'Shit! I didn't expect that we'd be under attack! Good thing class 1AR departed already.'
Mr. Oshieru was spotted off to the side, beside Haishi, the leading warrior, staring down an unknown man with black hair, horrifying black eyes, and a double-edged blade. 'They knocked the tree down on purpose, to separate the group into two. Fortunately for them, it ended up going in their favor.'
Mr. Oshieru slowly unsheathed his tachi blade from his waist, assuming a proper fighting stance. "I'd be wary," Oshieru warned Haishi. "These guys seem coordinated. I doubt that they'd just rush at us without a plan; the tree served as a hint to that."
Haishi vaguely nodded, maintaining a tight grip on the hilt of his sword. "I hear even more commotion on the other side of the tree. There must be more."
The assailant brandished his double-edged blade and huffed angrily. "Are you guys really talking in front of your opponent? The times really are changin'." The black-eyed adversary murmured mildly agitated.
Oshieru raised his arm as Haishi took a cautious step forward. "Don't. I'm willing to take him. Although I am an instructor, my students are present. If you're able, lend a hand if it's needed." Oshieru spoke calmly but seriously, his gaze narrowed at the opponent before him.
The nameless black-eyed enemy smiled, spreading his legs slightly, as well as tightening his grip on his double-edged sword. Oshieru bent his legs in preparation. "Why're you here?" Oshieru suddenly demanded. "Are we on your turf? Are you going to rob us? Or are you guys just hungry for blood?"
The assailant kept his grin plastered to his face. "What we do is none of your business. Besides, giving information to a bunch of dead people is a waste of time."
Oshieru's face hardened. 'All right. Seems like we have to do this the hard way.'
With Oshieru's legs already bent, he pushed himself off of the ground, lunging towards the black-eyed assailant at remarkable speed. The assailant's smile widened in anticipation, then he too lunged forward towards the blue-haired instructor. The two then met in the middle, their blades clashing and eliciting loud sounds of rattling. Oshieru's tachi blade began illuminating a blue hue as it was pushed against the double-edged blade.
In response, the double-edged sword began to glow bright yellow on both of its blades. "For one thing, you should probably know: No one ever survives clashing blades with me for a few reasons." The black-eyed enemy started speaking. "This here sword is called the Niju-Shi. This sword was said to have been crafted by Hephaestus himself!"
With that said, the assailant pushed the Niju-Shi sword to the side, tilting Oshieru's body in the process, as well as giving the assailant the opportunity to kick Oshieru back a few feet. Oshieru halted himself from flying back any further by planting his tachi blade into the dirt ground. The instructor balanced himself once more, looking back up at his opponent through the strands of blue hair that now hung loosely over the front of his face. 'I can't say that his words are entirely credible, but something is off about that sword. It doesn't feel like a normal weapon.'
The black-eyed assailant stood straight up, withholding his antagonizing gaze at Oshieru. "Let me ask you something; do you oppose the power of the gods?" The man then chuckled darkly. "The longer this fight gets prolonged, the stronger this sword gets! So I recommend that you plan something fast, 'instructor'." The Niju-Shi wielder mocked, apparently having heard Oshieru state his profession out loud.
XXX
'This isn't necessarily good.'
Kaminari Nozomu, on the other side of the fallen tree, could be seen staring down not one enemy, but two. The warrior who got trapped on his side of the tree was slammed into the Earth almost immediately. Nozomu would've been attacked as well if he wouldn't have dodged in time.
In front of the white-haired Nozomu was an enemy with slightly similar hair to his own, it being white-blue. This enemy seemed to have been clutching onto a red staff made completely out of magic. And the second enemy, with blonde hair and fox-like claws and ears forming around his body, most likely due to his aura print.
Looking behind him, Nozomu could also spot three of the students being stuck on this side of the tree with him. 'Damn. I have to protect them as well. Tanjo must be on the other side where I presume the teacher ended up.'
"You're a fast one. I also saw that you were the first one to detect us. What class are you in, Warrior?" The magic staff-wielding enemy spoke out to Nozomu in acknowledgment, only letting small amounts of curiosity lace the underbelly of his words.
Nozomu clicked his tongue. "What's it to you? Aren't you supposed to be attacking me?"
"We enjoy savoring our battles." Nozomu turned to face the blonde fox-like boy with sinister white eyes when another voice spoke. "Our group is dedicated to preserving the gods' benevolence, therefore we'll have to kill you in order to keep doing what we're doing."
Nozomu developed an irritated and perplexed countenance. "You do know that you're attacking a group of students, right? How is that 'preserving the gods' benevolence'!?" Nozomu proceeded to hastily ask, glaring at the blonde enemy.
The blonde's face became more serious. "You and your group are nothing more than a swarm of intruders to where we're going. We're heading to a certain village near here. At that village, a blessing was transformed into a curse after the departure of the gods. The Kekkan no Sosei. It was created by a goddess by the name of Psyche. We're going there to snatch it and prevent it from getting into the hands of heathens."
"Kono!" The white-blue-haired assailant yelled at his partner.
The blonde turned his head towards his enraged partner, smirking wryly. "It's fine, Dento. Besides," The fox-like boy crouched himself into a stance, facing the white-haired Nozomu. "It's not like he's going to live long enough to actually tell anyone!"
The blonde-haired enemy named Kono sprinted towards Nozomu, his purple aura surrounding his body indicating what to be wary of. 'He's probably incredibly nimble, flexible, and dangerous for any average warrior.' Nozomu noted mentally, keeping his eyes glued onto the impending assailant.
"Grah! Don't kill him without me, you damn fox!" The other assailant, Dento, exclaimed loudly, sprinting towards Nozomu as well.
'Shit. Both of them at once?' Nozomu mentally complained, remaining in his fighting stance, balling his hands into tight fists.
When Kono finally got to Nozomu, he swung his right magic-filled claw at the white-haired man clad in armor, barely managing to land a single scratch as Nozomu leaped back. Nozomu then turned around to see the familiar sight of Dento's crimson staff swinging at him, forcing him to dive beneath the swing.
Nozomu then backed up as Dento swung at Nozomu. Nozomu grabbed on to Dento's forearm after one of his swings, halting his attacks momentarily. Nozomu then swiped at Dento's legs from underneath, knocking him off balance and kicking him in the stomach to force him off of his feet completely, landing a few feet back onto the earth's surface.
Nozomu tilted his head backward as a purple claw slashed at him once more, prompting Nozomu to wrap his own arm around Kono's, locking Kono's left arm in place. Nozomu then kicked Kono's knee, and when Kono hunched forward from the kick, Nozomu launched his knee up to Kono's nose, emitting a horrible crunch, presumably breaking the blonde's nose. Nozomu then pushed himself off the ground, doing a backflip through the air and landing on his feet, creating a bit of distance between the two assailants.
Nozomu continued to glare at the two assailants. 'I can't use my lighting. If I do, I'll be ultimately exposed. But maybe…' Nozomu halted his thoughts momentarily. 'Hey, Kanden. Wake up, you lazy-ass.'
After a few short moments, a low growl seemingly reverberated throughout Nozomu's mind. "What could you possibly be needing from me?" An inhumanely deep voice suddenly questioned.
'I'll explain later, but I may or may not be in a fight, and having some of your strength would make this way easier. I can't use your lightning for certain reasons, but having your strength alone could be a viable solution to this.' Nozomu explained briefly, standing in place expectantly, keeping his eye on the two assailants in front of him.
"...I suppose. Doing nothing but sleeping can be a bit boring, you know. But I still would rather be sleeping than you fighting incessantly." The deep voice hesitantly concurred. "Don't make fighting a regular thing again, Kaminari."
Shortly after the deep voice disappeared, a surge of strength started to flow throughout Nozomu's body. His magic expanded exponentially. 'Hopefully, this small amount of strength can cater a bit.'
"What are you waiting for, Warrior? Chickening out?" Kono abruptly mocked the white-haired Nozomu, assuming another stance to lunge once more.
Nozomu then slid his leg forward, tilting his right foot sideways so his toes were facing right. Nozomu then raised his heel, the rest of his foot remaining on the dirt ground. Suddenly, Nozomu slammed his heel down onto the ground, causing the ground around him to crack and shatter instantaneously.
Nozomu continued to glare at the two before him, the two assailants being visibly startled from the white-haired man's newfound strength. "You were saying?"
XXX
Hey! I hope today's chapter was enjoyable. The fight will continue! Stay tuned for more of Nozomu and Oshieru's fight in future chapters!
Have a Good Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_