Start with a Hammer, End with Five Beast Husbands

Start Taking the Field

I gave a slight nod—keeping a low profile was fine by me.

There was still some time before the match, so we slipped into an empty rest room.

As soon as the door shut, the smell of sweat mixed with metallic rust hit me straight in the face. I frowned, but didn’t complain—somewhere like this, having a place to talk at all was already a luxury.

“Let’s go over roles first,” Sera said, rolling her wrists.

She lifted her arm and gave it a shake, revealing a worn wrist device.

“I’m fast. I’ll handle roaming and harassment,” she grinned, “and throw in a few ‘surprises’.”

She tapped the device lightly. With a click, a thin needle snapped out and retracted.

“Custom paralytic needle. One hit, and they freeze on the spot like a mannequin.”

Smart girl.

Jax patted his solid chest and summed himself up in one line: “I tank.”

“As for me—” I thought for a moment, settling on the most reasonable role, “I’ve got quick reflexes. I’ll handle support—harassment and filling gaps, adapting as needed.”

Sera nodded and made the call decisively:

“Then it’s set—Jax takes point as the shield, I roam and strike, you cover and disrupt.”

Her expression sharpened, her tone turning serious.

“They’ll definitely have more experience than us. If we can’t win, we surrender. Life comes first, winning second.”

Jax gave a firm grunt of agreement. I nodded without hesitation.

No joke—I still had to stay alive and find my father.

After that, we each downed a tube of nutrient solution to recover some stamina.

I slipped out for a bit and picked up a mask outside, one that covered half my face.

At least this way, I wouldn’t be so easily recognized—especially by someone who might be searching for me.

By 8 p.m., the arena atmosphere had completely exploded.

Blinding lights, roaring voices—the entire place felt like it was on fire.

The announcer’s voice boomed with exaggerated intensity:

“—Newcomer team ‘Null Reclaim’ versus—the ‘Butchers’!!!”

The moment the words fell, the entire crowd erupted in boos and whistles.

As we stepped onto the field, the contrast was obvious.

There were three of us—while the opposing team had four, all fully grown men and women who looked dangerous at a glance, tall and radiating hostility.

I glanced down at the odds displayed by the arena.

1:20.

If I had the money, I’d bet on us to win.

“Ready?” Sera asked in a low voice.

“Anytime,” I replied.

Jax said nothing—he simply stepped forward.

“Match—start!”

The referee’s voice had barely faded when the opposing side charged.

The bald brute at the front took the lead, his fists wrapped in a layer of earthy-yellow psychic energy as he drove straight at Jax.

From the flank, a wiry man flickered forward, fingertips glowing with an eerie blue light, lunging directly at Sera.

On the other side, a tall man raised both hands—energy condensed rapidly into short spears, locking onto me.

And in the rear, a woman stood with her eyes closed, arms spread wide.

The next second, an invisible pressure surged outward.

My head dropped heavily, like something thick and sticky had been poured into it—my thoughts slowed instantly.

Mental interference. My chest tightened. I held my breath and forcibly dragged my focus back into place.

A quick glance—Sera was still moving, Jax hadn’t stopped either. They weren’t affected.

“They’re on us!” I warned under my breath.

“BOOM!!!”

A dull explosion erupted ahead, the impact shaking the ground beneath us.

Jax let out a low roar, crossing his arms as he took the blow head-on.

His feet were forced half a meter back, carving a deep groove into the ground—but he didn’t fall.

But the enemy wasn’t just one person.

The wiry man had already closed in on Sera.

She burst into motion, sidestepping at the last second to barely evade the strike. Her wrist snapped up and the paralytic needle shot out.

But he reacted fast—his body tilted just enough to let the needle skim past. In the next instant, that eerie blue energy condensed into a blade in his hand, slashing back toward Sera.

No time to think.

I flicked my fingers, a small stone shot out at a vicious angle, striking his wrist joint hard.

His movement stalled for just a fraction of a second.

The attack that should’ve landed veered off, grazing past Sera’s shoulder instead, leaving a scorched mark across her clothes.

“Thanks, Ash!” Sera’s face paled, but she reacted instantly, pulling back to widen the distance.

I didn’t answer.

Because danger was already in front of me.

The tall man had raised his hand again—another psychic spear tore through the air with a sharp, piercing whistle, aimed straight at me.

My body moved on instinct.

I twisted sharply backward and to the side—the first spear grazed past me.

I hadn’t even regained my footing when the second one came.

Pushing off with my toes, I drifted backward, lifting my hand again—another stone flew out, striking the side of the spear with precision.

Its trajectory shifted, slamming hard into the ground beside me, the shaft trembling violently.

I let out a breath, my heartbeat picking up.

The fight had fully erupted—and the situation wasn’t looking good.

The “Butchers” team moved with practiced coordination, their attacks coming in relentless waves, leaving us almost no room to breathe.

Jax had become the primary target—every heavy hit was raining down on him.

I could see blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, his footing starting to falter.

And yet he stood there like he was nailed to the ground, holding the front line at all costs, carving out just enough space for Sera and me to move.

“Stupid bear—let’s see how long you can hold!”

The bald brute sneered, his grin twisted as he began to charge up, the glow around his fists growing brighter and brighter.

Not good.