Downtown was supposed to be normal—bright lights, food stalls, karaoke echoing from open doors. Instead, the air reeked of burning plastic and something wetter, fouler.
People screamed as a hulking, insect-like creature—part centipede, part nightmare—slithered down Main Street. Its mandibles clacked, slicing through a row of vending machines like tin cans.
"Is that—?" I stammered."Yes." Lucian's eyes gleamed red. "A minion. Pathetic, but dangerous."
Pathetic? It was the size of a bus.
Chaos Breaks Out
Crowds scattered, phones whipped out to film. Because of course humans would record first, run later.
Lucian stepped forward, shadows curling at his heels like smoke. "Stay back, Ayumi."
"Excuse me, this is our problem, right? I can't just—" My voice cracked as the creature shrieked, glass shattering around us. "—watch!"
His smirk was sharp. "Then prove you're not just baggage."
"Oh, you jerk." My legs shook, but I grabbed the closest thing I had: a dropped umbrella. Yeah. Fearsome weapon.
First Clash
The monster lunged. Lucian snapped his fingers and a wall of black flame burst up, forcing it back. The crowd gasped. Some actually cheered.
I… swung my umbrella. It bounced off the carapace with a sad clink.
The creature's many eyes swiveled toward me.
"Oh no."
Lucian blurred forward, catching the mandibles inches from my face with his bare hand. "Foolish." He shoved, sending the beast sprawling across the street.
My knees wobbled. "…You caught that like it was a baseball."
"Of course. I am the final boss."
"Stop flexing while I'm traumatized!"
Ayumi's Spark
When the creature reared up again, something inside me thrummed. My palm burned, the same sigil from the contract glowing faintly.
"Ayumi," Lucian barked. "Channel it—think of shielding!"
I raised my hand instinctively, and a faint shimmer of light bloomed between us and the monster's strike. The impact rattled my bones, but… it held.
Lucian's grin was wolfish. "Better."
I gasped, exhilarated. "Did I just—magic?!""Barely. Don't celebrate yet."
Finishing Blow
Lucian surged forward, blade of shadow forming in his hand. With a clean arc, he cleaved through the creature, dissolving it into ash.
The street went silent. Then—applause, screaming, frantic livestreaming.
People chanted: "Superhero! Demon cosplayer! Is this a movie?!"
I grabbed Lucian's sleeve, panicking. "They're filming us. This is going to be everywhere!"
He glanced at the cameras, unbothered. "Let them. Fear is a useful leash."
The Hint of More
Before the ash fully settled, glowing fragments scattered into the air, drifting upward like fireflies.
Lucian's smirk faded. "…Tch. Summoning residue. They're testing the barrier between worlds."
"Testing?!" I squeaked.
His gaze darkened. "Which means the true enemy is watching. And this was merely a messenger."
Cliffhanger
A deep vibration shook the street—low, distant, but unmistakable. From far above, the night sky cracked faintly, as if something immense was pressing against it from the other side.
I swallowed hard. "Uh, Lucian? Is it just me, or did the sky just… glitch?"
Lucian's eyes glowed. "The invasion has begun."
⚡ End of Chapter 5