Chapter 13 – The First Human Blood
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The knight's blade gleamed as it rose, poised to strike. Fire gathered at the mage's staff, the priest's chant swelled, and the archer's bowstring groaned as he drew.
Altair stood at the center, his breaths ragged, his body torn and bleeding. Yet his eyes glowed—not those of a weak goblin, but of a wolf cornered, prepared to bite even in death.
"If I die here, it ends. But if I can drag just one of them down… the spark will be lit."
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An arrow whistled toward his chest. Altair ducked, the shaft embedding into the stone wall. The knight's balance faltered for a split second as Altair's sudden movement threw off his timing.
Altair twisted, his jagged stone slamming into the knight's arm. The blow wasn't fatal, but enough to stagger him.
"Now!" Altair roared.
One of his wounded goblins hurled itself at the knight's leg, biting down with desperate fury. The knight kicked viciously, crushing its skull, but the sacrifice bought Altair a single heartbeat.
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Altair lunged—not at the knight, but at the scout circling with twin daggers ready.
With a savage roar, he drove the jagged stone deep into the man's throat.
"Khkkhh—!" The scout's eyes bulged. Hot crimson sprayed across Altair's face and chest. The man thrashed, choking on his own blood, then collapsed in a twitching heap.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Altair stared at his hand, drenched in red. Not goblin green—but human blood.
"This… this is the first time I've slain a human since my rebirth…"
A grin spread across his face, feral and sharp. "Yes. This is the first step."
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His goblins howled ragged cheers. Their despair twisted into frenzy, their fear reshaped into belief.
Lila's chest heaved, eyes wide, torn between horror and awe. Mira clutched the infants tighter, pale but with a glimmer of fire in her gaze.
The knight roared with rage. "Damn you, goblin! You'll regret crossing humans!"
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The mage unleashed her spell. A fireball surged toward Altair. He dove aside, the flames scorching his skin as they devoured the cavern wall. Smoke filled the air, suffocating and acrid.
The priest's chants swelled louder, golden light cloaking the knight, his blade shining brighter with every swing. His fury fueled his strikes—each one meant to end the battle with a single blow.
Altair's chest heaved, but his grin only widened. "I've proven one thing—humans bleed. They're not gods. Their lives can be taken."
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Something shifted inside him. The fear of death receded. The weight of betrayal twisted with fresh rage.
With blood dripping from his claws, his voice was low and venomous. "Listen well, humans… Today I was reborn—not as your hero, but as your disaster."
The knight's glare burned with hatred. The mage readied another spell. The battle wasn't finished.
But for the first time, Altair had drawn human blood. And with it came the promise of endless vengeance.
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