Steel shrieked against steel as Kanesaki drove his blade into the spear clone's chest, burying it to the hilt. He twisted, tearing it free in a spray of black blood - but pain punched through his side as the chain snapped against his ribs, before twisting around his waist.
The twin axes smashed across his back, the impact flattening him to his knees. He snarled, trying to rise - but the gunblade clone stepped in, boot crashing into his face, snapping his head back. Blood sprayed from his nose, spattering the cold, wet stone.
He tasted iron. His vision doubled - then tripled - shapes swirling behind the flickering torchlight of the cave. The clones moved as one, shadows of weapons and fluid violence.
The spear clone - impossibly still standing with a ragged hole in its chest - cracked the broken shaft across Kanesaki's temple. His ears rang. The chain jerked tighter, ribs creaking, pain blooming in ragged pulses that made him gag.
He barely raised his sword to block as the curved blade clone slashed for his throat, deflecting it at the last second. The gunblade fired - the shot skimming his jaw, flesh splitting open to the bone.
He hit the stone again, blade clattering from his grasp, breath coming in short, ragged gasps. The chain clone wrapped its links around his neck now, pulling tight, drowning the world in static and darkness.
Through the haze, he heard Maeda's voice, distant, dispassionate - like an autopsy report read aloud.
'Is that all, boy? Is this the shape of your will?'
Kanesaki's fingers scrabbled for the chain. Claws of cold burned through his skull, behind his eyes - a splintering pressure, like glass cracking under too much heat.
The edges of his vision fractured - and then he saw it. In the black reflection of pooled water beneath him - his eyes. Thin web-like cracks spiderwebbing from the pupils outward, as if something inside was breaking loose.
He was cracking.
A thin, broken laugh clawed its way out of his throat - choked by the chain but still feral, animal.
The spear clone stepped closer, readying to ram the jagged shaft through his skull.
Kanesaki's hand snapped up - a blur - grabbing the shaft mid-thrust, the raw impact splitting his palm to the bone. He didn't flinch. He didn't care.
He yanked the clone closer by its own weapon - headbutting it so hard the clone's nose caved inward with a wet crack.
With a wrenching twist, he spun inside the chain's coil, ignoring the pain across his throat as it tightened. He drove an elbow into the chain clone's face, then grabbed the chain itself, muscles straining, lifting the clone off its feet and slamming it down into the water-soaked stone.
One eye twitched. The cracked iris glowed faintly under the torchlight - a crazed glint. A snarl tore from his throat as he ripped the chain free from his neck, flinging it away.
The twin axes came at him again - both blades swinging for his skull in a scissoring strike. He caught one wrist, blade biting into his shoulder - but he didn't even flinch. He wrenched the clone's arm backward at an unnatural angle - the sound of bone snapping echoing in the cave - then slammed its head into the stone so hard its skull partially cracked.
Blood streamed down Kanesaki's jaw - his breath ragged, almost laughing. The blade in his other hand convulsed, drinking Chimera blood as it dropped onto it, healing the cracks and repairing itself.
The curved sword clone tried to close from behind - but Kanesaki pivoted, the world blurring with speed that felt impossible. The blade flickered through the clone's midsection - and its legs crumpled beneath it as it folded in two.
The gunblade fired again - one shot, then another. Kanesaki stumbled as the rounds tore through his side, but he kept coming, broken grin splitting his bloodied face.
He grabbed the barrel mid-shot, forcing it upward as the gunblade clone pulled the trigger - the muzzle flash blinding. Kanesaki headbutted the clone again and again, splinters of his face crunching under his forehead until the clone went limp, gun clattering from its grip.
Water splashed behind him - the chain clone, staggering back up, spinning its length of metal like a whip. Kanesaki stepped straight into its range, letting the chain rake across his ribs - not even flinching - before burying his blade through its gut and lifting, pinning it to the cavern wall in a spray of deep red blood.
He ripped the blade free, breath ragged, cracked eyes flicking to Maeda - the only one left standing, perfectly calm at the far side of the cave, watching.
Kanesaki's chest heaved, blood dripping from wounds that should've left him unable to stand - but he did, eyes fractured, grin cracked and full of hate.
He lifted the blade.
'Your turn.'
***
Nishihara's boots splashed through the water, the fog swallowing everything more than a few meters away. The taste of iron and gunpowder hung in the air, along with the metallic stench of blood.
He moved fast, senses straining for any hint of survivors. The faint crackle of radio comms was just static in the fog, dead air hissing.
Shapes emerged - a group of soldiers, huddled near the base of a jagged rock formation, weapons drawn, eyes wide and scanning the mist. Their leader turned as Nishihara approached, rifle raised before recognizing him.
'Lieutenant Nishihara!' the soldier called, relief in his voice, but tight with fear. 'We thought everyone had... Nevermind. Is everyone regrouped?'
Nishihara paused, glancing at the soldiers, breath clouding the cold air. 'The others are north of here, near the ridge. Regroup with them now. Move fast, keep low, don't waste your ammo on shadows.'
The soldiers hesitated. One of them, younger, clutching a battered rifle, swallowed. 'What about you, sir?'
'I'll find more survivors.' Nishihara's eyes narrowed, the flicker of his irises sparking briefly in the fog.
They exchanged a quick, fearful glance, then nodded, forming up and moving out, boots crunching on wet gravel, fading into the fog in disciplined formation.
Nishihara exhaled, letting the stillness settle before he moved again, weaving between boulders and decaying Yatzuls, senses tuned for the pull of blood or shouts that flickered like embers in fire.
A sudden gust parted the fog briefly - and there it was.
The cave mouth, jagged and dark, torchlight flickering inside, shadows dancing across the walls. The stench of scorched flesh flared out, along with the tang of Chimera blood, thick and bitter on the air.
Nishihara's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, adjusting his grip on his blade.He stepped into the darkness, the fog swirling behind him as he disappeared into the cave, ready to face whatever was waiting inside.
Chapter 54 - end