Published at 16th of April 2026 6:24 am

Chapter 162. The skinwalker

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As I finished speaking, Leo and the paladin took a step back from Albert.

I say we at least cut into him. If we dont find anything, then Ill compensate all you want. How about it? I said, my eyes flicking to the pope. Once the creature knew they were convinced, it would be cornered.

Thats nonsense! Albert shouted. You cant

The panicked screaming stopped mid-sentence as his body burst apart.

Much like with Zenon, the flesh ripped open, and organs burst forward in a rain of blood, raising a thick red mist. Leo and his paladin were standing in Helgas way, but our side had a clear shot. The moment the blood fell, we all fired our spells.

The red droplets in the air froze and flew at the creature. I fired a prepared Bone Spear at its center of mass, not really seeing what we were attacking through the gore. The blood fell, and we could finally see the remaining parts of the body, still standing, petrified, its back forming a barrier in front of the creature, which was already mid-motion.

However, my overcharged attack penetrated, and if the enemy was fully fleshed, it might have even killed itbut it wasnt.

What we saw in that brief moment was rather strange. In shape, it reminded me of a large humanoid skeleton. But instead of bones, it was composed of countless thin, see-through plates which, judging by the shape they still held, wrapped around and fused with the victims bones. Its upper skull was also strangemade up of two parts, one the same as the body, still retaining the human facial structure, and another composed of thicker parts that replaced the owner's original brain. Its presence was strange toosee-through not only to the eyes but also to mental power. The only thing giving it a clear outline was the blood coating the glassy plates that formed it.

My spear had gone straight through the petrified Albert-cocoon, and where a heart would be for a human, but for the skinwalker, it was simply empty space.

The thing roared as it moved.

I switched spells and fired Cutting Storm. It was trying to get to Leo, with stunned Daniel in the way, using the man as a shield. I didnt care, and while the monster made its way to him, I fired anyway. Daniel managed to put up a shield using a ring, but I wasnt the only one attackingthe blood arrows redirected and rained down, breaking his spell.

To my surprise, the skinwalker didnt use the brief second to escape. Instead, the plates in its head shifted apart, and a small, flat dagger fell from between them. In the same motion, it pulled the Riswalt to the ground and into itself.

Daniel was barely alive, blood arrows sticking out of him, but still breathing. I empowered Pierce to go through the body and into the creature, but then something I didnt see coming happened.

The skinwalker shoved the dagger into the mans back.

The moment it happened, a bell rang over the cityand the pillar of light in the middle disappeared, throwing the place into complete darkness. The others might have been surprised by it.

The creature had made a mistake. It wanted to use the sudden change to make a run for it, , but I simply snapped my Irises open. Before it could move, stored Deaths Grasp caught onto its side, the skeletal hand gripping a translucent arm and a few jutting ribs. I followed up with an immediate Cutting Storm, and finally, the close-quarters fighters moved in to finish the job, seeing that I used a control spell instead of another barrage.

My storm tore at the skinwalker, but it barely managed to slip away. The plates that made up its ribs and the caught appendage simply fell apart, allowing it to escape the grasp and leave part of itself behind.

My skeletal hands tried adjusting, but the target was too quick. It jumped up onto a wall, and as its remaining hand changed into one hooked claw, it bit into the stone with ease, as the creature readied to catapult over the building.

I pointed my staff, trying to readjust Deaths Grasp to catch it on the wallbut it turned out to be unnecessary.

Nathans flat dagger flew from the side with enough force to break the thin, claw-like appendage, throwing the monster back down, right under the waiting stabs from the Jester and William.

The thing was a good fighter, though. With lightning reflexes, it brought a leg up and met the blades with a metallic clang as the plates shifted to fling them aside. It then ducked under something in the same motion. Williams dagger turned into smoke as the real attack revealed itself, passing the crystalline skull by mere millimeters.

The one leg it was standing on coiled, now moving like a snake, and the skinwalker exploded forward, flying past William as he recovered from the lunge.

And straight into Ophelias waiting rapier.

The weapon bit into the monster's crystalline skull, stopping the lunge. Behind Ophelia, I could see Astrid, her eyes locked on the fight, covered with more mist than usual. She smiled once, then grabbed her temple. But the enemy wasnt dead yet. It grabbed the weapon and screamed. It was a mental attack, yet before it could land, a massive kopesh joined the rapier in its skull as two auras, one from Ophelias new blade and one from Darius, exploded, turning the skulls insides into shreds.

The oracle hurried to Astrid, taking her head in her hands as they whispered something.

I looked toward the popes. Jacob and Helga were having a standoff, their charges behind them. And to my great satisfaction, Leofor the first timelooked properly scared and confused.

I brought my eyes back to the corpsewhat was left of itand stepped closer. But before I could, a change took place.

We were in complete darkness, lit only by a few light spells now working overtime without the central illumination. The air around us was silent and still.

And in that silence, the pressure descended.

Everyone froze in place. I felt like a bug under a giants boot, like we were standing under a coming avalanche, and forcing my eyes upward, I saw them.

They were the powerhouses of old, or at least how they were remembered. Some with bodies made of glass. Others skeletal and inhuman. Their silhouettes hung in the air over us like stars upon the night sky.

And with a snap, the battle above us began. They went at one another as spells and attacks of power I had never witnessed before started flying around.

The darkness lit up with magic. Balls of green fire the size of buildings flared only to be devoured in the next split second by ghastly, draconic heads, which were then carved apart by a terrifying sword attack. The cut, which took out the heads, continued down into the city, and we felt the ground shake. A pillar of lightning came down from the sky and turned a building a few meters away into dust.

Run! Astrid screamed.

We didnt need convincing.

I grabbed the remains of the skinwalkers plated skeleton and tried to shove them into my pouch, but they wouldnt go in.

Another spatial artifact, I realizedbut we didnt have time.

Thankfully, the plate-like structure was very light, almost weightless, so carrying it while running wasnt a problem. I threw the thing around my shoulder like a crystalline shawl.

We were a few streets away from the safe spot near the church. It was an empty storefront with glass windows, similar to the blacksmith's, and after a short run, we could see it across the street.

But there was a problem.

The road with the storefront was one of the city's larger shopping streets. It was wider, and we would be completely exposed crossing it.

We can go right and cross once the shopping district ends. Its only around a hundred meters, Leo shouted as another attack leveled a building a few meters away.

He was rightbut if we did that, we would be going toward the city centr. Sure, only a hundred meters, but Doubt slipped into my mind. What if I was wrong? What if it was paranoia and the creature wasnt after the virus? What if it was after what just happened, and only waited for a better moment? What if this was the plansetup for another attack?

But then the prophecy echoed in my headborrowed bone.

It should be the virus. I hoped.

No! We need to cross here and now! I screamed over the sounds of the battle in the sky.

Another attack came down and obliterated a few houses down the street, turning apartment complexes into rubble. A missed strike, a redirected spellall meant unavoidable death for us.

We run! I said again, determined not to go toward the city center, just in case one of those who stayed was waiting for us.

We werent in a state to debate. Another flare of light above us pushed us forward. We made a run for it. Each step in the open was unnerving. Even though crossing the wider street took barely a second, it felt like agespraying none of those in the sky noticed us.

A prayer that wasnt answered.

I didnt know if it was aimed at us or just another stray attack raining down, but a ball of black ice fell and exploded behind our backs, showering us with shrapnel.

I managed to throw up a stored Shieldso did a few othersbut it was useless. We were tossed like rag dolls by the force of the blast.

Something tore through my shoulder. The attack had fallen behind us, where the tail of our group ran, mostly made up of people who had joined us late.

I turned around. My friends were injured, but alive. The same couldnt be said for those who closed our procession.

Two people were torn to shreds by the shrapnel. Garash was already down on the paved street, her lifeless eyes staring to the side.

The other victim was the old Oracle.

Countless shards of black ice jutted through her body, almost tearing her to pieces, but despite them, she was still standing straight, her eyes directed at her apprentice. Judging by the horrible damage, had she not stood there, we would be dead.

The old woman gave a tired smile, then fell to the ground.

Nooooo! Astrid wailed, her scream loud enough to cut through the sounds of the battle.

As we hurriedly picked ourselves up, I could see Lunas dress blooming with three red spots. The vampire looked down in surprised horror, and William rushed to hold her up.

Two large pieces of ice were lodged in Dariuss back, though the dwarfs dense muscles had stopped them from penetrating deeper.

Ophelia got her left hand wounded, most likely shattering the bone, but thanks to that, the ice didnt stick.

The church had taken much less of the hitfighters in relatively good condition, though a blood spot showed on Helgas body.

I saw Astrid try to run back to the oracle. The girl was almost completely unscathed, and I realized her teacher had taken all the shards that would have gone into her. Before I could shout any orders, Ophelia bolted from next to me and grabbed Astrid. We didnt have timeanother strike like that would turn us into shreds. Astrid fought Ophelia, but was in no state to use magic. My apprentice simply wrapped her remaining good arm around her, dragging her back.

Move! Helga roared, eyes on the sky.

I could see two fighters winding up an attack over our heads. We all bolted for the shop and dived inside. An explosion shook the ground, and I saw a building across the street cut clean in half as the structure gave way.

Once inside, we immediately ran deeper into the back. It only had cloth hanging over the passage instead of a door, but not seeing the outside was comforting, as was the boring feeling safe spots usually carried.

Only then did I check my wound. It didnt look badat first glance, it seemed like a flesh wound, and there was almost no pain. I threw the skinwalkers corpse to the ground and twisted my arm, rolling my shoulder forward to look. The movement should have irritated the injury, but I felt nothing, absolutely nothing.

Oh fuck I whispered.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw black ice embedded in the hole and already growing into my flesh, numbing my whole arm.

Cut out the ice! I shouted and reached for the hook, making sure it was dormant before it bit into my arm.

Using the tip to probe my own body, I found the edge where feeling returned and cut into myself. Twisting the hook, I yanked at the mass of frozen skin, and a crackling spike of black iceand my own frozen fleshcame out as a single piece. The moment it left me, pain hit like a wave as the numbing magic vanished.

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