[Yoshitsune]

They did not live long when I found them.

One by one, the challengers in front of me dwindled away. Each car took me to a new place. Realms of endless sand, flat grasslands, and volcanos. It did not matter what scene I arrived in or who awaited me there, my blade could not be bested on this day. My form had never been better than it was today.

In the tenth car, I was greeted by swamps and wetlands. It reminded me of the Tar Gardens. That memory made me even more irritable than I already was. I had nothing personal against Dungalaba. They were someone who was all words.

I just killed them like I had a grudge.

Their weak ambush from one of those swamps sent me back to a darker time. I did not fight with defense in mind. I stabbed them through the mouth and shocked them until they were delirious. They tried to get away from me, to slither back into the depths and recover. I just wouldn’t let them. I sliced through their body without consideration and left them as an unrecognizable pile of flesh.

And so, I continued to climb. Each fight, each victory, brought a greater feeling of being watched above me as though the clouds possessed eyes. And, each time I won, I made sure to look directly at them.

I crashed through the top ten, then, the top five. They slowly grew stronger as their endless matches had finally sorted them into more appropriate rankings.

Even this high up, there was a difference between the way we fought each other. They wanted to kill me, they tried to dispatch me. But, while I was fighting for survival, there was a slight hesitation within them. They had grown so accustomed to rematches that they were willing to try to understand my abilities. Each time I went for the killing strike, I could see them relax. They believed that they would get a chance for a rematch.

I wondered when they would realize that they were lied to about the rules. What sort of expression crossed their face?

My rise took me all the way up to the third car. I waited in my sloped campsite and took deep breaths to recover my energy. The only two that I had yet to encounter were Liscio and the snake-haired woman. I was, admittedly, surprised that the bat had managed to climb so high. I thought he may have been the type to speak instead of act.

Myriad eyes of the ever-growing roster of viewers weighed down on me. I could feel their overwhelming power through the barrier of the realm like the beasts of the sea observing a small boat.

A sharp exhale left my mouth. I could not let them interfere with my preparation. I had to view this fight the same way I viewed the rest. It didn’t matter that I was likely the most viewed room remaining. It didn’t matter that Liscio possessed specific animosity towards me or that the snake-haired woman’s power was apparent from the beginning. I had to fight according to my own rhythm.

The warp forward dropped me on a cobbled street. The air was cool and the lack of heat from above gave the impression that it was night.

I felt an energy behind me. I swung my sword around and stopped my slash at the last moment. The energy was neutral and kept moving by me. I could feel more coming from every direction until the entire area was teeming with fake life.

I moved up the streets. My soul went blind to the false humanity that surrounded me. The loss of the ones that I saw through the doors was still a strong memory in my mind. My senses instead focused on any anomalies. However, I had found nothing that was worthy of my attention. All that existed were streets, buildings, and people. The only sensations that I felt were the slight increases in heat whenever I passed beneath a pole. Some sort of light emanated from the top.

Intuitively, I knew that this was Liscio’s doing. If it was the woman, she would have struck me as soon as I appeared. My attention focused on potential hiding spots. In the nooks and alleys between the buildings and high up on the rooftops.

As though my thoughts summoned him, I felt the bite of a dagger slip into the soft part of my armor and dig into my left armpit. The false human in front of me disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Liscio standing before me. A smile spread across his greasy face.

“Where are you looking, puttana?” Liscio hissed.

I planted my foot into his chest and shoved him away from me. With a giggle, he disappeared back into the crowd. Reminded slightly of the bout with the deer, I swung down at the nearest person. But, I did not feel anything connecting with my blade. There was never anything there to begin with.

Just shadows.

I felt the puncture of teeth dig into my hand. Blood trickled from the two sizable holes left in my palms.

With a flicker of light, I summoned a powerful blast and destroyed all of the poles around me. The lights were snuffed out at once and the shadows disappeared beneath the blanketing darkness.

I could sense him with greater clarity, lurking somewhere near the next set of lights. Without waiting, I flashed into the next intersection and blinded it.

A shot of lightning fired in the direction that I sensed him. The strike caused a health bar to briefly appear before both vanished into thin air. There was no trace of hostility left for me to follow.

I pursued him for some time, chasing a specter through the streets and destroying any light source that I came across. But, it was no little avail. He would not show himself again.

There must be something else that he was capable of; something that he refused to show. My father told me that whenever you lose sight of your enemy, they grow stronger. Let an army retreat to the woods, they can use it as an ambush. If you let them go to the mountain, they will build a fortress. If you drive them to the sea, they will try to drown you both.

“You won’t be able to hurt me again unless you leave your hiding spot!” I challenged.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Who said that I need to be near you to deal damage?” He cackled.

I felt a sharp pain spear through my left shoulder. The blood from my wound had been formed into a spike that collapsed with a splash, soaking the rest of my armor in my blood.

But, that’s all I needed. That strong feeling of hatred pierced my mind and gave away Liscio’s position. Without turning my head, I fired an arrow of lightning towards the top of a building. I did not check to confirm whether or not it hit. I immediately leapt into my [1000 Bleeding Eyes] and sent myself dropping from above the position.

I smelled singed fur and saw Liscio’s form clearly. The sudden attack stunned him and my sudden disappearance made him hunker down to relocate me.

My sparking blade and the rustle of my clothing alerted him. He managed to get his dagger up to avoid being decapitated. However, the electricity arced through his dagger and caused his muscles to spasm.

Before he could disappear, I grabbed a hold of him with my left hand and slammed him through a window. Glass shattered and covered the floor of the room. I smashed him into the glassy ground, stabbing his back with the shards. He groaned in pain before screeching an awful sound into my face.

I was only stunned for a moment; the briefest shake of my head was enough to regain some level of control. But, it was enough for Liscio and I felt him slip away from me like smoke. I could feel my head feel dull as I tried to shake off the strange feeling the scream left with me.

My sword flashed up reflexively and blocked a dagger that was meant to plunge into my neck. I held back my revenge swing and sent it leftwards towards my wounded flank. There, it met the dagger again.

I quickly repositioned it again to deflect it once more. It felt like the strikes were getting faster. Behind, left, in front, below, above, below, behind, in front, right, left, below, below, behind. My arm moved as though it was separate from my body. It danced on its own to keep its master alive.

“Even without eyes, all your senses should have been dulled,” he spat.

“You should have better mastery over your emotions,” I advised, swinging in the opposite direction of where he spoke.

My sword blocked again. But, this time, I felt a leg strike me in the chest. I widened my stance and kept myself from getting pushed too far.

The dagger went for my extended foot and I kicked it up to dodge. Then, I felt my other leg get kicked out from under me and I fell backward. I knew the tip of the dagger waiting for me on the floor. My eyes sparked and I twisted my body as quickly as I could. I felt my muscles groan in protest and I spiraled around.

The dagger wasn’t there. Two feet planted into my back and stomped me with great force. The floor below gave way with an explosion of splinters and we crashed down to the lower floor. Before I recovered, a foot kicked me squarely in the chest and sent me flying towards the wall.

I opened a portal at my impact site against the wall and popped out of the floor a few feet away. I shook my head. That last attack seemed to knock my head and body back into focus.

I felt Liscio’s presence nearby. With a quick lunge, I covered the gap between us. However, I felt the dagger slide against my blade as it passed over harmlessly. Liscio’s form sprung from beneath me to counterattack. I raised my sword, but felt the tip snag against the ceiling. I failed to notice the ceiling in this space was slightly lower.

The dagger poke through my skin. I felt my stomach explode with another massive spike of blood. The damage caused me to drop to one knee.

“Say goodbye, puttana,” Liscio hissed.

Liscio struck forward again to deal the fatal blow. I gripped my blade and swung my sword towards the wall. A portal appeared and allowed my weapon to pass through. My arm reached out of the ceiling and I could see the grisly lines inviting me.

I swished across the target. The dagger, still gripped by Liscio’s hands, dropped into my lap. A roar of pain erupted in my ears.

Before he could try to escape again, I grabbed a fistful of Liscio’s clothes and the fur underneath. I punched him in the face multiple times. His knees went weak and I kept him from falling over.

I looked to the portal beside me and shoved the bat’s head through it. I looked up and he was staring down at me. Blood from the wounds on his face dripped down on me like hot rain. He scowled at me. Even in this position, he did not yield in his hatred or beg for his life. That made him better than most.

“I didn’t act like myself,” Liscio said, seemingly scolding himself. “Something about you got under my skin.”

“That was my own fault,” I responded. “My lack of confidence in myself made everyone, myself included, believe that I was weak. This person that you believed was so pathetic made it so that you would not make it through to the next round. Yet, somehow, all the way up here in the second car, I managed to reach you.”

“And you think I couldn’t accept that?”

“I wouldn’t.”

Liscio started laughing. For a moment, the same personality that he greeted me with bubbled back to the surface.

“I guess you’re right. I’ll see you soon, puttana. You fight well, but even I never managed to challenge the demon beyond.”

I closed my portals and Liscio’s head, separated from its shoulders by the cessation of my magic, fell to the floor in a wet splat. It glowed white and disappeared along with the rest of his world.

I sat on the lush ground and pressed my hand to my stomach. A lightheaded feeling swept through me and I winced from the pain. I didn’t need eyes to know that there was a gaping hole in my stomach. It still trickled with blood as the bleed stacks wound down and natural recovery could begin.

“How was that for a fight folks?” Smile boomed through my world. “The contestant without any votes in her favor will now challenge the contestant who possesses the most in the game. Who could have predicted this? Isn’t it a rush?”

I tried to ignore the announcement and focused on my breathing again. The final car waited for me and, with it, proof that I was strong. My heart buzzed with, not fear, but anticipation.

“I see your comments, folks,” Smile continued. “So many accusations of foul play. You think that I told this contestant to downplay their skills? Folks, I’m hurt. How about this? I will give you all an opportunity to be winners again. If you have been eliminated, or, even if you have bets on our other contestant, I will let you change your choice to one of the two remaining survivors. No strings attached. You’ve seen them both fight many battles by now. So, who is going to be the champion?”

image [https://i.imgur.com/whTh56c.jpeg]

Notice

Your current car: 2/2

Current bets placed on you: 3961.

I laughed at the sharp increase before I spat in annoyance.

“Oh, how fun. Our contestant is enjoying herself so much. Tell the audience, dear contestant, what fills you with so much mirth?”

“So many people are choosing me now. It bothers me that they will benefit because they complained enough.”

“Are you saying that this situation is unfair, contestant?” Smiles questioned with a mixture of interest and indignation. “You know, this may seem like many bets for you, but this is still far less than what your opponent possesses.”

“It doesn’t matter if it was one vote or a million. Do you get more daylight because you complain about the sun or more rice because you ask the dirt?”

Smile’s laughter was so loud that it almost cracked the sky. I had to cover my ears with my hands and I still felt blood trickle between my fingers.

“Right you are,” Smiles replied jovially. “I have worked to ensure the satisfaction of the viewers, but neglected the contestants. Let’s make a deal. If you manage to beat your opponent and officially eliminate every single contestant yourself, I will provide you with a very special gift direct from my own collection. Doesn’t that sound good?”

I remained silent for a moment. I could feel anger pour down on me from above as the ant struck back against the giant.

“I promise, it will be worth your while. I’ll send you a contract and everything.”

I smiled up at the sky. This was not within my personality at all. But, I had been too influenced by the types that would do this without batting an eye. I wonder how surprised they would be to see me be the one to do it instead.

“It does sound good.”