***************************
Japan, Ozunu Orphanage: Forest
Seung-Jo felt a shiver run down his spine as Lucian's gaze settled upon him. His instincts screamed at him to run, to get as far away from this terrifying force as possible. The hairs on his arms stood on end.
"Look, I'll just go. I don't want to fight, okay?" Seung-Jo stammered, taking a tentative step backward, desperately wanting to escape Lucian's presence.
Lucian's eyes narrowed, but inside his mind, Cortana's voice echoed, 'Your body is too exhausted. You need to kill the Kurokos quickly now. Let him go, otherwise, even your body won't recover.' Lucian nodded silently, recognizing that he was pushing his limits.
He vanished before Seung-Jo and Noshiko could react, leaving Seung-Jo with a shaky breath of relief. But that relief was short-lived. He felt a cold edge press against his shoulder, halting him in his tracks.
"You think you're safe now that he's gone?" Noshiko sneered, a raised eyebrow betraying her skepticism. She turned her gaze to the Kurokos, witnessing Lucian's brutal efficiency, her eyes narrowed in confusion and awe. 'What was he?'
Lucian reappeared behind a Kuroko, plunging his broken katana into its nape with a swift, deadly precision.
He spun, disarming the Kuroko, snatching its curved weapon, and using it to sever its head with a single, clean cut.
He vanished again, reappearing, each time a life extinguished with a single, calculated move. His movements became a symphony of death, efficient, clean, and almost balletic dance of death.
He knew it was a race against time. His body was nearing its breaking point but his determination fueled him onward.
He gritted his teeth, vanishing once more.
He materialized before the older children, the curved blade in his hand arcing through the air, slicing through the joints of a Kuroko's arm with pinpoint accuracy.
He snatched another weapon, his movements becoming a blur, dismembering the Kurokos with practiced ease, separating them from their limbs.
The Kurokos, now without hands or arms, continued to charge but the children, no longer afraid, stood their ground.
Their bare fists flew, a flurry of punches and kicks, their coordinated defense a testament to their unity.
They dodged and weaved, their movements surprisingly agile, effortlessly evading the clumsy attacks of the dismembered Kurokos.
Lucian surveyed the scene, a tired smile playing on his lips.
He knew he couldn't kill them all but he could neutralize them rendering them harmless to the children by standing in front of the older kids knowing the Kurokos would rush towards before them.
As his body continued to ache, his energy fading. He knew he might not be able to end every Kuroko's life but they were no longer a threat to the children.
"You guys can handle it, right?" he asked, his voice raspy, his face covered with blood.
Julianne looked at his tired figure, the blood coating his face, her heart aching. She saw the young children, some still caught in the clutches of the Kurokos, and knew he wouldn't rest until they were safe.
She glanced around at the other children, their expressions mirroring her own.
They all understood.
"We can handle this." she whispered, her eyes welling up. "Go. Save them."
Lucian nodded, a brief flicker of gratitude passing through his golden eyes.
He vanished, disappearing into the chaos, his mission far from over. He would not rest until every child was safe.
•-----•-----•-----•-----•
Talia who had shape shift into a black wolf in full form, raced through the forest, heading towards Satomi and Noshiko's location.
She spotted a group of ninjas, clad in black, running carrying a young girl. Suddenly, a figure emerged like a flash, sliding in front of the lead ninja. With a swift move, the figure sliced at the ninja's knees, forcing him to kneel.
In a fluid motion the figure wielded a curved weapon rising aiming towards the ninja neck severing the ninja's head completely.
While the young girl was surprisingly calm, broke free from the dead ninja's grasp.
Talia's wolf eyes widened in confusion. She didn't know who to trust. Who is the foe.
The figure continued his assault, waving his curved weapon.
He sliced through the joint in the arms of the remaining ninjas, their limbs falling to the ground. With a spin, he wielded two curved weapons, beheading the last two other ninjas. Their head flew through the air before tumbling to the ground.
The figure turned, and Talia knew he had noticed her.
He knelt before the young girl, his eyes meeting Talia's.
Lucian, who was the figure, looked at the young girl, who was wiping blood from his face.
"What's your name, kid?" Lucian asked gently, noticing her unusual calmness.
"My name is Anya, and you're a kid too, brother." Anya said, wiping the blood from his cheek.
Lucian smiled softly, releasing one of the curved weapons in his hand. He gently took Anya's hand, which was still wiping his face.
"Okay then, Anya, I need you to go to the older brother and sister for now. Can you do that?" Lucian asked gently, hoping she could run on her own. He was too tired to carry her back and continued to pursue the Kurokos.
Anya nodded, her head lowering slightly.
"Brother, are you tired?" she whispered her voice laced with concern.
Lucian smiled softly. "I'm not, but I still need to go and save our siblings, okay?" Lucian said, taking the curved weapon back and standing up again.
Anya whispered, "Liar." before she ran back towards the older children.
Lucian watched her go, but then his eyes turned towards the large black wolf with golden eyes. 'No, black wolf with yellow eyes in your memories,' Cortana's voice sounded in his mind, making his eyes narrow. He wasn't sure if the wolf was an enemy.
But he heard footsteps, recognizing the sound of another Kuroko trying to escape with a child.
Lucian shook his head. He didn't have time to think about the wolf and its goals.
He disappeared quietly rushing towards the kurokos.
Talia, having overheard Lucian and Anya's conversation, knew the ninjas in black were the villains, kidnapping children.
She saw two ninjas running off with a kid and rushed to intervene. However, she paused, thinking, 'If I hadn't heard that bloody figure talk I wouldn't have figured out it's a kid,' She sprinted towards the ninjas.
She opened her mouth to bite the head off one of the ninjas, but a powerful kick slammed into her head.
Lucian jumped forward spinning and cutting the Kuroko's head off.
The ninja's body crumpled, dropping the child, who rolled away as he looked at Lucian with gratitude as he eyes teared up while having a snot on his nose as he nodded and whispered a quick "thank you" to Lucian before running off towards the older kids.
Talia's wolf eyes glowed in annoyance as she looked at Lucian who jumped on her head.
Lucian felt her gaze on him. "Don't bite their heads off. They've got an alien parasite in them." he said calmly as he went after the other Kurokos.
Talia's eyes widened in disgust. She looked at the severed head, shaking her head before helping Lucian.
She slapped at the Kurokos clawing at their chest as Lucian appeared behind their back to cut off their heads.
Lucian nodded towards Talia, and she nodded back in response with her wolf head.
Lucian observes her calmly his eyes twinkle as he thinks of something.
'do you really think that's a good idea?' Cortana's voice in his mind was full of worry.
'Yes, I'm too tired, I need to use my energy more efficiently and I'll get away passing it as a kid mischief' Lucian answered through his mind before he disappeared.
Talia felt her back sink as Lucian leaped onto her back. "Go!" Lucian commanded.
Talia's eyes widened in shock. 'This kid's audacity,' she thought, but before she could shake him off, she saw a large group of ninjas running with a group of children. "This will just be the first and last time, you're lucky this time kid,' she thought as she rushed forward.
As Talia ran towards the Kurokos what they didn't know is that Raizo appeared on one of the branches of the trees observing Lucian.
•-----•-----•-----•-----•
As Talia raced through the forest with Lucian on her back, a helicopter appeared overhead, its searchlight beam pinning them in its sights.
Lucian shielded his eyes, frowning as he looked up. They were close to the Kurokos, but half of them had stayed behind, weapons drawn, while those holding the children continued to run.
Lucian's frown deepened as Cortana's voice sounded in his mind, delivering dire news. 'Thirty seconds. Your body will shut down,' Cortana said urgently, hoping he could complete his mission.
Lucian shook his head, his body tense. Talia, feeling his movement, couldn't help but wonder, 'What's this kid going to do now?'
Lucian launched himself forward, leaping from Talia's back to face the Kurokos. He blocked their weapons with a swift movement, then spun, cutting off their hands with a single stroke.
While their attention was on Lucian, Talia pounced as she roared.
Her claws ripped through their throats, tearing out chunks of flesh and snapping the bones in their necks with a sickening crunch. She bit down on the last Kuroko's waist, shaking her head violently, separating the body completely.
As she finished the final Kuroko, Lucian vanished. 'Twenty-six,' a countdown appeared above his head, Cortana's timing echoing in his mind a reminder on how much faster he needs to be.
Lucian slid forward, severing the leg of a fleeing Kuroko. The ninja tumbled to the ground. Lucian knelt as he placed his hand with the curved weapon, aiming it at the Kuroko's neck. As the ninja fell, inertia propelled the weapon forward, slicing through his throat.
Lucian had no time to attend to the child trapped beneath the Kuroko's body.
'Twenty-four,' Cortana's voice echoed.
Lucian spun, gathering force, then hurled the curved weapon from his right hand before disappearing.
The weapon struck the knees of a Kuroko, sending him to the ground. He struggled to rise, but before he could regain his footing, Lucian appeared at his side, cutting off his head.
'Fifteen.' Lucian ran towards the last Kuroko, his mind becoming more groggy as his vision started blurring.
He threw his remaining weapon at the Kuroko as he sprinted forward, disappearing from view.
The Kuroko dodged the weapon but as he halted to avoid the attack, Lucian had already reached him from behind.
'Ten.' Sensing the danger, the Kuroko spun, bringing down his weapon towards Lucian, the child still held in his grasp.
'Nine.' Lucian, with no time to spare, made a desperate and violent decision.
He didn't block the weapon, allowing it to strike him but with his left hand, he grabbed the Kuroko's arm, preventing the weapon from penetrating too deeply in his shoulders and pinning the ninja in place.
'Eight.' Kuroko was trapped, unable to escape, and couldn't attack as his hands were already full.
Lucian's right hand shot out like a spear, his two fingers piercing the soft flesh beneath the Kuroko's jaw.
'Seven.' Lucian knew it wouldn't be enough. The Kuroko wouldn't give up knowing how tenacious it is. So with every ounce of strength, Lucian shoved his right hand upward.
'Six,' 'Five.' The Kuroko's head violently separated from his neck, his throat rupturing as blood sprayed out, splattering Lucian's face and the ground as Lucian ripped the head from the body with a violent jerk.
'Four.' Kuroko's headless body crumpled to the ground, as Lucian pushed the child behind him, the child trembling in shock.
Lucian grabbed the weapon that had been sturck on his shoulders as his own body started bleeding profusely.
'Three.' Blood covered Lucian's face but he had no time to clean it.
His vision and hearing faded, as body started aching in pain a sign his body starting to shut down.
But Lucian didn't give up as he pointed the weapon in his hands towards any sound he could hear.
'Two.' Talia came towards him but Lucian, with his blurry vision and weakened hearing, didn't know it was her as he continued to point his weapon at her.
Talia recoiled in shock, taking a few steps back, seeing the bloodied Lucian and the severed head in his hand.
'One.' The helicopter's sound echoed overhead, its spotlight beaming down on Lucian's bloodied figure in the forest but Lucian simply pointed his weapon in the direction of the helicopter's sound.
'Zero'
A wave of exhaustion so profound it felt like a physical blow slammed into Lucian. His knees buckled, threatening to give way, but a primal scream of defiance erupted from his soul, 'Not enough! Not enough!' The words were a guttural growl, a desperate plea to his failing body.
He fought against the pull of gravity, his muscles burning with an agony that defied description.
He stood, slowly, The weapon in his hand quivered slightly, but it remained pointed towards any threat protecting the child behind him.
______________________
Next Chapter 48: Protect
______________________
Marishadow:
Hello Everyone! just telling if you like my story Subscribe on my p.a.t.r.e.o.n on:
https://www.patreon.com/Marishadow
To Support me and get access to advanced chapters. Get ahead up to 20 chapters.
~ 5 advanced chapters $5 ~
~ 10 advanced chapters $10 ~
~ 20 advanced chapters $20 ~
Every member helps me creating and sharing more with you all.