Chương 5: The Legendary Sword

Lucas Morte and his men stormed into the inn with their swords already drawn. There were no warnings, no hesitation. The slaughter was swift and merciless, screams, blood, bodies collapsing to the floor one after another. Lucas walked toward Leah. Frozen with terror, she raised her hands to shield herself. The blade pierced her stomach. A moment later, her head rolled away from her body. Felicity jolted awake, gasping for air. Her heart pounded violently in her chest.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and sprang to her feet. Reaching her horse, she gently stroked its muzzle and rested her forehead against it, eyes closed.

"Shit…" she muttered.

"I already know I'm going to regret this choice". She mounted the horse and rode off into the fog-covered night at full gallop. She crossed frozen fields and muddy trails beneath the full moon hanging high above. Her eyes never left the road. No hesitation. No stopping. After hours of riding, she finally saw it. The inn. It had been reduced to ashes, destroyed completely, with columns of smoke still rising into the cold air. Felicity urged her horse forward, then dismounted in one swift motion and drew her swords.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. She stepped inside. Ash everywhere. Charred bodies scattered across the floor. She moved slowly and carefully, checking every corner, until she heard breathing coming from beneath the floorboards.

"Who's there?" she said, tightening her grip on the hilts.

"Come out now, with your hands up". A wooden beam shifted aside. Leah emerged from underneath, covered in ash and dust, exhausted but alive. The moment she saw Felicity, she threw herself into her arms and hugged her tightly.

"What happened?" Felicity asked, pulling back slightly.

"That bounty hunter came back with more men…they killed everyone", Leah's voice trembled.

"Xia hid me. Without her, I'd be dead". Felicity clenched her teeth.

"Where is she now?"

"At the village cemetery".

"Let's go. Now". They mounted the horse and headed toward the cemetery. There, Lucas' men lay scattered across the ground. Or rather, what was left of them. Limbs, torsos, and heads were strewn everywhere, severed with surgical precision. The earth was soaked in blood. Xia stood motionless in the middle of it all. Calmly, she wiped the impossibly thin blade against her kimono before raising her eyes toward Lucas Morte.

"From the moment I first saw you, I knew you weren't an ordinary woman", he said, stroking his mustache.

"The way you killed them proves it. You may be an even worse demon than that Prinz girl".

"Demons don't exist, Mr. Morte", Xia replied calmly.

"Why don't you stop talking and show me what your legendary sword can really do?" Lucas widened his eyes for a brief moment, then his expression hardened again.

"So you knew, and you still chose to follow us to the cemetery. Are you insane, or do you truly believe you can survive its power?"

"You're about to find out". Lucas smiled and raised the sword toward the sky. A black aura burst from the blade, splitting into thousands of tiny dark flames that slithered between the gravestones. The ground began to tremble. Less than a minute later, the corpses started clawing their way out of the earth. Thousands of lifeless bodies rose again, zombies controlled by the power of Lucas Morte's sword. Xia watched them without the slightest change in expression.

"How do you plan to kill people who are already dead, huh?!" Lucas snarled. Xia said nothing, ready to fight.