Hiro, his eyes wide with horror, took a step back from the gruesome spectacle, the weight of his Katana suddenly oppressive in his hands. His gaze, drawn to the lifeless form of Fuyuku laid on the ground, was arrested by the sight of Riku, his blade still embedded in the severed head, his eyes blazing with a vicious, primal joy.
And in that moment, Hiro knew that the at hand was serious. ''Every one of us has to fight for our lives here, on this very ground'' he thought to himself as he realized that he was nothing but a pawn in the bloody games of the general and the king. With his hands trembling, Hiro turned away from the carnage unfolding before him, his mind a chaotic torrent of fear and rage.
And as he did, his gaze met with the defiant glare of the girl, her eyes narrowed with a cold, calculating fury. But the moment was shattered as the old man's voice, cracked and worn with age, rose above the din of the crowd.
'' The next fight, '' he croaked, his voice a brittle whisper, '' shall commence!''
Hiro, his breath catching in his throat, turned towards the arena, his eyes scanning the other prisoners. He knew that his turn to fight would soon come, and with it, the possibility of facing the same grisly fate as Fuyuku.
The soldiers, their bloodlust barely sated by the death of Fuyuku, roared their approval as two new prisoners entered the arena. The first, a bulking brute of man, his muscles bulging like coiled serpents beneath his skin, hefted a battle-axe, its blade as sharp as the claws of the beast. His opponent, a slim, wiry woman, her hair pulled back in a severe braid, brandished a pair of daggers, their handles adorned with intricate carvings.
The old man raised a trembling hand, his voice a rasping growl. '' Introduce yourselves !'' the old man barked, his voice deep as a whip. The hulking man, his eyes alight with a feral hunger a sign of his desperation to live, snarled '' I am Goro''. The woman, her voice a low temper like that of a whisper.'' I am Keito.'' With just those words, the old man's hand fell, the signal for the fight to begin.
Goro, his feet pounding against the sand, charged towards Keiko, his battleaxe raised like a guillotine's blade. Keiko, her eyes quickly changing from that of an angel, narrowed with a deadly focus. Keiko darted to the side, her feet a blur of motion as she evaded the vicious arc of Goro's axe.
'' You are fast, '' Goro snarled, his words dripping with contempt, '' But can you dance forever?''
Keiko, a viper-like grin upon her face darted forward, her dagger flashing like a sliver in the sunlight. But Goro, with a snarl, blocked her strike, the impact reverberating through his muscles.
'' Is that all you've got, girl?'' he sneered. Keiko, her breath quickening with the exertion of the Fight, swept in again, her daggers a deadly blur of motion. But Goro, his feet planted firmly in the sand, parried her strikes with ease, his strength and skill a match for her speed. '' Your speed is impressive,'' he grunted, his axe swinging in a deadly arc. ''But can you dodge this ?''
Keiko, a split second from disaster, leaped backward, the blade of Goro's axe cleaving the air where she stood only moments before. With a savage roar, Goro pressed his advantage, his strikes like hammer blows against Keiko's desperate defense. But as he advanced, Keiko, her movements like a cobra's strike, lunged forward, her dagger piercing the meaty flesh of Goro's arm.
Goro, his roar turning to a howl of pain, stumbled backward, the wound on his arm a gushing torrent of crimson. But he would not be deterred. With a vicious snarl, he charged forward again, his axe sweeping once more in a deadly arc. Keiko, her heart racing with the thrill of the fight, danced away from the vicious strikes of Goro's axe, her daggers a blur of motion as she sought an opening.
But Goro, his arm still bleeding from the wound, was relentless. His eyes narrowed to slits, and he swung his axe in a wide arc, forcing Keiko to retreat once more. And then, as Goro's axe bit into the sand, Keiko saw her chance. Seizing upon Goro's exposed flank, Keiko darted forward, her daggers slicing through the air with deadly precision.
Goro, his reflexes dulled by the pain of his wound, failed to react in time, and the dagger sliced into his side with a vicious hiss. '' You'll pay for that'' he bellowed. the pain in his voice replaced by a white- fury. With a thunderous roar, he swung his axe with renewed Vigor, his blade cleaving the air as Keiko darted away.
Keiko, her breath quickening with the effort of the fight, spun again like a dervish, her daggers flashing in the sunlight. With each strike, she sought to exploit Goro's exposed flanks, her blade biting into his flesh like a ravenous wolf. Goro, his fury mounting with each strike, roared in pain and frustration, his blows growing wilder and more desperate as he sought to land a killing blow.
Keiko, her movements like a deadly waltz, sidestepped Goro's frenzied blows with graceful precision. And as he overextended, she slipped past his guard, her daggers scoring deep wounds across his arms and torso. Goro, his face twisted with rage, roared in frustration. But his wounds, the blood soaking his clothes like a grotesque baptism, sapped his strength, and his attacks grew ever more sluggish and ineffective.
Seeing this, a grim of satisfaction appeared on Keiko's eyes, as she continued with her attacks, her daggers a whirlwind of steel and pain. Each strike cut deeper, each feint drawing Goro closer to exhaustion. And then, with a final, desperate lunge, Goro's axe bit into the sand, his arm trembling with the effort of the blow.
'' Finish it!'' he spat, he spat, his voice heavy with exhaustion. Keiko, her eyes burning with cold rage, prepared to close the distance that was between her and her opponent, her daggers poised for the killing blow...
And then, just as Keiko was about to strike the final blow, she felt a strange weight pressing down upon her feet, as if the sand itself had become a quicksand, threatening to drag into its depths.
'' what's wrong, too slow?'' Goro said as raised his axe onto his shoulder with a grim smile on his face.