43. Blood And Steel

The Crimson Warlord stood amid the dozens of defeated warriors, his greatsword covered in blood and weighing heavy in his hand.

His armor, a warped mix of steel and meat, pulsed with dark energy. The atmosphere around him warped, bending under the sheer power of his presence.

In front of him, Micheal, Selene, Riven, Kai, and Jade stood motionless. Their gasps came short and ragged, their weapons steady in their grip.

The warlord's eyes roamed over them, amused contempt in his bloodshot eyes.

"Do you really think you have any hope whatsoever against me?" His storm voice thundered.

Jade's smile was as thin as a razor. "I don't think. I know."

And she was gone.

This is where the Battle Begins.

The warlord barely had time to blink before Jade materialized above his head, dagger flashing towards the exposed neck.

Clang!

His sword leaped up with unnatural reflexes, parrying her blow mid-air. Sparks shot out as blades clashed.

Jade spun around, vanishing again in a blur.

Micheal saw an opening. He Charged.

His sword flared with sheer power as he goes low, striking for the warlord's knee

But the warlord was waiting.

With unnatural strength, he kicked forward, his boot crashing into Micheal's ribs.

Boom!

Micheal was thrown back, shattering through a shattered pillar. Pain flashed through his body.

"Too slow," the warlord laughed.

Kai roared, spinning his glaive. He vaulted into the air, bringing his weapon down in a devastating arc.

The warlord caught it with one hand.

'What the hell' Kai eye's widened.

"Not a bad try" He admitted. "Try harder boy"

Then the warlord twisted, wrenching the glaive from his grip before slamming its blunt end into Kai's stomach.

Crack!

Kai spat blood as he flew backward, smashing into the rubble.

Selene and Riven struck next,moving in tandem.

Selene's daggers flashed, striking at his joints and exposed places.

Riven's double swords sliced in a maddened whirlwind, hacking and slashing in exact alignment.

The warlord laughed.

"Admirable. But futile."

He parried each blow.

His greatsword was a blur, slicing off their attacks with brutal accuracy.

Then, with a backhanded swing, he knocked Selene across the battlefield.

Riven parried a follow-up blow barely but not in time enough.

Slice.

The warlord's sword cut across his shoulder, blood spraying into the air.

Riven clamped his teeth together, stumbling backward.

Jade reappeared at the warlord's back, her dagger hovering for his spine.

But the warlord turned around at the last second, catching her wrist mid-strike.

"Fast," he admitted. "But predictable."

Then he tossed her like a ragdoll.

Jade hit a crumbling wall, stone disintegrating around her.

Micheal, his own breath still ragged from his last blow, levered himself into a sitting position. His ribs groaned with pain, but he stilled it.

His gaze flashed toward Jade.

She was already upright, shaking clothes off her in much the same manner as if the blow had been nothing.

But Micheal noticed.

For the first time, her assured facade had wavered just a little.

The warlord studied her with something between amusement and recognition.

"You," he murmured. "I know your kind. I've fought your kind before."

Jade's fingers twitched around her daggers.

Micheal caught the flicker of something in her eyes. Might be Anger,or pain.

"Maybe," she said flatly. "But I'm the last of my kind now."

Micheal's pulse quickened.

'The last?'

'What was she talking about?'

Jade had always been a mystery, but now, something deeper was surfacing.

Before he could shove her, the warlord unsheathed his greatsword.

"Enough games," he growled. "Time to die."

BOOM

The warlord unleashed a shockwave, the weight of it shattering the ground.

Jade vanished once more.

The Warlord moving closer to Micheal.

He barely got his sword up in time as the warlord's sword came down upon him.

Clang!

The impact sent him to his knees. His arms shook under the strain. He couldn't hold it.

The warlord smiled, pushing down harder.

Micheal's sword began to splinter.

Selene screamed. Kai roared.

But they were too far off.

The warlord's sword descended. A flash of silver barred the path.

Jade.

She stood in front of Micheal, her daggers intersecting with the warlord's sword.

Her muscles flexed. Her boots scraped the ground.

But she did not let go.

The warlord's eyes twinkled.

"Ah. So you care."

Jade snarled. "Shut up and fight."

She pushed forward, sending the warlord back a step.

That was enough for Micheal.

He moved.

His blade, straining with tension, plunged forward straight into the warlord's side.

Slash!

Blood splattered.

The warlord stumbled.

For the first time, they'd injured him.

But before Micheal could pull back, the warlord turned his blade.

Micheal's side exploded in pain.

A vicious slash tore across his ribs. Blood poured down his armor.

His eyes blurred. He fell.

Jade caught him. Her hand was warm, too intimate.

His sight clouded, fingers trembling.

"Stay with me, Micheal," Jade whispered, her voice tight with emotion.

Micheal willed his eyes to close.

And for the first time, he saw it.

The way her hands trembled a little bit.

The way her eyes had something raw, something that wasn't a stranger's.

"She's seen me like this before…"

"Jade," he croaked, struggling for air. "Who. are you really?"

Her lips parted.

She was going to say something. But then...

A pulse.

A deep, vibrating energy filled the battlefield.

The air coalesced, charged with something ancient.

The warlord remained motionless.

So did the others.

The ground beneath them split open. The heavens rumbled.

It wasn't power, it wasn't enemies, It was something old.

Something awakening.

The warlord's face grew dark. "What is this?"

Micheal's body began to incinerate.

Not with pain. With power.

His wound sealed itself over.

The air around him churned.

Lightning crackled at his fingertips.

A voice whispered in his mind, one he hadn't heard in years.

"Awaken, Micheal."

His eyes opened.

Golden light exploded from his body.

The warlord stepped back.

For the first time the warlord was afraid.

Micheal stood up.

And when he spoke, his voice has changed. This time stronger, deeper.

"You wanted a real fight?"

His sword blazed with golden fire.

"Then let's finish this."