Wave One – The Swarm Begins

The wind howled through the desolate canyon as Henry and I stood at the center of a crumbling battlefield. The sky above us darkened unnaturally, thick clouds twisting like ink in water. A guttural screech echoed through the air, followed by hundreds—no, thousands—of glowing red eyes appearing from the void above.

The demonic bats were here.

I cracked my knuckles, the tension in my muscles easing as the thrill of battle surged through me. "Looks like they're eager." I smirked, glancing at Henry, who was rolling his shoulders.

He let out a short laugh. "Five waves? They better be worth my time." He unsheathed his twin sabers, their edges glinting under the crimson glow of the bats' approaching swarm. "I'll take left, you take right?"

"Nah." I activated Void Step, teleporting a few meters ahead before slamming my fist into the ground. A shockwave erupted, sending jagged cracks through the battlefield. "I'll take the ones that come straight at me. Let's see how long they last."

The moment I spoke, the first wave hit.

Thousands of winged horrors descended like a storm, their screeches deafening as they clawed through the air. Their razor-sharp wings sliced through stone like paper, their fangs dripping with venom capable of melting steel.

One of them lunged straight for my throat. Too slow.

I pivoted, catching its skull in my hand before crushing it like a rotten fruit. Black blood splattered across my face, but before I could even wipe it off, another bat lashed out from above.

Henry intercepted it, slashing it in half midair. "Sloppy, Samuel. You losing your touch?"

I wiped my face and grinned. "Nah, just warming up."

A dozen more came for me at once. This time, I didn't hold back.

My hand ignited with Breath of Destruction, and with a single swing, a blade of raw energy sliced through the air, incinerating every bat in my path. Their charred remains rained down like ash, their dying screams barely registering in my ears.

Henry, not to be outdone, dashed forward, his sabers a blur of silver and divine light. Every slash left behind golden trails of energy, cutting through the swarm like a divine executioner. He spun midair, slicing through five creatures at once before landing gracefully.

"Damn, I forgot how good this felt." Henry grinned, effortlessly cleaving another demon in two.

I dodged a screeching bat diving toward me, grabbing its wings and tearing it apart like a piece of cloth.

"Yeah, this is just the first wave. Try to keep up."

More screeches filled the air. The first wave was nearly wiped out, but more shadows loomed in the distance.

Henry exhaled, shaking blood from his blades. "That all they got?"

I smirked. "Nope. This was just the appetizer."

The second wave was coming.

And I was ready.

Wave Two – The Blood Moon Awakens

As the last remnants of the first wave fell to the ground in a pile of twitching corpses, the sky above shifted. The thick black clouds parted just enough to reveal a massive blood-red moon hanging overhead, casting the battlefield in a sinister glow. The air grew heavier, thick with the scent of sulfur and decay.

A deep, guttural roar echoed across the canyon. The second wave had arrived.

"Samuel, you feel that?" Henry muttered, tightening his grip on his sabers.

I rolled my shoulders, feeling a familiar shiver down my spine. "Yeah… these ones are different."

From the shadows of the cliffs, larger, more grotesque bats emerged. Unlike the first wave, these creatures were twice the size, their bodies pulsing with dark energy. Their wings no longer just cut through stone—they disintegrated it on impact. Their eyes glowed with a sickly violet light, filled with raw hunger.

One of them landed a few meters away, spreading its monstrous wings before letting out a deafening screech. The soundwave alone sent boulders flying, forcing Henry and me to brace ourselves.

"Tch, annoying bastards." Henry spat, his sabers glowing with divine energy. "We should take these ones seriously."

"Agreed." I cracked my neck, my fingers twitching as my Black Gauntlets of Destruction materialized over my arms. "No more holding back."

Then—they attacked.

A bat the size of a car lunged at me, its fangs glowing with a corrosive purple mist. I twisted to the side, narrowly dodging, then drove my gauntleted fist straight into its ribcage.

CRACK!

The sheer force of my punch sent shockwaves through its body, shattering its bones and launching it into the air. Before it could even recover, Henry appeared above it with Celestial Blink, slicing off its wings in a single motion. The creature let out an agonized screech before crashing to the ground.

"Too slow." Henry smirked, landing gracefully beside me.

Before we could celebrate, three more swooped down at once.

I ducked as one tried to claw my face, then grabbed its tail midair and swung it like a club, smashing it into the other two. The collision sent them crashing into the canyon walls, their bodies twitching violently before falling limp.

Henry, meanwhile, was a whirlwind of light. His sabers moved faster than the eye could track, cutting through wings, tendons, and throats with surgical precision. Every time he struck, a burst of golden light erased another bat from existence.

More screeches filled the air. They were learning. The bats began moving in organized formations, circling us like vultures, waiting for an opening.

I wiped blood off my jaw and grinned. "They think they're smart."

Henry smirked, twirling his sabers. "Let's show them what real monsters look like."

Without another word, we both vanished—

—I with Void Step, Henry with Celestial Blink.

The battlefield exploded into chaos.

I reappeared midair, grabbing two bats by their necks and slamming their skulls together. Their bodies went limp instantly.

Henry materialized behind another, stabbing his saber through its chest before twisting, using its body as a shield against incoming attackers.

One of the larger bats charged me from behind, its claws coated in some kind of corrosive black mist. I spun, catching its wrist mid-swing before unleashing Breath of Destruction straight into its face.

BOOM.

The force of the blast ripped its entire head clean off.

The remaining creatures hesitated. They knew.

They were prey.

Henry landed beside me, exhaling. "Two waves down. Three to go."

I stretched my arms, feeling the satisfying tension in my muscles. "And they're only going to get stronger."

We locked eyes, the same wild grin forming on both our faces.

"Good."