“Seriously what the fuck are you guys made out off?!” Another scream leaves my body, each slice, ssh, takes a shit ton of effort. Their supposedly leader has its arms torn off, and yet it keeps charging at me—trying to kick, bite, or whatever it needs to do to stop me. I’m currently trying to run away after a failed ssh attempt, they’re cheating! Using groups to their advantage!

  “Seriously why can’t you guys just make it fair, and go one by one?!” I turn around and attempt another stab, and I got a good angle this time. Just below the neck and— “The fuck?!” It bounces off with sparks added to it.

  "Oi, that’s got to be cheating!” I shout, narrowly dodging a lunge from the leader as it snaps its jagged teeth at me. My own counterattack misses as well, leaving us both stumbling back into this chaotic game of cat and mouse. Unfortunately, the rest of the horde is joining in, they’re closing in like a tightening noose. I can feel my stamina draining with every dodge, every frantic step. If I don’t figure something out soon, I’m dead.

  ‘Weak spot… do they even have one?’ I think, scanning for anything that might give me an edge. Every time I try to strike, the leader is quick to shield its face, ducking and weaving just enough to keep me distracted. It’s annoyingly effective. But now… now I think I’ve caught on. My lips curl into a grin—not because I’m sure of my pn, but because I need to believe I’ve found the answer. Any shred of morale is better than none.

  I stop dead in my tracks, the horde’s snarls closing in behind me. With a sharp spin, I face the leader and unch myself straight for its head. The sudden shift catches it off guard; it hesitates, just a fraction of a second too slow to duck or shield its face.

  “Woohoo!” I scream as my dagger slices clean through its grotesque face, splitting open the raw, pulsating flesh. The bde digs deep, tearing through sinew and cartige with an almost satisfying ease. Blood sprays out in thick, dark spshes, drenching my hand and arm. But as I push forward, the back of its skull meets my bde like steel, refusing to give way. “So it’s just the face, huh?” I mutter through gritted teeth, yanking the dagger free.

  The leader reels back, howling in agony, its grotesque cries echoing through the crimson air, then it falls dead. The rest of the horde falters for a moment, as if stunned by the sight of their bleeding leader.

  “Alright,” I hiss, tightening my grip on the dagger. “Let’s see how many more faces I can ruin.” Despite my oh-so-cool words, I’m back to running. Yeah, no way am I dumb enough to take on a horde of twenty of these freaks all at once. The pn’s simple: chip them off, one by one, until their numbers are low enough for me to handle a full-on fight. Sounds good enough.

  I dart through the porcein vilge, weaving in and out of narrow alleys, zig-zagging to disorient them. The sharp turns and uneven paths seem to work—soon enough, one of them gs behind, stumbling into a small alleyway, separated from the rest of the horde.

  “Boo!” I yell, making a dramatic entrance. It barely has time to turn before I’m on it, driving my dagger straight into its face. The bde slides through with satisfying precision, the pulsing flesh giving way under the pressure.

  “One down… ugh, many more to go,” I mutter, flicking off the gore. My satisfaction is short-lived as I hear the unmistakable roar of the horde. They’ve caught up, and they’re closing in on both ends of the alley.

  “Motherfucker got me cornered!” I hiss, gncing at both exits. The creatures are packed tight, blocking every route. Was that one I killed… bait? If so, that’s cruel as hell. “Not cool, guys, using one of your own like that!”

  With no other choice, I charge toward the alley with the smaller cluster. My dagger is already swinging before I reach them, aiming for the face of the nearest one. It tries to dodge, but I catch it at the forehead. The bde pierces through, turning its insides into a slushy mess of gore.

  Two more close in fast—one from behind, another straight ahead. I duck just as they lunge, their heads smashing into each other with an oddly satisfying crunch. Wasting no time, I twist the dagger free and leap at the one in front while both are momentarily stunned.

  I make quick work of the first creature, driving my dagger into its face and twisting until it colpses. Spinning around, I face the rest of the horde. They’ve slowed, their movement hindered by the bodies cluttering the alleyway. “This is manageable,” I mutter, tightening my grip on the dagger.

  One lunges at me, its cws outstretched. I sidestep and ssh clean across its face, a spray of gore marking its fall. It didn’t stand a chance, jumping recklessly without any defense.

  Before I can catch my breath, another charges in, cws ready to tear into me. I duck just in time, twisting my body as another one tries to ambush me from behind. Spinning the dagger, I drive it into the face of the second attacker, its momentum throwing it straight into the bde.

  The one in front recovers quickly, its fleshy hands reaching for my head. I yank the dagger free and drop low, sshing across both its legs. The flesh gives way easily, the creature colpsing into a heap as it loses its footing.

  Before the creature colpses, I make sure to drive my dagger through its face, slicing it into a grotesque slush. “Holy fuck, how many more of you are there?!” I scream, my voice echoing in frustration. Strangely, the only reply is silence. Well, almost silence—the wheezing of dying creatures and the sound of blood spraying, pooling, and dripping fills the still air.

  I stumble forward, fueled by the st remnants of adrenaline, dragging myself through the town. To my surprise, the chaos has stopped. The remaining creatures have frozen in pce, their forms petrified once more. But this time, they’re not humanoid—they’ve warped into bizarre, vaguely human shapes, their meaty, fleshy textures now exposed in gruesome detail.

  “Huh… did she help me again?” I mutter, half-panting. The thought leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. “How embarrassing…” My legs finally give out, and I colpse onto the crimson sand, its coarse grains cool against my battered body.

  Dull aches envelop me. Some injuries throb with a manageable pain, while others sear through me like fire, relentless and sharp. “Fuck… I need a good massage…” I groan, my eyelids growing heavier with each second. The world blurs as exhaustion pulls me under.

  Then, footsteps.

  The sound triggers every arm in my mind, adrenaline surging again—but it’s no use. My body refuses to move, muscles trembling, drained of all strength. I can only lie there, vulnerable, as the steps draw closer.

  “Are you… my target?” A cold, detached voice pierces through the stillness, slicing into my thoughts. I gnce up, searching for the source. An angel? I narrow my eyes, struggling to focus against the surreal gre of the crimson sky.

  She is… almost an angel. The illusion shatters the longer I look. One wing extends from her back, jagged and sharp, its edges uneven and lethal, as if the slightest touch would leave deep cuts. The other wing is nothing but a stump, broken—not cut, but snapped, violently and painfully. Eyes dot her remaining wing, but unlike the grotesque horrors I’ve seen in this realm, they are disturbingly orderly, perfectly aligned. Their gaze is piercing, elegant even, though one dead eye lingers in the hollow of her stump, lifeless and dull.

  Her dress flows like liquid silk, pristine white despite the red sand brushing against its hem. It clings to her form with an air of nobility, draping gracefully as though untouched by the decay around us. Her skin is like porcein, marred by blemishes and scars that only emphasize her beauty rather than detract from it. She doesn’t belong here—like a noble figure mispced in this wretched wastend.

  Her short jet-bck hair whips in the wind, framing a face that narrows its eyes at me with cold precision.

  “Or have my targets already been disposed of… by you?” she asks, her voice steady, devoid of emotion, yet dripping with a quiet menace.

  ***

  Notes: What's this? A new character it seems~. Old readers probably realized that she didn't appear in the old book, hehe. Alright, sorry for the te chappie. Things may slow down for a bit, life starts catching up pretty fast. As always enjoy my lovely readers! <3