Both swordsmen now crossed blades, impressed by their near equal skills. Pushing the kitsune back, Ken now grinned as he assumed a defensive stance.
"You can not hope to win," he grinned. "I was trained by the last true samurai in Japan." Akira simply frowned, advancing on the blind swordsman as he now delivered vicious blow after blow. Ken now stumbled, surprised by his opponents brutality.
"I was trained by the most ruthless and skilled warrior my people have ever known," Akira growled, the kitsune pushing the vampire back. Ken snarled, moving to attack before one of the kitsunes tail ensnared his arm. Akira now slammed the vampire into an adjacent wall, disarming the vampire before impaling him with the vampires own blade. Ken let out a guttural cry, finding himself now stuck to the wall.
"My master far exceeds yours vampire."
Ken grunted, his hands grasping his own blade as he tried to free himself. Akira now watched the vampire struggle, furrowing his brow as a single flame now ignited on one of his tails. Taking a step back the kitsune now watched the flame float from his tail, lazily floating towards the vampire before engulfing him in flames.
Ken screamed in agony, the fire charring his body before extinguishing. Charred and barely conscious, Ken now struggled to breath as he felt the kitsune press his blade to his throat. "I've left you alive for now vampire," he said, his voice low and foreboding. "Tell me where the child is or the pain I inflict upon you will make you beg for death."
Ken coughed, a small chuckle escaping his charred lips. "You're already to late," he wheezed. "Selene should have completed the ritual by now. See for yourself kitsune, she is just past this hall."
As Akira now passed the vampire, he glanced back narrowing his eyes as he gazed at the mangled vampire. "For your sake vampire I hope you are wrong." Turning quickly, Akira now quickly made his way down the hall.
A thousand thoughts now crossed the kitaunes mind. Was Ken lying? Was Yuriko dead? How were Ayami and the others? Akira needed to focus, he didn't have time to linger on such things. The sound of battle ahead now drew Akiras attention. Maybe he was too late.
As he now turned a corner, he was shocked as Mia flew backwards. The young witchlingnow struggling to stand as Akira came to her aid. Glancing at the girl, Akira noted the numerous gashes on the girls body. The cuts appeared deep, bleeding heavily. "Mia?" Mia could only groan, the girl now pointing ahead of her. As Akira now saw, the others were in a desperate battle.
Zack lay whimperingclose by, despite the werewolves accelerated healing, he appeared to be in dire straits. Zack's injuries were even more numerous than Mia's, the werewolf struggling to stand on what appeared to be two shattered legs. While he would heal in time, he was for the moment out of the fight. Wondering who could have done this, Akira now gazed at Ayami and Rexie.
The two demons were now engaged in a fight with a child. Looking at the auburn haired girl, Akira thought very little if her, this child at first glance appeared as lethal as a kitten. Those thoughts though changed quickly.
Rexie now lunged at Ann, Mia had obviously transformed her familiar, the imp taking the form of a rather large panther. Rrxie snarled, swiping with her claws as the vampiric child effortlessly dodged. A sinister smirk spreading across Ann's face as she now slashed Rexie across the torso, effectively gutting the familiar. As the panthers entrails spilled upon the floor, Akira watched as Ann deftly grabbed Rexies intestines, looping them around the panthers neck before throwing her like a hammer next the Mia. Although the imp would recover from these grotesque injuries, she was effectively out of the fight.
Now the fight was done to Ayami, the succubus may have had the strength to compete with Ann, but she didn't have the skill. Already the kitsune could see the numerous wounds covering the succubus, vicious gashes and a broken wing were some of the injuries Ayami possessed. Growling, Ayami now darted forward, attempting to drain the life force from the vampire.
"NOOOOO!"
Akira wailed, watching as Ann's bladed gauntlets now tore through Ayami's torso. The kitsune watched as he beloveds face went pale, the succubus slumping into Ann's arms as she gazed fearfully into the vampiric assassins eyes. Ann was stoic, a maniacal grin slowly spreading across her face as she looked to deliver the finishing blow.
Akira screamed, his voice a mixture of rage and anguish as he now conjured a spell. Ann now glanced upwards, tilting her head curiously as she gazed at the kitsune.
"LEAVE! MY BELOVED! ALONE!!!"
Ann now watched as the kitsune cast a massive fireball in her direction, the flames cingeing the very walls as it sped towards her. Holding up her arms, the vampire braced herself as a massive explosion now propelled the vampiric child through the castle walls.
Akiras breathing was ragged, the kitsune slumping as he beheld the damage. The fireball he had cast had obliterated the wall, leaving a massive hole. Ann, the child assassin was gone,, Akira hoping she had died but seeing no evidence of her body.. Quickly he now sprinted to Ayami, cradling the succubus in his arms. "Ayami? Ayami!"
Ayami coughed, her lips flecked with blood as she weakly reached up to touch Akiras cheek. "You'll be okay," he said quickly, his eyes dampening as he gazed at his lovers broken body. Placing his hand over the succubus gaping chest wound, he now clumsily tried tostem the bleeding. "You'll be okay. We'll take you back to the wizards. They'll fix you, you'll see."
"Akira."
Akira turned, noting Mia now limping towards him. It appeared the young witchling was the only one able to move. "Ayami will be okay," she wheezed, holding her ribs. "Yuriko. We have to save Yuriko!" Akira nodded, gently lowering Ayami to the ground as he did his best to comfort her. Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, Akira now continued forward.
Opening a side door, Akira now angrily gazed at Selene. The vampire witch was in the middle of the ritual. Yuriko was crying in anguish and fear, the kitsune noticing ethereal vapors drifting from the child. Selene was stealing the child's life-force, useing her very essence to ascend to lichhood. Roaring in anger, Akira now unsheathed his katana and throwing it at Selene.
Selene screamed, Akiras attack had severed the vampires arms at the forearm. Stumbling backwards, the vampire gazed in horror at the bloody stumps. It was now Mia that stepped forward, the witchlings eyes glowing a sickly red as she cast a spell.
Selenes cries were horrific, the vampire suspended in the air. The vampires screams lasting only a moment as Mia now tire the vampire to pieces, viscera and gore staining the walls. "Hows Yuki," Mia asked fearfully.
Akira now approached the child. Yuriko was obviously traumatized, the child crying in fear and pain. As he now cradled the girl, he could see that despite the mental trauma she appeared to be okay.
"Shes okay, " Akira sighed in relief as he tried to comfort the child. Now soothing the frightened infant, Akira glanced at his companions. While everyone was alive, they were in certainly no shape to assist in any other rescue. Hopefully the others would be able to rescue the others without their help.