Evan vs Slicer.

Evan wandered through the street, heading back to the inn.

She was lost in thought—not about the encounter with the Godslayer. That was none of her business, and Azrael's problems were his own to solve.

Instead, she was thinking about their earlier fight, how weak and pathetic she had been, especially as the strongest warrior of her clan.

It was a true disgrace to their name.

'I have to work harder, train until my body gives up, and become strong enough to defeat Azrael,' Evan thought.

Unknown to her, someone was trailing her from behind, following her carefully to avoid detection.

The mysterious figure was shrouded in a large robe that concealed their face and body, towering over Evan at six feet tall.

Evan's warrior instincts suddenly kicked in as the figure slipped up by getting too close, and she sensed something unusual.

Being around someone who occasionally emitted a godly aura, she had grown familiar with the perception of celestial energy.

Since Azrael wasn't with her and wouldn't stoop to trailing her like a creep because of his pride, this person was definitely unwelcoming.

Taking a detour, Evan ended up in an isolated alleyway. It wasn't wise to face an unknown enemy alone, but it was better than being followed back to where she stayed.

"Hmm, was that really a wise move?" The figure behind her finally spoke, realizing Evan knew she was being followed.

Evan halted, still with her back turned to the stranger.

"Why is a celestial being following a mere human?" Evan replied with a question of her own.

The figure grunted, clearly annoyed by her response. "See? You knew I was a celestial without me even unleashing my power, despite how well I suppressed it."

"It just means you're an interesting individual, and my suspicions weren't misplaced."

"Now, I have a question for you. Why are you carrying the Dragon Slayer sword?!"

For a moment, Evan paused, her heartbeat quickening.

'Damn! This sword really put me in trouble with a celestial. Curse you, Azrael!'

"It was given to me by a friend!" she replied.

An uneasy silence followed, the wind seeming to echo the suffocating tension.

With her hunter's instinct, Evan knew the figure had, in just a second, assessed her level, calculated the quickest way to kill her, and drawn a hidden weapon.

"You know," the figure said, "that weapon was stolen by a god—no, the dark god—from my kin after the battle for dominance in the celestial realm. And now I see it in the hands of a weak, lowly mortal."

"From what I know about the dark god, he takes powerful trophies from each victory and gifts them to his subordinates!"

Time seemed to freeze. The figure moved with the speed of light, reaching Evan instantly.

Her right hand morphed, transforming into a sharp, scaly blade of bone.

Evan was nowhere close to being able to react, due to how fast the figure was, and she simply stood there, ready to be beheaded.

That was until fate gave her another chance, and the Dragon Slayer sword behind her reacted to the incoming danger.

It illuminated with a crimson aura, vibrated with intense, calculated power, and unleashed it at once, creating a weaponized barrier that deflected the strike and blasted the figure onto a wall.

Evan quickly turned, drawing out the sword that still pulsed with crimson aura.

"Wow, that was cool. Looks like the weapon has an ability. That's quite rare.'

For a weapon to have a skill, it must be made with celestial energy, which only demigods and gods possess.

It wasn't uncommon for gods' and demigods' weapons to have skills, as they themselves were celestials and needed a weapon to withstand their great power.

That was why their weapons also had to contain godly energy.

However, for a human to wield this weapon and perform a skill with it, their energy would be drained, and if the skill was a powerful one, it could end their life.

That was why, the moment Evan faced her attacker, all her energy seemed to drain, and the sword itself became heavy.

'The skill took a lot out of me. Ah!'

Evan looked around, but there was no one to be found. "Where is the figure? Did it run away?"

"No, I didn't!"A voice shouted from behind and struck with their bony blade once again, but this time Evan's reaction was fast, and both weapons collided, turning it into a battle of strength.

Although tough, Evan was able to stand her ground against the figure, whose cloak had now evaporated from the energy blast the sword had used to protect her.

She could feel power coursing through her from the blade, enhancing her physique and healing most of the sore areas on her body.

As they locked in their struggle, Evan could finally see who her attacker was.

The attacker was female—Evan could tell by her long black hair and feminine facial features.

Other than that, the rest of her appearance didn't look human at all. She resembled some kind of scaly reptilian being.

Her skin was rough and scaly, her eyes bright green with a piercing gaze, and her fingers were three-inch needle-like claws that could easily cut through flesh.

She also had the ability to transform her hands into a dangerous weapons, making her the perfect killing machine.

Without warning, another bony white substance grew out of her foot, which she immediately kicked forward, stabbing Evan right in the abdomen.

Evan winced in pain. If that wasn't enough, the attacker used the opportunity to push forward, knocking Evan off balance, and then slashed once again, this time hitting her across the stomach.

Evan landed hard on the ground as the figure placed a foot on her and said, "Before I end your life, let me tell you who killed you. I am called Slicer, and I am part of the Black Smoke Squad, specially trained demigods to eliminate the Dark God."

Today turned out to be a lucky day for Slicer.

Ever since their team had landed in the desert, they found refuge in the Sand Goddess's city, as the area was the last place they had tracked Azrael's location.

And upon going out for patrol, she found Evan—the one who held her race's most treasured sword, made from parts of the very skin of their god, a dragon.

Slicer raised her bone-sword hand, ready to end Evan's life, when a sudden shiver went down her spine as her attention turned to the sky.

"A Godslayer!"

****