The Nephilim

Selene had not been born in Bluewater Town. Instead, she was brought here by her father when she was still a baby.

For all intents and purposes, though, she had lived in Bluewater Town for her whole life. Now, she was watching it burn to the ground. There was an indescribable feeling in her heart, however, there was no time to mull over things.

"Kill! Kill the humans!"

"Haha! Such good weapons! Our tribe will be unrivaled in the north!"

Crude voices came bellowing from among the burning buildings, as Selene saw the monstrous, inhuman figures running amidst the fires.

"So it was Nephilim..."

Selene understood now, and her heart became cold as she watched these massive, ugly humanoids pillage the town, taking weapons, armor, and food.

The Nephilim were a violent race, and while they lived all over the continent, the ones up north were especially chaotic. The Northern tribe of Nephilim was especially violent, however, they normally never would have attacked Bluewater Town, as the town was simply too well fortified.

"Why are the Nephilim so rampant? How did the Northern tribe manage to devastate Bluewater Town so badly?"

Selene took cover near her now collapsed burning house. The intense heat seared her skin, but she persisted, looking for anything she could use for defense.

"Eh? This is..."

Suddenly, a glint caught her attention.

All of the snow in the surroundings had melted, and there wasn't even water around her home, as it had all evaporated due to the intense heat. This glint could only come from metal.

Feeling hopeful in her heart, Selene endured the searing heat which was scorching her skin and clothes and dug her way towards the gleam. She dexterously avoided the burning wood and managed to reach the shining piece of metal.

Cautiously, she covered her hands with a cloth and pulled the hot metal from the wreckage.

"A sword? This isn't father's sword? Where did this come from?"

The object she pulled from the wreckage was a gleaming sword, sheathed in a scabbard that was decorated with ornate metal bindings.

However, Selene looked at this beautiful sword with a strange gaze. Her father was a warrior, and naturally used a sword, a sword that Selene had seen countless times. Yet, this sword that was in the wreckage of the house was not one she had seen before.

"Did father have two swords? Why wouldn't he use this sword, his other sword was so worn..."

Seeing the beautiful craftsmanship of the sword she held, Selene was confused. Her father's sword was good but was old and worn, and he refused to replace it, saying that it would be too expensive. However, this sword here was in perfect condition, and if it weren't for the bit of ash that coated it, it would have been obvious that it was meticulously cared for by someone, likely her father. Even though it was long and narrow, unfit for her father's powerful style of swordsmanship, it was still much better than his old sword.

Selene didn't have time to think about these things, though.

"Haha! Look at this! A little girl!"

"Oh? Look at what she's holding... What a nice sword! If we present it to the lord, he would likely give us great rewards!"

She was interrupted by the crude voices of two Nephilim. Turning around, she saw the two monstrous humanoids. They were both nearly 3 meters tall, and their bodies were bulging with powerful muscles. They had a set of horns that framed their hideous and snarling faces.

Selene's body tensed up, and she felt her heartbeat increase rapidly. She was less than 1.5 meters tall, and while she had trained in how to fight, the overwhelming strength of Nephilim was not something she could overcome. Especially when she didn't even have an Arcane Spirit to rely on. Just their height alone was nearly twice hers!

"Hehe, little girly, why don't you come out from the fire. We don't bite."

"Right! Why don't you give that sword to us nicely? We'll treat you very well."

The two Nephilim didn't approach her right away, as she was standing in the middle of the burning wreckage. Their bodies were too large to make it through gaps in the flames as Selene had. However, this didn't stop them from trying to coax her out with taunting words.

Their eyes burned with an insidious intent as well. Looking at this little girl, whose clothes were torn, burnt, and shredded, they couldn't help but have thoughts.

The Nephilim were far less emotionally intelligent than most other humanoids. Instead, they relied on instinctual lust and on the rule of the strong to form their societies and relationships. Seeing a half-naked girl with stunning features, even if she was young, these two monsters still felt a little excited.

If they trained this human well, she would become an excellent slave in the future. Thinking of this, the two Nephilim wanted to play nice, coaxing this little girl out with promises before capturing her.

"You just want the sword, right? Will I be able to find my father afterward?"

Naturally, Selene's father had taught her about the Nephilim, and she was not stupid enough to fall for such a childish attempt. Furthermore, after what her body had experienced inside of Eldwood Forest, she strangely didn't feel much fear towards these two huge Nephilim.

She quickly came up with a plan and decided to play along with the two disgusting creatures.

"Hehe, of course. We are kind-hearted, how could we do anything to you if you give us such a nice sword?"

"That's right, just come on out and we promise to take good care of you."

The two Nephilim felt their excitement build. Their eyes flashed with a perverted light as they looked at Selene, who was clutching the sword tightly, her expression seeming like a worried child.

"Y-you promise, right?"

With a trembling voice, she asked the Nephilim one more time.

"Little girl, just come out. We promise not to hurt you. Others are not as nice as we are."

The Nephilim felt their patience wearing out a bit, but they still maintained the facade.

For them to put up such a front really was a lot of effort for the two. Nephilim were usually violent and aggressive, yet they were speaking such sweet words to a small child. If they weren't worried about her being captured by other Nephilim, they would have just waited for the fire to die down before capturing her and having their way.

"O-Okay. I'm coming out."

Selene bobbed her head up and down, looking at the two Nephilim with hopeful eyes as she began making her way out from the burning wreckage. The two Nephilim looked at her expression with perverted glee in their hearts.

To be able to capture a child making such a face, their nature couldn't help but make them feel a fire burn in their hearts.

Selene didn't miss the looks in their eyes, as they didn't bother to conceal it from a child. She clutched the sword tightly, wrapping her hands around the hilt as she approached the two Nephilim.

Finally, she came near the edge of the wreckage, and the ugly attempts at smiles on the two Nephilim changed in a moment.

"Haha! What a stupid human child! To think you actually came out so easily!"

"What an idiotic little girl. You would do well as our slave! If you do a good job in the future, perhaps you could become a concubine!"

Reaching towards her with their massive arms, the two Nephilim couldn't hold back their crude designs anymore, and their nature finally burst loose. However, at this moment, the sword in Selene's hands seemed to become nothing more than an illusion as a silver light exited the exquisite scabbard and cut across their arms.

"Ahhh! My hand!"

With a thud, two ugly hands dropped to the ground, blood spattering the burning wreckage and dirt.

Selene, still holding the scabbard in one hand, held the light, silvery blade in the other. It was a long and thin sword, and surprisingly, Selene found that her new strength allowed her to lift the blade with ease.

"You stinking brat! I'll torture you until you beg for death!"

The two Nephilim clutched their severed arms with murderous expressions.