19: Lands Between

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Sasuke laid down on the floor, his eyes closed as he felt the warm energy travel through his whole body. "Ahh..." He exhaled, putting his arm over his eyes. His mind traveling to the battle just passed. The images of his team lying in a pool of their own blood still vivid.

Clenching his teeth, he stood up and shook his head, dispelling his thoughts. Looking around, he saw he was within the hallway he had left from previously. To his left sat the Grace which had healed him.

"I need to hurry!" He mutters to himself and walks forward. "I need to return..." Not much longer, he stopped and looked forward. The hallway ended, going to the outside, but it seemed like a narrow passage high in the sky.

Like a bridge, a few tens of meters in front of him stood a gateway. Broken down as if surviving many battles. Spears and spikes strewn around the path ahead of him. 

Walking forward, he goes to the edge of the walkway and glances down, spotting an expanse of clouds beneath. 'So the caste is on top of a mountain...' He thought and continued to slowly walk forward, the silence setting his instincts off.

"Foul Tarnished..."

a Voice echoes through the silence and Sasuke whips his head into the direction, spotting a figure materialize in a golden light on top of one of the gate walls. Quickly equipping his armor, he summons his sword, ready for battle.

"In search of the Elden Ring..." The man continues speaking.

'Elden Ring? Is he the current Elden Lord?' Sasuke thought, his muscles tightening.

"Emboldened by the flame of ambition." The man speaks and crouches slightly before launching himself in the air and drops a few feet away from Sasuke, his figure towering in front of the boy as he swings his crude cane slightly, revealing his horn filled face.

"Someone..." The man speaks, his eyes narrowed at Sasuke. "Must extinguish that flame..." His brown cloak rustles slightly in the wind, revealing his hairy arms and what Sasuke could barely make out as a horn filled tail behind him.

"Let it be me, Margit the fell..." As he spoke his last sentence, words appeared above his head.

[Margit, the Fell Omen]

'Margit eh?' Sasuke thought and didn't give Margit any more time to speak as he ran through seals and spat a fireball at the man.

Margit swung around and used his tail to block the fireball as the red bar above his head decreases a bit.

Smiling at the damage dealt, Sasuke ran close to him, slicing the previously hit tail once before it moved away from him a bit and came back, smashing against his blade. Sliding back, he pivots his hind leg and stop the momentum.

"Worry not Tarnished..." Margit speaks, lifting his cane into the air. "Thy flame shall be smother between my fingers." Finished, he swings his cane downwards, meeting Sasuke's blade.

"Ugh!" Sasuke grunted, feeling his legs buckle a bit. Clenching his jaw, he pushes up with all his might, pushing the cane off his blade and steps back, quickly forming seals and blows another fireball at Margit, who sliced at it with his cane.

*Booo-!*

The fireball explodes against the cane and the flames breath towards Margit's face. "Raaah!" Margit lets out and grabs his cloak with his free hand, pulled it up to his face and extinguished the lingering flame.

Letting go of the cloak, he looks in front of him, but didn't see Sasuke. "Ah!" He cries out, feeling pain shoot through his tail. Spinning around, he launches Sasuke into the sky.

Ignoring the flying boy, he glances at his tail and spots a katana stuck into it's base.

Meanwhile, Sasuke rolls on the ground and jumps to his feet. Narrowing his eyes, he watches on as Margit takes the blade out before throwing it to the floor. 'There goes my reach...' He thought, summoning a kunai and holding it in reverse grip while he brings his free hand closer to his face.

'It's finally time to see if what I thought is correct...' a Golden flask with blue accents appears in his hand. [Flask of Cerulean Tears - Recovers FP] Glancing at the words, he downs the drink and stores it back in his inventory.

Blinking, he feels his chakra pool rapidly fill up. 'Yes!' He thought and sent another Great Fireball at Margit.

"Lowly Tarnished..." Margit mutters and jumped to his left, dodging the fireball before he created a golden dagger and throws it at Sasuke.

*Poof!*

The boy explodes into a plume of white smoke. "Wha-"

Sasuke gave him no time to finish his words and jumps onto his back after he sneaked behind him and jabs his kunai into his neck.

"Ahhhhh!" Margit cried out, raising his arms to grab the boy, but Sasuke pulled his kunai out and stabbed it into the hand closing in on him before he kicked off of Margit's back, falling to the floor.

Picking up the Katana on the floor next to him, Sasuke runs through the fireball seals while he ran closer to Margit.

'Fire style...' He thought and looked up to Margit's face, but only saw the flat end of a golden hammer.

"Witless..." Margit spoke and smashed the boy with his hammer. "Tarnished... Thou art of passing skill." He spoke and turned around, hitting Sasuke with his tail, having had an inkling he didn't kill the boy. "Warrior blood must truly run in thy veins."

Sasuke stepped back, grunting at the hit, feeling his organs shake a bit. He quickly stabilized himself and summoned the red flask before downing it, healing his wounds.

Taking a deep breath, he lifts his katana and blocks the golden dagger Margit gripped. His hands trembled at the strength, but he pushed it away and jumped back, dodging the cane swung at him. Materializing a kunai, he throws it at Margit, successfully stabbing the enemy's side before lifting his left free hand to his face in a half tiger seal.

"Kai!"

The words echoes, barely as the sound of an explosion covered it.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the smoke covering Margit. 'Did I get him?' He thinks and his gaze focuses on the runes on the bottom of his sight, waiting for new runes to come in.

Turning his attention back to Margit, his eyes widen at a golden dagger right in front of his face.

'Hu...' His mind speeds up. The world in his vision slows down and he turn his head, moving it slightly to the side, his gaze locked onto the dagger passing right by his nose.

"Hohh..." He exhales and snaps his head back, seeing Margit in the air, a golden hammer within his grip.

Thinking quickly, he performs seals and spits a great fireball at the falling enemy before going through more seals while looking at one of the spears stuck in the ground.

*Bang!*

Margit's golden hammer slams against Sasuke's body, taking no resistance before it crushed the ground beneath it.

*Poof!*

White smoke comes out from the dust cloud, but before Margit could turn around, he heard Sasuke's cold voice.

"It's over." Sasuke spoke and stabbed his blade straight through Margit's neck. "The Elden Ring is mine."