Death’s Embrace

The battlefield was a graveyard of shattered bones and broken weapons, but the dead refused to stay dead.

Lancer—Black Gold Saw—stood in the eye of the storm, her greatsword resting on her shoulder. Across from her, Dead Master smiled, her skeletal minions slowly reforming, bones snapping back into place as green fire reignited in their sockets.

Lucian staggered to his feet, clutching his ribs where Dead Master's chains had constricted him. He forced himself to breathe steadily. Panicking won't help.

"Persistent, aren't you?" Lancer muttered, watching the skeletal warriors return to their ranks.

Dead Master giggled, twirling a blackened skull in her hands.

"You're strong, Lancer. But strength alone won't win this fight."

The moment she spoke, her minions charged forward again.

Lancer gritted her teeth and moved, her speed defying human limits.

With a single step, she was among them, her greatsword carving through bone and fire.

A slash from below—three skeletons fell, their ribcages shattered.

A spin—her blade cut through an entire row of undead.

But even as she tore them apart, they reassembled.

Lucian's eyes darted toward Dead Master. She's the core.

"Lancer!" he shouted. "Focus on her! The minions don't matter!"

Lancer didn't respond, but she heard him.

Dead Master smirked.

"Oh, little Master…" she whispered, and her chains shot forward again.

Lucian barely dodged in time, throwing himself to the side as the chains tore through the ground where he had stood.

Lancer saw her chance.

She lunged at Dead Master, sword raised for a decisive strike.

For the first time, Assassin moved.

The playful grin vanished.

With a flick of her wrist, the very ground beneath them split open.

Blackened chains erupted from below, twisting through the air like living serpents.

Lancer's attack slammed into a wall of reinforced chains. The force cracked the pavement, but the barrier held.

Dead Master was faster than expected.

She extended a hand—her chains twisted, forming a claw-like construct that lashed at Lancer with terrifying speed.

Lancer barely dodged. The chain-claw grazed her arm, cutting through the reinforced armor like paper.

For the first time, Lancer's expression darkened.

"Tch."

Blood dripped from the wound, but she didn't stop.

She stepped forward—and in that moment, Dead Master disappeared.

No, not disappeared—vanished into the shifting mass of her undead army.

Lucian cursed. She's using her minions as cover.

The battlefield became a maze of bones and chains.

Dead Master's voice echoed through the chaos.

"What's wrong, Lancer? Lost in my domain?"

Lancer exhaled sharply, gripping her sword.

This wasn't a battle of raw strength.

It was a battle of attrition.

And the dead didn't tire.

---

Lucian knew he couldn't just stand back. If Lancer wasted her stamina cutting down endless undead, Dead Master would win by default.

Think.

Then he saw it—a pattern.

The undead were forming unnatural lines, shifting like a tide. They weren't moving randomly.

They were herding Lancer.

She's controlling the battlefield itself.

Lucian's eyes narrowed. There must be a core—something anchoring this ability.

If he could find it, he could turn the tide.

He darted through the ruins, ignoring the battles raging around him.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it—a towering skeletal effigy embedded in the ground, black chains pulsing with energy wrapped around it.

That's it.

If he could destroy it—

Dead Master's chains lashed out at him.

Lucian dodged—barely. One of the chains ripped through his sleeve, cutting into his arm.

"Ah—!"

Dead Master's laughter rang through the battlefield.

"Did you really think you could move unnoticed, little Master?"

Lucian didn't answer. He pushed forward, every step agony.

He just needed one chance.

Lancer needed that opening.

---

keep this up. Every second wasted was a second Dead Master got closer to victory.

Then—she felt it.

A surge of energy.

She turned—Lucian was running toward something, a blackened structure surrounded by chains.

Her instincts screamed. That was the key.

For a brief moment, her red eyes locked onto Lucian's.

Understanding passed between them.

Lucian nodded—he would destroy it.

Lancer turned back to the horde.

If Lucian needed time, she would buy it with blood.

She adjusted her stance, taking in a deep breath.

Then—she unleashed her true power.

Her greatsword pulsed with crimson energy. The air cracked with raw force.

With a single downward swing, she split the battlefield in two.

The ground shattered, skeletal minions obliterated in an instant.

Lucian took his chance and rushed the effigy.

Dead Master's eyes widened.

"Oh no, you don't—!"

Lucian threw his last explosive.

The effigy detonated.

Dead Master staggered—her connection to the undead momentarily severed.

That was all Lancer needed.

She appeared before Dead Master in an instant, sword raised high.

Dead Master barely had time to react—

Before Lancer's greatsword came crashing down.

The battlefield erupted in a final explosion of power.

---

To Be Continued…