THE ETERNAL SWORDSMAN
Chapter 12: Will
The air was thick with the stench of blood and burning steel.
Setagaya ward lay torn apart by Juzou's wrath. Streets cracked under the weight of hollowkind karma, and the night sky itself seemed to tremble. Purple shadows writhed like serpents across the walls, flickering as if the world had become a living void.
Three figures stood against that darkness.
Hayate Senju, his blade alive with blue lightning.
Hiruko Kyotetsu, moonlight gathering across his weapon like pale fire.
And Master Hatake, silent as frost, his presence sharp enough to cut the night.
Before them stood Juzou Sasesage, shoulders hunched, eyes sunken but blazing with madness. His Ryomen Tetsu Ankraii quivered with ominous energy, purple-black karma dripping like liquid shadow.
The silence broke.
Hiruko charged. His speed tore the ground beneath him, each step echoing like thunder. His blade gleamed in silver arcs.
Hayate clicked his tongue. "That fool…"
But Juzou's eyes tracked Hiruko with chilling calm. The black blade rose to meet him. Their swords collided, sparks ripping the air, the clash shaking the ruined street.
"Impressive speed," Juzou muttered darkly, pushing back against the moonlit steel. "But speed alone won't save you."
Before he could overpower Hiruko, lightning cracked behind him.
Hayate.
Blue streaks ripped across the night as he lunged from the rear, his sword a bolt aimed for Juzou's spine.
Juzou grinned.
A hollowkind erupted from the void, its grotesque arm shielding him. Hayate's strike sank into its flesh, electricity frying it from within. The beast screeched, but in that distraction Juzou swung wide, hurling both Hayate and Hiruko across the street.
The two swordsmen crashed violently Hiruko through a wall, Hayate skidding into a collapsed storefront. Dust and rubble clouded the air.
Juzou stood tall, shadows writhing around him.
"As long as Hatake doesn't move…" he whispered coldly, "…I can kill you both with my Ryomen Tetsu Ankraii."
His lips curled into a snarl. "Ukoten… you piece of filth. Everything is your fault!"
He raised his blade, karma seething, ready to tear open another rift.
But a chill swept the battlefield.
Hatake had moved.
"Ice Spear."
The words were calm, almost a whisper. A spike of crystal-white shot forward faster than lightning, piercing straight through Juzou's shoulder. The impact sent a shock of frost across his flesh, freezing his nerves, locking the joint in place.
Juzou staggered back, his eyes wide. He turned slowly, seeing the great swordsman standing there, snowflakes drifting around him like falling ash.
His hand clutched the wound, blood freezing along the shards. His voice cracked with rage.
"My pain… all of it… it's your fault, Ukoten! I hate you!"
With a roar, he shattered the ice with sheer force, shards scattering like glass. His sword dug into the earth, purple aura spiraling violently.
"Hollowkind Space Rip…"
The ground split. A void tore open, its edges jagged with crimson light. From its depths poured shadows so heavy the night seemed to choke.
"HOLLOW ART HOLLOWKIND KAIKYUKEN!" Juzou screamed.
The world trembled as a colossal Hollowkind clawed its way out. Its body was a mountain of writhing limbs, skull-like faces fused across its chest, its roar a chorus of a hundred beasts. Ominous karma leaked from every pore, twisting the air.
Hiruko, bloodied but unbroken, didn't hesitate. Moonlight flared along his blade.
"Moon Art Piercing slash!" He leapt, slicing across the beast's shoulder.
At the same time, Hayate's lightning erupted.
"Lightning Art Storm Breaker!" His sword split into dozens of crackling bolts, tearing into the Hollowkind's abdomen.
The creature roared, wounded, its flesh smoking from the combined assault.
Hiruko panted. "That… that should've"
But Juzou only smiled.
The beast swung one grotesque arm, smashing into Hiruko with devastating force.
"HIRUKO!" Hayate screamed.
The young swordsman's body flew across the battlefield, crashing into stone. Blood sprayed, his face mangled, crimson dripping endlessly down his chin. His moon blade clattered to the ground.
"Damn you!" Hayate's aura exploded. Blue and red lightning danced across his form, tearing the ground beneath his feet. His eyes burned with fury.
"You'll pay!"
In a flash, he was gone.
Lightning struck Juzou's side. His scream tore the night as his left arm disintegrated in a burst of electricity. Flesh charred, bone split, the severed limb falling to the ground with a sickening thud.
"You're finished, you pig!" Hayate said, standing over him with his sword still sparking.
Juzou's breathing hitched. He stared in disbelief at the stump where his arm had been, blood pouring in rivers.
"My… arm…" His face twisted in madness. "My arm is gone…!"
The Hollowkind seized Hayate with its massive claw, lifting him into the air.
"I hate you… Senju!" Juzou roared as the beast swung, intent on crushing Hayate against the ruins.
But the cold voice came again.
"Art of the Snow… Crystal White."
In an instant, frost engulfed the Hollowkind. Its screech died in its throat as its body froze solid, ice crawling across its skulls. A second later it shattered into fragments, dissolving into void mist.
Hatake lowered his palm, his expression calm and sharp.
"I will finish you myself, Juzou."
Juzou's hatred burned hotter. His teeth bared, his blood dripping.
Then the air shifted.
A gust of wind swept the battlefield. Time itself seemed to slow.
Juzou froze, eyes wide. He felt it the presence, overwhelming, suffocating.
"…It's over," he whispered.
From the dust, a giant figure emerged.
Master Heburai.
His karma arm glowed with radiant orange karma, swelling into a massive hammer-like limb. His voice was deep, resonant, shaking the air.
"Resonance Art Release. Hammer Hand!"
The colossal fist slammed into Juzou's skull. The ground split beneath them, stone rupturing in shockwaves. Yet Juzou did not fall. His body bent, blood spraying from his lips, but he endured, refusing to collapse.
"Still standing?,Art release Conqueror Hammer!"
The massive karma arm dispersed in a violent explosion, the impact ripping through the battlefield. Dust and rubble stormed the air.
Silence followed.
When the dust cleared, the sight froze even the hardened swordsmen.
Juzou still stood. But his body was destroyed.
Both legs shattered one twisted grotesquely, bone piercing through flesh, the other foot half torn off, dangling by tendons. His grey coat was drenched in blood, his chest split open, his neck bent and dripping red. His pupils were pale, barely present. His broken katana hung in his hand, purple-black steel fractured and bleeding along with him.
Around him, the hollowkind that remained screeched in terror, retreating into rifts as if acknowledging his end.
Hatake let out a low whistle. "Ahh… I was about to end it."
Heburai smirked faintly. "You were too slow."
Hiruko, barely conscious, stared from the ground. His vision blurred with blood, but his heart twisted. "Why… why did it have to come to this?"
Then Kanyko arrived. His steps were heavy, his eyes hollow as he approached the broken figure of Juzou.
Juzou's head lolled toward him, blood dripping down his chin. His lips trembled.
Kanyko stopped just before him. His voice was soft, but edged with regret.
"You were the wrong PA, Juzou. But maybe… maybe if I had been there for you, things could have been different."
For a moment, his eyes glimmered with memory of training halls, of laughter long past, of what might have been. His jaw clenched.
"Damn it all…"
His blade rose.
Juzou tried to speak. "Sorry… I…"
But the words never finished.
Steel cut clean.
His head fell, rolling across the blood-soaked earth.
His body collapsed a second later.
Silence consumed the battlefield.
Hours later, Division Two's cleaning unit scoured the ruined ward, sealing rifts, tending to the wounded, clearing corpses. The night air was heavy, yet calm.
At Hitorika headquarters, the hour had reached midnight.
Inside a quiet chamber, Hayate knelt before his master Division Seven's leader, Mikoto Senju.
"I want to learn Ryomen Tetsu Ankraii," Hayate said firmly, his eyes still burning with memory. "If they didn't arrive l could've died, I need more power."
Mikoto studied him, his gaze sharp but thoughtful.
"Then prepare yourself. The path you seek is not glory it's suffering. This will be the hardest training of your life."
Hayate bowed deeply. "I'm ready."
Elsewhere, Hiruko sat with Master Hatake, his body still broken but healing because of his karma energy his eyes sharp with questions.
"Why?" he asked quietly. "Why did we have to kill Juzou? Hollowkind are monsters… but Juzou was human."
Hatake's gaze was distant, his voice even.
"The Hitorika Swordsmen were not born for bloodlust. We were formed to protect the world, once hollowkind began spilling into it more and more. Headmaster Hiyori was placed in that seat by Ukoten himself. Juzou joined because of his abilities. But he fell. He chose betrayal, and in doing so, he became no different from the monsters we fight."
He looked into Hiruko's eyes.
"Our will is simple, Hiruko. We protect this world from any form of evil. Even if that evil was once our brother. And in my heart… I know only Ukoten has the strength to bear that will. He is the strongest man I have ever seen breathe."
Hiruko bowed his head, his fists trembling. The memory of Juzou's fall weighed heavy on him, but the words cut deep.
Finally, he raised his chin, his voice steady.
"Then I'll do whatever it takes. For this will."
Now Hiruko inherited it as his own
The will of the Hitorika Swordsmen.
TO BE CONTINUED...