Senshi

Chapter 5 - Demon's Wake

My situation is dire, Namakaze has been taken out of my reach and getting to him will be nothing short of treacherous.

I inhaled through my nose and exhaled through my mouth. I spread my legs apart and lowered my body. The four samurai stood out of my sword's reach, they were alert and did not want to repeat the errors of their fallen.

I turned around, looking at all of them.

"Are you just going to dance around me all day? or can we get this over and done with? You're wasting my time" I said.

The samurai looked at each other. They sneered. Nodding their heads in unison, they advanced toward me. I could only see the two in front of me, the two behind me would be a problem.

Surrounded, I need to be careful.

One of them grunted as they lunged forward, I blocked their blade but I heard something cutting through the air behind me. I turned around to be greeted by a sharp sting to my left shoulder. One of their swords had grazed it. I tryed moving away from my attacker, another samurai brought their sword toward me.

Damn it! I need to get out of this death circle.

I quickly pushed against my sword, forcing the samurai in front of me to move to the side. I concertrated on the attacking samurai, I deflected his first attack, his swordsmanship was obvious. I heard movement behind me, this time I side-stepped a downward slash only to receive a piercing cut into the side of my stomach. I felt my warm blood trickling beneath my kimono.

Shit!.

The samurai that had cut my side pridefully attacked again. He aimed for my head but this time I was prepared. I carefully traced my sword down his blade and was elated when it hit my mark. The samurai bent over, writhing in pain as his thumb hit the ground. I swiftly advanced toward him and struck my sword through his throat. He fell to the ground; issuing strange noises as he struggled to breathe and shout. I pulled my sword from the fallen samurai's throat. The man fell to the ground, dead. It was three versus one now, I had successfully broken their formation.

Two of the samurai advanced towards me, I put my guard up, readying myself. They flanked me from my left and right. I retreated whilst blocking their attacks, they relentlessly kept attacking me. One of them managed to slash at my arm. I tryed striking back at them but they stepped back, evading my blade. The samurai circled me, waiting for a chance to strike.

I spun in tired circles, my movements, a sluggish dance for survival. I had been running on my last reserve throughout my fights. It was at that moment that I realised how much pain I had endured. My hands shook whilst holding the katana, my wounds drippeds red. My heart pounded in my ears and violently pushed against my ribcage.

I won't be able to do this for much longer, I have to finish this in one go. It's time to fight the good old way.

"Come on now, at least make this fun for me" I taunted.

I summoned what little I had in me, and dashed toward the closest samurai. The other two, behind me, advanced,I quickly bent to the ground whilst parrying the blows from the samurai in front of me.. The two behind me were close, I spun around and threw a hand-full of sand into their faces. The sand had blinded one of the samurai. I quickly went for a straight lance into his chest whilst he was incapacitated . It was two against one now, I backed away, barely dodging their revengeful blades. I had no power left, I could feel my stamina had hit rock-bottom but now was not the time to falter.

They attacked simultaneously, one with a straight downward strike, and the other with side archs.

I side-stepped their attacks, jumped back each time they struck, rolled to the side only to quickly get up. The samurai carefully followed me, they tried horizontal attacks that almost hit but was blocked or deflected. They started to feverishly swing their swords, where each swing held a bitter-sweet hope of meeting its mark and yet it never did.

"What are you!?" One of the samurai managed to ask, struggling to catch their breath.

I started laughing, nobody had asked me that question in ages, "I'm a vagabond that's been through the gates of hell too many times" I answered, taking the opportunity to breathe.

With what remained within me, I dashed toward the two, they guarded themselves and struck forward, I rolled to their side and swung, my katana connected with the nearest samurai's head, easily slicing his head off. His blood sprung upward, like fireworks, exploding in the display of his life. Blood had gotten into my eyes, the other samurai was hard, he used his fallen comrade's body as a shield by pushing the body toward me. The samurai managed a clear cut to my leg, I reeled backwards, caught off guard.

The samurai advanced once more, taking advantage of my wounded leg. He swung his katana in a steep arch toward my neck, I rolled to the opposite side, nearly losing my head in the promise. I sprung up and advanced the samurai, I threw a feint, a side arch that ended with a straight lance. The samurai stood still, with a sword in his gut. He hit the ground, gasping for air but found none, all he found was the gate I had walked through countless times, except he'd never walk out again.

My body jerked violently as it flew through the air. It rolled on the rough ground, finally stopping a good distance from were I last was.

What was that, I thought, struggling to get up.

I felt a large armoured hand grip at my skull. The hand tightened around my head forcing me upward. I was lifted until I was face to face with Gorro, the armoured giant.

"Kataude Akuma, the infamous one-armed demon. After witnessing this fight I know very well that you truly are that demon." Gorro said, with growing smile, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, I've always admired your stories and now I get to finish you off"

I struggled to break free from the giant's grasp, I could feel my skull gradually caving in. I needed to think fast, I searched for something in my pockets.

There it is.

With a flash of steel, the giant issued a scream of pain that shook the entire night.