Aiko staggered, but even with his labored breathing and blood staining his clothes, he walked toward where Iko lay. The blow against the wall had left him dazed, but the sword hero was already awake, jaw clenched and eyes bloodshot with fury.
He tried to reach for his fallen sword with his left hand, since his right still wouldn't respond. His body was beginning to regenerate slowly, bone by bone, muscle by muscle, as if his blood boiled just to keep him standing.
—Come on, damn it! —Iko roared, his voice echoing amidst the thunder of battle—. We'll fight to the end! Until one of us is the last one standing!
The bandaged man smiled, a gesture so cold it froze the blood of the soldiers still resisting around them.
—That's the spirit I like about humans! —he shouted, his voice deep, almost beastly—. Fight until your bodies give out, until your bones break and your blood stains the earth!
Iko roared with fury and lunged at him. His sword came down like thunder, aiming to sever the enemy's right arm. The man, however, stopped the attack with the blade of his axe. The clash released a shockwave that knocked back several nearby soldiers as if they were dolls swept away by the wind.
Iko's eyes blazed with rage, but his enemy didn't even seem to be trying.
A second strike followed, faster, more precise—a clean cut aimed at the throat. Again, the man blocked it with a sharp movement of his axe, forcing Iko to retreat once more.
But Iko did not give up. Every retreat fueled his next strike, every failure stoked the fire of his fury.
Meanwhile, behind us, the ground burned. My other ten brothers and I faced the red dragon, which roared and unleashed endless streams of flame. Its jaws spewed torrents of fire that charred dozens of soldiers in seconds. The screams of men consumed by the flames blended with the beast's roar, creating a symphony of death.
I myself, sword in hand, tried to cut through the hardness of its scales. But it was useless.
—Damn it! —I thought, panting as I tried to strike its back—. This dragon is too tough… its scales are like iron.
At that moment, Hana, her hair singed and her face smeared with ash, screamed with all her strength:
—Kurayami, go help Iko and Aiko! I'll use fire magic to distract the beast!
Daichi, wielding his bloodstained spear, shot me a severe look.
—Go, Kurayami! —he commanded firmly—. We'll hold it off. Protect our brothers.
I didn't hesitate. I ran with everything I had, dodging debris, corpses, and fireballs raining from the sky. The ground burned beneath my feet, but nothing stopped me. I sprinted until I reached the zone where Iko and Aiko were facing that infernal being.
When I arrived, the sight froze my bones.
The bandaged man moved with monstrous speed. Aiko could barely keep up, blocking attacks that seemed to come from every direction at once. The clash of ice and steel blended into a brutal spectacle.
Suddenly, from an impossible angle, the man slipped into his blind spot. His axe came down with a deadly whistle, and the blade slashed across Aiko's back with devastating force.
The hero was split in two from shoulder to hip, and blood burst into the air like black rain.
—Aiko! —I screamed in despair.
The world seemed to stop for a moment. My brother's body fell heavily to the ground, the frost surrounding him dissipating like a sigh.
Iko, seeing the scene, erupted in pure rage. An animalistic roar burst from his throat, and his attacks became wilder, fiercer, driven by the pain of watching his brother fall.
I too ran desperately to where Aiko lay. I knelt beside him, my hands trembling.
His eyes barely stayed open, but his chest was still rising and falling. When I touched his wound, I found that, by some miracle, his heart had not been struck.
—Thank goodness… —I murmured with relief, though my insides burned—. Stay here, brother. Heal your wounds. Don't try to get up. I'll support him.
I left Aiko lying there and hurled myself back into the fight with a shout. My sword pierced the enemy's back, driving between his shoulder blades. The steel seared his flesh, and blood gushed out in streams.
Iko seized the chance and plunged his sword into the man's abdomen, skewering him from side to side.
The man spat dark blood. But instead of collapsing, instead of writhing in pain, he laughed. A laugh so deep and distorted it made my skin crawl.
With a brutal swing, he spun his axe and struck me. I felt the blade slice through my flesh, and a heartbeat later, unbearable pain—my right hand flew into the air, still clutching the sword.
—Why… the one holding the sword?! Damn it!
The world blurred with pain. I stumbled back, blood cascading from my wrist.
Iko roared in fury at my state and yanked his sword from the enemy's abdomen. He lunged again, slashing his chest in a blow that carved through flesh and bone, though not as deeply as he wanted.
The man barely flinched.
—Fall back, Kurayami! —Iko bellowed, sweating, teeth clenched—. Wait until your hand regenerates. Then return.
I ground my teeth, rage burning in my veins.
—Yes, brother… I will!
I staggered away, clutching my bleeding stump, waiting for my body to regenerate what was lost. Each second was hell.
—Damn it… this is getting bad… —I whispered, panting—. Aaaah!
And then, the bandaged man smiled again. He lowered his axe and, with macabre calm, began drawing a circle on the ground. His own blood poured from the wounds we had inflicted, and with it he traced symbols that seemed to burn the earth.
He stood at the center of the circle, and the air grew thick, unbreathable.
—This is taking me too long already —he said, his voice like muffled thunder—. Let's end this…
He raised his axe to the sky and shouted:
—Special Skill: Sword of the Four Elements!
The circle blazed with crimson light that spread like wildfire, and from it emerged an impossible sword. Its blade radiated a blinding yellow glow, as if the sun itself had been torn out and forged into steel. Heat and cold poured simultaneously from the edge, sparks of lightning crackled across its surface, and an invisible pressure crushed everything around it.
The soldiers recoiled in terror. Some fell to their knees, unable to breathe.
The man held it with one hand, and the entire world seemed to bow toward him.
The real battle was only about to begin.