My stepsisters are sexy demons, and I must protect them
Chapter 62: The assault of the undead legion (3)

Chapter 62: The assault of the undead legion (3)

—BOOM!

The orc’s punch stops just inches from Kagura’s face.

A red energy barrier protects her—Yuzu’s doing.

Yuzu forces herself to stand, trembling and in pain, her arm stretched toward the orc.

Blood drips from her lips, but her vampiric regeneration has already begun, though slowly.

«Y-You filthy, rotten bastard...» Yuzu growls.

Her teeth are clenched, her eyes blazing with rage.

«...DON’T YOU EVER DARE LAY A FINGER ON MY MOTHER AGAIN!»

A blood-colored blast erupts from her palm.

It strikes the orc dead center, piercing straight through him.

The orc crashes onto his back—motionless.

Yuzu exhales in relief.

She collapses to her knees and throws her arms around her mother.

Both of them are crying.

But the calm doesn’t last.

The orc stands up again as if nothing happened—no blood, no groan of pain.

That huge hole in his chest doesn’t seem to affect him at all.

The undead locks onto them again and charges with fury.

Once more, Yuzu pushes him back by conjuring a red energy bubble around them.

The orc slams into it and bounces off, as if hitting a wall made of rubber.

But that only makes him even angrier.

He storms toward the barrier again—Yuzu draws on every last bit of energy she has to keep it stable.

The orc raises both fists above his head and...

—BOOM!

His fists crash down hard on the energy bubble.

They bounce off with a jolt, but—

—CRACK!

A fracture spreads from the impact point.

His punches slam down again and again, each blow widening and deepening the cracks.

Yuzu grits her teeth, struggling under the unbearable pressure.

She feels herself about to collapse, but sheer willpower keeps her holding on.

Then, suddenly, the strain lessens—purple energy flows into the protective bubble, sealing the fractures.

It’s Kagura.

Together, their combined power manages to hold back the undead’s relentless assault... at least for now.

But they both know the truth—unlike them, the undead never gets tired.

How much longer can they hold on?

«Damn it... these bastards just keep coming!» Hakuto growls between swings of his blade.

Fatigue is starting to creep in.

«Quit whining and save your breath to cover me!» Chantal snaps back.

She fires blast after blast of energy into the sky, targeting the flying undead chasing after Rika and Shin.

Thanks to her aerial support, Rika has nearly reached one hundred meters—the altitude where the wyvern hovers.

The undead pursuing them have been taken down by Chantal, but the real danger begins now.

The wyvern has spotted them.

Its wings beat harder, stirring a violent gust of wind.

Rika loses balance and is pushed back several meters, clinging even tighter to Shin’s chest.

She tries to fly closer again, but the gusts summoned by the wyvern block her.

Then, the massive undead wyvern locks onto them.

Its jaw opens wide—crackling lightning builds between its fangs.

«Damn it...» Shin grits his teeth.

The intense gusts make it almost impossible for Rika to fly properly.

Worse, the wind isn’t coming from a single direction—it swirls around them from all sides, pinning them midair.

Dodging the wyvern’s lightning attack like this is nearly impossible.

Shin thinks quickly, then looks up at Rika.

«That energy field you used earlier to block the lightning... can you do it again?» he asks.

«Y-Yes, but... it’s already a miracle I’m flying right now. Yuzu healed me completely, but I’m far from full strength... I don’t think I can make a barrier strong enough to stop that again!» Rika answers, her voice heavy with despair.

«Don’t worry about that. When I give the signal, push me forward as hard as you can, then activate the barrier. Got it?»

«W-What are you planning...?» she asks, clearly worried.

But there’s no time for answers.

An even stronger, more destructive bolt of lightning shoots from the wyvern’s mouth.

«NOW!» Shin shouts.

Rika reacts instantly.

She throws him forward with all the strength she has left, fighting the headwind—just half a meter.

At that exact moment, a large red-and-purple energy bubble snaps shut around her, leaving Shin outside.

And now...

Shin bends his knees—his feet braced against the bubble Rika created.

He launches himself forward.

The force in his legs is more than enough to break free from the swirling wind holding them in place.

He shoots ahead like a comet, trailing white flames, straight into the incoming lightning.

—SWISH...BOOM!

His flaming sword clashes with the lightning—then a massive explosion erupts.

A thick cloud of black smoke covers the sky.

Then...

Shin bursts from the smoke like a blazing bullet.

His sword raised high, he strikes the wyvern’s right wing joint, cleaving it clean off.

Unable to stay airborne, the wyvern’s corpse begins to plummet... dragging Shin with it.

He’s pinned beneath its body, falling fast.

Rika dives toward him in a desperate attempt to reach him.

«Shit!» Chantal curses, eyes locked on the sky.

She’s followed every second of the scene.

She fires more blasts—Sanguis mixed with Sacred Flame—trying to burn the wyvern’s body before it hits the ground, giving Shin a chance at a crash landing.

But the wyvern’s corpse is too tough, and the Sacred Flame burns undead too slowly.

The falling momentum pins Shin under the creature’s massive weight.

He tries to cut his way out, but even lifting an arm takes enormous effort.

And that’s an effort Shin seems unable to make...

...no matter how hard Rika tries, she can’t reach him in time.

«NO, DAD!»

Hakuto screams in despair as the wyvern’s body crashes into the ground, crushing Shin beneath it.

The impact shatters the earth, kicking up a thick cloud of dust and debris.

«O-Old man Tendo...» Chantal whispers, her voice barely audible, eyes glistening.

Rika hovers just a few meters above the scene, staring down at the rising cloud.

She’s frozen—paralyzed by fear and shock.

A faint breeze brushes away the tears streaming down her face.

And when the dust begins to clear...

...streams of blood drip from Shin’s nose and mouth.

He doesn’t move—completely still...

...lying on the back of the wyvern, now almost completely burned.

Next to him, a massive gash splits what’s left of the undead beast from side to side.

«Old man Tendo... you really are one indestructible bastard,» Chantal mutters, her voice warm with affection and admiration.

She understands immediately what happened—right before hitting the ground, Shin carved his way through the wyvern’s body, using it to absorb the impact.

Hakuto realizes it too.

He wipes away his tears with his wrist—his expression, once filled with despair, now shines with pride.

With quick sword slashes, he cuts a path toward Shin.

—BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The orc’s punches slam against the combined barrier of Yuzu and Kagura, never losing strength or rhythm.

Cracks now spread across the entire surface—it’s on the verge of shattering.

And then, it happens.

With one final strike, the barrier bursts into a thousand shards, like a glass orb hit by a stone.

The fragments vanish into smoke as they hit the ground.

Yuzu and Kagura cling to each other in a desperate embrace.

The orc stands before them, fists clenched, ready to deliver the final blow.

Yuzu tries to stand in a desperate attempt to defend them, but her legs give out—she’s at her limit.

The orc is about to lunge at them when...

...a pink flaming sword pierces through his back, bursting out of his chest.

The undead collapses, turning to ash before it even hits the ground.

«T-Thank you... truly...» Kagura murmurs, tears in her eyes.

Chantal simply nods, then turns her gaze toward the front door.

A moment later, Hakuto bursts in—Shin’s battered body draped over his shoulders.

He lays him down in front of Yuzu and Kagura, then rushes out again, Chantal right behind him.

Hakuto doesn’t say a word, but he doesn’t have to—they already know what needs to be done.

Outside the house, only a handful of weak undead remain.

Hakuto and Chantal cut them down one by one, while Velune collapses to her knees, eyes wide, body trembling in shock.

♡♡♡

«And this... this is nothing... just wait ’til I get serious!» Itsu pants, sprawled on the desert sand like a starfish, limbs splayed out.

Akashi gives a faint, almost satisfied smile.

He brushes a hand across his cheek—his fingertips come away stained with blood.

There’s a cut near his nose, still slowly bleeding.

Itsu had landed that hit a couple of hours ago, during the final moments of their long duel.

And yet, the wound still hasn’t fully healed—something that pleasantly surprises Akashi.

«If you fight like you did in those last few seconds, then maybe—just maybe—we have a tiny shot at beating him. Now tell me, where are the two brats?»

Itsu opens his mouth to reply, then stops and shakes his head.

«Just because I seem a little calmer doesn’t mean I trust you—or that I’m starting to like you, so don’t get the wrong idea! You’re still just a piece of shit working with terrorists. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if everything you told me—that crap about some insanely strong enemy tracking down the two hybrids—was just a lie to trick me into giving you their location. Sorry, but it’s really hard to believe you actually care about protecting them... or want to kill someone from your own damn faction!»

Akashi lets out a sigh.

«It’s not a member of the Cult of the Primordial Shadow I want to kill. Itsu, have you ever heard of Drakhul Volkom?»

Itsu nods.

«Who hasn’t? He’s the legendary first king of vampires—lived five thousand years ago.

Said to be not only the strongest vampire to ever exist, but one of the most powerful non-divine beings ever to walk N’Rateh. But that’s just old folklore passed down by the elders. So, now that I’ve proven I know ancient mythology... what’s my prize?»

Itsu smirks—but only for a second.

«Just a legend, huh? There’s a necromancer in the cult—one with magical skills unlike anything ever seen. She’s the one tracking down the two girls... if she hasn’t found them already. A necromancer so powerful... she managed to resurrect a corpse that’s five thousand years old.»

As Akashi speaks, Itsu’s eyes widen with every word—he’s starting to understand.

«...Right now, your precious friends might be facing one of the most powerful beings to ever exist. Sure, his strength is greatly diminished compared to when he was alive—both because of the resurrection process and the time he’s been dead. But I can assure you, even now... he’s still a wall I can’t break through. Now, tell me—where are they?!»

♡♡♡

«My... my precious army... four hundred years to build it, all turned to ash in just minutes...»

Velune is on her knees, arms trembling as she holds herself up.

«H-How... how dare these pathetic mortals insult me like this...?»

She clenches her fists, teeth grinding—her face twisted by a terrifying rage.

«P-Perhaps... perhaps we should retreat, Miss Velune...» Zhurvak murmurs, barely audible.

«Retreat...? Don’t talk nonsense!» she explodes, screaming. «Old Cassian told me to bring him the two hybrids alive... screw it!I’ll tear them into microscopic pieces, just like they did to my precious toys!»

She jerks her head upward, glaring at the hulking figure cloaked in brown beside her.

«Drakhul, erase them from existence! I don’t want even a trace of them left behind!»

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.