two hunters narrowly evaded the initial attack, believing it to be the most formidable. Yet, to their surprise, Finn unleashed a relentless barrage of strikes using his teleportation abilities. The giant struggled desperately to dodge these swift attacks, while the bald man's armored defense saved him from fatal blows. Overwhelmed by Finn's relentless assault, the hunters found themselves with few viable options.

Meanwhile, Creambell and Moonlight worked tirelessly to counter the spells and attacks launched by the man in purple, striving to keep him at bay.

Gradually, the giant's efforts to evade Finn's attacks began to falter, resulting in multiple cuts from Finn's sword. Simultaneously, the bald man's armor showed signs of weakening as its durability waned. The man in the green robe strained to administer healing spells during the frenzied battle, but the damage the two hunters endured far exceeded the healing they received.

Amidst the intense combat, the man in the green robe remarked, "This apparition is exceptionally powerful."

"He's also impervious to both magical and physical damage," the man in purple noted as he continued casting destructive spells towards the pixies. "We can't prevail in a one-on-one confrontation with him. Our focus should be on the pixie queen; we must secure her and make our escape."

On the other side, Finn's sword was also on the verge of breaking, and after a few more blows, it shattered, costing Finn 50 HP. The hunters, as well as Finn, were taken by surprise. However, the man in purple had been patiently waiting for such an opportunity, and as soon as it arose, he shouted, "Catch her."

Reacting swiftly, the bald man and the giant rushed toward the pixies. At the same moment, Finn picked up the only available weapon, a ladle from the cauldron, and teleported himself between the giant and Creambell. With the ladle, he unleashed a sonic blast at the giant, propelling him backward. Simultaneously, the bald man closed in on Butterbell and Moonlight. However, as the bald man lunged toward Moonlight, Butterbell halted him by thrusting his sword into the man's shoulder.

Seeing the bald man's attack thwarted, Finn, Creambell, and Moonlight breathed a sigh of relief. Yet, the bald man smiled, despite Butterbell's sword being lodged in his shoulder, and he began to cough up blood. He tightly grasped Butterbell's hand, and as he did so, the man in the green robe shouted, "LEAP OF FAITH."

Finn sensed that something was amiss and fired several rounds of sticky threads at the bald man, but it was too late. Some invisible force pulled the bald man and the giant out of the island, returning them to the man in the green robe, and along with them came Butterbell.

Finn unleashed a relentless combination of sonic blasts, drill spikes, sticky threads, and deadly slime at the group of hunters. However, the man in purple swiftly planted his staff into the icy floor, conjuring a transparent ember-colored protective wall, which the man in the green robe reinforced with his magic. Although Finn was limited to ranged attacks, both of the hunters' magical defenses were strained by the unrelenting barrage.

Moreover, they soon realized that all the attacks emanated from the ladle Finn was wielding. Struggling to maintain their defenses, the man in purple gasped, "What kind of magical weapon is that?"

"I don't know," replied the man in the green robe, his voice strained as well.

The situation escalated further when Moonlight unleashed her ice attacks and Creambell followed suit with fire attacks. Their combined assault caused the hunters' shield to crumble, leaving them vulnerable. In desperation, the man in purple shouted, "STOP THE ATTACKS, OR WE WILL KILL THIS PIXIE."

While the giant tightly restrained Butterbell, the bald man positioned the tip of his sword perilously close to Butterbell's neck. Witnessing this dire situation, Finn and the pixies reluctantly halted their attacks.

With their defenses down, the hunters let out sighs of relief. "Heal them," instructed the man in purple in a weary tone, directing his gaze toward the bald man and the giant. Following this command, the man in the green robe began casting healing spells on them, while the man in purple kept a vigilant watch on Finn and the pixies.

After some time, once all the hunters' injuries were mended, the bald man stepped forward while the giant continued to grip Butterbell tightly. "PIXIE QUEEN, COME TO US QUIETLY, OR WE ARE GOING TO TORTURE YOUR BODYGUARD, RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU," he declared loudly. He then turned to face Butterbell and delivered a brutal punch to his face. "LIKE THIS," he added before redirecting his attention to Moonlight.

"NO!" screamed Moonlight with a look of deep concern. Tears welled up in her eyes as she gazed upon the injured Butterbell.

Amid the tense situation, Butterbell, with his bruised face, defiantly shouted, "DON'T WORRY, YOUR HIGHNESS, HE HITS LIKE AN OLD LADY."

Enraged by Butterbell's comment, the bald man swiftly turned around and delivered a brutal gut punch to Butterbell, causing him to spit out blood.

"NO!" screamed Moonlight, tears streaming down her face. "Don't hurt him. I'm coming to you."

As Moonlight took a step forward, Creambell blocked her path. "Forgive me, Your Highness, but I cannot allow you to surrender yourself to them, even if it means Butterbell's life," Creambell stated firmly, his gaze fixed on Moonlight with unwavering determination.

Moonlight paid no heed to Creambell's plea and tried to force her way past him. Creambell, abandoning his staff, used both hands to restrain Moonlight, attempting to prevent her from approaching the hunters. Finn was uncertain about what action to take in this chaotic moment.

Meanwhile, Butterbell continued to shout, "No, my queen. Don't come here."

The bald man wore a smirk on his face and commented, "Listen to your queen, pixies. Let her come."

Amidst the turmoil, a woman's voice suddenly interrupted, demanding, "What's going on here?"

All eyes turned to the source of the voice, where Orochi stood before the door of her room, her customary stoic expression in place.