"Utsusuki, Kenta," I called, keeping the blade's tip pressed lightly against the woman's cheek. She flinched, her sharp intake of breath betraying her nerves, though she refused to fully back down. Gotta give her points for guts. Stupidity? Eh, that's debatable.
"Yes, my lord?" Both men stepped forward, their expressions unreadable but their readiness unmistakable.
"Take her into custody. We'll question her later."
Honestly, part of me wanted to just end it here and now—clean and simple. But curiosity got the better of me. This "lord" she mentioned had my attention. Who was pulling the strings, and why send only these few? Did they think we were that easy to beat?
"I'll never talk to the likes of you!" she snarled, all defiance, though she pulled her head back, the edge of my blade still far too close for comfort. Like a cornered stray dog, barking bravely but flinching at every shadow.
I smirked. "That would be unwise, especially since your comrades are now in my care." I let my words hang in the air, their weight doing the work for me, much like the sword hovering against her skin. With a quick nod, Utsusuki and Kenta seized her arms, dragging her away toward the village gates.
"Instincts, what's the status on Mi and Rai?"
[Both are holding their own. No additional input is required.]
Good. Reliable as ever. I let out a sigh of relief, tension easing from my shoulders. "So I can leave everything to them, then?"
[Affirmative.]
Perfect. That gave me time to focus on other matters—like how long it'd take to figure out what this mess was all about. With a small smile, I turned back toward the village. Whatever tricks our enemies had in store, I trusted my comrades to handle them. Not that things ever went smoothly for long.
The crack of clashing blades thundered through the air. Mi grinned, gripping his sword tightly as he brought it down with enough force to send his opponent skidding backward, feet tearing trenches into the dirt.
"Just come quietly, yeah? Don't keep the boss waiting," Mi taunted, his tone laced with mockery. The sheer ease in his stance made the whole thing seem like a warm-up. His opponent's grip trembled on his blade, his confidence faltering.
"Y-you're—" The man stammered, barely holding his ground.
Mi tilted his head, clearly enjoying himself. "What's that? Speak up! I can't hear you over the sound of you losing."
The swordsman's lips curled in frustration, and then he spat it out: "You're weaker than the original! I can beat you!"
Oh. Bad move.
Mi's grin dropped in an instant. His teeth clenched, and his eye twitched—just once—but it was enough to make even the wind pause. "Huh?" he muttered, voice low and sharp.
Without warning, Mi kicked the samurai with enough force to send him sprawling. The man skidded across the ground, dirt and dust kicking up in his wake.
"You? Beat me?!" Mi stalked forward, grabbing the warrior by the hair and yanking his face upward until their eyes met. "You have no idea what position you're in, pal."
The man's bravado shattered instantly, his pupils shrinking as sweat poured down his face. His hands fumbled for his sword, but it was clear his fingers weren't listening anymore.
"Well?!" Mi roared, his temper clearly boiling over.
[Mi! Remember what Lord Mirai said—]
"Yeah, yeah, I know! I'm not gonna kill him!" Mi snapped, releasing the man with an irritated huff. The warrior barely had time to blink before scrambling for his weapon.
Bad move number two.
The snap of bone echoed through the air as Mi's hand closed around the man's wrist and twisted. A howl of pain erupted from the warrior, his sword clattering uselessly to the ground.
"Stand down," Mi murmured, his blade now resting lightly against the man's neck. His voice was calm again, but that only made it scarier. The defeated warrior whimpered, his bravado replaced with the sound of abject surrender.
"Oh, it seems as though you're comrades are now in our custody," Rai mused, a soft almost reminiscing smile on his face.
"Wide open!" The stocky warrior roared, swinging his club with the full weight of desperation.
Rai tilted his head, stepping lightly out of range, his movements a blur. "You know," he mused, "shouting that only warns your opponent. Strategy 101, really."
The warrior gritted his teeth, lunging again, only to meet empty air. "Are you mocking me?!"
"Mocking? Me?" Rai feigned shock, placing a hand over his chest like he'd been accused of a crime. "Perish the thought! I assure you, I'm breaking a sweat just keeping up."
"I will not be looked down upon by the clone of a youth!" The blatant lie made the warrior's veins bulge with fury. "I'll kill you for your insolence!"
"Ah, see? Now you're getting serious!" Rai's smile grew wider, his blade flashing in the sunlight as he effortlessly parried the incoming strike. The clang of metal on metal rang out, but Rai remained unshaken.
"Why isn't your sword breaking?!" the warrior shouted, panic creeping into his voice.
Rai's expression darkened, amusement sharpening into condescension. "Oh, you poor, ignorant fool." He lowered his blade, letting the light glint ominously off its edge. "Didn't you know? Demon blades don't shatter under normal weapons."
Before the warrior could react, Rai closed the distance in an instant, his elbow driving deep into his opponent's gut. The man's breath escaped in a strangled gasp, his eyes rolling back as he crumpled to the ground.
"There, all done~" Rai chirped, sheathing his blade with a flourish. "Mi, do try to keep up next time, won't you?"
"Me? I finished before you!" Mi defended, ticked off by Rai's comment.
"Simply not true, I could've ended that fight way sooner~" Rai sighed playfully, his hands raising to a shrug, his head shaking softly as if denying Mi's claim.
"So could I!" Mi's voice took on a low upset tone at Rai's reluctance to acknowledge his lose.
[Save your bickering for another time! Mirai want's those people as prisoners as soon as possible!]
"Right, right! We heard you, you dumb machine!" Mi roared at the voice, causing Rai's eyebrows to shot up with a curious expression.
"What's a machine?" He pondered, looking at Mi for answers, who simply just shrugged at his question.
"I don't know, I've been just hurling words."
"As tactless as always–" Rai chuckled,
"What'd you say!?"
Can you two just hurry up already?!