Re;Blade

Chapter 73

When the first rat jumped and bared its teeth to tear off someone's neck, Faela cut it with Tetsuko without much trouble. However, the soul in the sword had no time to devour the blood. Before she could, another rat jumped at them.

The sword was a metal blur as it sliced the air and the rat, blood spraying everywhere, raining on them like red rain.

I don't think it's poisonous, but better not drink that.

"Thanks for the advice. I'm a little thirsty and was about to do that," Faela joked, stabbing three rats at once.

Anna and the other soldiers had killed a considerable number of rats. Even so, more kept coming at them, like a wall of flesh and blood and fur.

There are too many.

Thanks to the living metal blades, the soldiers weren't in the defensive. Though they couldn't kill the rats with one cut, they harmed the animals enough to stop their movements for a while and give time for the others to finish. The shields, even the broken and the pierced ones withstood the bites, the headbutts and the tail sweeps without any trouble.

However, it wouldn't last forever. Even in the middle of the fight, Tetsuko realized. Some rats could dent, and even take a piece of the living metal with their teeth.

Those are stronger. Their Celeste feels different from the others, as if it's part of them, the soul in the sword thought. Faela, kill that one. I want its blood.

"You're the one who's thirsty, demon sword?" Despite the middle of fighting, her wielder still found time to joke.

I'd laugh but even I can't force myself to do something stupid. That one is different from most.

With her edge cutting so many rats, Tetsuko had time to devour their energy, even if only a little, and it was enough to confirm; they weren't like the monsters attacking the city, but something else. They're close. They've been transformed by Celeste. But they're different. And I want the strongest one to find why.

Despite her complaints disguised as a joke, with the help of a few soldiers by her side, Faela cut her way to the rat her sword wanted.

When the animal realized, it screeched at her. It wasn't like the others. It was closer to a shrill, as if trying to scare the swordswoman. It snapped the front teeth and tried to bite Tetsuko.

Even though it was stronger than most, it was still nothing to a pure living metal blade with a soul like her.

"Are you satisfied?" Faela muttered as she cut more rats.

Yeah. That was the price for using me as a tool.

Before Faela could let out a sarcastic comment, Anna cursed, and she turned at once.

The young swordswoman was in trouble. Not only her katana wasn't appropriate for tight spaces, with so many allied around her, she couldn't swing and use her full strength. When the sword got stuck on a rat, another one bit her side. She took one hand from the handle, drew the living metal dagger she had and stabbed the animal in the face. It squirmed and screeched until it stopped moving.

"There's no end to it," Faela murmured when she confirmed her disciple was safe.

They had slain dozens, perhaps over a hundred rats, but there were still more coming. Thanks to the soldiers' formation, and their experience with the monsters, none had died. Yet. They were having trouble, and it was only a matter of time.

"Let's fight like we did against the crows!" Faela shouted as she killed another rat that tried to bit her shin. "Create a tight wall of shields, kill them one by one and push forward!"