*crackle* *crackle* *crash*
Roaring flames consumes the city as the imperial palace fell. The mighty floating statue crumbles for all to see and with its departure, the eternal night lits by the sacrifice of millions and the countless rivers reddened by millions more while the skies are riddled by smoke and gunpowder.
"Hang in there! Dammit, it's not over-"
*Grab*
"Princess, please... Run away, find that Gisa and San-Min. They will protect you-"
"No! What's a ruler without its people! I'll die alongside all of you! I'll die where I was born!"
*Wooom*
From the ruins and fractured streets an imposing figure slowly comes out of a ship. Walking atop the rubble his cape flutters the emblem of the rising phoenix, his brilliant armour shine and gleam amongst the burning landscape when the lines upon his sophisticated ornate armour shines bright to reveal a single hateful eye that looks down upon the unfortunate.
"Rest, my teacher. I'll end this here."
The princess knowing her fate lays her mentor down to raise her sword. As the mentor raise his arm and try to stop her, with bloodshot eyes she gaze upon the man responsible for all this destruction.
"Die!"
*Cling* *Dash*
Not even a second has pass before the princess takes her stance and rush forward with bloodlust and one objective.
"For-"
*Cleave*
Faster than her, the Silencer walks past her and swings his spear to clear the blood off his weapon before,
*Psssh*
Blood splatter the walls as her insides spills out and her sword snaps. Falling to her knees the princess made one last attempt to close her open wound and stand but the silencer slowly walks closer raising his spear and,
*Boom* *Clang*
"Mi-Ok!"
Appearing like a shooting star, hope arrives with the form of a hero. A man with a long crimson scarf intercepted the Silencer's attack with fury driving his actions. Connecting his strike with a massive swing he push back the silencer with enough strength to lift him off the ground before continuing with another swing that propels the Silencer while still midair.
Looking back upon her the boy could only do so much as he is barely holding himself together from the numerous open wounds that makes his skin pale from blood loss and weapons still sticking out of his body. Merely awake from sheer determination and will, he doesn't have enough power left to pull off a healing touch, seeing life fade away from her eyes he closes her eyes.
"If he's here that means... San-Min..."
Acknowledging the lost of his companions, he turns toward the Silencer. The Silencer has crash upon the wall on his feet and taken a stance. He jumps back into the fray destroying the building behind him and the hero runs further before jumping. Swinging their weapons with the intent to end it in one strike, their steel clash with the force of a thousand explosions as it push away all the debris and ends with the hero getting propel further.
From the Silencer side ashes starts to gather, and from the hero an incandescent glow that burns its surrounding, he stabs the ground and swings back pulling his sword.
"Haah!"
With a loud war cry, they engage again. Pushing each other away they clash again and again which destroys their environment. Jumping from one place to another, their round of blows sparks fire that bend their own blades as craters appear where they are, the hero seeing these opportunity shatters the Silencer's spear from a weakened spot with an upward strike before kicking him away.
*Snap* *Splurt*
Without even realizing it, the Silencer has manage to strike back by jabbing a part of the black spear to his exposed feet.
"Rrgh!"
Compared to the other open wound in his body, black cracks starts to spread on his right leg and not even magic nor qi could withstand it as his leg starts to deteriorate to ash. His sight soon starts to fail him as darkness seeps closer from the corner of his eyes.
Now too weak to even stand the hero fell on one knee and uses his sword to support. When he notice his kick barely does anything to the Silencer while he dusts off his armour. The hero grips his blade shouting:
"I'm not done yet!"
The Silencer throw away the remnant of his spear as he then pull upon the blade-less sword on his belt. A beautiful flame burns to form a sword and engulf him in tri-color flames. Upon his back, wings of fire sprouts as he then takes a different stance. The hero does the same as his sword glimmers while he slowly stands up. The Silencer strikes first, firing waves upon wave of qi blast twice his size that decimate everything it touches.
*Grip*
"Hraaagh!"
Managing to leap with one leg with the star ocean sword, he swings his sword with beautiful rhythm that slice the waves in half. An upward strike, a diagonal slash, left and right swing-
*Cleave*
The hero with the deteriorating senses and limbs loses his balance as he fails to parry one attack and it cuts off his left arm but,
*Grit*
"Eat this!"
Gritting his teeth with only one limb each he ends the final wave attack with a downward diagonal strike right atop the Silencer. His swing continues downward bursting with such radiance that contrast against the Silencer's dark purple corruption.
As if anticipating it, the Silencer strikes back as their blades went pass each other's guard and slowly reaching their necks...
*************************************
"No... Why... Please..."
"Oppa, Gisa Oppa."
"Gaah!"
"Eep!"
"Huh? Hye-Rin? Sorry."
Regaining his conscious Yoo-Gisa slowly recalls his new chance as he rubs his eyes.
"You're talking in your sleep. Did you have a nightmare?"
The little girl worried for him comforted him by sharing her warmth and hugging him close as the winter snow hails beyond the dimmed campfire. Gisa ever so relieved from his nightmare pats her head replying:
"Nightmare huh? I think of it more as a reminder. Sorry, did I disturb your sleep?"
Hye-Rin shakes her head and cuddles closer as he then hugs her close and look beyond the cave they stayed in. Yoo-Gisa a failure from the future has gift his knowledge and experience to his past self with the help of the lady of the lake so that he may change the outcome this time. Yoo-Gisa pats the head of the little girl as he thought to himself,
(I have already changed many of the past and change even those that is unavoidable. Just like me, the enemy has changed as well, the Silencer, that Crimson Butcher Abe, and worst of all the Primordial Karma... He still haven't shown up despite everything when he is suppose to appear during the first northern aggression, no even that has change, rather than Ri it is Geom that is now conquering the north and even the south's preparing a second coalition...)
*Grip*
"Kyaa! G-Gisa Oppa?"
Tightening his embrace, Gisa mourn his weakness and how vain his action has been in the grand scheme of things. He may have change many things, but he still couldn't stop the main cause.
(That evil witch of an empress is still hiding something more, I can tell. But first of all, I have to get rid of the first obstacle, Sova and... Yeon-Seyong, I made sure you could live in this timeline since you sacrifice yourself for me but for you to side with Sova...)
"Dammit! I can no longer trust my future self. This is it, wether I fail or succeed will be on myself... And you Hye-Ri."
Hye-Ri nods in agreement as they prepare for their last bout.