NOVPUB
Chapter 65: A Gate In The Sky?! (II)
Sparks flew.
Zayn’s attack was stopped.
His eyes widened as his blade trembled against the creature’s claws.
It was strong — too strong.
The monster pushed back.
Zayn gritted his teeth as he skidded backward, his boots scraping against the wet stone.
The creature wasted no time — it lunged, swiping at him with its razor-sharp talons.
He barely had time to react.
He ducked, twisting his body as the claws whistled past his face.
Too close.
If he had been a second slower, those claws would have torn into his neck.
But before the monster could press its advantage —
THWACK!
An axe came crashing down from the side.
Bran had arrived.
The beast recoiled as Bran’s heavy axe descended, slamming against its shoulder.
The impact sent the creature stumbling, its bony frame twisting unnaturally.
Bran grunted, his eyes sharp with focus. "You really don’t listen, do you?"
Zayn exhaled, tightening his grip on his sword. "Not when there’s no time to waste."
More monsters were falling.
They hit the ground all around them — some dying instantly, their bodies crushed on impact, but others survived.
The ones that survived rose.
They pulled themselves up, their forms shrouded in darkness, hollow eyes flickering with hunger.
The street was becoming a battlefield.
And they were outnumbered.
Kara, Tobias, and Elisse leaped from the inn’s entrance, joining them just as another monster dropped from the sky, landing in a crouch.
Kara cracked her knuckles. "Alright. Looks like we’ve got a mess to clean up."
Tobias didn’t waste time.
He raised his sword, his stance shifting into a defensive position.
"Stay together. We don’t know how many more are coming."
Elisse, already taking deep breaths, exhaled. "I’d say too many."
"Let’s focus, Bran and I will handle this bony monster, the rest seem to be weaker so we’ll focus on taking down the stronger one," Zayn said and Tobias nodded, it at least sounded reasonable.
Elisse casted reinforcements for everybody then Bran and Zayn took steps forward, their eyes locking with the bony monster.
The storm raged around them, but the world had narrowed to a single point — that thing.
Zayn could feel it.
It wasn’t like the others.
It was strong.
Now that he looked at it, he could see the details well.
The skeletal creature stood hunched, its bony limbs unnaturally long, its fingers ending in razor-sharp talons.
Its head was misshapen, almost like a skull stretched too thin, with hollow black eyes that pulsed with something wrong.
It’s mouth and claws were red with blood.
Zayn took a sharp breath, his golden soul energy crackling across his body like lightning.
He tightened his grip on his sword.
Beside him, Bran rolled his shoulders, gripping his massive battle-axe with both hands.
A blue aura flaring around him.
"Let’s jump him," Zayn muttered.
Bran smirked. "Finally, something fun."
And they moved.
BOOM!
The ground cracked beneath their feet as they launched forward, closing the gap in an instant.
Zayn struck first — his sword flashed, a golden arc cutting through the air as he slashed at the monster’s ribs.
But —
CLANG!
The creature’s arm shot up, intercepting the blow with its bare bones.
Sparks erupted from the clash, the impact sending a shockwave through the air.
’What?!’
Zayn’s blade didn’t cut through.
The monster’s bones were like iron.
It lunged, its claws blurring toward him — too fast!
CRACK!
Bran’s axe slammed into its ribs, knocking the creature sideways before it could rip into Zayn’s flesh.
The monster barely staggered before it twisted mid-air, rebounding off the ground with inhuman agility.
Bran scoffed. "You feel that? That thing’s tougher than steel."
Zayn’s eyes gleamed. "Then we hit harder."
The monster vanished.
No — It moved.
Faster than either of them expected.
One second, it was standing a few meters away.
The next —
It was right in front of them.
Bran barely managed to raise his axe when —
BOOM!
The creature’s clawed foot slammed into his gut, sending him flying backward like a cannonball.
He crashed through a market stall, wood exploding around him.
"Shit!" Zayn cursed, spinning his sword in a flash of gold as he struck at the creature’s exposed side.
But the monster ducked — low to the ground, like a beast — and in one smooth motion, its tail whipped out.
Zayn barely had time to throw up his arm —
CRACK!
The force sent him skidding back, his boots dragging against the wet cobblestone.
His arm throbbed, but he gritted his teeth.
The monster rushed him again.
It moved like a shadow.
Its claws tore through the air, slashing at Zayn’s chest.
Too close.
Zayn dodged, shifting his weight at the last second, feeling the wind of the strike graze past his ribs. 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
He countered.
His sword blurred, golden arcs flashing as he unleashed a flurry of strikes.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Each blow met resistance — those damn bones.
CLANG! CLANG!
The monster blocked every strike with its forearms, moving like a specter.
It struck back.
Its claws lashed out — Zayn barely managed to parry, his sword sparking against the onslaught of sharpened bone.
The pressure was insane.
One mistake and he was dead.
THUD!
Bran exploded back into the fight, his axe swinging like a wrecking ball.
The monster was forced to dodge.
Bran’s attack missed by a hair, the sheer force splitting the ground where the blade landed.
He was on it again, swinging his axe wildly — not recklessly, but relentlessly.
The creature twisted, dodging left —
Zayn was already there, his eyes glowing with soul energy.
He struck — low and fast.
His sword sliced through the creature’s thigh, finally breaking through its defenses.
Black blood sprayed.
The monster screeched.
Bran grinned. "Got you, ugly."
Zayn didn’t stop.
He pressed forward, his soul energy igniting — golden light roaring around his sword as he drove it straight toward the monster’s chest.
But —
The creature opened its mouth.
And it screamed.
A shockwave of raw force blasted outward, shattering nearby windows and sending both Zayn and Bran flying back.
CRASH!
Zayn tumbled across the wet ground, rolling to a stop, his breath ragged.
Bran coughed, pulling himself up, his knuckles bleeding. "That’s new."
