The rogue leader continued, "I do not have all day.....!!"
"Come Forward Or Die.....!!!"
None of the villagers stood up; they were too afraid to face the rogues.
Seeing the terrified faces of the villagers made all the rogues laugh. All of the rogues mocked the villagers with their laughter.
"Have some mercy...."
"Take everything, but spare our lives....." The villagers began to beg the rogues for mercy, but the villagers' voice did not affect the rogues at all; instead, it made them happier, and they continued to mock the villagers with their laughter.
"Times UP...!!!!" The rogue leader spoke up. His commanding voice ended both the villagers' pleas and the other rogues' laughter.
The Rogue leader smirked and slowly murmured, "Boys, your swords need some cleaning. Use their blood to clean it..."
Just as the rogue leader finished, all the rogues pulled out their swords and raised them into the air to deliver a merciless strike to the villagers.
"SSSSTTTOOOOPPPPPP....!!!!!!"
Suddenly, a voice pierced through the air, which caused all the rogues to stop mid strike. The mysterious voice saved the villagers' lives.
The rogue leader swiftly looked around to see where the voice came from, but his gaze locked on Hiroshi, who stood at a distance from the village entrance.
"Hey, you boy, come here now!" The Rogue leader pointed towards Hiroshi and ordered him..
Hiroshi gulped in fear as he heard the leader's voice. Despite his hesitation, Hiroshi started to make his way toward the rogue leader, dragging his father's sword along the street.
As Hiroshi made his way through the helpless villagers to the rogue leader, the villagers spotted him. "Hiros.....hi....."
"Run away....."
"You can't Do Anything. Run away..... " The villagers tried to stop Hiroshi,but Hiroshi didn't listen to the villagers at all. His mind was set on fulfilling the promise he made to his mother.
"I Can't Let Them Hurt Anyone. I Have Made A Promise That No One Will Get Hurt...."
"I Can't..... I Will Not Let Them Hurt Another Person." Hiroshi spoke to himself as he continued to make his way towards the Rogue leader.
The Rogue leader spoke as Hiroshi stood face-to-face with the leader of the rogues. "Tell me, boy, were you the one who shouted?" the rogue leader demanded.
Hiroshi could feel the dark magic flowing through the rogue leader. He murmured, "Yes."
"Louder, boy! I can't hear you," the rogue leader yelled.
With a trembling voice, Hiroshi replied louder, "YES! It was me."
The rogue leader, "Wait here. I'll deal with you later, boy." As he spoke, he pushed Hiroshi aside and went toward his men, who were still waiting for their next order. The anger was evident on the rogue leader's face. "Who is—" Before he could finish, he was interrupted by two of his men—the same duo who had broken into Hiroshi's house.
"Forgive us, my leader. We may have overlooked the boy," the duo spoke.
"You have made a mistake, and worse, you have asked for forgiveness. There's no room for losers like you in our army," he said in a very serious tone.
The duo knelt before their leader. "We understand the task, my leader." As they spoke, they pulled out their daggers. Villagers next to the duo got scared, thinking they were going to kill them.
The duo closed their eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't have all day," the rogue leader said impatiently.
The duo opened their eyes, looked at their reflections in the daggers, and took another deep breath to gather their courage.
Villagers next to them closed their eyes in fear. A moment later, they felt something spill on their faces and heard screams from other villagers. As they gathered the courage to open their eyes, they saw the rogue duo had fallen to the ground, writhing as they bled from their throats.
The villagers looked at their hands, which were covered in the rogue duo's blood. Their clothes and faces were also covered in blood. Seeing themselves covered in blood, they joined the other villagers in screaming.
The rogue leader smiled at the villagers' reaction and then turned to Hiroshi. Hiroshi was shocked by what had happened in front of him; he was lost in his thoughts.
The rogue leader said to Hiroshi, "Boy, do you still want to save everyone?" The Rogue leader spoke in a demanding tone.
Hiroshi came back to his senses as he heard the leader's voice. He tightened his grip on his father's sword. "I promised my mother I'll save everyone," Hiroshi stated.
The rogue leader started walking toward Hiroshi, and with each step, his shadow grew larger over Hiroshi. Hiroshi took a few steps back, seeing the leader slowly approaching. Hiroshi was cornered against a wall, but the leader kept advancing.
There was no escape for Hiroshi now. He was cornered against the wall. Hiroshi closed his eyes and took a deep breath while the rogue leader continued walking toward him. Gathering all his strength, Hiroshi somehow lifted his father's sword and pointed the tip toward the advancing rogue leader. "Stop! Or I'll kill you," Hiroshi desperately cried out loud.
The rogue leader burst into laughter, seeing Hiroshi barely able to wield the sword. Hiroshi's hands were shaking from the sword's weight. The remaining rogues also burst into laughter at Hiroshi's miserable condition, their mocking laughter echoing throughout the village.
The Rogue leader spoke, "A Deal Is A Deal...."
"If You Can Manage, Stand On Your Feet After Facing One Of My Men. I'll Leave, But If You Failed, Then All Of You Will Be Having A Trip To The Spirit Realm...."
Hiroshi nodded in agreement with the rogue leader's proposal, as he had no other choice.
The rogue leader sent one of his men to fight Hiroshi. "Your time starts now, boy," the rogue leader declared.
Hiroshi struck first, but the rogue effortlessly dodged Hiroshi's attack and countered with a blow to Hiroshi's back. As the sword left Hiroshi's body, an enormous amount of pain surged through his veins, causing him to fall to the ground.
Hiroshi quickly managed to get up, gritting his teeth in pain. The rogue smiled and delivered another vicious attack, this time on Hiroshi's chest. The rogue was so fast that Hiroshi couldn't see the attack coming. He only felt the pain surging through his body.
Villagers could not see such torture before them. They had closed their eyes while praying for some miracle to happen.
Hiroshi launched another attack, but this time, instead of dodging, the rogue stood still, easily grabbing Hiroshi's sword, pulling it from his grip, and throwing it to the ground.
The rogue lifted Hiroshi by his neck and started slapping him viciously. With each slap, Hiroshi screamed in extreme pain.
"AAHHHHHHHH.....!!!!!!"