Volume 1- Chapter 20: The Prince’s Bloody Chains

Sakido opened his eyes and beheld the same black abyss that he was familiar with from his fight with Hiru.

He felt his hair sticking to his face, the smell of iron filled his nose, dark red blood ran down his face. The blood was draining from his eyes, it ran down his chin and hit the ground. A puddle of his own blood was forming before him, wetting his legs.

As he became more conscious, he noticed that he was kneeling, he felt a pain that was simply inexpressible enveloping his chest. It felt as if he were being pierced by multiple flaming daggers all at once.

He attempted to scream, but his blood gurgled in his throat, and more poured from his mouth. He managed to whimper and barely emit so much as a cry from his mouth.

The boy peered down to see a horrific red eye staring back at him. The eye was made of the most vibrant crimson, and held a reptilian shaped pupil. The eye was connected to a larger body. A black most formed around the eye, taking the shape of the jaw of a dragon. He realized that he was captured by the teeth of this dark dragon. He saw the wicked teeth that were dug into his flesh, they remained stagnant, his blood flowing around them.

The eye followed his as he screamed into the sky of the abyss, he grabbed onto the dragon and attempted to free himself, only to be clutched tighter.

The dragon itself had no physical body, only a black mist that formed a corporeal entity. The eye that stared at Sakido held a disgusting resentment. That glare in itself shot an arrow of petrifying fear directly into his soul. He pondered if he was dead, perhaps hell was real, and he had found himself within it.

"Ah, welcome back, I take it that the fight didn't go to well did it?" Said a sadistic voice.

Sakido inched his head upwards and saw before him the dark figure that offered him power during his confrontation with Hiru. Sakido's blue eyes shot open and he gasped sharply, causing him to choke on his own bodily fluid.

He placed his hands on the jaw in order to straighten himself, but again the teeth clenched and caused him to yell in agony.

He manages to look at the puddle forming before him and noticed that upon hitting the ground of this abyss, the blood turned black and began boiling. The blood curdled and turned into a thick paste, small hands made of the paste were created from the mass and reached at Sakido's body.

"What...d-d-...do you want...? Am...I dead?"

The Latent looks at Sakido and gives him a look of austere maliciousness. "Not yet, but you're about there. And, by all means, if you want that to be a reality, you can just bleed out here. Or, you can consider what I offer."

Sakido was able to keep one bloodshot eye open as he peered at The Latent.

"I'm guessing...you want to give me some sort of power."

"Oh, good choice. That happens to be mostly correct. Only, I don't 'want' to give you power. I'm only here to offer it."

"What will happen if I take it?"

"Oh, much more willing to accept it than last time? This is good progress. You're-"

"What...will happen?" Sakido said, his teeth clenched in pain.

"Since you've asked me a redundant question, Sakido, allow me to ask you one as well. What happens when anyone gains power? What does the concept of power do to someone? Do we consider power as wealth? As strength? As reputation? As maturity? As intellect? As health?

Or...perhaps you should stop viewing power as an objective term. Do you believe that the kings of history have mounted their golden thrones with true power? What was that...Sakido? They had all of the opulence that their greedy fangs could list for. All of the knowledge that they desired just before their mendacious eyes. Yet look at the course of history. Wars, famine, disease, and yet there they lived...comfortably on their hilltop castles. They died, usurped, sycophantically. They were feeble men and women, that changed nothing. Is that power, Sakido?

Perhaps now we can see the answer emerging. Power lies not in materialistic or mental qualities, but in the direction that one takes their inherited blessings. What you do is different than what you gain.

True power lies within the capability to control the void of depravity that exists within humanity. As your hand seeps with darkness, you may guide these willing ants to their hill, and collapse it when it suits you.

You may do what you will with this power I offer you, but remember my words, I wouldn't want history to repeat itself, or perhaps...I would."

The Latent walks over to Sakido, it's black hair swaying back and forth past it's red eyes, the same eyes as the dragons'.

The dark figure puts it's gloved hands against each side of Sakido's face. The boy peers up at the figure with an expression of strain and exhaustion.

The dark one asks him "Do you accept what I offer you, Sakido Ikakuro?"

Sakido takes a few breaths and attempts to ignore the mourning pain that is surging through his feeble body.

"I don't want it, but I need it."

"Very well, boy. Remember, what I give you is simply a tool to guide you. Beyond you lies a darker abyss than this.

The gray is darker than black, Sakido, heed these words."

The Latent then raises both of it's hands and removes them from Sakido's face. The figure then raises both of it's hands as the dual streams of blood coming from Sakido's eyes are raised and turned towards Sakido. The ends of the streams are sharpened to a point and the streams themselves form a chain structure.

These chains of blood then point directly into Sakido's eyes, they lie only a brief space in front of his pupils.

He stared at the sharp ends, clenching his teeth and bracing for the ensuing pain. As the figure clenched both it's fists, the blood chains pierced Sakido's eyes, slicing straight through the soft tissue and optical nerves, causing even more wide streams of blood to pour down.

Before he could scream from the immense agony, he felt consciousness leave him briefly.

Sakido then opened his eyes, and he found himself back in front of Shizuka.

The sword that pierced Sakido's abdomen reamined in it's place, yet Sakido's face reflected no pain. His eyes were cold, dead, made of pure steel. His hair fell over his face as his sweat and blood ran from his forehead.

A sudden burst of his bright blue aura exploded from him, sweeping both sides of his body and altering the state of the air and reality around him. Cracks began appearing in thin air, the ground was trembling, the burning blinding light was nearly blinding to look at.

With a swift motion, Sakido grasped the jagged crystalline blade of Shizuka, which was protruding from his abdomen. With a single hand, he broke the very blade in half, appearing to use no effort in his doing of this action. He spun around and slit Shizuka's throat with the rogue piece of his weapon. The wielder of the weapon stumbled backwards, grasping at his throat in an effort to halt the rapid bleeding from his throat.

As Shizuka used what remained of his ability to heal his wound, he watched as Sakido turned his direction and held up the broken half of his sword. The white haired boy then, within his left hand, crushed the blade within his grasp, the weapon falling to pieces before him.

Sakido looked up at his opponent, his eyes had changed into the reptilian pupils from his last encounter with The Latent, he now held a grin on his face that could not be mistaken for anything else other than pure maliciousness. His eyes beheld the desire of wanton death and destruction within them, his wicked smile and enlarged canines added to this fearful appearance, Shizuka forgot that he was even viewing his former friend.

The air around Sakido continued to Shatter, as if it were a four dimensional pane of glass set around him.

A darker blue mass of energy was focused on his back, this mass began to form into the wing of something dragonic. The wing that appeared on the right side of his body had no physical skin, but appeared to have a scale-like pattern and was made of a similar burning energy to the boy's sword.

This wing flowed back and forth, catching the wind and turbulence caused by his immense Seishin pressure.

Shizuka peered at what Sakido had become with a fear in his eyes, he felt an urge to cower, but against his better judgement, he refused this desire.

"Oh god...Sakido...what is this power?"

The boy peered upwards, a look of prideful callousness spread across his face. His white hair flowed before his eyes, which burned more than they had ever before. The very ground under his feet was giving way under his feet.

"God? You fool, I'm your god now! And, your judgement is due, allow me to further this process!"

Sakido flickered in front of Shizuka, for a moment, Shizuka felt the subtle displacement of air, but Sakido appeared in his location within a single moment. Scars suddenly appeared on Shizuka's already battered body.

Shizuka stumbled backwards, only to be sliced from behind, then from the front, then over again. In an attempt to halt Sakido's efforts, he emitted a wave of electricity all around him, Sakido held out his sword and bypassed the attack.

"HAHA! You fool, you'll have to try harder than that, your attacks are feeble. How idiotic your fighting is!"

Shizuka reached his hand into the sky and lowered it, launching one of the lifted masses at Sakido, Sakido reached his left hand out and destroyed the building as to passed over his body. This process repeated until Shizuka created larger masses from the rings he had created within the sky. Sakido sliced through these masses with his burning sword.

As Shizuka threw these buildings, he saw them be cut in half one by one, causing Shizuka to shout in both frustration and agony as he put all of his remaining power into the movement of these inconceivably heavy masses of debris.

"Go ahead, Shizuka, you may begin with the real attacks now." Sakido smiles with a wicked grin as he flaunts his power at his victim.

"Or perhaps, it's my turn."

The newly empowered Sakido propels himself into the air, he peers down at the unsuspecting Shizuka.

"Aufschlitzen Schwertregen"

Upon this announcement, Sakido recalled his sword backwards and around him a ring of swords formed. The swords were an exact replica of the one that he held within his grasp. They formed a ring that spanned a circle around his body. The swords spun as he primed his attack. As Sakido reached his arm out, the multiple Aufsclitzen rained down, causing Shizuka to have to dodge as many as he could, each sword hit the ground with an impact that shattered the earth and sent waves of energy into the sky, clearing the skyline.

As Sakido flew his way to the ground, he met Shizuka, who had survived the assault.

"Sakido, please, HELP US!!!"

The boy heard Ami and Korihime calling for him.

"I will free you two! I must take care of him first, he won't let you out of his grasp!"

Sakido foresaw a beam of electricity heading his way, without making even a slight reaction, he uttered "Ausweiden"

He lifted his hand, which had a bright blue mass of energy within it, and shot it directly at the beam, at first there was some resistance, but eventually the Ausweiden overpowered the electric beam, and impacted upon Shizuka, further tattering his body.

"You just don't stay down, do you?" The boy said while laughing, his maniac voice taking control of his senses.

"I won't let this be the end, I will find my father, and you will die today, Sakido, no matter how much power you've been gifted!" Shizuka yelled back to the boy.

Suddenly, upon hearing this insult, Sakido began laughing a blood curdling laugh, a laugh of hysterics, a rapid conniption came over him, he lost himself in sporadic laughter. His laughs echoed over the barren cityscape, and came as a shock to everyone that viewed the insanity of his laughter.

The boy covered his eyes and allowed his hair to fall over his hands as he laughed into the sky.

"YOU?! YOU WEAK, PATHETIC, WORTHLESS INSECT! I have had enough of this game! I want to see your lifeless body before me...HAHAHAHA."

Sakido raised his hand to the sky, suddenly, the air cleared and the clouds in the sky dissipated.

"You have a chance now, you Kretin! Bow to your king, bow to the power of the almighty! MAY THE REIGN OF ANSWEISEN FOREVER BE MIGHTY! MAY THE STRONG SURVIVE AND THE WEAK PERISH, OUR GLORIOUS KINGDOM SHALL OUTLAST TIME!"

The color of the wing spread behind him, a mass began to form, a mass that was far taller than Sakido. A royal blue body began to form behind Sakido, two wings formed and latched to the mass, massive claws were brought forth, the large body of a creature was spawning behind Sakido.

Shizuka watched as the creation of this entity further cracked reality around it, causing the air to shatter. The formation of this being rattled the earth, formed divots within the very crust of the planet, it felt as though the Earth itself would implode.

Before Shizuka's eyes stood a glowing blue dragon, fire shooting from it's eyes, it's massive teeth being visible from below the gargantuan beast. When the creature roared, another earthquake broke out and tore apart more of the land.

Shizuka dropped to his knees in disbelief at this sight.

"What...what is this?"

Sakido stood betwixt the mighty wings of the sacred beast, it's shadow casting over the boy. Shizuka observed as Sakido stood directly under the jaw of the mighty creature.

The dragon made of pure Seishin energy opened it's mouth, and a mass similar to Sakido's Ausweiden was being created before the tongue of the beast. Even the creation of this mass caused gusts of wind that sent the remaining debris flying and the captured girl's feared for their own safety.

This mass was now fully formed in the mouth of the dragon, Sakido's hand still remained in the air.

"Sakido...please, we can work together, we can fix this world."

Another snicker came from the possessed Sakido, his eyes glaring with the light of malignity.

"And fix what? Your worthless breed? You humans are nothing but disposable trash, there is no saving your petulant race. This world and all within your universe belongs to Answeisen, to the Ritter. Do not worry, boy, your death is a stepping stone to the new age, an age that I will bring forth."

"You're not Sakido!"

"Not yet, now accept your death like the worthless pawn that you are. Be proud that you live to serve King Misaki."

With those words, Sakido brought down his hand,

"Drachen Auswieden!"

The flaming mass left the jaws of the dragon, a beam of pure blue light spread forth and decimated all that it touched. The world seemed to shatter, the sky was filled with blue energy, all civilians were blinded by this blue light, the ensuing damage was catastrophic. Earthquakes spread across the globe, the climate shifted, the moon appeared to have been splintered from the waves of damage. The beam went on for kilometers, nothing seeming to stop, the damage was marked from cities over.

Vorne: The Queen's Palace

"Have you gathered the Akujin as I requested, my dear Toshiro?" Mizumi asked, uncloaked in her throne room.

Within her hands, she held a glass of red wine as she sat at an ornamented table. She slowly sipped and closed her eyes as the liquid ran past her lips.

Toshiro held a white cloth in his hands, he wiped a glass and set it down onto the table she sat at.

"I have, they have all come from their respective territories to meet with you. Number eight, 'The Axe' was exceedingly displeased to travel all this way."

"What a pain he is to deal with, his territory shall be reclaimed by another in time."

"Do you plan to relieve him of his position as an Akujin?" Toshiro asked, pushing up his glasses back to his eyes.

Mizumi laughed and dotted her mouth with her cloth. She subsequently raised her glass for Toshiro to collect.

"Relieve him? That is not my way, I will disregard of him, he was never fit to serve me, he has merely been a placeholder."

Toshiro plucked the glass from her fingers and wiped it with his wet cloth.

"I see, I believe his number was one of the highest was it not?"

"Yes, but only because he rules with brawn, not brain. Although, I will admit that he was quite a fascinating 'experiment' if you will."

Mizumi stood from the table upon hearing a knocking on the entrance to the palace. She and Toshiro winded the long gothic staircase to the bottom floor. The palace was filled with monolithic paintings, gargoyles, and various weaponry. It was furnished with luxurious furniture and beheld antique relics on the walls. The eerie interior was lit by only candles lit on the walls, the darkness gave life to the unsettling artwork and sculptures that ornamented the main room of the palace.

As Mizumi stood in the middle of the great iron door, her feet planted in the middle of the red tapestry, Toshrio forced open the massive black door that barred the palace shut.

Upon his efforts of opening the door, the guest stood just outside, waiting for permission from their superior.

"Permission to enter, my queen?" Said the female visitor.

The female had bright red hair that was tied into a ponytail, she wore a light battle vest, of which was strapped with ammunition. Multiple sized pockets ornamented her outfit and skirt, she held two small firearms on her side, two more small firearms on her lower back, a large firearm down the middle of her back, and underneath that lied a SMG sized firearm that was strapped under the large one.

"The 'Crimson Bullet' came faster than you had anticipated, my queen." Toshiro said, holding the door open for the lady.

"Yes of course Cynthia, enter, my dear."

The lady walked forth and stood before the Queen, Cynthia then kneeled before her, took her hand, and gave it a gentle kiss. Cynthia then stood firmly in front of the Queen yet again.

The red haired woman asked "What is the matter regarding this request, Mizumi?"

Mizumi gave her a gregarious smile, yet laced with her malicious undertones.

"Oh, Cynthia, there is much blood to be shed."