The Impending End Of The World (I)

The soft glow of the evening sun filtered through the cracks of their makeshift shelter, casting warm orange hues across the room as Lucius and Jane lay sprawled on the worn-out sofa.

Lucius rested his head on the back of the couch, his arms loosely wrapped around Jane's waist.

Her head rested on his chest, rising and falling gently with every breath he took.

"Hmm," Jane mumbled, half-asleep. "It's been a while since I felt this... comfy."

"Comfy? With the end of the world breathing down our necks?" Lucius chuckled softly, his fingers lazily running through her hair.

"You're here. That's enough." She smiled, her voice muffled against his chest.

For a moment, there was silence.

The world outside felt far away, almost like they weren't living in a nightmare filled with monsters and impending destruction.

"Do you ever think about what life would be like if this apocalypse never happened?" Jane's tone softened and she asked abruptly.

"Not really. I think I've been fighting so long I forgot what normal feels like." Lucius stared at the ceiling for a while.

Jane shifted, propping herself up on her elbow to look at him.

"You'd probably be in university, huh? A regular nineteen-year-old, stressing about exams and crushes instead of monsters and bosses."

"Sounds boring," Lucius said with a faint smirk.

'I was bored when I was at university. I skipped most classes, and my favorite pastime was racing because I loved feeling adrenaline...'

'Even though the end of the world is getting nearer, I still feel more comfortable with this kind of life.'

Hearing his words, Jane leaned closer while tracing small circles on his chest.

"Well, it no longer matters to me. I'm fine as long as I'm with you!" She tilted her head to the side, smiling charmingly.

"Jane..." Lucius muttered, reaching out to caress her cheek.

"What? Have you finally fallen in love with me?" Her smile widened softly as she gently held the hand that was caressing her cheek, leaning into it while closing her eyes.

She awaited for his answer.

Jane wasn't dumb at all; even if they spent a lot of time together, she knew that Lucius's emotions were literally a puzzle.

And the only thing she knew for sure was that Lucius had a closed heart, which was almost impossible to penetrate.

For him to fall in love with someone... was practically an impossibility.

However, Lucius changed more and more the more time they spent together, and he was sometimes seen smiling earnestly.

'So... maybe someday he'll love me.' Jane shut her eyes, feeling the warmth of his hand.

And then, a single world that she didn't expect to hear... came out of his mouth.

"Maybe..." he gently moved his hand to her lips, caressing them slightly as Jane abruptly opened her shut eyes.

At that moment, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.

"Mhm..."

The taste of her and his lips felt unsually strange for each other.

Maybe... because it was a kiss that didn't happen based on lust.

But, unfortunately...

BAAM!

Their peaceful moment shattered, interrupted by the sound of a loud crash outside.

Immediately, both of them shot up and got out of their cuddling position.

"What now?" Jane muttered annoyingly, already reaching for her weapon.

Lucius moved to the window, pulling back the curtain slightly to peek outside. Bianca stood a few meters away, panting heavily, with her claws dripping green blood.

Around her were the mutilated bodies of several monsters, their limbs scattered across the ground.

"Bianca...? Is she injured?" Lucius immediately jumped out of the window, getting closer to Bianca, who was panting.

"Little lady, what happened?" 

"A pack of those nasty things tried to ambush me. Took care of them, though." Bianca wiped her face with her sleeve, her lips curling into a proud grin.

'...Ambushed? And she's actually injured...? This is weird; Bianca is already level 91.' Lucius thought.

He crouched down, inspecting the monster carcasses. They were larger than the usual ones, their bodies covered in thick, armored scales.

He frowned deeply upon seeing this.

This type of monster had appeared in the 89th wave, when they were basically level 74 or something around that.

They were evolving at a rapid pace.

'This is only the 15th day, and monsters of this type are already appearing, huh. It seems that I may need to do a bit of exploring myself.'

"You two stay here. I need to check something out."

Hearing his words, Jane frowned and took a step closer to him.

"Lucius, wait! What are you planning to do?"

"Papa! I finally came back, and now you're going away for a while?!" Bianca pouted, grabbing and then shaking his sleeve.

"Ah, don't worry, I'll be back in like an hour or two." He patted Bianca's head and then turned to Jane, mouthing the words, 'Take care of her'.

Jane only nodded with a small sigh.

After that, he picked up a pack of cigarretes and vanished from view, heading toward the nearby forest.

Seeing him disappear, Jane couldn't help but mutter.

"Why does he always have to act like he's invincible? Does he not realize how much we are concerned about him?" She bit her lip.

"Just have faith in Papa... despite his actions, he has never failed us, has he not?"

"He didn't."

...

The woods were unnaturally quiet, save for the crunch of leaves under Lucius's shoes.

The air felt heavy, charged with a strange energy, and it wasn't that long before he found his first clue.

Deep claw marks gouged into the bark of a massive tree. The grooves were too wide to belong to any of the usual monsters.

Kneeling down, Lucius examined the ground and spotted faint tracks leading further into the dense forest.

'They're grouping up... and something bigger is leading them,' he thought grimly.

'Maybe some kind of mini-boss?'

As he followed the trail, the tracks became fresher and fresher as the air got thicker with the stench of decay.

He soon came upon a small clearing, and what he saw made his stomach churn.

A massive, grotesque creature stood at the center, its body an amalgamation of twisted limbs and pulsating flesh.

Surrounding it were several smaller monsters, each one kneeling as if in reverence.

'A leader... or maybe a breeder,' he pondered.

CRACK!

He accidentally snapped a twig.

The sound echoed through the clearing, and every head turned toward him.

"Great," Lucius muttered under his breath as the creatures began to advance.

"Well, I'll need to test this beast's power; it works either way." He cracked his head before turning to the beast.

"GRRRRRUUUK!"

The best roared, shaking the trees with its guttural cry. Then it charged, with each step shaking the ground.

"Fast," he observed as the beast closed the distance in seconds, swiping at him with a massive claw.

Lucius tilted his head slightly, letting the claw whistle past him and carve a deep gouge into the ground.

The wind from the attack brushed his cheek, but he remained unbothered.

"Now, let's test the defense..."

A black sword materialized in Lucius's hand as he swung it.

The blade's edge glimmered faintly, and a shockwave rippled out, cutting through the air and slamming into the creature's side.

"GRREEEEKKK!"

The monster stumbled, roaring in pain as black ichor oozed from the wound.

However, it straightened rather than fell, its eyes glimmering with rage. The ichor seemed to harden, forming a makeshift armor over the injury.

"Interesting... it's quite similar to the boss from the 90th wave."

The beast charged again, but this time it didn't come alone. The smaller monsters darted forward, their claws and fangs flashing in the light.

Lucius sidestepped the first, delivering a fast kick that sent it flying into a tree. The second lunged at him from behind, but he spun and caught it mid-air, slamming it into the ground.

"You're just distractions," he said, glaring at the smaller creatures before turning his attention back to the leader.

The monster lunged again, its massive jaws snapping shut inches from Lucius's face. He dove and swung his sword upward, slicing through one of the creature's elongated limbs.

The severed arm hit the ground with a thud, but before Lucius could follow up, the monster leaped back, its stump writhing.

To his surprise, the limb began to regenerate, the flesh knitting itself together at an alarming rate.

"So, you can heal too?" Lucius raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Similar to the 90th wave boss with the regenarative abilities of the 85th wave boss. Its quite annoying to deal with it."

Thinking for a while, Lucius tightened his grip on his sword, the blade glowing faintly as he infused it with energy.

The monster growled, seemingly wary of the sudden change in Lucius's demeanor.

The next moment, Lucius was gone.

The beast looked around frantically, its glowing eyes scanning the clearing. A heartbeat later, Lucius appeared above it, his sword slicing down at his shoulder.

CRACK!

The impact split the ground beneath the monster as Lucius's sword cleaved into its shoulder. The creature howled in pain, black blood spraying everywhere.

But instead of falling, it retaliated, swinging its massive claw at Lucius.

He blocked it effortlessly with his sword, smirking as the force of the blow sent a shockwave through the air.

"Mhm..."

"GRREEEEKKK!"

The beast roared again, this time releasing a torrent of green acid from its mouth. The corrosive liquid hissed as it hit the ground, melting everything it touched.

Lucius leaped back, dodging the spray with ease.

"Now, acid? Another ability from one of the wave's bosses... It's getting weirder and weirder with each passing moment." He spoke while landing gracefully on a nearby tree branch.

"GRRRUUUUUUUKKK!"

The creature seemed to grow more furious with each second. Its muscles bulged unnaturally, and its body began to glow faintly, as if it were preparing for something big.

"Oh? Are you trying to evolve mid-fight?" Lucius narrowed his eyes. 

The ground beneath the monster cracked and splintered as it unleashed a deafening roar, its form swelling as green energy radiated from its body.

The smaller monsters that remained backed away, whimpering in fear.

"Now we're talking," Lucius said, his smirk widening.

The monster charged again, faster and stronger than before. Its claws sliced through the air like blades, and its jaws snapped shut with enough force to shatter stone.

Lucius dodged each attack effortlessly with lazy movements. But as the fight dragged on, he began to notice something peculiar.

Each time he landed a blow, the monster adapted. Its movements became sharper, its attacks more calculated.

It was learning with each passing second...

"Well, that's a problem," Lucius muttered, parrying another swipe.

"I don't have time to teach you new tricks."

Deciding he'd seen enough, he stepped back, raising his sword. The air around him grew heavy, charged with an overwhelming energy that made the smaller monsters scatter in terror.

"It was fun."

With a single swing, Lucius unleashed a wave of dark energy in the form of a crescent blade. The force of the attack obliterated the clearing, reducing trees and rocks to ash.

When the dust settled, the monster lay crumpled in a heap, its body scorched and broken. The faint glow in its eyes flickered before fading entirely.

Lucius approached the fallen creaturewith an thoughtful expression.

"Evolving, adapting, regenerating... What are you monsters up to?"

He crouched beside the corpse, inspecting the thick, armored scales. They were unlike anything he'd encountered before, tougher and more resilient.

"This isn't natural," he muttered, standing up.

"Someone—or something—is making you stronger."

"I just need to find out what."