The Bigshot's Superstar Wife-Chapter 175: A Level 5

"Wait..."

Athena tensed as she stared at the creature before them. It stood like a human, moved like a human, yet there was something terribly wrong with it.

Its skin was pale, almost translucent, with dark bruises covering its limbs like ink blots. Athena’s sword appeared before her.

The veins beneath its skin pulsed an eerie violet hue, and when it turned its hollow eyes toward them, Athena felt a chill run down her spine.

"That’s a Level 5 Zombie?" she muttered, gripping the hilt of her sword.

Xavier nodded, his expression unreadable. "They’re different from the mindless ones you’ve faced. This one still has its intelligence. It knows how to fight."

The creature grinned, cracking its neck with an unsettling pop.

"You’re not the first ones to stumble upon me," it rasped, its voice distorted, as if multiple people were speaking at once. "But you might just be the last."

Then it lunged. Athena barely had time to react before the zombie was upon them. She twisted her body, dodging its outstretched claws as it swiped at her.

The sheer speed of its movements sent a gust of wind past her face, and she knew that if she had been even a fraction of a second slower, her throat would have been ripped open.

Xavier, on the other hand, didn’t bother dodging. Instead, he met the creature head-on, his fist colliding with its jaw in a devastating punch.

The impact sent the zombie skidding backward, but it recovered almost instantly, its lips curling into a delighted smirk.

"Oh," it chuckled, licking the blood from its cracked lips. "I see now. You’re not normal, either."

Athena’s eyes flickered to Xavier, but he didn’t respond. He merely pulled a blade from his belt and flicked it open with an ease that suggested he had done this a thousand times before.

"Stay sharp," he warned her. "It’s testing us."

Athena didn’t need to be told twice. She adjusted her stance, steadying her breathing as she analyzed the creature’s movements.

If this thing was intelligent, then it meant that brute force alone wouldn’t be enough to bring it down. She needed a strategy.

The zombie moved first, its body twisting unnaturally as it lunged again, this time aiming for Athena.

She parried its strike with her sword, the force of the clash sending vibrations up her arms. Xavier capitalized on the moment, aiming a precise slash at the creature’s exposed ribs.

The zombie twisted at the last second, avoiding the worst of the attack, but Xavier’s blade still managed to carve a deep wound along its side. Instead of screaming in pain, the creature laughed.

"Good," it purred, running a finger along the gash in its skin. "Very good. I was getting bored with all the weaklings. You two might actually be fun."

Athena narrowed her eyes. "This thing… it’s enjoying the fight?"

"Looks like it," Xavier muttered.

The zombie didn’t give them time to dwell on it. It launched itself at them again, this time moving so fast that Athena barely had time to react.

She blocked its claws with her sword, but the sheer force of the attack sent her skidding backward.

Xavier caught her before she could fall. "We need to finish this quickly," he said, eyes locked onto the enemy.

Athena nodded. If this thing was toying with them now, she didn’t want to see what it was capable of when it got serious.

She adjusted her grip on her sword, focusing on her breathing. She could feel her pulse steadying, her mind sharpening.

If this thing wanted to play, then she’d give it a fight it would never forget.

"Let’s go," she said. And together, they charged. Athena was fast. But the zombie was faster. It dodged her strikes with inhuman precision, slipping past her defenses like a shadow.

Every time she thought she had it cornered, it would twist its body at an impossible angle and counterattack.

Xavier, however, fought differently. He didn’t bother trying to match the creature’s speed. Instead, he predicted its movements, blocking and countering with devastating efficiency.

Every punch he landed sent shockwaves through the air, and Athena couldn’t help but wonder just how strong he really was.

The zombie was enjoying itself, until Xavier’s blade found its mark.

With a swift, calculated movement, Xavier drove his weapon deep into the creature’s abdomen, twisting it before yanking it free.

The zombie let out a guttural shriek, staggering backward as blackened blood oozed from the wound.

Athena seized the opportunity. She darted forward, her sword gleaming in the dim light, and aimed for the creature’s throat. The zombie reacted too late.

Her blade sliced cleanly through its neck, severing its head from its body in one smooth motion.

The creature’s body twitched violently before collapsing to the ground, its head rolling a few feet away. Silence followed.

Athena exhaled sharply, wiping the sweat from her brow. "That was… harder than expected."

Xavier nudged the corpse with his foot. "It’ll get worse from here," he said grimly.

Athena didn’t doubt it. If Level 5 zombies were this strong, then she could only imagine what higher-level ones were capable of.

She looked at Xavier. "You’re not normal, are you?"

He smirked. "Neither are you."

Athena frowned but didn’t press the issue. There were too many unanswered questions, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on them.

She sheathed her sword, taking one last look at the zombie’s corpse before turning away. "We should keep moving."

Xavier followed without a word, but Athena couldn’t shake the feeling that their battle had been only a taste of what was to come. And deep down, she wasn’t sure if she was ready.

As they moved through the desolate streets, Athena couldn’t shake the lingering tension in her body.

The fight had been brutal, but something about the zombie’s words unsettled her. It had been aware, not just a mindless husk like the others she’d encountered before.

Xavier walked beside her in silence, his presence steady and unwavering. Athena stole a glance at him.

He had fought with the precision of someone who had faced death countless times before.

"How did you know how to fight like that?" she asked finally.

Xavier didn’t look at her, only kept his gaze forward. "Experience."

Athena frowned. His answer was too simple, too vague. But before she could question him further, a distant howl echoed through the ruined city.

Xavier sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Looks like we’ve got company."

Athena tightened her grip on her sword.

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