When I finally got rid of all debris that has fallen on us, I helped Taeko stand up and she immediately got into her stance while waiting for the screen of dust and smoke disappear.
"Taeko, we need to go back" I said with a low voice but she didn't catch my words or more like she was too focused on the fight. Is she using 100% of her brain to focus on creating a strategy on how to defeat her enemies? I would like to stay for a while longer and see what she would be capable of in such a state but...I said that once I will feel that Babara is in trouble, we will retreat.
How to wake her up...Ah! I will do the same thing as Babara.
*Slap* I loudly spanked her round ass and she suddenly jumped up like a cat having her tail stepped on by someone.
"Wha-?" She looked at me with a confused expression and flushed cheeks while I was busy looking at my hand that I just used to spank her ass with a thoughtful expression.
Hmm...That was surprisingly soft. Only now I have realized how much I miss some woman's touch. I was always keeping Aiko some distance away from me because she is practically part of the family and mainly because she was "ordered" to teach me. I don't want to do anything with anyone who is forcing themselves to do something. And even if she wouldn't be exactly "forcing" herself, she might still regret it later so that's the reason why I kept my distance but Taeko is a bit different...
We don't know each other whole life but we know each other long enough to trust each other. Well, I won't lie, she is also very beautiful with a well-developed body. Very strange that her skin is so smooth despite being assassin...
I thought about all of that within a few seconds before raising my head at Taeko who was looking at me with flushed cheeks while rubbing the spot where I spanked her.
"We are retreating, your grandmother needs help." I explained with a small disappointed smile while shaking my head.
I wasn't exactly rushing it because I warned Babara to delay them for as long as she can, let's just hope that her pride won't get in the way. She only needs to defend without attacking her enemy.
"?! I- Understood!" She was shocked by my information and she looked towards our enemy in front of us once the dust cleared up for the last time before nodding at me with a serious expression.
"?! That bitch didn't die?!" Guy muttered while clenching his fists and teeth, just looking at Taeko's face must have enraged him greatly.
"But there is still something to do before we can leave." I said to Taeko with a small smile and she looked confused but still nodded her head while vigilantly observing the enemy
For the first time, I pushed away the cheerful and carefree mood brought by this special class.
I looked coldly at 6 people in front of us. That Najasho guy's transformation finally ran out. This will be easy since he and Akame were only once able to react in time to my surprise attack and both of them are exhausted right now.
[Phantom Strike]
[Overwhelm]
[Energy: 855/1265]
I suddenly disappeared from the position next to Taeko and appeared in front of Guy and kicked him into his stomach.
He had no chance to react to my speed or more like he didn't expect me to be so fast to begin with and my entire shin was buried in his stomach.
"Don't just go calling my wife with such names, dickhead." I added with a friendly smile.
"? Gah!" In this kick, I used my entire strength and crack appeared on his armor before he was blown away at such speed that his friends had problem following him with their eyes. He started breaking through numerous walls however he wasn't buried by the walls because he broke through the entire building only finally stopping outside.
"?! GUY!!!" Cornelia shouted while sitting and she started bleeding from her mouth once again.
"Tch!" Both Najasho and Akame immediately responded by slashing at me with their weapons from each side but I already retreated before their weapons tore the air where I have been standing.
I returned to Taeko and looked at her ragged and exhausted appearance. I bowed a bit and took her on my shoulder while holding her with one hand.
"Huh?" Taeko was surprised by my action but she didn't complain, she must have thought that I have a reason for doing this.
"?! Wait! Do you think, you can just escape like that?!!" Poney wanted to pursue us with an angered expression.
"Stop!" Najasho shouted at her and stopped her.
"Najasho?! Why?! After what they have done..." Poney immediately asked with a pleading expression.
"We are all drained...We can't fight them in such state and since they want to retreat..." Najasho calmly said while regulating his breath.
---
'Plus I already used Water-Dragon Sword's ability once and still lost against that guy...We are all too exhausted to fight both of them. To think that I would meet someone much stronger than me around my age...' Najasho thought while warily observing Katsura carrying Taeko.
---
"We will get a chance to treat Cornelia and Guy. If we will fight, both of them might die." Akame added while gritting her teeth because she wasn't even aware if Guy was still alive.
I stopped and glanced back at Akame, they also noticed this and got ready to fight.
"You did well to hold on for so long, Akame." I said with a small genuine smile before jumping away from the place.
I didn't get any experience from that guy...To think that he would be able to survive that kick, but I felt that his ribs broke and most likely his organs are also damaged. I wonder if he will be able to recover.
I thought while glancing back at the building before tightening my grip on Taeko and speeding up even more while glaring at the mountains outside of the town.
---When Akashi and Taeko left---
Najasho continued treatment of Cornelia's wounds. Thankfully, Cornelia grew up in the wildness so her body was able to fight with Taeko's poison while slowly recovering but it was evident that she will need to rest for a few weeks.
Meanwhile, Najasho was treating Cornelia's wounds, others brought Guy's body back.
"?! This! I need to treat him immediately." Najasho said with a shocked expression when he examined Guy's injuries.
"W-wait...t-treat Cora....first" Guy said while blood was pouring from the corners of his mouth.
"You idiot, she will recover by herself in a few weeks but you... If you will talk more then you will die so shut up, shrimp." Najasho said while he started treating Guy's injuries who already shut his mouth because he knew very well his injuries.
.
.
.
"How is he?" Poney asked Najasho after he was done treating Guy who was currently unconscious.
"His injuries are severe, too severe." Najasho shook his head with a hard expression.
"Wha-?! Do you mean-" Cornelia who was already able to sit up, asked with a horrified expression.
"No, he will live but we need to move somewhere where he can rest. I will also need to finish treatment in a better environment with better tools. Most of his ribs are broken, some of his internal organs are damaged, thankfully, none of the ribs pierced his heart so he will be able to recover in...estimately 1 month but even after 1 month he will be in a weakened state." Najasho informed everyone and everyone's expression finally brightened despite suffering such humiliating defeat.
"We will also need to inform the father that his Shingu was slightly damaged. Hopefully, it's still at the point of being able to repair it." Najasho added with a serious expression.
"M-My is also a bit damaged..." Cornelia said with a difficult expression while looking at her lightly cracked Crushing King.
'To think that just two of them pushed us so much...Oarburghs are really dangerous bunch.' Najasho thought with narrowed eyes while he was recalling the strength of Katsura's blow which had blown him away even in his transformed form.
'I need to grow even stronger if I want to survive and meet up with Kurome!' Akame thought with narrowed eyes while gritting her teeth.
"However...if Guy's armor wouldn't protect him at that time...his body would perhaps become just a mist of blood and organs flying around." Najasho added with a serious expression.
"?! What?! How powerful exactly was his kick?!" Poney exclaimed with a shocked expression since she knew how hard it was just to kick off someone's head. She was focusing her whole training on her lower body.
----Back to Akashi----
"Ak- Katsura, why are you carrying me? And what do you mean that my grandmother is in trouble?" Taeko asked with a confused voice.
"What exactly it sounds like...She was supposed to take care of those brats that came as the last reinforcements. She isn't dead yet but there is someone strong enough to keep her busy enough that she wasn't able to keep those brats from leaving." I explained with a serious expression while making large leaps with each step I took, leaving the town in a few seconds.
"?!" Taeko was definitely shocked by my news.
"Also, I am carrying you because you are too exhausted to run as fast as me, or aren't you?" I added with a small smile.
"...No, you are right. I am too exhausted to keep up but wouldn't be faster if you just left me to go on my own?" She asked with a puzzled expression.
"Can't do that! I promised that I will keep you safe and those assassins could send a few members to pursue us so I am not leaving you anywhere, you will have to bear with my rough shoulders for a while longer." I explained with a serious voice but a smile was still visible on my face.
"I-I didn't mean it that way...It's not uncomfortable at all, I am just slightly confused...I have never thought that you would go so far as to take that hit for me and then even carry me like this...I feel like a burden." Taeko suddenly had her moment of depression since she had a moment of peace to think of everything that happened during the battle.
"I am not good at comforting but you aren't a burden even if you think like that. I already treat you as my friend so you will never be a burden for me." I said with a slightly awkward smile since I was really bad at comforting someone.
"Akashi...you- I-" I had no idea what she wanted to say but I was aware that it was something really emotional unfortunately, we had no time for this right now... She even said my real name in a low voice which indicated that it was really something emotional.
"Ssh, not right now, after we will save your grandmother, we can talk all day and night." I said with a genuine smile.
"...Mm!" She looked a bit surprised when she heard my words but she still nodded with a bright smile that I have never seen on her face. Although she was able to form a friendly smile, I have never seen her actually smile like a normal girl. This led me to think of her as slightly emotionless. This is actually the first time I have seen her smile like a normal girl.
----Babara's side----
She has been on the defensive side the entire time which alarmed Gozuki so he started to taunt her while attacking her and leaving some spots unguarded to bait her into attacking which at first wasn't very effective, however, Babara who was extremely experienced and who was in this profession for her whole life simply couldn't hold herself back and started to attack his unguarded spots. She was able to hit him numerous times or more like she would be able to cut him if he wasn't one of the Rakshasa Demons. He was able to completely shrink part of his body to make Babara's knives miss.
What's more, he started using his hair as a sharp and flexible weapon and even took hold of his sword with them and started attacking Babara from numerous and weird angles. she was able to defend herself for a long time before Gozuki performed his deadliest tactic and finally was able to make a small cut on Babara's hand.
"Fuu, for a short time I thought that injuring you will be impossible..." Gozuki sheathed his katana and said with a victorious smile.
"Hm? What do you think you are doing? There is no poison that ca- ?! Ugh! What is this?!" Babara was slightly confused by Gozuki's action but when she was in middle of saying something she suddenly felt incredible pain and was forced to kneel down while glaring at Gozuki.
"Murasame or One-Cut Killer, that's the name of my weapon." Gozuki explained while he was looking at Babara with a smile.
"To think that I will be killed because of some weapon...But this isn't the end!" Babara shouted with a crazy smile and used her remaining strength to take some kind of orb from her clothes.
"?! Shit!" Gozuki exclaimed when he saw the orb Babara was holding but he also noticed something flying towards him so he quickly jumped back retreating as far as he can.
*BANG*
The debris flew everywhere.
"Fuu, for a moment I thought we are not going to jump over that whole valley." I muttered when I landed but I immediately run to Babara who was kneeling on the ground, dumbfounded by my and Taeko's entrance.
I looked at her condition and saw some kind of black markings spreading from her small cut on her hand. It was slowly approaching her heart.
"Grandmother?!" Taeko exclaimed when she saw in which state was Babara.
This must be some kind of curse but I doubt that those markings are the curse itself. It must be the marking of how fast it is moving within her body. She is able to slow is down by being resistant to most of the poisons. And the final destination should be the heart. I don't know how to stop it so the only thing I can do is...
I crouched down and pierced my hand into her body, avoiding all vital organs.
"*Cough!*" She still coughed out blood.
"Ak-Katsura?!" Taeko was surprised and also confused but she didn't attack me or interrupt me since she trusted me.
"W-What are you doing, lad?" Babara also asked with blood pouring from the corners of her mouth.
---
'...What is he doing?' Gozuki was also confused to see what that black-haired youth was doing, however, he chose not to approach them since Babara still had that orb in her hands and unless she would die, he can't get too close if he wants to live.
---
I didn't answer her and only moved crudely my hand deeper into her body until I was able to touch her heart. I started releasing my flames all around her heart but I had to control the temperature not to burn her insides.
[Energy: 835/1265]
[Energy: 815/1265]
.
.
My energy started draining at an incredible speed but I could feel that the curse inside her body was slowly being purified.
She started to sweat a lot and judging from her expression she was experiencing extreme pain.