“It’s this way, hurry!” Jun gestured to the two guards following her.
She had done what her father asked of her.
She had run deeper into the village, and somehow took the right turns to find who she was looking for. Two young guards who were panicking and deciding if they should abandon their post to see what was happening or stay in place and leave things to someone else.
She had convinced them to follow her, telling them that her father was in danger.
Hearing that Munisai, the Sword Saint himself was being threatened, the two guards quickly made up their minds and asked her to lead the way.
After all, this was the man that taught them how to swing the sword as well.
Upon reaching the main square, all three of them felt the heavy atmosphere quickly condensing around them.
The air was so dense, it became difficult for them to breathe.
Gasping for air, Jun looked around, saw the giant wolf first, then the strange boy not too far from it, panting heavily as he struggled to stay standing.
“Where… where is my dad?” She asked hesitantly as she kept darting her head around.
“Jun! Get back! Don’t look!” One of the guards yelled in her direction, trying to reach out to her.
But it was too late.
“?!”
Gasp!
Cold shivers struck through her body like lightning as her pupils quickly contracted. Her hands started trembling as she brought them up to cover her mouth.
Tears flowed down her cheeks, they wouldn’t stop.
Hick
She couldn’t believe her eyes.
Her respected father, the Sword Saint himself, the strongest swordsman she ever knew…
His body was limp against a bloodied wall. Neither his haori, nor his sword Masamune were anywhere to be found…
Three bloody long slashes appeared deep across his chest and stomach, overtaking his front torso. His clothes had long since been ripped to shreds in that area.
image [https://i.imgur.com/lv3MuBz.jpeg]
“D-dad…?”
That was all Jun could let out before her voice broke.
She had lost her mother at the mere age of five.
And now, to the same beast no less, her father might die before she could complete the age of 12.
She felt her heart shatter beneath the weight that came with the sight in front of her.
At that moment, her mind had a single thought repeating itself constantly.
I couldn’t do anything…
**👑**
“No! Get back kid!”
Those words echoed in his mind.
That moment flashed in front of his eyes, the scene of the old man pushing him away and getting hit by a fatal attack that was meant for him.
That old man… He shielded me…
Lawkey thought, replaying it all in his head as he clenched his dirt-covered fist. He had fallen on his knees the second the shock sucked out all the tension in his body.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Or maybe his body had just finally given up…
“Hey, is that Munisai?! You’ve got to be kidding me…!” One of the guards that had just arrived asked in shock as he looked over to the unconscious old man, seeing his chest covered in gashing wounds.
“Dad!”
Jun, getting over her initial shock, shouted as she ran suddenly toward her father. She hoped, prayed, that there was still a sliver of hope.
“No! STOP!!”
Lawkey, ignoring all the pain in his body, shouted as loudly as he could to alert her.
But to no avail.
“Grrrr!”
Seeing the new and sudden movements around it, the monster growled and turned its head toward Jun as she ran.
“Look at me, you stupid oversized mutt! I’m right here! Don’t you dare-”
Lawkey stood up with a raised voice, catching the beast's attention for a second, before his knees gave out again and he fell back down, stumbling forward.
Dammit!! My legs…! Move!
“Who’s the kid?”
“Is that really the time?!”
The guards exchanged questions, still confused about what they could do.
Even though they were proud royal guards, trained to defend the clan, this was their first time experiencing this much danger first hand. They were new recruits, maybe on their third week of service now.
“It’s going to attack Jun! We have to do something!” The more responsible guard shouted as he drew his blade out.
“Y-yeah! But, Tsutomu… Even Munisai got taken down though…” The other, more nervous guard responded hesitantly.
Tsutomu, the responsible guard, turned to the kid next to them. Although he couldn’t recognize him, he still realized the young boy had been fighting the giant wolf too.
“I don’t know who you are, but you better stay back for now, kid. You’ve done enough.” Tsutomu said as he took a step forward.
“...”
“Let’s go, Ichiro!” He shouted as he drew his sword back.
His partner, Ichiro apparently, quickly joined him, doing the same.
They resolved themselves to fight, to protect. For that was their duty.
And should they fall here, then…
“For Absolute Darkness!”
They both shouted in unison, calling on their beliefs for strength as they charged forward with their blades at the ready.
Lawkey’s ear twitched, where had he heard that saying before? But he wasn’t given enough time to remember.
“Wait!”
As Lawkey called after them, the monster had already twisted its body around and whipped its tail at great speed toward the two attacking guards in an attempt to defend itself.
The two guards were stunned, shocked at what they were witnessing in front of them. Even though they had seen the long rock-covered tail, they never expected a beast to use it in such a way.
They didn’t even have time to use their Signs.
The rock-covered tail crashed with the ground and sent both the guards flying in the air, surrounded by rock debris.
Dammit!
Lawkey gritted his teeth as he watched the two bodies land unconscious on the ground not far from him.
“Dad! Please… wake up… please!” On her end, Jun gently shook her father’s body as she pleaded through the tears overflowing from her eyes.
“Grrrrr! Grrrrr!”
The monster turned back toward Jun, growling louder and louder as it watched her.
It was being drawn to her… As if recognizing something in her that resembled…
“GRAWWWL!”
A second later, It let out a sudden rageful roar.
Lawkey still couldn’t feel his feet, no matter how he tried to send strength into them, it didn’t work. He tightened the grip on his sword with one hand, and punched his knee with the other, trying to force it to move.
“It’s all my fault…”
He raised his head, facing forward. He saw the giant wolf make its way toward a new prey.
“I can’t let it happen again!”
Lawkey declared to himself. How much had he lost today? He was utterly helpless to change any of it.
Was he going to stay like that? Helpless and weak? Didn’t he make promises to change, to fix things, to take responsibility?
I… ?!
That’s when he saw it. A hint of purple shine, the same one he had seen earlier.
THUD!
Without another moment of delay, the giant wolf jumped toward Jun, aiming its saliva-covered fangs towards her.
Feeling the sudden cold chill invade her spine, Jun quickly turned around in horror.
She froze still as the giant fangs towered over her.
But just then…
CLANG!
“?!”
“Damn you!”
Lawkey shouted as he blocked the fangs with the two swords he was carrying now.
image [https://i.imgur.com/e6yXAon.jpeg]
His knees created a trail of blood from where he picked up Munisai’s sword; it had been his only remaining option. He had to push his body beyond its limits again, even more so than before, but he was glad that the new blade didn’t break beneath his grip as the ones against the Leviathan did.
Jun watched with wide eyes as Lawkey’s feet screeched through the ground, bringing him closer and closer to her. She didn't know the boy, and yet, for some reason he jumped in front of her and her father, shielding them from a monster many times his size.
She felt a mix of emotions well up in her stomach as she clenched her fists.
For Lawkey, even in his best state, thinking he could block a giant wolf alone would’ve been insane, but he had to try.
He had to do something.
“Don’t… worry…” He began to utter out loud through gritted teeth.
“I’m sorry… I’ll take care of this myself…”
At that moment, Lawkey turned to face Jun, making direct eye contact with her in hopes of reassuring her.
He forced the corners of his mouth up, putting on a wide and stupid grin.
“I promise-”
CRASH!
Before he could even finish that sentence, he felt a giant impact to the side of his torso. The piercing pain was immediate, but next thing he knew, the world around him was constantly turning upside down.
His body flew through the air, and then landed, ricocheting off the ground a few times before he somehow managed to barely stab his one remaining sword in the ground to stop his momentum.
“Hah… hah… hah…”
He panted heavily, his body flat on the ground while his hand held onto Eclipsed Dawn to dear life.
He could feel it, a suffocating knot in his chest getting tighter and tighter.
“No…! Not again…!”
He raised his head, flashing his glowing emerald eyes in a glare towards the giant wolf.
“I won’t let anyone die because of me again!”
No matter what awaited his body afterwards, he wasn’t about to lie down and rest now.
I’m killing you right here and now, you overgrown pup!
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image [https://i.imgur.com/KQmIY8F.png]