CHAPTER 00005
Okiji was now in a standoff with the other man, who'd prepared his weapons as well.
"And who might you be?" the man asked, having a very clean and low voice.
Okiji smirked. "Imino Okiji. Adventurer. And you are?"
He scrunched his face. "Nanakar. Leader of Unit R-5T, Northern Heart Island. I've been told you've been causing quite the ruckus around here, is that correct?"
Okiji smiled once more, twisting his blade as a challenge. "Depends on what you define as ruckus.
"We'll just have to see about that, won't we." Nanakar, clearly amused by his antics, raised his weapon as well.
The commander went in for the first blow, launching himself on top of Okiji. However, this move was obviously quickly evaded, as the swordsman blocked the strike before it reached him.
Nanakar sprung back, landing gracefully behind him. "I see you're pretty skilled," he said. "But not skilled enough." With that, he lunged up once more, flipping overtop of the swordsman, going in for a stab at his back.
Once more though, the talented swordsman deflected his attack, drawing his sword swiftly over his shoulder to be parallel with his back. He spun around, bringing his sword back to his front. Nanakar struck again, trying a deception tactic where he staggered two different attacks from two different points. Okiji was no rookie though, and blocked both attempts with ease.
Their battle had them travelling across the open meadow they fought in, crossing the field while thrashing at each other intensely. Distantly, around them, an audience began to gather, captivated by the duel that was playing out before them. Among it was the same boy from earlier, who seemed dazzled by the undying spirit that Okiji had.
Okiji was too preoccupied to take note, though, still clashing with Nanakar. While they both put up an immense fight, Okiji was beginning to notice Nanakar's weakness. Every attack was easier to block then the last. Okiji was winning simply by tiring his opponent.
The next time Nanakar swung his blade, Okiji used his stamina to his advantage, hastily disarming the commander before he could intercept. He then kicked Nanakar to the ground, drawing his sword up to the man's neck.
Nanakar, finally enabled to react, crawled back in terror. The audience around them watch intently, nervous of what Okiji (who they viewed as villainous) would do to such a locally respected figure as Nanakar.
Okiji took note of this, looking around at the masses that surrounded him. Particularly, the same boy from earlier caught his sights again. While the rest of the crowd (which was mostly comprised of adults) seemed to be extremely anxious about Okiji's next move, the boy only displayed expressions of excitement.
Despite this, Okiji had already made his determination. He drew his blade up a bit, so that it was in line with Nanakar's chest. Lightly, he sliced the weapon across the commander's chest, causing him to scream in agony as a result.
He then raised the blade, sheathing both weapons on his back. The crowd around him gasped, with the exception of the both, who appeared to be cheering, apparently thrilled by Okiji's actions.
The adventurer turned away from the scene as people flooded in from all sides to help Okiji. He tried to locate the village he had just exited, but realized he was so far gone at this point thanks to the movement of the fight that there was no way he could relocate it easily.
Instead, he saw another nearby village, and decided to head in that direction.