Luna slashed… sliced… diced.

Her mind was a dark silence as she moved gracefully through the horde of monsters attacking her. Each swing of her blade was precise, every step a calculated dance of death. She was an embodiment of lethal elegance, cutting down her foes with cold efficiency.

Amidst the chaos of battle, a massive scorpion burst from the ground, its pincers snapping towards her with deadly intent. Luna dodged effortlessly, her movements fluid and controlled. But the scorpion's tail struck with the speed of a viper, plunging into her right shoulder and piercing the suit’s armor as if it were made of paper.

Pain exploded through her body, but Luna's expression remained stoic. Without hesitation, she grasped the scorpion's tail with her free hand. Her muscles tensed. And with a raw display of physical strength, she tore the tail in two, blood spraying as she ripped it apart.

The scorpion reeled back in agony, screeching as it thrashed its mutilated tail. The ground around them was stained with its dark, viscous blood, and its shrill cries echoed through the city. However, the noise around them basically muted out its cries.

Luna staggered, glancing at the deep, bleeding wound the scorpion's stinger had left. The poison was spreading fast, but her strong resistance to toxins made it the least of her worries. The bleeding, however, needed to be stopped immediately.

‘I need to end this quick.’ She thought while gritting her teeth.

The scorpion's six bug eyes glowed with malice as it let out a roar and lunged at her, pincers snapping. Luna gripped her katana and jumped back just as the creature's massive body smashed into the ground where she had stood.

For its size, it moved with alarming speed which obviously surprised Luna. She pounced forward, becoming a blur of motion before her sword flashed, severing both of the scorpion's pincers in what looked like a second.

Circling it, she quickly searched for its core, her mind focused despite the pain and blood loss. Spotting her target, she shot to its side and thrust her weapon deep, destroying the life core.

The Creature’s body froze before blue blood splattered out of the deep gash left by her sword. Fortunately, it wasn’t as poisonous or acidic as she had feared. Luna wiped it away, her breathing heavy but controlled.

Finally…she could catch a break after pushing her body this much. She scanned her surroundings and took a second to take in the scene she had created while on a killing streak.

Multiple carcasses surrounded her, some of undead humans, others belonging to cursed creatures she hadn’t bothered to take note of. The red rock was stained with black blood and the air was thick with the stench of death.

“When was I such a battle brute?” Luna asked herself and sighed. The noise around her was gradually fading away. “Heh, maybe Darkness is rubbing off me.”

Just then, Mira and Gail arrived and their expressions quickly shifted to a mix of surprise and terror as they surveyed the carnage Luna had caused.

“You look um…well,” Gail spoke first, his gaze shifting to the gruesome sight of Luna’s shoulder wound.

“I am not,” she responded in a blank tone. “I am currently bleeding out…need medical assistance.”

She stumbled forward when she tried to walk, but Mira was already there to catch her before she hit the floor.

‘I guess the poison is doing something.’

Mira’s face paled at the sight of the bloody wound on Luna’s shoulder.

"Hold on, Cap…Luna. We’ve got you," she said, her voice steady despite the horror in her eyes. She carefully helped Luna lower herself to the ground while avoiding putting pressure on the wound.

Gail quickly pulled out a medical kit from a small back laced around his waist and quickly started giving first aid.

"We need to stop the bleeding," he said, his hands moving swiftly but carefully as he prepared bandages and antiseptic. After losing two arachnids, the small army prioritized medical supplies the most for such situations. Gail was one of the ascenders carrying kits to help out some soldiers before sending them to healers.

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"This is going to sting...by a lot. But we have to clean the wound."

Luna gritted her teeth and nodded. "Just do it."

As Gail worked, Luna’s thoughts drifted back to the fight. The pain from the wound and antiseptic was excruciating, but she forced herself to stay conscious.

The battle may have taken a toll on her, but she knew that letting her guard down, even for a moment like this, could be fatal.

Mira’s hands were steady as she assisted Gail, her face a mask of concentration.

“Hang on, cap…I mean Luna," she said softly, trying to offer some comfort. "We’ll get you patched up and back on your feet."

Luna nodded weakly, her vision blurring slightly from blood loss. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely audible. The edges of her consciousness started to fade, but she fought to stay awake.

"We’re almost done," Gail assured her, tightening the bandages around her shoulder. "Just hang on a little longer."

Luna's resolve held. And soon, the wound was securely bandaged.

Gail and Mira then supported and helped her to her feet. She swayed slightly but managed to stand, her face pale but determined.

"We need to get you back to the base for proper treatment," Gail said, glancing at Mira who nodded in agreement.

Luna took a deep breath and thought for a second. If she were an ascender, the zenshi wouldn’t let the wound slow her down.

But she wasn’t ascender. She needed to be more careful when going against cursed creatures. No matter how weak they were…

"Let’s go," she said, her voice firm despite the pain. She wasn’t out of danger yet, but she had survived the worst. So for now, that was enough.

“Take her to the edge of the perimeter, there are healers stationed there. I will keep all of you safe,” Gail commanded, his voice filled with determination.

He summoned his golden bow and shot into the sky, unleashing a barrage of magical arrows on the approaching monsters. Each arrow streaked through the air with deadly precision, exploding on impact and slowing the onslaught of enemies.

Mira and Luna started their slow retreat toward the small tent a few kilometers away from the red zone. Luna's steps were unsteady, her legs trembling with each movement. She leaned heavily on Mira, who struggled to support her weight while keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings.

More and more monsters started to rise from the ground, their grotesque forms emerging from the shadows.

Most of the stronger beasts had been defeated, so Luna was sure Gail and the others could handle the first ring of enemies.

As they neared the makeshift sick bay, Luna's vision blurred further. She could barely make out the shapes of the healers rushing to help out the injured ascenders.

Her breathing became shallow, each step feeling like an eternity.

“Hold on, Luna,” Mira urged, her voice filled with urgency and fear. “We’re almost there.”

As they traveled, the city trembled once again when a large wyvern crashed nearby after Darkness hit it with a gravity attack. A cloud of dust rose from where it had fallen, spreading across the city with the powerful wind that followed.

Soon, Luna and Mia were enveloped by red dust. Neither could see, but they continued walking toward the tent. While they continued, Luna’s perception of the world was becoming increasingly distorted because of her current state.

‘This is bad…very bad.’

Knowing her luck, Luna was aware something bad was about to happen. They needed to take a different route…and fast.

When her senses spark back to life for a brief second, Luna desperately pushed both herself and Mira in opposite directions just before a large, red-horned serpent burst out of the dust cloud. Its mouth was wide open as it snapped at the pair's previous position.

The creature had two glowing red eyes that stared at the pair with unbridled rage.

The serpent's hiss filled the air, a menacing sound that sent chills down their spines. Its massive form coiled and uncoiled, the scales glinting ominously in the crimson light.

Luna, despite being in her weakened state, instinctively reached for her katana, ready to defend herself and Mira.

But before she could, Mira appeared. Her weapon was drawn, positioned herself between Luna and the serpent.

"Stay behind me," she ordered, her voice steady but tinged with fear. "I'll hold it off for as long as I can."

Luna nodded, her vision swimming. She knew she was in no condition to fight, but the survival instincts honed through countless battles kept her alert.

After a moment of silence, the serpent lunged again, its maw wide open to devour them both in one bite.

Mira dodged to the side, swinging her longsword in a wide arc that left a shallow cut on the serpent’s hide.

It reared back, hissing in pain and anger. But attacked again after brushing off the attack.

Meanwhile, Luna stayed back as she observed the serpent’s movements while trying to predict its next attack.

“Mira, aim for its eyes!” Luna shouted, her voice strained. “Blind it!”

Mira nodded and changed her stance immediately. The serpent lunged again, and this time, Mira attacked. She avoided its mouth by stepping to the side and then swung at one of its glowing eyes.

Her sword connected, and the creature let out a deafening roar of agony as one of its eyes was slashed.

The serpent thrashed wildly, disoriented by the sudden blindness in one eye. Once that happened, Luna seized the opportunity to muster some strength to achieve her next action. She created a small dagger with her suit and threw it.

The dagger flew true, embedding itself in the serpent’s remaining good eye.

The creature roared again, its body convulsing as it was rendered completely blind. It lashed out in all directions, but its strikes were wild and unfocused.

“Mira! Now! We need to move before it recovers!” Luna urged, struggling to keep her balance.

Mira, who thought the plan was to kill the serpent, quickly snapped back to her senses and returned to her captain. She grabbed Luna's arm, supporting her as they hurried away from the thrashing serpent.

They moved as quickly as Luna's condition allowed, heading toward the distant tent where healers awaited.

Behind them, the serpent's roars grew fainter, drowned out by the sounds of the ongoing battle. Luna's vision blurred, the world around her dimming. But she held on, driven by sheer willpower and the hope that they would reach safety in time.

Finally, they stumbled into the tent.

“We need healers, Captain Lunaris is injured!” Mira called for help as she dragged a pale Luna and placed her on the floor bed made from sheets. It wasn't the most comfortable of course. But was comfort really necessary in a warzone?

The available healers quickly rushed to Luna's side and began working on her with their healing abilities. One was a young tired man with brown hair and eyes and the other was a young woman with dim blue eyes and short dark hair. Both their hands were glowing as they focused on destroying the poison and closing the wound.

Luna’s consciousness flickered, the exhaustion and blood loss threatening to pull her under. But she could hear Mira's faint voice. This was the second time they were like this….

What a coincidence. She thought as she felt the warmth of the healing as it took effect.

As darkness closed in, she clung to the resolve that had kept her alive this far.

While at it, Luna thought back to their fight against the serpent and realized something they had missed.

The serpent had two cores. It possessed powers. But how could it? This ring wasn’t supposed to have any cursed soldiers.

‘I need to tell them.’

She summoned her helmet and activated her suit’s communication device to inform everyone of her discovery. However, all Luna heard back was static. Something had interfered with the powerful signal that powered the cores in their suits.

This was supposed to be impossible. These suits were designed with the idea of foreign interference in mind.

'What could be the cause?'

Suddenly, just as Luna was still thinking of a plan, the green dots on her display, representing their soldiers, disappeared.

They were dying.