Chapter 71: Wave One – The Swarm Begins
The wind howled through the desolate canyon as Henry and I stood at the center of a crumbling battlefield. The sky above us darkened unnaturally, thick clouds twisting like ink in water. A guttural screech echoed through the air, followed by hundreds—no, thousands—of glowing red eyes appearing from the void above.
The demonic bats were here.
I cracked my knuckles, the tension in my muscles easing as the thrill of battle surged through me. "Looks like they're eager." I smirked, glancing at Henry, who was rolling his shoulders.
He let out a short laugh. "Five waves? They better be worth my time." He unsheathed his twin sabers, their edges glinting under the crimson glow of the bats' approaching swarm. "I'll take left, you take right?"
"Nah." I activated Void Step, teleporting a few meters ahead before slamming my fist into the ground. A shockwave erupted, sending jagged cracks through the battlefield. "I'll take the ones that come straight at me. Let's see how long they last."
The moment I spoke, the first wave hit.
Thousands of winged horrors descended like a storm, their screeches deafening as they clawed through the air. Their razor-sharp wings sliced through stone like paper, their fangs dripping with venom capable of melting steel.
One of them lunged straight for my throat. Too slow.
I pivoted, catching its skull in my hand before crushing it like a rotten fruit. Black blood splattered across my face, but before I could even wipe it off, another bat lashed out from above.
Henry intercepted it, slashing it in half midair. "Sloppy, Samuel. You losing your touch?"
I wiped my face and grinned. "Nah, just warming up."