A zombie lunged. Jack stabbed.
It wasn't elegant. No sweeping sword forms or graceful stances like the sword arts taught in the Great Houses.
This was raw survival. Pure instinct.
The tip of his black sword punched straight through the Jiangshi's skull, right between the eyes. It let out a choking hiss, then dropped. Lifeless.
[Jiangshi Swordsman slain]
[Gained 12 Star Stream]
That's another one down.
Jack staggered back, chest heaving, every breath a blade scraping the inside of his ribs. He didn't know how long he'd been fighting. Minutes? Hours? Time blurred in the chaos.
Only three more left. He'd spent the last stretch of this nightmare ducking and weaving, retreating and ambushing wherever he could. Picking them off, one by one.
Blood soaked through his tattered clothes, sticking to his skin. A deep cut above his left eye bled freely, blinding that side. He couldn't keep it open anymore, leaving him half-blind. Vulnerable.
I don't think I can last much longer.
Maybe I should just give up...
He slapped himself hard enough to sting.
"Haa... Now I'm getting pissed..."
No. Not yet. Not when he'd made it this far.
Ahead, one of the zombies lunged straight at him, while the other two flanked wide from either side.
Jack turned and ran.
His lungs screamed. His battered leg protested with every step. But he ran. Ran until he reached the inner building—a tighter space where numbers didn't matter as much.
He reached a narrow hallway filled with debris. Toppled bookshelves and shattered furniture.
Perfect.
He crouched behind a fallen shelf, sword gripped tight.
A low growl echoed down the corridor.
One incoming.
Jack waited, muscles taut. The moment the zombie passed his cover, he thrust his sword cleanly into its skull.
[Jiangshi Footman slain]
[Gained 11 Star Stream]
Two left.
Keeping low, he slipped through a side room and moved deeper into the building. A hulking figure loomed in the next hallway—the last Jiangshi he'd seen clearly. This one was different. Larger. Its sword alone was nearly Jack's height.
It didn't seem to notice him.
Jack crept closer. Breath steady. Blade raised. Then, without hesitation, he leapt forward.
The zombie turned but it was too slow.
Jack drove the blade into its thick neck, twisting hard, then slashing sideways with every ounce of strength he had left. The head flew off and hit the ground with a dull thunk.
Jack collapsed beside it, panting.
"Haa...that... haa... was stressful."
[Jiangshi Berserker slain]
[Gained 79 Star Stream]
"That was a Berserker? Thank the stars I didn't face it head-on."
He pushed himself to his feet, wobbling.
One more left.
He started searching the manor, moving slow and cautious, sword ready. But there was no sign of it. Not a sound. No growls. No movement.
Until...
An arrow shattered the glass of a nearby window, whizzing past his face.
He froze. A realisation hit him slowly.
It's not stuck in here with me... I'm stuck in here with it...
Jack ducked into a hallway as another arrow slammed into the wall behind him. The shot had come from outside.
The last zombie had most likely picked up the bow in the manor.
He was being hunted.
He sprinted down the corridor, zigzagging, heart slamming in his chest. Another arrow tore past where he'd just been. Too close.
He rounded a corner and dove through a shattered window, landing in a heap among rubble and cracked stone. Every bone in his body screamed. He lay still for a moment, panting.
His leg throbbed, the old wound reopening. He'd pushed it too far. How can he take out that last jiangshi?
Think Jack, think!
Then something hit him. He wasn't done yet.
Jack lifted his head.
There, in the center of the courtyard, stood a sword. The same one he'd seen earlier.
Something about it... called to him.
He didn't know why. It wasn't logical. It was instinct.
The open space was a death trap.
Still, he moved. A growl echoed from somewhere nearby.
Guess a zombie's still a zombie...
He made his decision.
Time for a gamble.
Jack ran.
Every step was agony. His body begged him to stop. But he didn't. Not now.
He reached the sword and grabbed the hilt. The moment he touched it, he felt a pulse. Something pulling energy from him. A cold stream passed through his body to his arm to his hand. It was an energy he didn't know he had. It flowed through his body like a breath from the lungs.
He pulled. The sword slid free like it had waited for him.
Its steel was a soft white lined with shimmering grey. It glowed faintly.
"I've never seen a blade like this before..."
It was the opposite of the black sword he'd used.
He quickly ducked into the building where he'd first found the black blade, expecting arrows any second.
In the center of the room lay the old sheath, it was black trimmed with gold. But beside it...
A pale white sheath, also trimmed in gold.
That wasn't there before...
As he reached for it, a low growl made him jump back.
A figure stood in the doorway.
Not just a zombie.
Something else.
It held a black sword, just like the one Jack had used. But the aura around it was different.
Its presence crushed down on him like a storm. A cursed blue-black flame flickered in its eyes. They gleamed with intelligence.
Jack felt it immediately. This wasn't like the others.
The pressure it gave off... it was stronger than that of the Warden.
It pointed its sword at him. Blade held steady.
A silent challenge.
Jack blinked.
His body screamed. His wounds throbbed. But he didn't lower his blade.
"Are you... challenging me?"
He stared the jiangshi in the eyes. It stared back.
The final fight was about to begin.