SWNOVELXO Chapter 13: A Blade in the Dark
The air trembled. A low hum vibrated through the ruins, resonating with the weight of a predator closing in on its wounded prey. The demon loomed over Lucien, its cold gaze watching him struggle to stand.
Lucien's body was numb, every muscle refusing to obey him. The last exchange had left him battered, his golden energy flickering like a candle in a storm. Blood dripped from his lips, staining the ground beneath him.
And the demon knew it.
It let out a slow chuckle, stepping forward with deliberate ease. "You're barely holding on," it mused, amusement curling in its voice. "No matter how much you struggle, you're just delaying the inevitable."
Lucien clenched his jaw. His vision blurred for a moment, but he forced himself to stay focused. His heartbeat pounded against his skull, his breathing ragged.
I just need a moment... just a little longer...
Selene and Valeria had already been pushed back, unable to reach him in time. Eris stood several feet away, frozen in place, her golden eyes wide with fear.
The demon's gaze flicked toward her, and Lucien's heart seized in his chest.
"Ah," the demon murmured, a cruel grin spreading across its face. "Perhaps I've been going about this the wrong way."
It turned towards Eris, raising one clawed hand. "Maybe I should start with her instead."
Lucien's blood ran cold.
Before Eris could even react, the demon vanished—its speed too great, its power too overwhelming.
And then—
Lucien moved.
His body screamed in protest, but he didn't hesitate. The moment the demon's claws slashed downward, aimed straight for Eris's fragile form—
Lucien threw himself between them.
A sharp, searing agony exploded through his body as the demon's claws tore through his back, slicing through flesh and muscle with horrifying ease.
The force of the blow sent both him and Eris crashing backward, tumbling across the ground in a tangled mess.
Lucien gasped, the pain unbearable, but his arms locked protectively around Eris, shielding her from further harm.
For a moment, everything was silent.
Then, Eris's breath hitched. "L-Lucien…"
His grip on her tightened slightly. "I'm… fine," he managed through gritted teeth, but the warmth pooling beneath him said otherwise. His back burned, every nerve screaming in agony.
Eris trembled in his hold. Her golden eyes shimmered, her hands clutching onto him as if she could hold him together through sheer will alone. "Y-you… idiot…" she whispered, voice breaking.
Lucien forced a smirk. "You're… welcome."
The demon's shadow fell over them.
Lucien gritted his teeth, pushing Eris back slightly, shielding her even as his arms trembled. He could feel his body failing, his vision darkening at the edges.
The demon sighed, shaking its head. "That was a foolish decision," it mused, raising its hand again, this time for the finishing blow. "You should have just died quietly."
Lucien's breath shuddered, his golden energy flickering—weak, barely holding on.
The demon's claws descended.
And then—
BOOM.
A sudden, violent eruption of sword aura split the battlefield apart.
A shockwave tore through the ruins, kicking up a hurricane of dust and debris. The sheer force of it sent cracks ripping through the ground, shattering the earth beneath them.
Lucien's eyes snapped open, his instincts screaming—
And the demon—stopped.
Its body jerked, its entire form tensing as a deadly presence manifested behind it.
The air turned razor-sharp, thick with an overwhelming killing intent that sent a chill through Lucien's bones.
Slowly, through the swirling dust, a figure emerged.
A woman, her silhouette standing tall, blade drawn.
Her sword pulsed with a terrifying, lethal aura—one so intense it made the air itself hum with restrained power.
And in that moment, for the first time, the demon's mocking grin vanished.
It froze, its instincts screaming at it to move. To run.
But it was too late.
Because the blade had already begun its descent.
Lucien exhaled.
"…Valeria."