Chapter 16

Blood dripped from Sado's body, pieces of his armor were sliced, his cape partly torn. Yet his eyes were still staring through the gaps in the forests, seeing fastly moving silhouettes. 

" Luckily, they aren't as strong as that man. " Mumbled Sado, closing his eyes, sensing the incoming group.

" 6...No there's 8. " Sado inhaled deeply, glancing up at the towering trees with massive frozen branches. The man made two massive errors while fighting Sado. Firstly, he figured his abilities were the exact same as the previous saiyans he had killed.

Believing that Sado could only sense using his scouter, and his eyes weren't adapted to the dark like his were. Both of these were untrue. At first, Sado was confused. He knew the blades thrown at him were for a reason. 

Eye, scouter, arm. The first three areas he targeted. Only then did Sado figure out what he was trying to do. He believed the Ki blast Sado sent flying through the forest wasn't to find him, rather to light up the forest, so Sado could see.

If this were true, the next best step would be to destroy his scouter and then target the arms that could create those Ki blasts.

Secondly, he underestimated Sado's experience. Although Sado is enormous compared to the average saiyan his age undoubtly, his face is that of a young child. Giving the man a sense of false comfort.

Comfort that Sado wished he currently had. The battle with the old man had taken a toll on his body; he knew his movements were far more restricted than usual. Yet, Sado just smirked and he vanished without a trace.

...

The hurried sounds of footsteps rang out, the crunching of snow. It was obvious the group of men rushing towards Sado was not trying to be discreet. The eight of them were cloaked in similar animal patches the elderly man wore. 

The men didn't speak, only rushing towards the massive explosion they saw in the sky. Their breaths were slowed perfectly calm, like trained hunters closing in on prey, before suddenly an odd wave of energy swept past them, making all of them jolt up in surprise.

" Did you feel that? " Said a young voice stemming from a small cloaked figure in the back of the group, sprinting together. 

" Someone is sensing for us. " Answered a slightly older voice. Tapping a similar crude blade hilt.

" If Nasomatto is there, we have nothing to worry about. I don't ever see that old bastard dying. " Said a bulking man with surprising light steps. His voice was booming, causing all of the others to go silent. 

As they slid to a stop, right in front of stained bloody snow. The young voice quickly crouched and grabbed onto the pile of snow, speaking. " This couldn't have happened but mere seconds ago. " 

" Ormonde. Stop stating the obvious. Stay grouped up. It's beneficial for us to stall for time until Nasomatto gets here. Judging from that blast, it's most likely a saiyan. " Said bulky man, glancing around the empty forest until Ormonde spoke.

" How do we know it's a saiyan? " 

" You know we can't use Ki, and what other race comes to a planet blowing shit up. " Ormonde sighed before standing back up. 

"Fine. Maison we do it your way " Maison grunted while crossing his arms, revealing his scarred blue arms. As he began to glance around the forest before, without saying another word, he walked forward with the group following closely behind him.

Their eyes were shaky, drifting around every inch of forest, scanning for anything out of place. The tapping of the crude's blade hilt began more frequent until finally, Maison spun around yelling.

" Quit tapping your damn hilt! Amouage!-

Before Maison could finish speaking, Amouage blade shot out of its hilt, slicing towards him. Maison's eyes widened in shock before the blade sailed past his throat, slicing a massive ice sickle, splitting it.

The sickle fell past either side of Maison's body, crashing into the snow. " Watch your heads, the sickles are unstable. Maybe a fight did happen here. " 

Maison stood there stunned before smirking and spinning around. "Never mind. Keep tapping that hilt all you want. You just saved my ass. But Amouage is right, someone watch our heads. "

A sigh of relief escaped everyone's lips. This slight joke seemingly calmed everyone's nerves, as they continued to walk, before Amouage abruptly paused, looking up at a massive branch, intensely staring at it for a brief few seconds, before looking back straight and following the group.

Hidden by the intense roaring winds of the planet, a slight whisper escaped from the treetops. " He's good. " Said Sado, walking onto the branch, closely watching the group walk together before gently hopping onto another branch trailing the group. 

Before they saw something, sticking out of the snow, a red piece of glass. Ormonde reached down, grabbing onto the glass.

" It's a scouter. " Said Maison. " If it's destroyed like this, there's a great chance the saiyan and Nasomatto have already encountered each other. " Maison spun around speaking to his group.

" In the unlikely- " Maison abruptly paused, his eyes glancing around at his group. " Why are there only seven of us? " 

This shock revelation caused everyone in the group to spin around, placing their backs against each other, their eyes dilated in shock, and they frantically scanned the forest until a soft thud was heard only by Amouage, who quickly spoke.

" Their to our right. "Maison's eyes swiftly shot over towards his right, staring at a massive tree before sprinting towards the noise with his group following, only to find a trail of blood leading to a cloaked man with his head violently twisted. 

" Damn. It's Chopard. " Maison and the others could only stare at the body until a gust of wind hit Maison, making him shoot his arms up, catching a falling ice sickle. 

" Is he trying to kill us with these sickles? " Mumbled Maison to himself, glancing around at the forest, until oddly, the feeling of dripping water seeped through the gaps in his fingers, making him look at the ice sickle, confused, watching as the sickle melted in his hands- 

" Maison! Throw it away! " Roared out, Amouage grabbing onto Ormonde's cloak, dashing back. As Maison tossed the ice sickle up into the air, which glowed a bright yellow-

BOOM

The sickle exploded in a blinding light, sending a massive dust of snow flying through the air. Countless ice sickles rained through the sky, causing everyone to shield their heads as the snow engulfed them. 

Coughing, Maison waved his hand, moving the flowing snow, shouting. " Rollcall! " 

Instantly, voices spoke up.

" Here! " 

"Here! " 

In unison, Amouage and Ormonde spoke, followed by three other voices which chimed in.

" Here!" 

" That's only five! Where's the other! " Roared out Maison, as the spewing snow cloud finally settled, revealing the sight of a cloaked man with blood pouring out of his chest, pinned against a large tree with a sword sticking out of his chest.

Amouage's eyes widened as he stumbled back and reached for his sword hilt, but when he closed his hand, he grabbed nothing but air.

" T-That's my sword? " Mumbles escaped Amouage's lips.

Maison looked back at the shocked Amouage, before his mind raced, trying to think of a single plan to recoup his group's minds-

" Your reflexes are sharp. Amouage. Yet you dropped your guard. " Said Sado's booming voice echoing throughout the forest. 

" To protect that weakling so carefully. " Maison and the others once again spun around, placing their backs against each other. For the first time, a slightly worried look covered Maison's face.

Maison tried his best to speak, but he couldn't. Sweat dripped down his face, rolling off his nose. His heart raced, beating violently. 

His breath sped up, until he gritted his teeth and yelled out. " We can no longer stick together! We need to split up! " 

" What the hell are you talking about? You've gone mad?! " Roared back Ormonde, staring at Maison with his beady black eyes. 

" There's no point in sticking together. In three, we break! " Everyone in group snapped their eyes at Maison like he was mad, and yet the count down started.

"3"

"2"

"1"

" Break!"