Part 1
You couldn't see it.
The evening sun was steadily charting a course to ephemeral twilight but you couldn't see it.
It was completely blocked by the pot bellied monstrosity standing before them.
Strangely enough, some of the sun's radiant light still jetted out from the beast's sides; enveloping it in an aura of light that almost seemed divine.
However, it couldn't be further from the truth.
The great Buffalo horns and its sinister demonic eyes were proof of its true nature.
In any case, the one thing that was overwhelmingly clear to all present was...
"Its...big..." Rena said in dumbfounded stupor.
"Yes and powerful too." Matuzo added to her view on the matter.
She had made her way towards Matuzo as soon as she had been freed by Oraki. Only for their regrouping to be interrupted by the sudden gambit of a certain witch.
Oraki was silent...
"I'd say its power is approaching the level of a Demon Chief."
"Hey...Matuzo...Are you seriously saying that thing's as strong as those nightmares?"
Rena frantically grabbed hold of him before cutting him off with another question just as he was about to reply.
"That it could kill one of the 9 generals!!?"
Matuzo finally answered her.
"Calm down. I simply said it's approaching that level. I didn't say it was already there. Besides..."
A furious burst of aura came out from Oraki standing behind them.
Rena could feel the intense resolve in his spirit.
" We already have someone whose faced a Demon Chief and lived to tell the tale."
"That blue scarf. And that symbol... You're Gesa's..."
Rena could hardly finish her words before being cut off by the furious roars of the great and mighty Ox King.
Suddenly, it launched itself from the ground. Its intended destination was clear...
A certain stoic shaman of Gesa.
As it made its way towards him, black sludge jetted out of it and shaped itself into a large Battle Axe.
The Ox King's speed of approach was absurd. No sooner had he finished forming his weapon than he began swinging it at the puny shaman that was now in front of him.
In the next instant, a sudden burst of earth and stone formed a wall that blocked the Ox king's furious swing midway through.
The resulting shockwaves made the ground tremble and the air crackle with thunderous booms.
It felt like their ears would bleed from how sharp the sound was.
Oraki had unleashed this 30 m earthen shield to protect both him and his allies from the onslaught.
He was successful but...
"His axe..."
It managed to cut through a noticeable bit of the thick shield he had reinforced with the immense aura of being in Final State.
It was clear that his more ordinary techniques were not going to be enough.
The Ox king pulled the axe out of the wall and braced itself as it jumped back and built up power for another swing.
Having observed this, Oraki suddenly slapped his hand on the ground.
In the next instant, the Ox King felt as if he was floating on air.
The ground beneath him had rapidly sunk into a deep abyss.
Before he could get his bearings on this strange phenomena, a solid column rapidly shot up launching his torso over 100 metres into the air.
It was there that he was met with a subsequent attack from the rapid size-shifting staff of a certain shaman of Gesa.
The Ox King was able to just barely block this assault thanks to spotting Oraki while being launched into the air. However, the pot bellied monstrosity was still knocked back by the forward thrust of Oraki's Spirit Weapon.
The result was...
"Did...did he just...?"
"Knock that hulking monster out of the village? Of Course. And likely to the other side of the forest as well."
As Matuzo calmly stated this, Oraki drew out the cut boulder from the earthen shield and rode on it in pursuit of his foe.
"...These general class fighters are insane..."
After hearing Matuzo's calm analysis of the events they just witnessed. Events she could barely perceive...
There was no better word to describe the inhuman entities that had just made their exit out of Ganga village.
However, the sudden quaking of the earthen shield in front of her proved that there were still other matters to attend to.
"Hmmm. These people sure are persistent..."
Matuzo remarked as he observed the renewed onslaught by the bandits and witches within Ganga Village.
"Luckily, with this wall here, I can focus on ending this tedious fighting."
" Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"I need you to buy me some time. Could you go distract them for me?"
"...Fine. I guess..."
As Rena prepared to scale up the earthen shield, she was interrupted by the sudden hail of lilac flames.
"Plotting something, eh? Can't be having that."
The source of this onslaught was a behemoth of a man standing atop the earthen wall. It was none other than the Chief Bandit brandishing a menacing smile.
He focused his power and launched himself from atop the earthen marvel. His target was obvious to all that bore witness.
The explosive burst of him landing on the ground was met with the subsequent shockwave of a rapid kick knocking him into the earthen wall.
While slightly surprised by the timely counterattack, he dislodges his body from the earthen barrier. After observing the source of the assault he gave his due remarks.
" That necklace. A Spirit Totem user. An interesting power...but can a twig like you really do it justice?"
"Twig? That's a first..."
"His power is worth caution Rena. I need you to focus and buy me time."
Matuzo gave his warning while having already retreated a few dozen meters back.
" Don't you worry Matuzo. I'm as focused as I can be..."
Rena's vicious eyes were met with the malicious gaze of The Chief Bandit.
These two warriors would engage in a furious clash of explosive might.
Part 2
The earth shook with a thunderous boom. Quakes could be felt across the entirety of Sokoke forest and beyond.
This was the sound of the great behemoth known as the Ox King crashing through dozens of mighty trees and leaving behind a great valley.
The Ox King's frustration was clear as day as it propped itself up and charged towards the speeding Oraki. Unfortunately, its vigorous charge was suddenly halted by the rigid restraint of large tree roots suddenly coiling around his legs.
Oraki had wasted no time in disabling its movements and prepared to unleash a barrage of thunderous spikes from the ground beneath the Ox King's feet.
However, a sudden burst of lilac flames freed the 1st king of ogres from his bondage. This was followed by its vigorous roar as it closed the distance between it and Oraki.
It unleashed a wide swing at Oraki's frame. Dodging it was simple enough for Oraki. Answering with a blow of his own even more so.
The boulder Oraki had rode on staggered the great frame of the Ox King. It was clear how surprised it was to have failed. Nonetheless, this counterattack did not deter the pot-bellied king. He continued to swing his axe a second, third and even fourth time. The outcome remained unaltered as he was soundly knocked back into another cluster of trees.
The exchange between Oraki and this great beast had become completely one sided as Oraki continued to counter each one of his strikes and land increasingly more devastating blows.
The way the Ox king fought was far too simplistic and easy to counter.
These were the impressions Oraki had as he landed on an undamaged tree.
"His power's great enough to split cities but his skill with the blade feels childish."
It was too simplistic and easy to read for Oraki to believe that this was the hallowed Ox King of a warrior race like the ogres.
"Is he simply in a Berserker rage? Although his intent seems focused..."
"It's likely a lot more than that. Focusing on analysis may be the best option for you."
Gesa gave his words of wisdom. His Revelation was necessary here but...
" I'm working on it. The armor around him being anti-clairvoyant is such a pain."
" It's a powerful cursed armor from centuries ago. It was made by the witch cult that bore him for the sole purpose of countering divine vessels and other mystic force users."
" How tedious."
" Indeed."
Oraki looked at the indentations on the beasts armor. Indentations he had made. As long as the armor stayed functional he would hardly get the time needed to find out the beast's true nature and weaknesses. The fact that it was already propping itself up and hurling 3-storey tall trees at him had made that abundantly clear.
Therefore, he could only come up with two options. The most obvious one was to strip the armor off of him by damaging it beyond repair.
"That armor's annoyingly hard to break off. I might have to give up on breaking through it and focus on attacking the openings it has. But he's been focusing most of his power on defense so even that won't be easy."
His blood thirsty intent was clear. But after being knocked out of the village, his body seemed to be acting in opposition to it.
As Oraki thought this, he jumped and weaved through the wooden projectiles as he drew out multiple stone boulders that he hurled towards the great beast.
This gave him enough time to jump onto a final boulder that he would control for better mobility as he flew through the air.
"As for gaining intel, we'll just go with option number two and infer it like a normal person. From looking at its legend."
"Monsters of its caliber do indeed have abilities tied to their tale of origins. But caution is needed not to misinterpret it."
Gesa's concerned plea was met by the eager response of his most proficient vessel.
"Then it's a good thing I have you with me. You can tell me all you know about the stories told of him. You were there, were you not?"
" Very well. Then I shall reveal to you the incomplete tale of the Ox King."
In a fraction of a second, Oraki's mind flashed with the images of a tragic and horrid tale.
"The Ox King was a young child with exceptionally high spiritual potential that was chosen to be the vessel of a Great Ox Demon Beast.
The ritual used to give him power and place him under the cult's subservience was profane. They would cut off his limbs with an axe only to sew them back on. They would whip him 10 times only to heal him and start again.
This occurred for 10 days. All the while the boy was blindfolded and unaware of who to blame for his suffering. It fostered the most dangerous kind of hate. One without a clear target.
On the 10th day, he was subjected to the horrid image of his village and family members being tortured and killed.
Their bodies were meant to serve as raw materials to summon even more cursed spirits to empower the ritual.
He saw them die while bound and unable to do anything. His mind had already been broken from torture but it shattered a new.
But his spirit ,rather than being broken, received a deadly poison. A poison known as rage.
In this state his soul resonated with the demonic bull's and their bodies and spirits were fused into one. An impossibly difficult task to achieve.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Upon gaining this power, he vowed to give 10 times the pain he had endured on all that would assail him and take what was his.
He was then manipulated into rampaging across all Vutenia in the age before it even had that hallowed name; taking down both the spiritually gifted and the less so in his path."
Oraki saw the carnage he wrought on the ancient towns of centuries passed. The noble armies consumed in a cloud of red mist. The hapless villages surrounded in a veil of red flames.
It was a tragic tale but there was no time to ponder on how much. For there was something more urgent that he had noticed.
" Wait. All you've shown me is the aftermath of his carnage. Is that red veil some kind of barrier?"
"In a sense. It's similar to the territory barriers that witches make use of. However, it's multilayered functions also served to seal away any information on his methods from being viewed by prying eyes."
"It amplified the armor's effect..."
"Most likely."
"Then my best chance is to take him down before he puts it up."
As he said this, Oraki unleashed another explosive burst of hardened boulders at the Ox King.
This time from all directions. Oraki's effective area of control was the very forest itself.
He did not allow the Ox king an opportunity to dodge. Warped tree roots wrapped around his legs as hooked stones pierced the soles of his feet.
They were too many to parry with just an axe and he had no way of evading.
It was then that the Ox king rapidly shifted his body and grew a second torso from behind.
His battle axe also divided and warped into two whips held by both torsos.
He would then unleash a furious flurry of blows to combat the oncoming boulders.
He was successful in parrying most of them but received moderate damage from those that slipped through.
"A whip as well as an axe. He can also make duplicates of his body. Could the dealing ten times as much damage have to do with that?"
Oraki considered the possibility that the vow may refer to the Ox king being capable of recreating any weapon used against him and fighting back with it at a higher level.
Perhaps making duplicates of the weapons and attacking all at once with them was also part of it.
"His ability is similar to Matuzo's but he seems to only copy a regular weapon's shape and form. The unique abilities of a spirit weapon don't seem to be possible. He would have used it against me if he could."
In other words, he may copy Oraki's scepter but he wouldn't be able to use Oraki's ability to shift its size and weight.
"In that case, it should be simple enough to counter but...why do I feel like there should be more to it."
In any case, Oraki couldn't waste any more time. Maintaining his Final State for prolonged periods would only put him at greater risk of a fatal backlash.
He focused divine aura into his scepter. Its shape changed from a simple Rungu club to that of a sharp spear.
He rushed towards the beast as he charged up his Spirit weapon.
Suddenly, the Ox King writhed in agony as the immense aura around it seemed to dissipate. The second torso faded into black mist.
The site of his enemy suddenly showing vulnerability was a welcome surprise to Oraki.
He threw the spear at the disgruntled giant. The Ox king attempted to parry it but things would not be so easy.
The golden hued spear shifted out of view the split instant before contact. Oraki's ability did more than just increase something's size but many would tend to assume such even if only subconsciously.
It had slipped past the Ox king's defenses and reached its target completely unnoticed due to its extremely miniscule form.
In the next instant, the sound of a massive tear through his target's right chest and shoulder was followed by the explosive burst of an enormous chest plate. The resonating clang as it fell on the ground was clear reassurance that Oraki had succeeded in his objectives.
As the Ox king fell on his back, Oraki landed on the protruding back end of his towering spirit weapon. He used divine aura to shape it into a suitable landing platform.
"As long as the spear's in him then it's only a matter of time until his demise. He can hardly move as is."
An even more significant amount of divine aura was being pumped into the beast to counteract its healing factor. It was clear it was struggling but something wasn't right.
Oraki knew it had been too easy but he chose to play along for a chance to place his own gambit. In any case, gaining a chance to analyze the monstrosity wasn't something he could put aside.
He looked at the rage filled eyes of his opponent. Terrifying white stars surrounded by a blood red glow. Even in this vulnerable state its persistence remained.
It was then that a chill ran through his spine. The red glow shifted into a vibrant purple as the beast grabbed onto Oraki's spear.
"Those eyes..." Oraki thought as he launched himself into a distant tree. It was eyes he knew too well. It was the joy filled eyes of a hungry beast. It was the joy filled eyes of a laughing demon from years passed. And yet those blood red eyes were not the ones he faced today.
Regardless, Oraki rapidly shrunk and returned his spear to himself. His panicked caution was well warranted but it had left him vulnerable. The beast rose up and a red filled sky rose with him.
Oraki had hoped to beat him before this could occur but it was too late. He did not know what was coming but he braced himself.
"Any idea what's..."
"Defend Yourself !!!"
Gesa hardly ever gave a panicked warning. His revelation had revealed a horrid outcome and Oraki had no choice but to obey but...
The Ox king's eyes could barely hide his satisfaction of the scene before him.
For the next instance of events had left Oraki falling to his knees while choking on his own blood.
Part 3
A deafening thud. An irritated groan.
The salty taste of the of the stony ground had only made it worse for her.
"Are you alright!?"
"I'm fine. Just hurry up with your spell."
"I'm almost done. Don't worry just keep him busy a little longer."
Matuzo was behind her with his hands clasped and fully preoccupied by gods know what. And yet he was concerned about her. Somehow, that made her angrier than if he wasn't.
"Come on little girl. You heard him. Keep me busy."
Her enemy's taunts weren't helping matters.
Their exchange had only lasted a few minutes but most fights on their level rarely last longer than a few handfuls.
She had already thought it too long. Her arms felt numb. The scorch marks on her light armor were a clear testament on the danger she faced.
She had focused more on evasion in order to avoid blocking too many of his attacks. She had even dealt a few good kicks and punches of her own.
But while her opponent had merely gained a bloody nose, she had suffered from not only hot bruises all over her forearms but an incessant ringing in her ears. It gave her good insight on where things stood.
Her totem necklace was freely hanging outside her chest. She grasped onto the totem pendant and kissed it.
“Giving a little prayer?”
She did not grace that question with a response. Only a slight smile that was easily missed.
Having come up with a plan she ran up to the Chief Bandit with no hesitation making sure to keep herself low.
The one thing she had to make sure of was to not get caught in any grappling locks. It would be a death sentence.
She dodged the Chief Bandit’s flaming fists and jabbed his sides with the force of a dozen bulls. It only served to make him rage as he responded with a backhand but to no avail. She wasn’t anywhere in sight. But his instincts soon warned him of the danger albeit a little too late. His field of view shifted as he descended to the ground.
It was true that getting caught in a grapple would be the end for Rena but the same could be said for her opponent. She had ducked beneath him and coiled her legs around his own; forcing him to kneel on the ground.
The next move she made happened in the split instant that the Chief Bandit had spent trying to get his balance back. She wrapped her arms around his neck using an inhuman level of flexibility and dexterity.
No matter how much bigger he was. The neck was still a vital point and a vulnerable one when facing her.
It wasn’t simply the choke hold itself that was the issue. It was the abnormal way in which her arms were applying pressure. It was in a manner that shouldn’t have been possible for a human being to achieve regardless of their strength.
She was giving out far more force than expected and in a larger surface area. It felt more like a serpent coiling round him rather than a human trying to strangle him. The reason for it was simple.
The legendary beast that Rena drew power from was a shapeshifting beast that lived as a ferocious ape during daytime but turned into a man-eating python at night.
When she kissed the totem prior to engaging him, it was a misdirection intended to hide her act of turning over the side with the gorilla carving for that with the snake’s. The gesture of her turning her pendant and tucking it inside her chest had signified the release of this shapeshifting power. For daytime had turned to night.
She had flexible snake like movements and the speed with which she executed them had allowed her this opportunity.
The Chief Bandit could feel his consciousness beginning to waver. He had managed to resist some of the pressure by reinforcing his neck but it was simply a matter of time.
He thought of using his flames to burn her arms away but bringing a vibrant flaming torch close to one’s face has never been wise. Not to mention…
“You can’t focus hot enough flames to damage me while trying to resist my hold. The overall increase in your body’s strength will diminish if you focus most of your power into generating those flaming fists. Even just strengthening your fists so that they don’t also burn will mean instant death.”
Rena’s voice seemed uncharacteristically giddy as she said these words. Such was her confidence in overcoming her foe.
The Chief Bandit tried his best to shake her off but her legs had tightly coiled and locked onto his waist. He wasn’t getting out of this so easily. As his consciousness began to gradually fade. His mind raced as he tried to find a remedy to his situation. It was then that he had a profound realization.
It happened instantly. She noticed the sudden tensing of his muscles and the slight pinch of rapid warmth. She instinctively knew what would follow. It rose from the base of his neck to greet her arms wrapped around it. A sudden torrent of immense heat.
Rena frantically broke off an instant prior but she was still caught in its rapid burst. A burst of purple flames from his neck to his head and spreading throughout his body in rapid succession.
The Chief Bandit had opted to strengthen and ignite his head and torso in a full power burst of flames that ultimately spread out to his entire surroundings.
For a brief moment, it created a column of fire larger than most houses. Matuzo was dozens of meters away and so was spared from its onslaught but even he could feel an intense radiant heat from it.
As for poor Rena, it may have only hit her for an ephemeral second but it was a second too many. As she landed an impossible distance away, a cry of pain and frustration rang out.
Her armor was badly burned to the point of no return and her forearms were no better. She stripped off the armor and proceeded to surprisingly do the same of her burnt skin. Crying out in unbelievable torment as she did so.
This revealed another ability tied to the serpent nature of the beast she gained power from. A form of rapid healing through ‘shedding of skin’. It gave her back freshly healed arms but drained her mental and physical energy in return. However, her opponent wasn’t better off.
The Chief Bandit had survived his gamble with only a few slight burns but in exchange he had spent most of his strength. The red markings on his arm had receded to less than a third of their original length. A clear testament to that fact.
He had hoped to burn her to a crisp or at least disable her main fighting style. Instead, she managed to heal herself while he was left unable to perform such a feat a second time. To make matters worse, he was even more drained than she was. And they both knew it.
The next exchange was an exercise in futility for the Chief bandit as he struggled to engage the explosive might of Rena’s blows. He was being knocked around and damaged far more easily than he hoped. It looked like it was the end as she came in for another explosive kick but luckily was interrupted by an assault from a demonic mass that knocked her back. A demonic crow.
A demonic crow that was followed by a large club dropping unceremoniously at his feet.
“Chief! We got it!!”
The less intelligent of his subordinates happily reported his task’s accomplishment.
The Chief Bandit could not have been more relieved to see his stupid face.
As his enemy tore apart the incessant beast that had denied her victory, The Chief Bandit regained his composure before addressing her.
“You’re certainly far stronger than I gave you credit for. Truly a warrior of great praise.”
Rena wasn’t in the mood for hearing his rambling. She immediately went in for another explosive blow. The Chief Bandit handily parried it and knocked her back.
“But great warrior. You don’t truly understand what it means to wield Shindo’s prowess. You don’t wield his strength in its purest form. You haven’t been blessed with a Spirit Weapon, have you?”
Rena’s body suddenly felt heavier. A chill ran down her spine as she realized the implications. He had done something to her. She had been careless.
“My Spirit Weapon allows me to reduce the physical prowess of whomever clashes blows with it to only be a third of my own. It’s useless against people weaker than me but perfect for warriors such as yourself.”
“A cheap trick.”
“An effective one. It perfectly embodies ‘winning no matter the odds.’ Shindo’s true essence.”
His response to her assertion was followed by his prompt motion to close in for one last blow on her weakened frame.
However, it was met with a blinding flash of light and the sudden counterattack of a certain spirit totem user.
The Chief Bandit was flabbergasted at these sudden shifts in events and by this point he was just plain tired of their incessant nature.
The source of these outcomes was none other than the spectacled anomaly that had been safely chanting his spell from a dozen or so meters away. He had been studiously amassing and shaping his power for the final nail to this unending battle.
The flashing light was his aura being rapidly projected across the entire village. As for the effects of such an outlandish feat. It would soon be made apparent to all present.
Part 4
Beyond the thirty-meter wall of earth and stone, the great warriors of the Odd Jobs Guild were engaging in a fierce clash with mystic horrors and demonic beasts.
These witches would passionately execute all manner of curse and spell to grant them victory. However, that too would disappear with the ephemeral light that had just passed them by.
They would try to initiate their cursed chants once more but they soon noticed a fundamental flaw in this act. They couldn’t do it. The ‘hallowed’ words, that could shape cursed spirits to their every whim, were simply impossible for them to utter. And it was not for lack of trying.
The Chief Bandit held the same fate. As he was brutally knocked back by an ever-vigorous Rena. He tried to reactivate his Spirit Weapon’s effect. It was impossible. Something was missing inside of him and he had had enough.
He was tired of all of it. Things were simply getting worse with each step he took. His rage boiled over. It manifested a red aura much akin to the beasts that he was master of.
“Why? Why?! Just how does this keep happening!?”
It was then that the answer met his gaze. He saw a certain spectacled shaman holding a position as if he was holding a bow and nocking an arrow.
“You! You!!! This is your fault!!! Everything went wrong when you showed up!!!”
Much like the words he uttered, the towering behemoth of a man knocked away his current opponent and stampeded towards Matuzo the ever stoic. She would be left to his blood thirsty subordinates. They didn’t need any instructions. As soon as they saw his ire and where it was facing, they merely assumed the position.
“It was him,” he thought. If he could just get rid of Matuzo, all would be well.
However, his target was as agile as he was annoying. The only thing his behemoth strength was caving in was the cold-hard-ground. Not to mention, he had made a terrible mistake in sacrificing his rationale for a spur of the moment impulsive burst. Rage may have been the source of his strength but he had become lost in it.
It was the only way to explain the senseless optimism in turning his back on an enemy. It was the only way to explain the subconscious delusion of thinking Rena could be slowed down for the few minutes he believed to be necessary to secure victory. By those he would consider lesser than him. Surely, there could be no other explanation.
It happened so quickly and yet was so fitting. Much like the explosive way in which he had entered Ganga village. An explosive blow to his most vulnerable blind spot soundly knocked him out. And so, the giant that once called itself a raging storm had now finally been quelled.
“Good Job. Took you long enough.”
“That’s my line, Matuzo!!”
“Is it?”
“Never mind…Just what exactly did you do to them anyway? His ability suddenly stopped working.”
“I took it away.”
“You took away their abilities!?”
“No. That’s ridiculous. I mean yes…but also not really.”
“Make sense before I start grappling you.”
“They still have their abilities. They just don’t know how to use them. I took away the knowledge of using them. Whatever it is that they relied on to win. I used Mawazo’s authority to take away the concept of ‘knowing how to use it’ by taking that knowledge from them.”
Rena was dumbfounded as Matuzo continued.
“Of course, it only lasts for about 7 minutes and takes forever to prepare. So, it’s not very practical in a one-on-one fight.”
“Why didn’t you use this from the get go? Instead, you made me wrestle a tree and throw you across a village!?”
She was practically steaming as she said this.
“Calm yourself. It’s not that simple. The barriers got in the way of me using it. I couldn’t properly see through them.”
“Oh…”
Matuzo took his spectacles off and began wiping them as he continued.
“I also need to focus all of Mawazo’s aura into making it affect things on such a scale. This also means I can’t use his prowess for anything else while the effect remains active.”
This would mean that they would have suffered a great many casualties. Especially if they had somehow used it minutes before the Chief Bandit's appearance. It would have been the end.
“I still think we could have worked something out…”
Rena lightly protested.
However, their idle chatter in the throes of victory was suddenly cut short by the sudden appearance of a crimson mist across the evening sky.
Matuzo soon realized its possible implication as an uncharacteristic look of worry dominated his face.
“Matuzo?”
“We need to hurry.”
These words were directed more to himself than anyone else.
Part 5
The boy had been frustrated to no end. His initial strike had been blocked. And one of the bandits had knocked him into the distant forest. To make matters worse, a voice of caution suddenly attempted to quell his rageful spirit.
He did not understand what it was. But something kept telling him to be patient. All the while his inner ‘voice’ cried out to lay waste to the enemy before him.
These two opposing wills seemed to tear at his very spirit. He did not know what to make of them but he knew what to make of his own will. Every time he looked at the bandit before him and remembered the horrors that they committed; it was clear that a rageful path was the only path left.
A justice-filled vengeance for the harm they enacted on him. Even more so, for the harm they enacted on his beloved brother. There could be no other path for him. And so, he trudged on, fighting against the compelling weight of the voice that was still forcing him to be defensive.
He fought with as much valor as he could muster as he performed inhuman feats without even realizing it. However, the rage filled voice that supported his cause went dead silent. And with it went most of his rage filled fire. Leaving him vulnerable to his enemy’s onslaught.
The result was him on the ground with a spear in his chest as the source of his ire looked down on him. The fact that the bandit stood atop his spear while grinning towards the boy only made his anger worse.
“Damn it!! I don’t have time for this. I need to get back to him!!”
And yet this entire time he was still more worried about protecting his brother rather than himself. He could only imagine what horrors the monsters he had left behind could be subjecting him to.
“More power… I need to end this now. I want him dead now!!!”
“Very well.”
“The time is ripe.”
Strangely enough. Both voices were united on that one simple desire.
His vigor was restored as a strange purple blaze rose up from within him. He grabbed hold of the spear which unceremoniously slipped away from him. As if reeling in fear of his new power.
However, no mercy would be given. In the next few instances, his enemy was lying in a pool of their own blood and his joy knew no bounds. He could not help but laugh. At last things were finally going his way.
The fact that he was so joyful about ending someone’s life didn’t seem to shock him at all. Perhaps because they would have done it to him for even less reason.
Still, there was indeed something that had momentarily perplexed him. It was a trivial yet conspicuous matter.
While he was on the ground, he was certain he saw the bandit before him wearing a blue scarf. Although he doesn’t remember any of them ever wearing one.