Chapter 19: A Dance of Sword with Darkness

Back to before the impact,

As soon as Dea screamed, "MASTER! INCOMING!" the surroundings suddenly became so slow.

Without warning, Dea's voice snapped me to attention. "Master, I've heightened the sensitivity of all your sensory nerves. Something's hurtling towards you from the skies."

My heart raced. "What is it?" The world around me seemed to come to a crawl, as if time itself had slowed. My hands moved languidly through the air, and the ambient noises of the city became a deep, prolonged drone. Yet, my thoughts raced at their usual pace, if not faster.

"Judging by the signature, it seems to be a vampire. Possibly person of the Maa's clan. They might've found out about you taking down one of their own." Dea's voice echoed in this slowed realm.

Squinting against the dimming twilight, I noticed a silhouette rapidly descending. The attacker bore dark, expansive wings that spanned several feet, casting a menacing shadow on the balcony tiles. Sunlight gleamed off his pallid skin and his eyes — cold and predatory — locked onto mine. His legs, strong and muscular, were poised to strike.

"What do I do now?" Panic crept into my voice.

"Cast the armor spell, the one we practiced last night," Dea instructed.

Taking a deep breath, I shouted, "Create all armor!" Memories of the previous night with Maa flashed across my mind when, in anticipation of a confrontation with Maa, we had experimented with crafting a protective, full-body armor using mana.

'I am not going to be attacked for nothing'

"Forge a katana for me!" As I voiced the command, my hands instinctively intercepted the vampire's oncoming kick. As they did, nanobots around me went to work, meticulously crafting a razor-sharp blade inch by inch.

Swinging the newly-formed katana with all my might, I aimed for the assailant's head. Time's slow crawl made every motion pronounced, every moment stretched out. The blade penetrated his skin, cutting a path through his skull and making its way down his torso. Despite the deep gash, his momentum didn't falter; his legs continued their trajectory towards my chest.

His legs, still propelled by the momentum of the initial kick, crashed into my chest, sending a shockwave of pain through my body. I gritted my teeth, refusing to release my grip on the katana. Instead, I allowed the force of the kick to guide my blade further, splitting his torso from the middle to the down.

"Purify!"

A radiant light burst forth from the blade, enveloping the bisected body of my attacker. The world around me then snapped back to real-time. The remnants of the attacker were consumed by the brilliant luminescence while I was sent hurtling backward, colliding with the rough asphalt of the road.

Every nerve screamed in protest; I felt as though I'd been shattered into a million pieces. The harsh impact with the ground clouded my vision for a moment. As I struggled to catch my breath, a chime echoed in my mind, followed by an announcement:

But then, a digital chime sounded in my ear:

[You leveled up]

Warmth spread through me, knitting together broken bones and soothing bruised muscles. Rejuvenated, I rose to my feet, ready for whatever lay ahead.

I quickly stood up, "What's happening?"

Dea answered, "The attacker's bisected form met its grim fate — one half sprawled on the opulent tiles of the hotel's fifth-floor balcony and the other plummeting to the ground level — a brilliant burst of sunlight, courtesy of Raa, incinerated the remains."

A pungent, acrid scent of burnt flesh wafted up, mingling with the unmistakable stench of rotting zombies.

"What is Raa?"

"The sun of this planet," Dea explained.

"Just call it 'sun' then."

"Alright." Dea mused, "It appears Vampire are vulnerable to sunlight. Perhaps they employ some form of protective lotion to prevent the sun's harmful effects."

The desolate silence of the ruined city was abruptly interrupted by the menacing moans of the undead. Glancing around, the encroaching horde became apparent, with their mottled, decaying forms rapidly diminishing the space between us. Blood, both fresh and old, marred the ground they trampled upon. Their ceaseless pursuit, punctuated by the occasional lunge, was fueled by a ravenous craving. The air was thick with the nauseating aroma of decomposition, melded with an underlying fetor, making each breath a labor.

Grasping my katana with unwavering resolve, I surged forward, masterfully oscillating between offense and defense. Dea's enhanced visual cues painted a vivid tapestry before me. Ethereal lines glowed, delineating the ideal path for my blade, while dynamic arrows suggested nuanced shifts of my wrist or a subtle torso rotation for a peerless cut during fluid motion.

Ephemeral footprints shimmered on the ground, suggesting my next steps for perfect balance and nimbleness. Brief indicators on posture and weight transition guided my every move, be it for a forceful thrust or a swift sidestep. My dance of death, synchronized with the ebb and flow of battle, was orchestrated to perfection under Dea's tutelage.

"Master," Dea's voice intruded my focus, "our intel suggests these creatures can track their own kind's deaths, the exact location, and the identity of the slayer. We must vacate this area."

"I concur," I replied, slicing through another advancing ghoul. "Direct me to a secure location — a potential sanctuary."

"Does Master have any preferences?"

As I hacked through another wave of relentless zombies, I replied, "A stronghold, rich in supplies: food, weaponry, and any luxuries that remain."

The relentless onslaught continued, the dead lurching at me in never-ending waves.

"Dea, time's of the essence!" I exclaimed, growing impatient.

"Approximately three kilometers to the northeast lies a towering edifice," she informed, projecting a vibrant green route on my eyes, leading to a majestic skyscraper piercing the skyline. "It's prime real estate for a sanctuary."

"Then that's our destination," I declared, cleaving a path through the mass of undead. As I moved, I chanted a purification spell, "Ashes to ashes, Darkness to light, purify." The spell's potency reduced some zombies to mere dust, while others momentarily froze in their tracks, granting me precious seconds to widen the distance between us.

"But, Master," Dea's tone grew somber, "Lamar indicates that building is the epicenter of the Darkness clan's operations."

A confident smirk played on my lips, "Even better. They evicted me from my haven; it's only fitting I return the favor."

The midday sun hung high in the sky, casting minimal shadows on the ground below. Its intense light bathed everything in a stark brightness, making every detail visible. The atmosphere was filled with the heat of the day, contrasting starkly with the chilling events unfolding below.

As I sliced through another grotesque zombie, its blackish ichor spraying into the sunlit air, Dea's urgent voice cut through my focus, "Master, in my vision, there are 5 dark creatures. They're soaring out from the summit of the tallest building, wings spread wide against the noonday sun, heading straight towards the hotel. I believe they're aware of the attacker's demise and are sending reinforcements."

With every step, I navigated the uneven terrain littered with the remains of past confrontations. The relentless noon sun made the air shimmer, distorting the distances and making the already grotesque zombies appear as ghastly mirages. Their slow, lumbering forms seemed almost pitiable in the face of my swift and precise strikes.

"I still want to go to their headquarters," I declared, dodging a grasping hand and landing a quick kill.

Dea's voice rang out in guidance, "I will create a path, identifying their blindspot. Hopefully, they won't detect Master's presence."

As if on cue, a luminous line materialized before me, snaking to the right side of the sun-baked road, indicating the safest route. It flickered and shifted with each zombie I encountered, guiding my blade as much as my steps.

"We will strategize our movements," Dea continued.

Every fiber of my being was on high alert. We had only one shot at evading them. Once they reached the hotel, surveyed the gruesome scene, and connected the dots back to me, evasion would be impossible. The trail I'd inadvertently left in my wake would lead them straight to me.

Panting slightly but determined, I clenched the hilt of my weapon tighter, "Guide me, Dea. And let's make this swift."

***

On the balcony of the fifth floor, the usually bright and airy ambiance was marred by a gruesome sight. Half a body lay haphazardly, a grisly testament to a recent violent encounter. The intense noon light cast no forgiving shadows, highlighting every gruesome detail of the bloody scene.

"Maa has fallen, and now Zanh too. Who dares defy us?" An incensed vampire hissed, eyes reflecting the blue of the sky above.

"The perpetrator possesses the power of light," another noted, deep in thought. "Do any of you know of a god of light?"

"No known deities of that nature in our world," a third responded tersely.

One vampire, looking particularly disturbed by the scene, peered over the balcony. Below, the sunlit streets revealed traces of a struggle. "Look there," he pointed, "Lines and remnants of unpurified zombies. This adversary is making moves in broad daylight. We must act swiftly."

The streets below, although sweltering under the noon sun, carried an unsettling coldness. Zombies, their grotesque figures harshly illuminated by the direct sunlight, shuffled around. Their ragged groans, combined with the sizzling heat, created an uncanny juxtaposition of life and death in the heat of the day.

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