Incubus Ascension-Chapter 20

Liam kept staring at the skill window floating in front of his eyes.

{ Sword Aura (C-) }

Let host coat his sword with dense mana. Increase lethality of attacks.

Effectiveness depends on host level.

Base multiplier: ×2.2

Luck chance bonus: +1.05%

Price: 40 SP

Forty points. That hurt, but after the last couple fights he had just enough saved up. He hit Purchase without thinking twice.

The SP drained away, and a new line appeared in his skill list. Felt like someone just handed him a sharper knife.

He leaned back against the wall of the old gas station, sword resting across his knees.

If they come one by one he could probably kill them cleanly, he thought.

No messy group pile-on. Just step out, aura up, one swing each. Clean.

Outside, the bandits were getting restless. He could hear them shifting, muttering, kicking at gravel.

Someone laughed too loud, the kind of fake brave laugh people do when they’re nervous.

Their leader finally lost it.

"Get out here right now!" he bellowed. His voice cracked with anger.

"Before I change my mind and come in there myself to gut you both!"

He couldn’t help it, he snickered. Quiet, but loud enough that it carried through the thin wooden planks covering the front.

From inside he called back, casual as if he was asking for the time. "Why don’t you come here, Mr. Ballsy?"

Silence for two seconds.

Then the leader snarled, "Okay. I’m coming."

Liam peeked through a crack between the boards.

Level 4 tag floated above the leader’s head as he started walking toward the front door, heavy steps crunching. The others hung back, watching.

He turned to Olivia. She was crouched near the counter, eyes wide.

"Hide," he told her quietly. "In the old register room behind there. You’re not strong enough for this yet."

She swallowed hard, nodded once, and slipped under the counter into the tiny back office space.

He heard her breath catch as she tried to make herself small.

Liam moved to the side of the door, counting the leader’s footsteps in his head. One... two... three...

He gripped the sword tighter and activated Sword Aura.

Blue-white mana hissed around the blade like it was angry, curling off the edge in thin wisps.

The light lit up the dusty floor around him, made the whole room feel colder. His heart was hammering, but his hands were steady.

The leader was right behind the door now. Liam could hear his breathing, rough and pissed.

He pulled the sword back.

Ki Strike.

The system chimed in his head almost instantly.

Ding!

Skill Combination Detected

[Ki Strike (F-)] + [Sword Aura (C-)]

Temporary Skill Created:

[Eclipse Pierce (B-)]

He didn’t have time to read the rest.

He drove forward.

The sword punched straight through the wooden door like it was cardboard.

Splinters exploded outward. The blade kept going, clean through the leader’s stomach.

The leader made this wet choking sound and dropped to his knees right there in the doorway, blood already spilling from his mouth.

He twisted, looking back at his guys with wild eyes. "What the hell are you waiting for, idiots?! Gang up on him! Someone, help me!"

Liam didn’t give anyone time to answer.

One lunge and the sword came down again. The leader’s head hit the floor a second before his body did. Rolled a little, then stopped.

The rest of them stared.

One of the lackeys finally found his voice. "Let’s kill this bastard. Avenge the boss."

They started circling, slow at first, then faster.

Liam reactivated Sword Aura. The mana snapped back around the blade, brighter this time.

They rushed.

It turned into a blur of steel and swearing. These guys weren’t complete trash, they’d clearly done this before.

Decent footwork, a couple of them even tried to flank.

But he’d spent years drilling this kind of thing in another life. Muscle memory doesn’t care that you’re in a new body.

He slipped every sloppy thrust, parried the ones that mattered, and answered with clean cuts.

Neck. Chest. Throat. Each time the aura made the strikes hit harder than they should have. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Three dropped fast, gurgling.

He wiped sweat off his forehead with the back of his wrist.

Damn... Sword Aura is actually insane. I’m hitting like a level 3.5 with this thing.

The rest hesitated, glancing at the bodies.

Then they all rushed at once, desperate, screaming, trying to bury him under sheer numbers.

He tanked the first two hits on his forearms, burned like hell but nothing vital. Gave him the openings he needed.

One after another they fell. Blood slicked the floor. His breathing was ragged.

Only one left.

The last bandit’s face went pale when he realized he was alone. He looked at the bodies, at Liam, then bolted toward the trees without a word.

"Shit," he muttered. Nighttime forest chase with Olivia still here? No way. He wasn’t leaving her alone to chase a rat.

He stepped back inside, wiping the blade on a dead guy’s shirt. "Olivia? It’s over. You okay?"

She crawled out slowly, eyes huge, but she nodded. No tears. Tougher than she looked.

"We can’t stay here," he said. "That last guy got away. He’s an enemy now, and I’m not sleeping knowing he’s out there free."

She nodded again. "Where to?"

"Back toward town. The mall. We reinforce it better this time."

They moved fast. Grabbed what little they could carry, left the station behind them smelling like copper and smoke.

The mall was still mostly intact. He spent the next hour dragging shelves and broken shelving units to block every entrance again.

He kept nailing planks over weak spots. Olivia helped where she could.

They ended up in the same storage room as before. Blankets on the floor. Sword close. Eyes open until exhaustion won.

Next morning he woke to a faint noise.

His heart slammed against his ribs before he was even fully conscious.

He grabbed the sword, quiet, slow, and eased up to his feet. The sound came again.

Something was scraping around. Metal on concrete maybe.

He crept toward the source, his grip tight around the sword, listening.