*****
@patreon.com/c/Universal_Peace
For those who'd like to stay ahead of the main releases, new chapters are already available there — currently up to Chapter 73, along with some exclusive visuals.
The story updates regularly on that page, while here on Webnovel it'll follow the weekly schedule.
A big thanks to Juan Correa Sandoval for becoming the first supporter and helping keep the uploads moving faster!
*****
Suddenly, Selene and Luke's instincts flared—sharp, undeniable. They shouted in unison
"Duck! "
A heartbeat later, it struck.
WHOOSH—BOOM!
A rocket-propelled grenade slammed into the right rear of the eight-seater. Flames erupted, and the shockwave rattled the windows, sending trash spinning across the street.
The car was lifted off the ground, twisting in mid-air like a toy kicked by a giant.
Inside, chaos erupted. Terri's camera slipped from her hands, Peyton groaned as his injured leg slammed the dashboard, Jill's hands gripped the wheel even as it spun uselessly, and Alice cursed, bracing herself.
Selene and Luke, however, remained unnervingly calm, as if they'd anticipated every second of the blast.
CRAAAASH!
The vehicle slammed bottom-first into the side of a roadside building. The undercarriage crumpled like paper, the suspension snapping under impact.
Sparks flew as metal scraped on stone, bricks tumbled from the wall, and glass shattered into the jagged rain. The car tilted awkwardly, groaning under its broken weight. Smoke, dust, and the acrid smell of gasoline filled the air.
For thirty seconds, only silence remained—save for the hiss of flames and the settling of twisted metal.
Then—
CRACK!
A hand, wreathed in crackling blue energy, punched through the caved-in roof.
Sparks danced along bent steel as Luke hauled himself free, muscles tensing. With a swift, almost casual motion, he pulled the entire top of the vehicle off like a tin lid, hurling it across the street with a
SKREEEEEEEECH—CRASH!
Then Luke pulled himself free of the wreckage, landing hard on the cracked pavement with someone cradled securely in his arms.
"Are you alright, Selene?" he asked automatically—only for the words to stall in his throat the instant he looked down.
Because the face staring back at him wasn't Selene's.
It was Alice.
Blinking rapidly, Alice looked just as baffled, trying to piece together how she ended up in his arms.
Physics, momentum, and sheer dumb luck did the rest—the blast hurled her forward at precisely the right moment. Timing had never been so cruel… or so convenient.
That's how Alice ended up in a perfect princess carry in Luke's arms.
Luke stared down at her, expression caught between bafflement and disbelief. "…Why are you in my arms?"
Alice arched a brow at him, her lips pressing into a flat line. Her eyes, however, spoke louder than words: How the hell should I know?
Luke sighed and looked away awkwardly.
Behind them, the rest of the group staggered from the wreck. Clothes singed, dust coating every surface, but miraculously, no one was seriously hurt.
A faint blue shimmer clung to their skin—the residual effect of Luke's protective mana barrier. Without it, they'd have been shredded across the pavement.
Terri stared at her arms, flexing her fingers. "I… I should be dead."
Selene stepped out next, brushing dust from her coat as though the explosion had been nothing more than an inconvenience.
Her gaze landed on Luke—and more importantly, on Alice in his arms. Her steps slowed, sharp eyes narrowing, a dangerous weight in her stare.
Luke felt it instantly. "…Uh."
He quickly lowered Alice to the ground, clearing his throat. "Ahem… anyone injured?"
Well, one thing was certain in his mind—future car rides were cancelled.
Absolutely cancelled. This was the second time he'd been attacked in a car, and both times had nearly turned him into roadkill.
First a crash, now an RPG blowing them sky-high. Yep. He officially had bad luck with cars.
From now on, if someone so much as suggested "let's drive," he was walking. Or teleporting. Or riding a zombie horse if he had to. Anything but cars.
"I'm fine… but I'm more concerned about how I'm fine," said Jill slowly, looking down at herself.
That blast should have injured her. Yet she was standing completely intact, not even scratched. Her cop instincts screamed it wasn't normal—so this had to be one of Luke's powers.
Jill's brows knitted. "That blast should've killed us."
"Key word being should've. But hey, you're welcome," Luke said with a smirk.
Before Jill could argue further, Luke's tone shifted, his easy going expression vanished. His eyes sharpened as he glanced past the wreck, fixing on something heavy moving in the smoke.
"Then, you all should back away," he said quietly, his voice carrying an edge the others hadn't heard from him before. He stepped forward, placing himself between them and the ruined street. "Because I've got a problem to deal with."
The others followed his gaze and froze.
From the smoke, a massive silhouette emerged. Muscles bulged unnaturally, skin stretched and warped, black leather straps holding its grotesque body together.
In its right hand, a massive rocket launcher still smoked from the shot it had just fired, while its left hand gripped a snarling machine gun, ready to tear through anything in its path.
Luke's eyes narrowed. No introductions were needed. He knew exactly what he was staring at.
Nemesis.
*****
Next chapter drops November 1!
For faster updates, you can join here:
@patreon.com/c/Universal_Peace