The supermarket doors gave way with a hollow chime, one that echoed like it was mocking them.
A tinny, broken voice looped from an overhead speaker.
"Buy one… get one… free…"
Tilus stepped past the threshold. The stench hit instantly. Blood, spoiled meat, something chemical. He didn't flinch. Mortem didn't stop walking.
They moved past the deserted aisles. Food torn from shelves. A blood trail leading further in.
[Mystic Eye of Truth – Active]
[Aura Trail Detected: Type 4 Infection, Stagnant for 6 hours.]
[Object of Interest: 'Memory Anchor' nearby.]
Tilus's gaze shifted. A ring on the floor. Silver. The initials M + A engraved.
Mortem picked it and shove it in his pocket, he did not said any word
They reached the back office. The door was broken off its hinges, blood smeared across it like a warning.
Inside—
Four people.
No.
Four bodies.
Slumped against the wall, motionless at first.
Then one of them moved.
Not breathing.
Twitching.
One eye blinked, milky white and soulless.
"Ariana…" Mortem whispered.
Tilus's grip tightened on his sword. He stepped forward.
"I'll end it."
"No," Mortem said, stepping in front of him. "This is my duty as their leader."
Tilus narrowed his eyes. "You sure you can take it ?."
"I said let me do it" Mortem raised his voice, it wasn't shaking but his hands did.
The others stirred. One's head cracked unnaturally to the side. Another hissed, fingers twitching like broken scissors.
Tilus said nothing.
Mortem raised his shield. His axe.
He cut them down.
One by one.
Clean. Efficient.
But when he turned to Ariana, he hesitated.
She looked up at him.
Or maybe the infection did.
She smiled.
Mortem faltered. For a moment, the world stopped.
She moved.
Too fast.
Tilus flinched forward—but Mortem was faster. The shield came up, smashing into her face mid-leap.
She hit the ground hard, twitching.
"Why did you follow me…?" he whispered. "Why didn't you run with the others…"
She growled, shrieked, and surged up again.
And Mortem, tears in his eyes, brought the axe down.
One swing.
Silence.
The room felt hollow. Tilus stood still, blade lowered. His eyes scanned the bodies.
[Inventory: Pill of Life – Missing]
[Cause of Death: Ambush. Human.]
Tilus exhaled. "They weren't killed by monsters."
Mortem looked up.
"The pills are gone. If the infected killed them, the Pills of Life should've been in their bodies. Someone else took them."
"Who?"
Tilus didn't answer.
Outside, gunfire erupted.
Screams.
The rest of the group was under attack.
Mortem turned, blood still dripping from his axe.
"Go."
"You sure?" Tilus asked.
"I'll bury them."
Tilus didn't say anything more. He left him there—kneeling in the ruins of what he once loved.
A moment after Tilus and Mortem stepped inside—
Outside, the wind howled like a beast. The supermarket ruins were a skeleton of bent steel and cracked concrete, framed by the bleak glow of a dying sun.
Mindy crouched behind a collapsed slab, sword in hand. Her breath was steady, but her eyes were sharp.
Beside her, Cindy leaned against the rubble, blood soaking through the side of her hoodie. Her hand trembled from pain, but her voice stayed firm. "I'm fine."
"No, you're bleeding out," Mindy muttered. "They are not out yet so I think it will take some time. We've got seconds—maybe."
She glanced across the desolate battlefield. Ten of their allies were scattered behind makeshift cover. Most were just civilians. People who'd picked up rusted knives, wooden bats, crowbars—whatever they could find.
And across the lot stood them.
Five figures followed by a group of around ten people.
Relaxed. Smirking. Dressed in mismatched scavenger gear, but each radiating something… wrong. Supernatural.
Their leader, a tall man with a ragged scar cutting through his cheek, let the wind flap his long coat like he was posing for a movie poster. In his hand? A real gun. Not a pipe. Not a bow. A black automatic pistol, gleaming like a crown.
He smiled.
"How do you like our little welcome party?" he called out, voice thick with amusement. "You were waiting for your friends, right? Should've seen how they screamed."
Mindy stiffened. "Arianna…"
Cindy's jaw clenched. "You son of a—"
The scarred man clicked his tongue. "Easy now. We've been watching you. Thought we'd have some fun. Y'know…" He tilted his head, cocking the gun. "Let you warm up."
Then—
Whsst!
An arrow sliced the air. Missed Mindy's head by an inch.
"AMBUSH!" Mindy roared, pushing Cindy down as she drew her blade.
Steel screamed.
The enemies didn't charge like normal attackers. They strolled in. Arrogant. Lazy.
A woman with silver eyes dodged three swings from a desperate civilian, giggling as she tapped him on the head with the flat of her blade. Another shoved someone into a wall and walked away before finishing them—taunting.
They are incarnations.
Jasmine knew it the second they moved—inhuman reflexes, glowing eyes, muscles rippling with unnatural energy.
And their side? Only one among them had a Blessing: Jasmine herself. Everyone else is just normal civilians try to survive
Mindy ducked under a swing and slammed the pommel of her blade into a man's jaw. "These bastards are playing with us!"
The scarred man advanced again, this time without theatrics. He brought the gun up—
Bang!
The shot went wide. A flash of light knocked his aim off-center.
Letters, glowing in mid-air, swirled in front of him:
"Miss."
The word burst into sparks. Jasmine stood several meters away, a glowing pen in hand, writing into the air like it was paper.
Her gaze didn't flinch.
Her words changed reality.
The enemies paused—only briefly—but long enough.
Mindy launched forward, sword clashing with the scarred man's jagged blade.
CLANG!
She blocked, barely. The strength behind it made her bones scream. Again. Again. Strike after strike. He was toying with her. One arm behind his back.
She ducked under a kick, rolled, grabbed Cindy—dragged her behind a slab.
"We're getting torn apart out here," Cindy gasped. "They're not even trying."
"I know."
"No strategy?"
"I said I know."
Mindy coughed blood.
Another arrow flew overhead. A teammate screamed. The air reeked of smoke and blood.
Mindy peeked over the slab. Two of their people were already down. The others scattered. Jasmine stood at the center, calm but breathing hard. Her pen moved quickly, golden glyphs twisting into phrases:
"Trip."
One enemy stumbled as if yanked by invisible strings.
"Mute."
Another's chant for a spell fizzled from his lips.
But it wasn't enough. Not against five Blessed, and Jasmine couldn't defend everyone at once.
They were drowning in power.
Too strong.
Too few.
Then—
Cindy screamed.
Mindy turned—and saw it.
A Blessed warrior, streaking through the rubble like a meteor, sword raised. Aimed straight for Cindy's back.
No—
She moved. Sword raised.
CLANG!
The force of the blow blasted her backward. Mindy's knees hit the ground. Her arm—maybe broken.
The warrior smirked.
Mindy ducked behind a concrete slab, panting. She glanced at Cindy—her face pale, breath ragged.
They were being overwhelmed.
Her grip on the sword trembled. No strength left. No way out.
Please… someone… anyone…
And then…
[ A pair of Constellations is showing interest in you. ]
[ The Dragon-Blooded Empresses of Rebellion wish to give you power. ]
Suddenly, the world dissolved into a blinding crimson light.
Visions tore through their minds. Two women, fierce and proud, clad in armor glinting with gold and scarlet, rode atop war elephants. Banners of rebellion rippled in the wind. Soldiers roared behind them, faces alight with hope. It was the Trung Sisters—Hai Bà Trưng—Vietnam's first female monarchs, leading a revolution against oppression.
They saw it all.
The sisters raising their swords, fearless before countless enemies. Villages uniting under their banner. Victory after victory carved through sheer will and fire. Yet the tides turned. Betrayal. Overwhelming force. The sisters, hands clasped tightly, standing at the edge of a great waterfall, gazing down at their beloved homeland one last time. Defiance in their eyes. Sorrow in their hearts.
Then—the fall.
The water swallowed them whole.
And then, the visions shattered.
Mindy gasped, the air searing her lungs. Power coursed through her veins, burning yet invigorating. Her wounds mended in an instant, muscles coiling with newfound strength. Cindy's ragged breaths smoothed as her body healed, eyes snapping open with clarity.
In her grasp, Mindy's battered sword shimmered, reforging itself into a blade of crimson steel, its edge crackling with fiery energy. Crimson and gold flames licked up her arms, forming intricate dragon patterns on her skin.
[ You have inherited the Blessing of the Dragon-Blooded Empress of Rebellion
[Unique skill: Crimson Lotus Rebellion: Increases attack speed and elemental damage based on proximity to a bonded sibling]
[ Skill Acquired: Twin Currents of Defiance — Unleash relentless strikes that grow stronger with each blow. The spirit of rebellion fuels your strength. ]
[ Skill Acquired: Unyielding Vanguard — Stand unbroken before any enemy. For every fallen ally, your defense hardens. ]
Mindy's breath steadied. The fear was still there—but now it burned alongside fury.
She rose slowly, the crimson blade gleaming.
"Get up, Cindy," she said, voice low and steady. Cindy blinked, gripping her own weapon, now pulsing with the same fiery glow. "We're not done yet."