The loud sound of something collapsing could be heard. Looking over, the warriors on the field saw the castle tumbling to the ground like falling rocks. Finally, after many shockwaves from the inside, it seized to stand.
And barely a minute later, an intense earthquake shook the ground. Struggling to stand, the warriors chose to defend themselves rather than fight in this madness. Opting for waiting out the storm instead of recklessly ignoring it.
After the rumbling subsided, the warriors looked around to each other. Friend and foe alike. Checking if any of theirs had died. Observing the state of the field, it became clear that the dragon-kin army had suffered far greater losses.
Their enslaved warriors paid no heed to themselves or others. Only interested in the ecstasy of shedding blood. Displaying truly disturbing and horrifying faces. As a result, their death toll was nearly a third more than the Azuman army's.
However, even if they seemed to be winning, all would be for naught if their leaders didn't slay Kagutsuchi. For even a single swing of his glaive would sever the life of countless of the men huddled together. And not to forget the other dragon-kin that were present. They too, especially the ringbearers needed to be dealt with as fast as possible.
Haruto was near the front together with many of the other warriors. They slowly raised themselves now that the earthquake had stopped and sought to take stock of their current situation. However, much to their disdain, the masses of enemy warriors had advanced even through the earthquake, leading to many deaths, and was now nearly upon them.
Doused in warm and sticky blood, Haruto raised his blade in preparation. Pain surged in his hands for every intricate movement he made with them. The intensity growing and subsiding along with his heartbeat. Ignoring this, he attempted to instead focus on observing the battlefield before him with his one remaining eye.
Surprisingly, this actually helped a little against the pain and fatigue. He scrutinized everything that he saw. Perceiving as many details as possible. Hunting like a hawk. Readying his talons. When the enemy got close, he had already found the most optimal way for dealing with them. Severing the thread to their lives with fewer strokes than before. Even as a tired and one-eyes hawk, he was deadly.
The horde that had fallen upon them was already battered thoroughly by the earthquake's tremors. Merely deranged and bloodied men who's only use was to tire out their enemy. Their masters not hoping for them to lethally wound their opponents, much less kill them here and now. Rather hoping for the Azuman warriors to be so exhausted afterwards that they couldn't raise an ounce of strength in defense.
In the corner of his singular brown eye, Haruto spotted countless miniscule movements in the far distance. It was something akin to noticing a fly speeding through the air. As he registered it, alarm bells rang inside of him.
"-!"
He leaped back as fast as he could. But before he could call out to his allies a sharp whistling rang out in the air. Piercing the ignorant men one after another with countless arrows of pure white. Those hit either fell to their deaths or was killed moments later by the enemy.
Even though this was an enemy attack, they had killed many of their own to drag more of the Azuman warriors down to their end. Soon after their prey had fallen, the arrows turned to white dust in the wind.
Haruto looked to the direction of the attacks origin instead of lingering on the deaths before him. With his hawk-like eye, he saw a dragon-kin holding a large "Yumi" bow. One look was all it took for him to understand, that this one was of the stronger class among the dragon-kin. The aura surrounding him told Haruto that much at least.
If anyone's a ring-bearer, he's gotta be!
As that thought shot through his mind, the dragon-kin drew the bowstring, as white as the arrows they had shot, preparing a new volley of magical arrows. This time, Haruto leapt forwards towards the bowman. Previously he was taken off guard, but this time he saw the attack clearly.
Zooming through the thickets of enemies, he occasionally swatted them away with his sword while making way for the dragon-kin bowman. The arrows shot out like shooting stars. Raining death anew on those below, leading to numerous casualties for both sides. But thanks to Haruto's keen sight, he manages to narrowly dodge every arrow that got close. Steadily moving forwards, closing in on the bowman.
When he got within ten meters, another figure jumped out before him. Standing between him and the bowman, stood three two dragon-kin, blocking Haruto's path. Clearly filled with hostile intent.
As the two lunge at him, Haruto raises his blade to respond in earnest. Metal clashes against claws as their weapons collide, pushing both sides back from the exchange. Not a moment of time is wasted, both sides return with new attacks.
Haruto slashes, dodges and counters, tracing an endless amount of arcs with the blade. Keeping the dragon-kin at bay. Drawing small amounts of blood multiple times. But if he can't land a decisive hit, he will never advance in time.
The next instant, new slashes of claws fall upon him and swatted away by his katana. As he turned from one to the other, a piercing light appeared before him. Only managing to halfway dodge the light as it grazes his right arm accompanied by a powerful wind. In a moment of weakness the pain resurge, rendering him momentarily immobile after being shot with an arrow from the bowman.
The one of the two dragon-kin immediately follows up. Stretching their clawed hands for Haruto's vulnerable throat. As the sharp edges nears however, the dragon-kin is unfortunate enough to have that arm claimed by Haruto, blood and pain spilling from the fresh and juicy wound. Soon after, his head says goodbye to his neck.
The body falls with a thud sounding like smashing rocks together. The remaining dragon-kin slashes at Haruto's side, deeper than the previous wounds he had received.
"-guh!"
Some of his gastric juices spill out of his mouth. Looking to the source, a scaly fist has dug into his stomach, expelling its contents. The dragon-kin follows up the attack by interlocking his fingers into a double axe handle. Bringing the attacks down with great force, its movement is halted midway by a shining blade poking out of the dragon-kin's back. Being killed just in time for the next arrow to be released. This time too, it grazes Haruto, although lighter than the previous.
He exhales.
His breathing steadies itself, the sweating stops and his heart calms. The Ki in the air quiets is noise and becomes dead silent and his mind empties of all noisy thoughts. His singular eye peers unwavering at the bowman, drawing another arrow back and fires at breakneck speed. Flying at Haruto, he dodges it with the absolute minimum movement necessary.
He crouches down low and kicks off. Placing his hands slowly and firmly on the hilt, he traces a silent arc in front of him. The blade cuts into the bowman's left arm, smoothly drawing a red line straight through the scales from the wrist and all the way up to the shoulder.
A miss.
"-hgh."
The bowman's arm hangs lifelessly, not able to move at all. In a single smooth movement, half of his abilities were rendered useless. Ripped away mercilessly by someone centuries younger than himself. Laughable and pathetic. Who here was truly the inferior?
A nervous smile crept along his reptilian face. With his two slit eyes, the only thing he sees before him is a terrifying monster. Lacking reason and mercy. But most of all, lacking any and all forms of bloodlust. As if this was something equal to accidentally killing an ant.
Realizing that horrifying theory, the bowman clenches his remaining right fist with all his strength. Steeling his resolve for what was to come. The smile changes emotion from nervousness to a hint of excitement. His blood screamed out that this would be a worthwhile fight. The first one in decades.
He bares his fangs and as saliva drools out of the corner of his mouth. He couldn't understand it. All rationality was overridden by something deep inside him. Forcing him into the role of a battle junkie. Extremely happy to engage in fights that may even be unwinnable.
...
With the blade pointed at Kagutsuchi, Daiji spoke two words: "Let's Dance". Leaping forward at the end of his short sentence. Zooming past the scaly body the sword cuts at the dragon-kin's right side, splattering blood on the ground. More than a shallow wound, but far from a fatal one.
Anger flares up in Kagutsuchi's eyes. He extends a hand to the katana embedded in his body, pulling it out. Or so he intended. Unable to move the weapon even an inch, the blade rests perfectly where it had been left.
"Grgh..."
The burning pain is still ravaging his insides. Burning through his organs. As if tasting the cup of suffering, Kagutsuchi endures both the pain and the blood loss. Flexing his muscles around the large wound and closes it tightly shut. Not healing it at all, but taking measures to reduce the bleeding. He restarts the flow of Ki in his body, turning the stale energy alive again. Similar to how blood transports oxygen.
With his spirits revived, Kagutsuchi turns to face the next incoming attack from Daiji. This time too, he is unable to block with the glaive and receives a new wound on one of his arms. In the aftermath of that exchange, he hear Daiji mumble something to himself:
"This time too..."
He did not understand the meaning behind them and therefore abandons thinking about it. It was far more important to focus on the fight. As now, it wasn't only Daiji, but Jin and Siegfried too who engaged him.
"[Skewer]!"
Many sharp rocks fly at Kagutsuchi. Some bounce off, but some manage to embed themselves in between his scales. Like annoying splinters, Kagutsuchi quickly brushes them away and unleashes a cut in Jin's direction.
Jin, anticipating the response, niftily dodges the strike and continues to chant rapid commands to their fallen surroundings with a wave of his war fan. [Stab], [Crush], [Protect] and endless more were brought to life thanks to his National Treasure. Harassing Kagutsuchi with mediocre attacks and erecting paper thin defenses to slow him, however slightly while also obstructing his line of sight.
With a swoosh, Daiji swung his blade once again at Kagutsuchi, who tried to block, but only managed to ever so slightly divert the strike. A shallow cut appeared where the blade had been driven to. Irritating Kagutsuchi even more with another wound sullying his scaled body.
"Air Slash."
An invisible blade made of razor-sharp wind flew past Daiji and cleaved into Kagutsuchi's left Achilles tendon. Rendering it useless unless healed, which the caster, Siegfried knew Kagutsuchi couldn't.
If he could then he would have done it immediately after getting hurt. And so far, he's only committed himself to a sad defense against our relentless attack. But can't he escape it? Where is that speed he displayed at the start? I should still chant my spells. It'll conserve Magical Energy for later.
The attacks from the three continued on, with Siegfried and Jin supporting Daiji's occasional attacks. One could believe that the two of them were actually the main offensive, even though Daiji was the most suited to fight Kagutsuchi, having completely conquered his fear and immersed in his own zone.
In a train of thought, an idea popped into Siegfried's head. An idea that would confirm or deny an important aspect about the dragon-kin and his capabilities.
"Jin! Those walls aren't worth the effort. Focus on attacking!"
"O-okay!"
With a shout from Siegfried, Jin shifted his hybrid attack style of offense and defense to a pure offense focused style. Launching more debris at Kagutsuchi and even trying a fireball one time, only to confirm that fire was ineffective on Kagutsuchi's hard and scaly body.
"-heh."
A smile slowly crept on Kagutsuchi's recently despairing face. And a moment later, he disappeared from sight. His incredible speed that had made them stumble in the beginning had made its comeback.
All of them knew that the very next second, he would reappear behind one of the three of them. Anticipating this both Jin and Daiji looked behind themselves. Daiji found an empty field of view and Jin found a towering monster already mid-attack.
"Shell!"
As the glaive was cutting into Jin, a near invisible round shell formed around him. Stopping Kagutsuchi's attack for a moment before being knocked away together with Jin and broken into a million pieces with a loud crash. Disoriented, Jin looked around him, reassessing the situation. Touching his body all over to check if it was still together in one piece.
He looked to Siegfried who had protected him with a look of perplexity.
"H-how, did you block that...? I, I thought I was dead. I could even see the "Eternal River"."
Ignoring Jin's words of confusion, Siegfried instead looked ahead. Gazing at the o mighty dragon-kin, Kagutsuchi who now seemed a little less monstrous. His ecstatic smile from before the confrontation. Filled with curiosity and excitement, Siegfried understood Kagutsuchi a little better than before.
Kagutsuchi gazed back at Siegfried. His eyes narrowing as if he understood what Siegfried was thinking. Creasing his brow in a low and silent roar. He aimed the glaive's tip at the man with a gentlemanly appearance. The light of the sun reflecting of the bloody blade.
"Impressive... You know, then."
"Yes! I finally understand an another aspect of your incredible strength. That clears the picture a little more and it makes it a whole lot more easier to deal with you now that I know your secret."
Kagutsuchi gripped his glaive with his upper arms, ready to unleash a faraway slash. Siegfried crouched and spread his arms before him like wings in response. In his right hand, he held a unicorn's silver horn like a wand as the battle entered a new stage.