Word Count: 2500 words
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The training grounds of the Obsidian Chains facility were eerily silent, the tension in the air so thick it could be cut with a blade. Blue Rose stood in formation, their weapons drawn and their eyes locked on Yoriichi, who stood calmly in the center of the arena.
His hand rested on the hilt of his blade, his expression serene but unreadable. Meliodas sat on a bench nearby, his violet eyes gleaming with anticipation as he watched the scene unfold. Makima stood beside him, her crimson gaze sharp and calculating.
"This should be fun," Meliodas murmured, a smirk playing on his lips. "Let's see how long they last."
Lakyus, the leader of Blue Rose, raised her holy sword, Kilineyram, its cursed blade glowing faintly. "Stay focused, everyone. This man is dangerous. We take him down together."
Gagaran grinned, hefting her massive Warhammer onto her shoulder. "He's just one guy. How hard can it be?"
Evileye floated slightly above the ground, her gothic dress billowing as she prepared her magic. "Don't underestimate him. I sense… something unnatural about him."
Tia and Tina exchanged a glance, their daggers, and kunai at the ready.
Tia nodded. "We'll flank him. Keep him distracted."
Yoriichi remained still, his calm demeanor unnerving the group. His hand tightened slightly on his blade, and in an instant, the battle began.
Gagaran charged forward, her Warhammer raised high. "Let's see how you handle this!" she roared, bringing the hammer down with crushing force.
The ground shattered beneath the impact, but Yoriichi was no longer there. He had moved with such speed that it seemed he had vanished.
"Behind you!" Evileye shouted, her voice sharp.
Gagaran turned just in time to see Yoriichi's blade slicing toward her. She barely managed to block it with her hammer, the force of the strike sending her skidding backward. Her arms trembled from the impact. 'What the hell? How is he so fast?'
Tia and Tina moved in unison, their movements fluid and precise. Tia lunged from the left, her daggers aiming for Yoriichi's ribs, while Tina appeared from the shadows on his right, her kunai aimed at his throat.
Yoriichi's blade moved in a blur, deflecting both attacks with ease. The sound of metal clashing echoed through the air as Tia and Tina were forced to retreat, their weapons barely grazing his sleeves.
"He's too fast!" Tia hissed, her heart racing. "We need to slow him down."
Evileye raised her hand, her voice cold and commanding.
[Earthen Lance!]
Spikes of rock erupted from the ground, shooting toward Yoriichi with deadly precision. He sidestepped the first few, his movements almost casual, but the spikes kept coming, forcing him to leap into the air.
"Got you now!" Gagaran shouted, swinging her Warhammer in a wide arc.
Yoriichi twisted mid-air, his blade meeting the hammer with a resounding clang. The force of the collision sent shockwaves through the area, but Yoriichi landed gracefully, his expression unchanged.
Lakyus stepped forward, her holy sword glowing with radiant energy.
[Holy Smite!]
A beam of light shot toward Yoriichi, but he saw it coming. "Fourth form..." He muttered.
[Burning Bones, Summer Sun]
His sword generated beautiful crimson flames, deflecting the attack with a flick of his wrist. The beautiful fiery beam ricocheted into the ground, leaving a smoldering crater.
"What?!" Lakyus gasped. "He deflected holy magic?!" She could not believe what she just saw.
Yoriichi's eyes narrowed slightly, and for the first time, he moved offensively. His blade flashed, and in an instant, Gagaran's hammer was sliced cleanly in half. She stared at the broken weapon in shock, barely registering the shallow cut across her arm that began to bleed profusely.
"Gagaran!" Tia shouted, rushing to her side. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Gagaran growled, though her voice betrayed her pain. "But this guy… There is no need to hold back! Fight to kill!"
Tina, ever the opportunist, used the distraction to slip behind Yoriichi. Her kunai gleamed with a faint, poisonous sheen as she aimed for his back.
But before she could strike, Yoriichi's blade was already there, meeting her kunai with a sharp clang. The force of the impact sent her sprawling to the ground, her weapon slipping from her grasp.
"Tina!" Tia cried, rushing to her sister's side. Tina groaned, clutching her arm where Yoriichi's blade had cut her. Blood seeped through her severed hand, and her vision blurred slightly from the pain.
[Sanctuary Recovery]
After healing her teammates, Evileye's eyes narrowed. "This isn't working. We need to change tactics."
Lakyus nodded, her grip tightening on Kilineyram. "We'll overwhelm him with magic. Evileye, focus on restraining him. I'll hit him with everything I've got."
Evileye raised her hands, her voice echoing with power.
[Earth Bind!]
The ground beneath Yoriichi's feet shifted, tendrils of rock and earth wrapping around his legs, pinning him in place.
"Now!" Lakyus shouted, her sword glowing with holy energy.
[Divine Judgment!]
A massive beam of light erupted from her blade, hurtling toward Yoriichi with blinding speed.
For a moment, it seemed like the attack would hit. But then, Yoriichi's blade moved. It was a single, fluid motion, so fast that it was almost imperceptible. The beam of light split in two, dissipating harmlessly into the air. The tendrils of earth binding him shattered as he stepped forward, his expression still calm.
Gagaran, despite her injuries, charged forward again, this time with a broken piece of her hammer. "I'm not done yet!" she roared, swinging the makeshift weapon with all her strength.
Yoriichi sidestepped the attack, his blade flicking out slicing her left arm and right leg off easily, like a hot knife on butter. Blood sprayed from the wounds, and Gagaran fell to the ground.
"Gagaran!" Tia screamed, rushing to her side. There was no way to stem the bleeding, the damage was too severe. Gagaran coughed, blood staining her lips as she struggled to stay alive.
Evileye was stunned, even her magic cannot heal such injuries...
Tina, despite her injuries, managed to stand. Her eyes burned with determination as she pulled a small vial from her belt. "If we can't beat him head-on, then we'll use everything we've got." She uncorked the vial and drank its contents, her body glowing faintly as the potion took effect. Her wounds began to close, and her movements became faster, more fluid.
"Tina, no!" Tia shouted, recognizing the boosting potion and its consequences. "That's too dangerous!"
"We don't have a choice," Tina replied, her voice steady. She dashed forward, her kunai flashing as she launched a flurry of attacks at Yoriichi.
He deflected each one with minimal efforts, but Tina's enhanced speed allowed her to keep up with him, if only for a moment. She had a goal in mind, to take this man's attention while Evileye prepared her technique.
Evileye saw her chance and raised her hands once more. 'I need to use the skill now, we have no other choice...'
[Air Slash!]
A spatial rift tore through the air, hurtling toward Yoriichi with deadly precision. Yoriichi picked up on their plan, so he easily cut Tina cleanly in half, her internal organs slipping to the ground, then he dashed out of the attack range. The reality slash hit Tina's body too, cutting her into 4 pieces now.
"NOOOOO! TINA!" Her cold sister cried, for the first time, and tears rolled down her cheeks... Her sister was dead. "I WILL KILL YOUUUUU!" Her rage and killing intent were heavily directed at Yoriichi, but for him, she was nothing but an insect trying to take an elephant's attention.
"Now, Lakyus!" Evileye ignored her dead comrades and shouted.
Lakyus nodded, her sword glowing with holy energy again, but more intense this time.
[Divine Retribution!]
A massive pillar of light erupted from the ground beneath Yoriichi, engulfing him in its radiant energy. The ground shook, and the air crackled with power as the attack reached its peak.
For a moment, there was silence.
"Did-Did we make it?" Evileye, exhausted from using her most powerful spell was breathing super heavily.
"I-I guess so... Huff... Hufff." The only reason Lakyus was still standing up after using several strong spells was because she was leaning on her sword.
Then, as the light faded, Yoriichi stood unharmed, his blade still in hand. His expression remained calm, but there was a faint glint of pity and disappointment in his eyes.
"Is that all?" He asked, his voice soft but carrying an edge of menace.
The members of Blue Rose stared in disbelief, their confidence shattered.
They had thrown everything they had at him, two of their members died, and yet... He stood unscathed. Despair began to creep into their hearts as they realized the true extent of his power.
The training grounds were a scene of utter devastation at this point. The once-pristine arena was now littered with craters, shattered weapons, and pools of blood.
The air was thick with the metallic scent of iron and the contagious tang of fear. Blue Rose, the famed Adamantite-rank adventurer team, lay broken and defeated. Only three members remained alive...
Tia, her body trembling and her daggers slipping from her bloodied hands, stared at the carnage around her. Her sister, Tina, lay a few feet away, her lifeless body facing the sky. Tia's mind raced, her thoughts a chaotic storm of rage, grief, fear, and desperation.
'This can't be real… Tina… Gagaran… they're gone. Just like that. This man- no, this monster… he's not human. I have to survive. I have to get out of here. If I can just escape, I'll grow stronger. I'll come back. I'll make him pay for this.'
Her legs moved before she even realized it, her survival instincts kicking in. She turned and bolted, her heart pounding in her chest as she sprinted toward the edge of the training grounds. 'Just a little farther… just a little farther and I can—'
"Tia!" Lakyus' voice rang out, desperate and pleading. "Don't leave us!"
But Tia didn't stop. She couldn't. Her only thought was survival. She didn't look back, didn't see the cold, calculating gaze of Meliodas as he watched her flee.
He tilted his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "Makima take care of her." He said, his voice calm but laced with malice.
Makima, who had been standing silently beside him, stepped forward. Her crimson eyes locked onto Tia's retreating form, and a faint, almost playful smile curved her lips. She raised her hand, shaping her fingers into the form of a gun, and pointed it at Tia's back.
"Bang," she said softly, her voice almost singsong.
The sound was deafening. Tia's head immediately exploded in a burst of blood, brain, and bone, her body crumpling to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut.
The force of the impact sent her lifeless form skidding across the dirt before coming to a stop, her blood pooling beneath her. The training grounds fell silent, the only sound the faint drip of blood hitting the ground.
Lakyus let out a choked sob, her hands trembling as she clutched her holy sword. "Tia… no… please, no…" Her voice was barely a whisper, her mind struggling to process the horror unfolding before her. 'This can't be happening. This can't be real. We're Blue Rose… we're supposed to be the strongest… how… how did it come to this?'
Evileye, her mask cracked and her gothic dress torn, stared at Yoriichi with a mixture of fear and desperation. Her mind, honed by over 200 years of experience, raced to find a way out of this nightmare. 'This man… no, this thing… he's not just strong. He's on a completely different level. If I can just reason with him… if I can just—'
"Yoriichi," Evileye said, her voice trembling but firm. "Please… what do we have to do to spare our lives? We'll do anything. Just… please, don't kill us."
Yoriichi's expression remained calm, almost indifferent, as he turned to Meliodas. "Master," he said simply, "they seek mercy."
Meliodas chuckled, the sound low and menacing. He stepped forward, his purple eyes gleaming with a demonic light. His smile was wide, almost feral, as he looked down at Evileye and Lakyus.
"Mercy?" he repeated, his voice dripping with mockery. "You think you deserve mercy? After attacking me, after thinking you could take me down? No… the only thing waiting for you is suffering. Eternal suffering and slavery. You'll serve me until you're no longer needed. And then… you will disposed of as useless corpses."
Evileye's breath hitched, her mind reeling at his words. 'Eternal suffering? Slavery? Serving him? No… no, I can't… I won't…' Her body trembled, her legs giving out beneath her as she collapsed to her knees.
She felt a warm wetness spreading beneath her, and for a moment, she didn't understand what it was. Then the realization hit her, and shame burned in her chest. 'I… I pissed myself…'
Lakyus, too, felt her body betray her. Her legs gave out, and she fell to the ground, her holy sword slipping from her grasp. She stared up at Meliodas, her eyes wide with terror. 'This man… he's not human. He's a monster. A devil. He's got something wrong in the head.'
Meliodas laughed, the sound cold and cruel. "Look at you," he sneered, his violet eyes shining with malice. "The oh-so-strong Adamantite adventurers, pissing themselves in fear. How pathetic. You thought you were untouchable, didn't you? But now you're nothing more than broken, trembling wrecks. Disgusting."
Evileye's mind raced, desperation clawing at her chest. "Please," she begged, her voice breaking. "We'll do anything. We'll give you money, information, anything you want. Just… please, spare us."
Lakyus nodded frantically, tears streaming down her face. "Y-yes! We'll serve you! We'll do whatever you ask! Just… please, don't kill us!"
Meliodas tilted his head, his smirk widening. "Oh, how generous of you. But no. I have no use for weaklings like you. Yoriichi."
Yoriichi stepped forward, his blade gleaming in the sunlight. Evileye and Lakyus screamed, their voices raw with terror as they begged for their lives. "No! Please! We'll do anything! We'll give you our bodies! Anything!"
But their pleas fell on deaf ears. Yoriichi's blade moved in a flash, and in an instant, it was over. Evileye's head tumbled from her shoulders, her body collapsing to the ground. Lakyus followed moments later, her holy sword slipping from her lifeless fingers as her body crumpled beside her fallen comrade.
TO BE CONTINUED --->
Hey everyone! Author here.
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