(Part 1)
"You think I'll just let you kill my man?"
Eliz smirks and satrrs into his bright red eyes. He's unfazed. He just pushes against her scythe with little force to hold her down.
Just then Kuzo notices as incoming aerial strike. Asim is airborne and is about to slam them with his weapon... it's a Kanābo
(A kanabō is a heavy, spiked or studded war club from feudal Japan, used by samurai as an anti-armor weapon. )
As Kuzo looks at Asim a feeling of extreme dread washes over him. Massaass Dam vampires are naturally supposed to be huge...but this guy he's something else.
He's around eight-foot tall. His body like that of a professional wrestler(owing to the fact that Asim used to be a wrestler before becoming a vampire).
He has a buzz cut and his face and his body is heavily scarred. The only piece of clothing he's wearing is a black trouser. His chestnut brown skin just adds up to his terrifying personality.
Kuzo immediately brings himself back to his senses and thinks of a plan to stop the incoming attack.
Just as Asim brings down his kanābo, Kuzo parries it by hitting it with his cleaver where it's the least dense. A loud ,metallic and deafening sound rings through the battlefield .
Asim seems pleased for some reason
Kuzo is confused...
"Oi...Why the hell are you giggling? Didn't I just stop your attack?"
Kyoraku's expression changes for the first time since the battle began. He smiles slightly.
" Asim is impressed... You should feel honoured. It rarely happens that one of his attacks gets parried...especially with weapon remaining intact.."
Kuzo flashes him a shy smile and rubs the back of his head .
" Well this thing won't break easily..."
Asim raises his eyebrow. Kuzo proudly starts explaining
"The thing is this cleaver is made of bones of dead vampires. Every time we hunt down a vampire we compress their bones into this cleaver and coat it with a layer of metal. This ...the Lethegos have been doing since centuries. That's what gives it its toughness. You know the hilt... it's made of vampire flesh "
Kyoraku spits on the ground and makes a face of extreme disgust.
He mutters under his breath,"F**king Cannibal."
Eliz has her back turned to Kuzo. She didn't see Kuzo defending against Asim's attack. But based on their conversations she deduced that the guy she had fallen for had done something great...again to prove his worth. They had better chances of winning than she had thought.
But her hopes soon get crushed as a loud war drum starts thudding in the distance. Gemini Cult has made their entry in the war. As planned Eliz will have to go face them.
Kyoraku smirks as he realizes why Eliz's expressions have suddenly changed.
"Guess you'll have to leave 'your man' to be be killed by us both, Queen of the Haven."
She jumps back and her scythe slowly disappears. She looks at Kuzo with teary eyes and says,
"Don't you dare die..Kuso."
She turns back before Kuzo can reply and sprints in the opposite. She does this because she knows... if she waited there for even a second more she would burst into tears. Kyoraku...he seemed so ready to kill Kuzo.
"No...please...save him...someone...."
Saying this she immediately halts. The Haven cult's army had gathered. This battle would be between the Gemini cult and Haven Cult...the strongest of all the Vampiric cults—if you consider the Gemini's as vampires. They are something beyond vampires... having a blessings of Lucifer.
In front of him stood their leader–Mizen–Lucifer's underling. He looks really hot and scary at same time. His white hair cover his right eye. The entire right side of his body is covered with dark-purple patches in a particular patterns. She doesn't understand what they mean–probably Sanroku would know. Speaking of Sanroku—she really hoped that what he had said about Kuzo was actually true.
He's dressed like a normal person– white coat the colour of snow, white trousers, and a red shirt. In his right hand he holds a long scythe–which apparently looks nothing like a normal scythe. It's colour is the same as Eliz's.But the difference is vast– it'd probably give him an advantage here... that's why Sanroku has warned her to beware of him.
His scythe doesn't have a single blade..but it has 3 blades at a little separation. From the back of the scythe extends a red long and thick chain which is curled around his right arm.
He stares at her with his purple left eye and gives her a psychotic smile.
"Bonjour Queen. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Part 2
Kuzo just stares at Eliz as she sprints off without waiting for him to reply.
He shouts from behind her unsure if she could really hear hik at this distance.
"As you say,Princess."
But just as he says this he sees a long blade poking out of his chest. A steam of blood flows down the sides of his lips.
"Ugh... You are so–"
Asim teleports in front of him and slams his kanābo straight into his guts. As he pulls away spikes tear apart his flesh into bits. He comes back with another hit. Kuzo is too stunned to actually react. This time the hit sends him flying backwards...wait...how is this is even possible. Wasn't kyoraku...?
Kuzo looks back and realizes that he is nowhere to be seen. Just then he hears the sound similar to when strings snap and his arms fall off. With a single swing Kyoraku had cut off both his arms.
Kuzo doesn't know how to react. Kyoraku's and Asim's duo is too unpredictable...no not unpredictable. There attack can be predicted...just it's so organized that the opponent cannot find a escape. Kyoraku stuns the person with his speedy attacks and that's when Asim...he's slow but Kyoraku's attack give him enough time to get his own attack ready. Finding a loophole has been almost impossible... till now.
Asim is again airborne. He slams his kanābo right into Kuzo's head and turns it into a mush.
Kuzo stumbles back. His head and Armas slowly regenerate. Kyoraku and Asim have taken opposite positions. One in front of him and other behind. Only one way...
Kuzo sprints sideways. But Kyoraku anticipates his move. He overtakes Kuzo and his about to behead hin again. Just then Kuzo pulls out his cleaver and parries the strike. A fluke... but that's enough to survive or not?
Kuzo snickers as he hears a heavy pfpot slamming into the ground just behind him. Just the sound of the kanābo moving through the air intimidates him. He swivels on his left foot and using that momentum brings down the cleaver straight downwards. It strikes straight into Asim's kanābo and actually stops its midway.
This time though Asim isn't pleased nor is Kyoraku. Both their eyes are wide open.
"Hey f**ker"
Asim finally speaks with his deep ,earthly voice that sounds close to gurgling.
"Tell me something... How do you manage to defend both our attacks? When you did it first...I thought it was a fluke so brushed it off...but now defending both our attacks... that's something nobody has ever done..."
Kuzo smiles. His eyes scan the battlefield. 1.2.3.4. Four bodies lying on the ground in one leap distance. Just if he could... keep these two occupied.
" Well there's a first time for everythi–".
Before he could finish Asim slams the falt of the kanābo straight into his gut. Blood is thrown out of his throat as his gut twists.
As he pukes he manages to say.
"Damn...you..."
Wait...both of Thema re now distracted. Kyoraku thinks Asim has things under control. Asim thinks Kuzo is at his breaking point.
That's when Kuzo breaks free from the cage-like situation. He rips apart flesh from one Kyuketsuki and one Massaass Dam vampire's body and tears it with his canines and chews on it.
Both the vampire kings glare at him with scorn in their eyes.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT"
Asim's voice itself enough to make the earth below to crack.
Kuzo is unfazed. He's successfully assimilated both the abilities of both the cults.
"OH...."
"What?"
" That's how you do it huh...Cannibal?"
" Do what?"
"Heightened senses precision and speed . Kyuketsuki abilities... Brute strength enough to stop an attack from the Strongest Vampire King –when it comes to brute force– Asim. I must say. I'm flabbergasted. Though my face probably doesn't say it."
He lifts up the strands of his white hair and ties them into a bun. He stares at Kuzo with his sharp, red eyes which didn't have any gleam.
"Asim... I think we need to go full on this time. But first let's check... how strong is this guy really..."
Asim nods respectfully.
Saying that Kyoraku disappears into thin air. But his movements...they are distinctly visible to Kuzo. With a light swing of his cleaver he casually deflects the strike. Asim follows up with an downward strike but is faced with a masterful parry which blocks his attack.
Just as things start looking good for Kuzo...Asim says.
"Well he seems to be plenty strong Kyoraku. I say–"
Suddenly Kuzo's defence breaks. Asim's kanābo smashes down into his head. Kyoraku is no less. He unsheates his sword and puts it back so fast that it almost feels as if it never moved. All of kuzo's limbs get shacked off.
Asim slams his kanābo into what's left of his torso and sends it flying backwards.
Kuzo body is slow to regenerate after taking so many hits. Just as he recovers his entire body Kyoraku appears in front of him.
"Instant regeneration huh? Well guess I'll just have to chop you off so fast that your pathetic body doesn't have time to regerate."
Before Kuzo could respond or make some sarcastic comment Kyoraku's katana makes it way through his chest, his heart and back out of his body. It's so deep that Kyoraku's hand is almost inside his body.
"But first I must stop your the source of your regeneration for the time being. Don't think that you can just regenerate it.... let's see if you can even escape my next set of attacks..."
But before he could draw out his blade Kuzo grabbed his arm and held with all his strength( most of which was from eating the Massaass Dam vampire's flesh).
He remembered what his father had once told him:
– – –
"Kuzo..."
He paid no attention. He was a kid. Too busy dissecting the Guinea pig he had stumbled upon.
"Kuzo...oi Kuso."
That got his attention. He yelled.
"Hey you old geezer. Don't you dare call me that... You were the one who gave me that shitty name in the fist place."
"It's not shitty. It's.... it belonged to the first vampire of the Lethego cult. You should respect it a little."
Kuzo pouted
"Whatever.."
He redirected his attention to that Guinea pig.
His father continued.
"Do you know what a Lethegos power is.?"
"Does it even matter.."
Kuzo stuffed the flesh of the creature into his mouth.
"The curse is gonna nullify whatever power we have..."
" There will be a time when you'll have to use this power... every head of the Lethego cult encounters this once...and you future...something the old monk had hinted...he sold you'll be using it multiple times"
"Don't believe is old monks...that's the moral of the story."
He gouged out a eye of the creature and stared at it.
" I'd like to you know...but I can't. I'm worried. So I'll tell you.."
Kuzo ignored
" If the blood of a Lethego enters the opponents blood...a Lethego can temporarily erase all his memories,fighting intent,passions and all."
– – –
Kuzo forces his blood into Kyoraku's hand which is stuck in his chest. And just when he realizes he had poured in enough. He focuses on Kyoraku's memories...so vivid. He can see them clearly. Kyoraku–a small kid with black hair with some strands turned white–holding a little girl in his arms weeping weeping and weeping. And then even he doesn't understand what happens. Those memories they suddenly disappear.
Kyoraku is struck by a shock. Kuzo let's him go. Kyoraku stumbles back. And stands motionless. His eyes are blank. No emotion. No hatred. No will to live. No wish to kill. He just stands. Exists. As if his entire life force was sucked away. Kuzo slams the flat of his cleaver onto his head. Knocking him unconscious.
Sanroku had told him
"Whatever happens. Don't kill them"