The legendary metal created by the gladean knights themselves, capable of cutting through a specter’s body like it was nothing but air. It is too heavy to be used by human hands, but just the right weight to be wielded by a gladean knight. This was the metal used by the champion himself to put an end to my life once, but even if it can craft a weapon capable of killing a god, even if it can destroy my body beyond repair… my experience has led me to fear bronze over azure.
Books tell the tale of the champion who carried the magical azure sword, but they also tell us about a common bronze sword, which he used to bring peace to the world a second time. To the world, he is but one man, he is the champion. In reality, these two couldn’t be further apart.
Ninigi, the legend that was immortalize by history, Gladea’s champion and wielder of azure. And then there’s the myth… the one history replaced with the legend, and is now known as the champion as well. This knight carried a bronze sword during his devastating crusade, the complete opposite of what Ninigi is, of what I thought a knight was.
I can’t lie to myself about this situation however, it feels like a good chance to test a small theory I’ve had for a few years now. The myth, or the legend… are my calculations correct? Or is my memory really that far beyond repair? Regardless of the results, I can’t really have them kill each other, so I’ll put an end to the fight as soon as possible.
The Deadlands have expanded quite far without anyone noticing, and even if they did now, there’s nothing anyone can do about it at this point. Paradise is in chaos, while Ninigi remains distracted somewhere else. All possible threats would be too far to interfere. I like when things go according to plan.
My only problem now is Lionheart, guess I’ll have to handle it myself. This will definitely hurt me in the long run, but I can’t abandon her like this. She has left Paradise, so I will have no problem getting to her location with the spectral gear. Her meeting King was not part of the plan however, and this might become a problem, but I need to focus on her safety for now. I can’t lose her like this.
Republic of Kaldstein, Open Field Between Cerberus HQ and Kaldstein’s Capital: 936, May 14th, Monday, 12:30 PM.
As the pair approached Cerberus Headquarters, traveling across the battlefield at inhuman levels of speed—with their fists clashing in a fearsome battle that didn’t seem to end. The white snow dropping from the sky began to fade as result of the Deadlands, its heat becoming stronger as the fighters neared the region.
Despite his eyes being closed, Ninigi avoided the frantic attacks of the daemon as he swung his fists left and right in an attempt to harm his opponent. Spotting an opening in between strikes, the knight moved in the offensive by blocking the exile’s fist with his palm—pressing his fingers tightly on it.
“Too slow,” Ninigi said calmly—catching the other fist of his foe with his second hand.
With both arms of the exile in his clutches, Ninigi crossed the daemon’s right arm on top of the left one, proceeding to pull them apart with a rapid movement of his hands while letting go of his grip. The sheer energy behind the motion forced the exile into a spiral, twirling him around like drill.
“One,” Ninigi whispered, stopping the violent spin of the daemon with a strike of two fingers—connecting with the abdomen of his foe.
“…!” the impact was enough to stagger the exile as his body bent forward—prompting him to protect the affected area with his hands.
“Two,” the knight continued his assault, cupping both hands before striking at his opponent’s ears—rupturing the eardrums of the exile and forcing him to stumble backwards. “Three,” Ninigi stretched his index and middle finger while pressing them together—propelling his arm into an upwards attack that struck the daemon’s chin.
“…!” the exile gritted his teeth as Ninigi’s fingers sunk in the lower part of his mandible—delivering an electric sensation across his entire body.
“Four,” Ninigi proceeded to spin in a full angle while bending his knees into a low crouching position—striking at the daemon’s thigh with his fingers.
The piercing strike cracked a bone in the exile’s leg, forcing him to drop down in one knee. He planted one hand on the ground, while holding his injured leg with the other—a low grunting sound escaping from between his lips.
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“Five,” the knight concluded his assault with a final attack against the exile—thrusting both fingers into his nape.
With a loud banging sound, dust lifted from the ground as the daemon dropped motionless with his face planted on the dirt. Having ended the fight swiftly, Ninigi exhaled the air from his lungs while gently opening his eyes—sighing with furrowed brows once his gaze set of the inert daemon.
“I guess that does it…” he expressed with a saddened look. “I’m sorry things turned out this way for you, no knight deserves this faith.”
“…”
“What?”
Flipping over the ground in a quick motion to face the sky, the daemon pressed both palms on the dirt next to his head—flexing his knees close to his abdomen before propelling them upwards against Ninigi—burying the sole of his feet on the knight’s stomach.
“Guagh!”
The ground shook at the burst emitted by the impact, forcing a painful grunt out of Ninigi’s lips as saliva spew from his mouth—hurled a great distance away. The knight bounced off the dirt multiple times before recovering from the attack, burying his fingers on the ground to stop himself from drifting further—raising a path of dust in the way.
“Gh! Did I hold back too much?” the knight wondered as he stood back in his feet. “That attack should’ve shut down his artery network.”
Moving into the offensive, the exile rushed at the knight with a frontal assault—reeling his arm backwards, and thrusting it forward against his opponent. Countering the attack, Ninigi slapped the daemon’s hand away and reacted with a piercing thrust of his elbow—connecting with the face of his foe.
“Ah!” a gasp escaped Ninigi, as the exile did not stop in his advance.
With an impressively fast recovery, the daemon pressed his fingers together into a ball, propelling his clenched fist upwards into a powerful uppercut. The absurdly fast attack of the exile connected with the knight’s chin—who clenched his jaw in order to absorb the attack.
“Gah!” Ninigi screamed—his feet lifting from the ground slightly.
Relentless in his animalistic assault, the daemon clobbered the knight’s face with a straight punch to the mouth—drawing a large amount of blood on impact. The magnitude of his strike catapulted Ninigi away, forcing him to slide away on his back—stopping himself with a backwards jump, landing in his feet.
“How does he have so much strength still?” the knight wiped the blood from his mouth—huffing through his mouth.
In the distance—with relaxed shoulders and his head held high, the exile pressed two of his fingers together while extending his arm towards Ninigi—pointed them directly at him.
“That attack…” Ninigi whispered—squinting his eyes to clear his somewhat foggy vision.
Vanishing into thin air in the split of a second, the daemon abandoned the knight’s field of view as if seizing to exist—leaving no trail behind. Ninigi however, remained calm at the sudden disappearance of his opponent—closing his eyes with a quick breath before opening them once again.
Having sharpened his senses, the knight cleared his vision to spot the fast-approaching daemon—noticing his opponent zigzagging across the field. Timing his response, Ninigi’s fist intercepted the exile’s punch as they both clashed against each other, detonating the air around them into a powerful gust.
“…!” Ninigi’s eyes opened wide—noticing a second attack by the daemon coming from his side.
Unstoppable in his thirst for bloodshed, the exile reacted with a left hook before the knight could respond to his assault—connecting successfully with the jaw of his opponent. The sheer magnitude of the impact staggered Ninigi into a backwards stumble, giving the daemon an opening to batter him with a combination of multiple kicks and punches—striking mostly at his arms, legs and abdomen—finishing off with a spinning kick to his chest.
“Gah!”
Ninigi was flung away for a third time, this time landing on his knees while resting his upper body in one arm. He panted heavily as he picked himself up with quivering legs, inhaling deeply before huffing the air out through his nose. He noticed the exile waiting for him stand back up in the distance, patiently staring with an expressionless face.
“You are stronger than I expected…” Ninigi breathed. “Even for a daemon, someone like this…”
Relaxing his posture, Ninigi performed a couple of stretching exercises on his arms, shoulders and neck. Fixing his gaze on the unyielding foe awaiting in the distance. The knight gathered a large number of azure particles in his right hand—and with a bright light of the divine azure, a beautifully crafted single-edged sword manifested in his palm.
Its wooden scabbard was painted in an elegant blue and gold, with the edge of the curved blade facing upwards. The grip of the sword was long enough to accommodate two hands, and it was crafted with the same material as the scabbard—displaying a graceful pale brown color.
“I don’t like using this, but what other choice do I have…” the knight sighed with furrowed brows—swallowing dry with a saddened look. He took the grip of the sword with his left hand, unsheathing a small part of the blade in a quick motion, emitting a pinging sound to reveal the azure blade within—the rays of the sun reflecting in its perfect glowing steel. “I won’t be holding back...” Ninigi warned his opponent, bending his knees slightly while turning his body to hide the sword. He kept his left hand on the grip, and held the scabbard with the other—his gaze fixed on the exile. “Prepare yourself.”
END OF CHAPTER