The sudden explosion at the town's square sent massive ripples throughout Joulm, including Jula's Inn.

Previously in a peaceful slumber, Iila would be abruptly awoken due to the deafening sound and shockwaves shaking every building in sight. “What the hell!?”

Hastily looking around her room, Iila didn't find much out of the ordinary. Only a couple of books on the floor and Theron’s Emberblade next to her naginata on the wall.

Hopping off the bed and scratching her head, Iila made her way to the window to see what caused the sound. Before she could get a good glimpse however, Jula would burst into the room.

“Iila! It's horrible! There was an explosion at the town square! That's where Helios Tavern is!”

“Helios Tavern? But isn't that wher–!?”

“Yes! Theron and Jerma are over there!!”

“Do you know what caused the explosion!?”

“I'm sorry, no. I don't know what's going on, nor do I know if Jerma’s safe!”

Grabbing her naginata and the Emberblade, Iila prepared to set off. “Don’t worry Ms. Jula, your son is with Theron, he should be in safe hands. But Theron doesn't have his weapon with him, so if it's an attack, he's going to need both backup and his sword. Please, for your safety, lock every door and wait until I return.”

“Y-You're really going out there!? It'd be much safer for you to stay inside!”

Looking back at Jula, Iila gave her a confident smirk. “I'm Husui's lead warrior. In order to fuel the fire within me, safety is but the first thing I sacrifice upon battle.”

Rushing out the door and into the chaotic streets of Joulm, Iila looked up to her horror. A giant plume of smoke blanketing the sky, indicating the explosion’s detonation site, and what looked to be the start of raging flames on the horizon.

Snapping back into focus, Iila saw a huge wave of panicked citizens sprinting her way. Their faces were etched with a primal fear.

Men, women, children, horses, everyone sprinted through the narrow streets.

Families clung to each other, hastily evacuating the area.

Merchants hauled as much goods as they could carry to preserve their stock.

Others stumbled over each other in their desperate attempt to escape the unfolding calamity.

Iila tried to stop anyone to get more information, but her attempts were futile. With nothing else to do, she ran opposite of the fleeing crowd, maneuvering through the mass of bodies.

Approaching a four-way street, another explosion would occur in the street right of her. Iila turned into that street without hesitation, her naginata poised for combat.

Now almost at a corner near where the second explosion happened, a woman would fall on her back from around the corner. Quickly sitting up, she only screamed hysterically.

“M-Ma’am!? Are you okay? What's going on here?” Iila approached the screaming woman and questioned her. But it seemed as if Iila wasn't even there to the woman.

Right before Iila was about to give up, the woman would claw at her own face in utter despair. “DAAAAANNN!!!”

Turning to look down the street, Iila would instantly share in the woman’s shock.

Amongst the inferno backdrop, a silhouetted figure lay on top of another, their hands and arms jerking in unnatural ways. It looked like they were digging into something.

Iila forced her eyes to focus to get a better look… Something she regretted.

For the first time in her life, she would question not only her own eyes, but even her own reality. What she saw betrayed reality as she knew it.

A man with purple blotched skin and wearing earth-toned robes, feasting on the guts of another man.

Iila stood frozen out of disbelief. The sounds of the chaos unfolding were slowly overtaken by a ringing tone. She simply couldn't believe her eyes.

The thing that was feasting on the corpse looked up at the woman's hysterical cries. Its eyes gleamed a crimson red, something all too familiar to Iila.

“T-Those eyes…! They're just like…!” Iila snapped out of her shock-induced state looking into those eyes. Eyes that reminded her of the man-killer bear.

Using its left arm to sloppily wipe the blood off its mouth, the thing stood up. Its crimson eyes never leaving the gaze of Iila's or the woman's.

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Iila gripped her naginata in response, causing the thing to demonically roar, pulling out an axe.

“RAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!” Its otherworldly screams reverberated throughout the desolate streets as it started running toward Iila.

Dashing forward, Iila readied her naginata. As the thing jumped in the air, Iila delivered a decisive strike that would have incapacitated any living thing.

However, as Iila stood behind with her back turned to the thing, a disconcerting pause followed. Iila knew she landed a direct strike, yet something about it felt off.

To her and the woman's horror, the thing's head unnaturally turned around, revealing an abnormal resilience to physical pain. It swung its axe in a backhanded arc towards Iila in retaliation.

Reacting with keen agility, Iila ducked under the incoming strike. Swiftly spinning whilst on the ground, she then countered with a sweeping kick, sweeping the thing off its feet. In a seamless follow-up, Iila performs another powerful spinning kick to her midair adversary, sending the creature into the wall of a house. Finally, with no wasted movement, Iila plunged her naginata into the creature’s chest, pinning it against the wall.

Stabbing it straight in the heart, Iila was shocked by the fact it still reached out to her. Realizing those things couldn't be killed normally, she knew what to do. “I don't know who or what the hell you are… But may you return to Vahla’s Divine Flame, Látom.” Upon completing the prayer, the tip of Iila’s naginata burst into flames, incinerating her opponent completely.

Iila took a deep breath after her victory, yet even more lost on what is happening than before.

“D-DAN NO!!!’

The woman’s screams alerted Iila of another danger she was not aware of. Behind her stood the reanimated corpse that was just being feasted on.

Lunging at her, Dan’s corpse would be stopped by Iila using her naginata.

“What the hell!? This… This thing is almost as strong as me!?” Iila thought to herself as she struggled to keep the attacking corpse at bay.

After a bit of back and forth, Iila found enough footing to buck the corpse off her. Jumping high into the air, she skewered both the creature's chest and the ground beneath it.

As the creature let out its final breaths of black smoke, the crimson gleam in its eyes faded to nothingness.

Iila took another deep breath. “…Látom… Vahla, what is going on here…” Turning back to the woman, she ordered her to get to safety. “Ma'am, please you have to evacuate immediately! I'm sorry if the man I just put to rest was someone special… Just know he's not suffering anymore.”

The woman sat there, crying her eyes out. Though, adhering to Iila’s words, she eventually stood and fled.

As Iila rushed further into the cataclysmic conflict, she saw the air getting thicker with a black haze. More and more houses became lost to the blaze.

Along the way, she helped many citizens in need. Some were crushed under debris, some of their ankles were too twisted, and others couldn't breathe due to the smoke.

While helping one elderly man to his family, yet another explosion detonated around the corner. “Dammit! Please, all of you, get out of here!” Iila desperately shouted as she readied her naginata once again.

A charred black hand gripped the corner as its owner peeked around, locking eyes with Iila.

Preparing to dash forward to put the charred creature to rest, she stopped dead in her tracks when another one appeared.

Then three, four, six, nine of them. It was an entire horde this time. One of them in particular had the Joulm guard uniform on, including a rapier.

All of them had different outfits, body shapes, and even various weapons in hand. Some were completely engulfed by fire, while some looked almost human.

Despite their differences, they all had two things in common: Their gleaming crimson eyes and an insatiable hunger for destruction.

Iila's face dropped at the coming battle. “You've got to be fucking kidding me…” Gripping her naginata with both hands, its head would burst into flames once more. Spinning the naginata in a circle behind her, the flames trailed behind and took form in a dynamic halo.

Blending elegance with a fierce determination in this captivating display of skill, Iila’s focus remained steadfast ahead.

The horde in front of her all roared and charged in unison. Their muscles seem to grotesquely bloat and bulge in response. Their bones cracking under the pressure. Their flesh tearing at the seams.

In a mesmerizing dance of fire and steel, Iila maneuvered through her assailants. Delivering precise strikes that sent each of them to the ground, consumed by the engulfing flames.

The air was now heavy with the scent of charred remains, and the once-threatening figures now lay defeated in the wake of Iila's fiery onslaught. “Látom.” She said victorious.

Standing amidst the aftermath, Iila turned her attention to the only one who dodged her previous assault. “The one with the guard uniform… Not only did he dodge, but he also parried my strike… That confirms these things were human before, as it must remember its guard training in order to do that…”

Staring each other down, the guard imposter raised its sword arm at Iila. After a brief moment, the thin blade of the rapier started to glow a fiery orange, shocking Iila. “It can use Aracanic Fire!?”

As the rapier’s glow reached a climax, every ounce of magic was poured into the tip of the blade. Casting it, the guard launched a small, but fast fireball.

Iila dodged it last second. The fireball grazed her white hair, charring some of it to a crispy black. “Damn, I have to put this thing down quick!” She thought as she dashed at her adversary with a full moon slice.

The guard was able to react and back-dashed the naginata uppercut. Countering with a quick thrust to the torso, it would be intercepted by Iila's naginata.

Clashing their weapons, they were both sent back, only to dash at each other once again. Iila's agile movements contrast with the relentless thrusts and unnatural resilience of the armored creature. Sparks flew with each clash, every strike echoing through the fire-engulfed streets.

Iila, however, had advantages of her own. Not only did she have a reach advantage, but her warrior training far surpassed those of grunt guards.

While the creature only went for the kill, Iila employed a mix of evasive maneuvers and strategic strikes, aiming to disarm her armored foe… Literally.

With one clean parry, Iila forced the guard to lose his footing and cleaved his sword arm clean off.

Disarmed but not defeated, the guard’s bloodied mouth started to unhinge as he lunged at Iila, ready to dig and rip into her chocolate skin.

The battle however was already over. With one simple axe kick to the head, Iila pinned the guard down onto the floor. “Látom.” She said, skewering the guard's spine and incinerating the body.

Looking up at the giant cloud of smoke coming from the town square, a horrible feeling would soon cross Iila's gut.

“…Theron…”

-

Next: (Chapter 9) An Undying General