A man in coarse hemp clothes ran desperately down the street, but the clatter of hooves behind him grew ever closer.
At the end of the road appeared a squad of soldiers riding strange mounts—lizard-scale armor, scorpion tails, six segmented legs clicking “tap-tap-tap” against the cobblestones, a single horn on their foreheads glowing dark purple in the firelight.
Two legs could never outrun six.
The soldiers caught up to the man. Without a word, they cut him down from behind.
“Exterminate the rebels! Leave none alive!” the lead officer shouted, eyes beneath his helmet burning with fanatic light.
Yet what they carried out was pure slaughter.
They swung their straight swords, dragging hiding civilians out to kill, looting their belongings. Cries and mad laughter mingled. The entire city had become hell on earth.
From the shadows of a collapsed wall, Vera took in the atrocity.
She bit her lip until blood flowed, her whole body trembling—not from fear, but from rage.
In her eyes, these soldiers had shed their human skin and become demons far more hideous than the actual demon race.
In the past, noble houses of the kingdom had schemed and feuded, even wiping out entire families in political struggles.
But even the cruelest purge had never extended to an entire city’s common folk.
In the face of the demon threat, population was precious wealth. Whoever did this would earn the enmity of all.
That was why this army’s cruel butchering of their own kind shattered Vera’s belief in the baseline of humanity.
She understood that individual villains existed, but she had never imagined humans could band together in packs and turn into bloodthirsty beasts.
Her hand gripped her sword hilt so tightly it hurt. Were it not for the constant reminder that everything was illusion, she would long since have drawn and charged those animals.
Unable to watch any longer, Vera turned and slipped away.
Even now, she still had no idea where she was, let alone what the so-called “core” might be.
All she knew was that this magnificent metropolis had apparently just fallen, and the victors were now reveling in inhumane carnage throughout the city.
Vera moved through alleys and side streets, searching for traces of her teammates.
After a long search, she found nothing.
Instead, she once again stumbled upon soldiers’ atrocities.
One soldier, blade in hand, had cornered two half-grown children.
The children appeared to be siblings. The older brother clutched a wooden stick he had found somewhere, shielding his sister behind him.
The soldier advanced slowly, clearly savoring the hunt.
It’s all fake!
It’s all fake!
It’s—
“Die, you animal!”
Her furious roar made the soldier whip around, sweeping his straight sword in a vicious arc.
Vera’s scimitar flashed like a silver serpent, easily parrying the blade and thrusting straight into the soldier’s throat before he could even scream.
The soldier clawed at Vera with a hideous expression, still trying to fight, but his body was pinned hard against the wall and soon went limp in agony.
Vera flicked the blood from her blade and let out a long breath.
She knew everything before her was illusion, yet cutting down that beast made her feel infinitely clearer inside.
She was about to leave when her sleeve was gently tugged.
The boy with the stick looked at her with grateful eyes. “Uncle, are you going to the cellar too?”
“The cellar? What kind of place is that?”
“It’s where everyone is hiding…” the boy whispered, clutching his sister’s hand tightly. “Uncle Fu said it’s safe there.”
Vera thought for a moment and nodded. “Let’s go together.”
The boy immediately relaxed, leading Vera deeper into the alley with his sister in tow.
Vera’s reasoning was simple: follow and take a look. If none of her teammates were there, she would leave alone and keep searching. She was running around like a headless chicken anyway.
Under the children’s guidance, they arrived at a ruined courtyard.
Half the wall had collapsed; the ground was littered with debris.
The boy skillfully pushed aside a clump of weeds in the corner, revealing a concealed wooden cellar door.
The moment Vera stepped inside, a glint of cold steel thrust toward her face!
She drew and parried. Blade met spear with a clear ring.
The spear-wielder was a wary middle-aged man who had mistaken Vera for an enemy soldier in the dim light.
“Uncle Fu, it’s us!” the boy shouted quickly.
The man withdrew his spear. In the faint light from the entrance, he finally saw it was his own people.
The underground space was larger than expected. Over thirty huddled figures crowded in the shadows. The air was thick with the smell of blood and herbs.
“Vera!”
The familiar voice made Vera’s heart jolt.
She looked over and saw Fiyin rising from a corner, throwing herself into Vera’s arms.
But when her gaze fell on the unconscious figure on the ground, Vera’s heart clenched.
Filing lay there, covered in wounds deep and shallow, her face pale as paper.
From Fiyin’s account, Vera learned what had happened.
The sisters had been separated by only a short distance.
When Fiyin was surrounded by soldiers, Filing had appeared in time to save her.
But while fighting a squad leader, Filing had been gravely wounded.
Even after using a healing potion, she remained unconscious.
Fortunately, Uncle Fu had passed by and brought them to this shelter, allowing them to survive until now.
After checking Filing and confirming she was in no immediate danger, Vera—illusion or not—turned and sincerely thanked the middle-aged man called Uncle Fu.
Uncle Fu thanked Vera for saving his nephew and niece, and apologized for his earlier attack.
Just then, footsteps and crude shouting came from outside.
“Look! There’s a cellar here!”
“Bet there’s treasure inside!”
Two soldiers bent to crawl in. The instant their feet touched the steps, Vera and Uncle Fu struck at the same time.
Vera’s blade sliced cleanly across the first soldier’s throat, blood spraying the earthen wall.
But Uncle Fu’s spear missed its mark—meant for the throat, it only pierced the second soldier’s shoulder.
The wounded soldier let out a beastly roar.
Vera finished him with a backhand slash, but it was too late.
Outside, the sound of dense footsteps and clanking armor rapidly approached—more soldiers were coming.
Uncle Fu looked up at Vera, eyes filled with guilt and despair. “I’m sorry, I…”
There was no time to think. Vera glanced once more at Fiyin trembling as she clutched her staff, and at the unconscious Filing.
“Protect everyone!”
With that, she dashed out of the cellar, slammed the wooden door shut behind her, and blocked the entrance with scattered debris before charging outward.
As she burst out, she collided with another arriving soldier.
Steel flashed.
Vera’s blade swept across the man’s neck. Blood fountained, perfectly witnessed by the dozen or more soldiers who rushed in behind him.
Vera swept her gaze around, vaulted over the courtyard wall.
“There’s only one enemy! Don’t let him escape!” an officer bellowed.
A chaotic clamor of footsteps and curses rose behind her. More and more soldiers joined the chase.
Vera never looked back. She plunged into the burning streets, drawing every pursuer’s attention onto herself alone.
(End of Chapter)
Comments