SWNOVELXO Chapter 10: First Blood
The mist thickened, swallowing the ruined city in an eerie silence. The world felt unnatural—the kind of stillness that came before disaster.
Lucien stood at the forefront, golden eyes locked onto the approaching figures.
The first shambling silhouettes emerged from the fog. Their movements were stiff, yet controlled. Unlike ordinary zombies, their empty eyes flickered with a dim, unnatural glow—a clear sign that something was pulling the strings.
Lucien's grip tightened. This wasn't just a random horde.
Behind him, Selene stood with quiet focus, violet lightning flickering between her fingers.
Valeria sat atop a broken slab of concrete, her cursed legs useless beneath her. But her blade was sharp, and her eyes were sharper. She would not be a burden.
Eris lingered in the shadows, golden eyes filled with unease. "I don't like this," she muttered.
Lucien didn't turn to her. "Neither do I."
And then—the horde charged.
A wall of decayed flesh and twisted beasts surged forward.
Lucien moved.
His body flickered as he met the first attacker, golden energy surging through his veins. His fist shattered through the skull of a lunging zombie, its body disintegrating into ash upon impact.
A beast with six clawed limbs leaped from the side, jagged fangs snapping toward him.
Lucien twisted mid-air, his leg snapping forward—a perfect kick to the skull. The monster crashed through a ruined building, its body twitching in its death throes.
Another zombie lunged, its jaw unhinging unnaturally wide.
Lucien tore his hand through its chest. A golden pulse of mana erupted, erasing the creature from existence.
Behind him, Selene whispered an incantation, her violet lightning dancing between her hands before arcing forward.
The bolt pierced through three zombies at once, their bodies convulsing before collapsing into scorched husks.
Valeria, sitting atop her makeshift throne, did not hesitate.
Her hand blurred as she flung a thin dagger through the air. It struck an incoming beast directly between its rotting eyes, burying into its skull. The creature dropped, dead.
A second beast lunged at her—only to be cut in half by a sudden, precise swing of her sword.
Even without her legs, Valeria was still an apex predator.
Eris stayed back, her breathing uneven. She wasn't weak, but something about this horde shook her. Her golden eyes darted to the fog, and her fingers clenched into fists.
Then—the battlefield changed.
Lucien felt it first. A shift in the air.
A presence.
His golden eyes snapped toward the mist. Something was there.
Eris let out a sharp breath. "Something's watching us."
Lucien barely had time to respond.
The fog parted.
A tall figure stepped forward. Its skin was the color of dried blood, its obsidian eyes endless and cold.
Fangs glinted beneath the dim glow of the mist.
A demon.
Lucien's pulse slowed. So, the puppet master finally revealed itself.
The demon tilted its head, its abyssal eyes locking onto him.
"You," it murmured, its voice smooth yet unnatural. "You are different."
Lucien remained still, golden energy flickering around him.
He could feel it now. The sheer weight of its mana.
This thing was as strong as he was.
The demon smiled—a slow, amused curve of its lips. "Yes," it mused. "You will be… entertaining."
Lucien exhaled, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips. "You think so?"
His golden eyes burned.
"Then let's find out."
And the real battle began.