Chapter 27: No Mercy
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Daito picked up his sword, looked around, and took a deep breath.
Sakumo scoffed, rolling his shoulders as he stared at him.
"I can already guess what you're trying to do," Sakumo said coldly.
"Closing your eyes, hoping this is some kind of dream? Newsflash… this is reality."
SWOOSH!
Before the words had even settled in the air, he lunged.
SLING!
His blades flashed like lightning.
Daito's eyes snapped open.
The moment Sakumo reached striking range, Daito stomped the ground.
STEP!
CRASH!
The concrete beneath his foot cracked violently, and a thick wall-like slab of earth shot upward from the floor.
KA-POW!
With a powerful kick, Daito sent the slab flying toward Sakumo.
"!!"
Sakumo's eyes widened.
BOOOM!
CRASH!
The impact was explosive.
The slab slammed into him with crushing force, blasting him straight through the building wall and sending him crashing outside.
SWOOSH!
SLIDE!
Dust and shattered debris rained down across the street as Sakumo's body skidded through the rubble.
For a moment he just lay there.
Groaning.
His head spun as he forced himself onto one knee.
"What the hell… did I just witness?" he thought.
Before he could process it—
BOOM!
CRASH!
Daito came crashing down from above like a meteor, landing exactly where Sakumo had been seconds earlier.
The ground shattered under his feet.
Sakumo had already rolled aside.
SLASH!
He sprang up instantly and swung his blade toward Daito's neck, aiming to take his head clean off.
SWOOSH!
But Daito dropped low—lower than Sakumo expected.
His blade flashed.
SLASH!
A slash across Sakumo's ankles.
The cut was shallow, but it forced Sakumo to stumble.
Sakumo reacted instantly.
GRAB!
He grabbed Daito by the neck.
SIDE FLIP!
SWOOSH!
With terrifying speed he flipped forward, using the momentum to hurl Daito across the street.
CRASH!
Daito's body smashed into the side of a parked car.
GLANK!
Metal bent inward with a brutal crunch as the vehicle caved around him.
But before Sakumo could advance—
THROW!
THWISHH!
Daito hurled his sword.
The blade spun through the air like a bullet aimed straight for Sakumo's skull.
FWOOSH!
Sakumo flipped backward, dodging it by inches.
He landed smoothly, one knee and one hand touching the ground.
For a brief second everything went silent.
Then Sakumo slowly lifted his head.
"!!"
What he saw made his eyebrows rise.
Daito… was lifting the car.
CLANK!
His arms trembled as he forced the wrecked vehicle upward.
SWOOSH!
FWIISH!
Then he spun and threw it.
The entire car rocketed toward Sakumo like a missile.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Sakumo shouted.
The car slammed into him before he could fully evade it.
The impact launched him across the street.
SHATTER!
CLANG!
Metal, glass, and dust exploded everywhere as he was carried with the vehicle, smashing through another building two blocks away.
BRRRZZZTLE!
The structure collapsed inward with a thunderous crash.
Silence fell for a moment.
Back at the street, Daito stood there breathing heavily.
His eyes were different now.
Focused.
Awake.
Then suddenly, from the rubble two buildings away—
BWOOOSH!
A violent shockwave exploded outward.
Sakumo walked out of the collapsing debris, brushing dust off his shoulder.
A thin stream of blood ran down his forehead.
But he was smiling.
A dangerous smile.
"Well…" he said, flexing his arms.
"This just got interesting."
His eyes locked onto Daito.
"Let's see how long that strength lasts."
* * *
Sakumo burst forward like a bullet.
TWIISHH!
CRASH!
The ground cracked under his feet as he dashed straight toward Daito.
SWOOSH!
SWOOSH!
Daito reacted instantly. He tore massive chunks of rock from the shattered street and hurled them one after another.
TWIISH!
The first rock screamed through the air.
Sakumo tilted his head—
WHOOSH!
It missed him by inches.
SWIISH!
The second one came even faster.
SLASH!
SHATTER!
Sakumo spun his blade and split it clean in half.
The third and fourth followed.
SLASH!
BOOM!
He sliced one apart and shoulder-rolled past the other without breaking stride. Dust exploded everywhere as fragments rained across the battlefield.
"UAAARG!!"
Daito roared and lifted the final boulder—bigger than the rest—and hurled it with everything he had.
SWOOSH!
But this time Sakumo didn't dodge.
He leapt.
His knees smashed straight into Daito's face.
CRACK!
The impact launched Daito backward through the air.
Sakumo didn't slow down.
Instead, he used the momentum.
He sprinted toward the airborne Daito at terrifying speed.
Before Daito could recover—
THUD!
A kick to the ribs.
SLASH!
A blade across his shoulder.
BAM!
A punch to the jaw.
Each strike chained perfectly with the next as Sakumo chased him through the air like a predator dismantling prey.
Finally—
CRASH!
Daito crashed through the wall of a nearby building.
SWOOSH!
FWOOSH!
Concrete shattered and dust filled the room as he skidded across the floor, smashing through tables and broken furniture.
Everything spun.
His vision blurred.
His body screamed in pain.
Damn…
He forced himself to breathe.
He knew one thing for sure.
Sakumo wouldn't give him time to recover.
Daito slowly looked at the floor of the ruined room.
CLIK!
Then he grabbed his sword.
SWOOSH!
Without hesitation, he jumped upward and stuck to the ceiling beams.
Seconds later—
BOOM!
The floor exploded.
Sakumo burst through it like a missile.
CRASH!
BOOM!
But Daito was already waiting.
The moment Sakumo entered the room—
SWOOSH!
Daito dropped.
His blade flashed downward.
SLASH!
PSSH!
Sakumo's hand was cut off clean.
SPLAT!
It spun through the air before hitting the floor with a wet thud.
Daito landed on his feet but his eyes widened.
Sakumo's blade was buried deep in his stomach.
PSSH!
Blood poured from the wound.
For a moment neither moved.
PSSSSH!
Then Sakumo crashed onto the floor, grabbing his severed shoulder as blood sprayed everywhere.
He rolled across the ground, cursing in agony.
"DAMN YOU… DAITO!"
Meanwhile Daito gritted his teeth and grabbed the blade stuck in his stomach.
"OOAARGH!"
With a painful roar he ripped it out.
Blood spilled down his side.
TRRR!
He tore his shirt and wrapped the cloth tightly around the wound.
Across the room Sakumo forced himself to stand.
He sealed the bleeding around his shoulder with brutal pressure.
His eyes burned with rage.
"You've pushed me too far…"
His voice dropped into something darker.
"I'm not holding back anymore."
Suddenly—
BRRRSHH!
SWOOSH!
A violent aura exploded around him.
Purple energy surged through his body.
ZWOOFFF!
His veins glowed like burning wires beneath his skin.
His eyes turned bright purple.
"This…" he said slowly, "…is my Savage Power."
"Devil's Blade."
The air around Sakumo distorted as his killing intent multiplied.
Across from him, Daito tightened his grip on his sword.
SNAP–SNAP!
His muscles expanded.
Veins bulged across his arms and neck as he forced every ounce of strength from his body.
His blood flow accelerated.
His breathing slowed and became perfectly controlled.
Every muscle fiber in his body screamed as he pushed beyond his limits.
CRACK!
The floor beneath his feet cracked from the pressure.
But there was a problem.
Both of them knew it, their wounds were bleeding faster now.
Their power was draining their life with every second, neither of them could maintain this for long.
Two warriors, both bleeding, both standing at the edge of death.
Then Sakumo smiled.
"Let's see… who dies first."
* * *
And both of them vanished at the same time.
SWOOSH!
The air inside the ruined building twisted with violent energy.
CLAAASHH!!
Purple lightning from Sakumo's Devil's Blade clashed against the raw pressure radiating from Daito's overdriven body.
FWOOSH!
Dust lifted from the floor as if gravity itself had weakened.
Neither spoke.
Neither hesitated.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
They collided.
The impact shattered every window left in the building.
SLASH!
Sakumo's blade slashed first, carving a deep cut across Daito's chest.
THWACK!
Daito answered with a brutal elbow to Sakumo's jaw that snapped his head sideways.
FLIP!
KA-POW!
Sakumo spun back with a kick that cracked against Daito's ribs.
SWOOSH!
Daito grabbed his leg mid-motion and threw him straight through a wall.
CRASH!
Concrete exploded outward.
FLIP!
SWOOSH!
Sakumo flipped through the debris and landed running.
ZWOOFFF!
His purple aura intensified.
"DIEEEEE!"
He launched forward again.
Their blades clashed over and over.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Each strike sent shockwaves ripping through the building.
Pillars cracked.
Walls split.
The ground dented under their feet.
CRACK!
Sakumo slashed wildly now, his movements faster but more savage.
CLING–CLANG!
SLASH!
Daito blocked two strikes but the third carved across his shoulder.
PSSSHH!
Blood sprayed across the floor.
"ROOAAA!"
Daito roared and slammed his forehead into Sakumo's nose.
CRACK!
Sakumo staggered back.
THRUST!
Daito lunged and drove his sword straight into Sakumo's side.
SWOOSH!
Sakumo coughed blood, but instead of backing away…
He grabbed the blade with his remaining hand.
"Got you."
THWACK!
Sakumo slammed his knee into Daito's stomach.
THWACK!
Then again.
KA–POW!
And again.
Each strike drove the air out of Daito's lungs.
GRAB!
SWOOSH!
With a sudden twist Sakumo tackled him.
CRASH!
They crashed to the ground hard enough to crack the floor beneath them.
Sakumo mounted him instantly.
BAM!
His boot slammed down onto Daito's left hand, crushing it against the ground.
CRACK!
Bones creaked under the pressure.
"Uaaarr!!"
Daito screamed.
"You're not moving that arm again!" Sakumo roared.
His remaining hand shot forward and grabbed Daito's throat.
GRAB!
Fingers tightened like iron.
Daito gasped as the air left his lungs.
Sakumo leaned down and smashed his forehead into Daito's.
CRACK!
The floor dented beneath them.
Again.
CRACK!
Deeper this time.
FWOOSH!
Dust burst from the cracks in the concrete.
Again.
CRACK!
Each headbutt drove them further down into the ruined floor.
"You think—"
CRACK!
"—you can kill—"
CRACK!
"—ME?!"
Daito's vision blurred.
His stomach and lungs burned.
His crushed hand couldn't move.
But his right hand still held the sword.
His body trembled as darkness crept into his vision.
"I'm… dying…" Daito thought.
Something snapped inside him.
With a desperate scream Daito drove the blade upward.
STAB!
Straight into Sakumo's ribs.
GRIP!
Sakumo coughed blood, but his grip only tightened.
"You think that's enough?!"
He slammed another headbutt into Daito's face.
CRACK!
The ground beneath them collapsed deeper.
Daito screamed back.
"GET OFF ME!!"
STAB!
Another strike.
STAB!
And another.
Now Daito stabbed wildly.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The blade plunged into Sakumo's chest, stomach, and side in a frenzy of desperate violence.
PSSSHHH!
PSSSHH!
Blood poured everywhere.
But Sakumo refused to let go.
His grip on Daito's throat tightened harder.
CRUSH!
His boot pressed even heavier on Daito's crushed hand.
Sakumo screamed directly into Daito's face.
"I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME!"
Daito thrashed violently beneath him, kicking wildly like a dying animal.
But Sakumo never loosened his hold.
Never stopped headbutting Daito.
* * *
Outside the building—
VRRRMM!
Armored vehicles surrounded the entire block.
TRUDGE–TRUDGE–TRUDGE!
Rows of soldiers wearing black combat armor took position.
The emblem on their armor read:
NBA
One officer lowered his binoculars.
"They're still fighting…"
Another soldier loaded a missile launcher.
"Orders?"
The officer didn't hesitate.
"Fire."
Multiple missile launchers locked onto the building.
Inside—
FWOOSH!
Daito stabbed Sakumo again.
STAB!
CRACK!
Both men screamed at the top of their lungs.
"Uuaarrggh!"
"Haaaargh!"
Outside—
FWOOOOOSH!
Missiles screamed through the air.
Inside....
Sakumo slammed another headbutt into Daito.
CRACK!
Daito screamed and stabbed again.
STAB!
The missiles hit.
KA‐BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
A chain of explosions swallowed the entire building.
Fire and debris shot hundreds of meters into the sky.
Windows shattered across the entire block.
FWOOOOOSH!
SHATTER!
Soldiers shielded their faces from the blast wave.
SWOOSH!
Smoke swallowed everything.
Yet…
When the dust began to settle…
The soldiers stared in disbelief.
The building…
was still standing.
Broken.
Burning.
Cracked from top to bottom, but somehow the structure remained.
Inside the ruined crater where the floor had collapsed…
Two figures were still locked together.
Bleeding.
Broken.
Still refusing to let go.
to be continued...