A man worn out, tired, robes ripped and torn from blades. Cuts down his body.
"I… I do not wish for this".
He said in a low tone, face covered in blood. Horses could be heard following their trail.
"Yet, this Is the only way of… I'm sorry young one for causing you such trouble, stress, and suffering. Will you be of acceptance of one last thing?"
The man looked forward laying on his back against a wall of a cave, tears could be seen falling from his eyes as if it were a waterfall, or perhaps a rainfall from above.
"… I'll accept anything, master."
The young man's hand clinched into a fist in his lap as his nails dug into his skin, causing him to bleed. His clothes torn, bloody, and a body of that of a veteran warrior.
"Will you accept the deaths of the soldiers, the civilians, and their wills on your back?"
"I accept."
"Will you accept the bloodshed that has forsaken us all?"
"I… Accept."
The both of them covered in wounds, blood dripping, tears falling, rain from the background growing loudly, the storms invading, lightning striking.
"I apologize for all the wrongdoings of such a request from such a foolish master, but… Will you accept my death as not your master's wish, but as a way to continue on life?"
After a minute of silence from the young man.
"I will accept."
"Will you accept the truth, the wrath, and the punishment of the world beyond?"
"Yes, I accept."
The old man starting to breathe heavily, his body slowly beginning to shut down, takes out a tanto from his robe drenched in blood, made from dark steel, and formed with a diamond-like sharpness.
"Accept the tanto, form the contract… leave this place behind. I shall buy you time."
The old man slowly got on his feet and took out his long sword, dropping his robe down to the ground, his back scared from the top to bottom.
"But mast-"
"NO! You must live… not for me any longer, but for yourself and the future. Leave now. That is my final order as master of the "Bone structure palace." Now go."
The old man left the cave slowly, his confidence nonexistent. But, his pride, his trust, and everything he has learned in his life. He is willing to lose it all for the sake of this one young man. He walks away toward the sounds of the horses before letting out a deep sigh and draws his sword.
The young man, having tears covering his face, his body refusing to run away from the fight, but he knew he had to. He got up and took the blade his master gave him, and ran as quick as he could.
The sounds of the horses stopped and from the shadows approached an army of over a thousand, with a commander stepping forward.
"So, this is it? This is how it all ends for you and the damn forsaken "Bone" whatever the rest palace was, huh?"
The old man barely able to keep his consciences in control.
"Y-Yeah… this is it."
The old man looked up at the sky feeling the droplets of rain fall, as he does so, the commander steps forward drawing his spear.
"Such a shame I couldn't fight you in the prime years of your life. For that, I'll finish this quickly."
The old man chuckles slightly and suddenly the rain droplets stopped falling.
The commander looked around and slightly smiled.
"So, you're putting your life on the line to even delay us even a bit?"
"Isn't that the most important thing a master could do for his disciple?"
The rainfall stopped, and a decagon formed around the entire mountain, the old man's body glowed with the color of an erupting volcano.
"I WILL USE EVERYTHING I HAVE LEFT."
The old man said without anything else to lose he slammed his sword into the ground erupting the decagon he had formed creating the mountain to become a pure red color.
The commander's eyes widen as he saw the formation.
"Well, shit… this isn't exactly how I thought I'd die…Might as well try to live"
The commander began to glow a blue as bright as the sky above, his spear resembling the color. The commander formed a octagon barrier around the commander, and the old man. The commander activated the octagon trapping them into a barrier.
"Let's feel and enjoy this fight to the… BITTER LAST."
The commander said before instantly charging the old man going for his left arm that was already injured.
The old man shining brightly, grabbed his sword and pulled it out causing the ground to shake and tear apart leaving the commander stuck in the ground within a microsecond of movements.
The commander's eyes widen, but smiled before pulling himself out of the ground and charges again not giving up.
"That was a good trick how about we go again ROSHIO?"
Said the commander who vanished before appearing behind the old man roshio. Roshio quickly tried to grab his sword to block but couldn't in time before he got stabbed in his right arm leaving him injured. Blood was spat out as Roshio got up again.
"This is just a mere scratch." Roshio said before pulling his sword towards him and gets into a stance.
"Boneless Twist sword style: collection."
Said roshio before his energy left the world completely for a short duration and the commander's face turned to one of envy of skills but respect for another warrior giving it his all to the bitter last.
The commander returned the kindness with his skills
"Lightless sword: Blindness From Abyss"
He said before clashing with Roshio in an intense fight, constantly changing positions, blades clashing, both of them were faster than anyone could see. The sparks of their blades clashing was the only way anyone knew they were even fighting.
After several minutes of clashing, the mountain began to light up red even more
before the ground slowly began to dig itself in. Then suddenly an explosion erupted.
The commander and Roshio still in the midst of intense combat made a final clash before stopping.
"D-damn you're good you old fool."
"If only you had more time to train those skills… You would have won."
Roshio, burnt out, exhausted, bloodied, strikes from weapons all over his body, old wounds reopening.
The commander whose armor had completely been broken, strikes of a blade left behind missing pieces of flesh.
"Y-yeah maybe…"
They both looked around as the mountain slowly began to erupt and dig itself back into the earth.
"Damn old man, you're a damn monster. What the fuck did you do?"
Roshio looked at the sky seeing it shine brightly blue as the red shines upwards as if they're clashing in who's brighter.
"… I have sacrificed my soul, my energy, my body, my pride, my everything! That is why this is happening. I have no foolish ideals about leaving this place alive. Ever since this started, I knew my fate was death. Even so! I choose which way I go out."
The commander smiled slightly impressed by the way Roshio reacted and replied.
"Damn you old fool, even if you are an enemy, you have me respecting you for protecting what's yours and the way you do things to the extreme."
The commander put his spear down into the ground.
"Remember me, Roshio, I am Commander "Brix Legacy, of the clan Broken Souls." Please remember me in the afterlife of an intense final battle of us both."
Roshio put his weapon down knowing either way they'll both die with all the men who stayed with Brix trusting in him.
"Very well… Though I don't like the idea of ideally sitting around and waiting for death, especially with an enemy. We'll both end up dying either way."
They both nodded slightly, and the commander lowered his barrier and sat with his men awaiting the destined end for them all.
Just minutes later the entire mountain caught on fire, lava poured from the earth and reclaimed the mountain swallowing all of it instantly.