Tales of a Lost Sword 77

Lots of announcements:
Starting this week, I have relocated to Hong Kong for the next four months. New chapters will continue to be posted on Tuesdays and Fridays, but since I am now on HK time (15 hours ahead of LA), this is probably good news wherever you are in the world.
Secondly, I’ve officially finished writing ToaLS. There is still heaps of editing to be done, but at the current pace of two new chapters a week, the last chapter of ToaLS will be posted on November 11 (Veteran’s/Armistice Day, actually).
Episode 77 Disgraceful Defeat
Mira stirs, the effects of Fayvard’s poison subsiding at last. She opens her eyes halfway, momentarily confused by the loud explosions occurring around her. Leaping into a sitting position, she gazes about until she spots Kunai and Fayvard standing some yards away, their swords drawn against each other.

“What’s going on?!” she murmurs to herself in shock. “Why are Kunai and Fayvard fighting?! More importantly…how did I get here?”

Cynthia and Zack suddenly dash toward Mira. They huddle over her, inspecting her. “Mira! Are you okay?” Cynthia asks, feeling Mira’s forehead.

“Looks like it was just a temporary poison,” Zack says, satisfied. “No need t’be too worried.”

“Wait.” Mira attempts to stand, but collapses quickly as she finds that her legs still do not have enough strength to carry her. “What’s Kunai and Fay—”

“Don’t worry about it,” Cynthia interrupts. She stares worriedly at the two even as she speaks, not breaking her gaze to look at Mira. “It’s something that’ll resolve itself soon.”

“Your face says the exact opposite.”

“Well—”

“Come on, Mira,” Zack says, helping her to her feet, “let’s get somewhere safe before we talk ‘bout this.”

Kunai and Fayvard now find themselves standing on the inside of a massive crater created by the explosion of Kunai’s attack against Fayvard’s shield. The two breathe heavily as the cost of battle begins to take its toll.

The first to make a move is Kunai. “Fayvard…I’ll defeat you no matter what in order to avenge Ryuu and protect Cynthia!” He moves quickly, charging his sword again with another blast of fire.

Prepared for the attack, Fayvard rapidly draws another Guardian Seal to block the attack. The blast collides with the seal, erupting with a fury but not touching Fayvard at all. Instead, the fire diffuses into the air, unable to go any further.

“I’d like to see you beat me in a sword fight indeed, Kunai!” Fayvard taunts in reply. “’Cause there’s no way you’ll ever do it! Poison Mist!”

The beam of charged poison shoots into the air. Kunai sails directly into the cloud of green gas undeterred. He swings his sword loaded with fire at Fayvard, who parries the attack. Retreating, Kunai glows temporarily with a white light, his Dispel rendering Fayvard’s poison useless.

“So you’re not limited in how many times you use it, huh?” Fayvard murmurs. “What a pain…then I guess the only way to beat you is to pound you into submission!”

Fayvard abruptly picks up his speed with surprising quickness. He swings his sword, which Kunai dodges; however, by the time Kunai has evaded the attack, Fayvard’s sword has already followed him to the same spot.

Eyes widening, Kunai is forced to back flip away from the attack. He lands precariously on the ground, only to find Fayvard already standing behind him, thrusting his sword forward. Kunai barely blocks the blow with Myou. He raises his sword to fire back in retaliation, but is forced to use it again to block another attack from Fayvard from behind.

Using the momentum from the parry to thrust himself backwards, Kunai gains some separation at last. He skids through the air and swings back his sword, gathering a blast of fire in it.

“Still too slow!” Fayvard’s voice cries in Kunai’s ear. A flash of metal glints at the corner of Kunai’s eye. In the next second, a burst of blood explodes from his shoulder as Fayvard’s sword cuts into Kunai’s body.

Fayvard shoulders his sword, a wide smirk on his face as he comes to a stop in front of Kunai, who has been forced to his knees. The latter breathes heavily, forced to kneel on the ground before Fayvard. Blood pours forth from Kunai’s shoulder wound.

“Ahh, guess you were just all flash after all,” Fayvard sighs sagely. “Flashy fighters like you don’t stand a chance against ugly fighters like me.”

With one swift motion, Fayvard strikes his sword blade-first into the ground, plunging it straight through Kunai’s outstretched hand into the ground underneath.

Kunai screams with agony as his blood now pours out of his hand as well, staining the grass red. His breathing grows ragged as he fights to maintain his composure.

Fayvard leans against his own sword, his weight causing the sword to cut even deeper into Kunai’s hand. Kunai can only scream painfully in protest. “Give up, Kunai,” Fayvard says. “The only way we’ll beat the Fatalists in this war is to use the Anti-Phonemes to get the Sheath of the Maple Hero’s Sword. You gotta play your cards to win. It’s only common sen—”

“GO TO HELL, FAYVARD!” Kunai roars. With his free hand, he punches Fayvard directly in the chest, throwing him flying back into a tree. Fayvard slams harshly against the tree, blood running down his forehead.

In a flash, Kunai wrenches himself free from Fayvard’s sword, casting it aside as he retrieves his own sword. He flies at Fayvard, swinging his sword. Myou plunges into the bark of the tree, missing Fayvard completely. Kunai turns, pulling his sword out of the tree as Fayvard dashes lithely away, grabbing his own sword.

“You’re not getting away!” Kunai cries, blood streaming from both his hand and shoulder. “Soul Combustion!”

A blast like a rocket sounds from Kunai’s sword, as the attack heads straight for Fayvard. “Hmph!” Fayvard retorts. “I keep telling you that your moves won’t work more than once on me! Guardian Seal!”

The seal absorbs the bulk of the attack before caving under the pressure. With a crack, the seal shatters into pieces, unable to withstand the full intensity of the attack. Fayvard sidesteps the rest of the energy from the attack, raising his sword with both hands as he does so in preparation for a counterattack.

However, Fayvard’s eyes quickly widen with surprise as Kunai appears again in front of him, his eyes glowing brightly as he fires another attack. “Soul Synthesis!”

“What?!”

A second explosion sounds, even more violent and devastating than the last. Unprepared for this rapid second attack, Fayvard takes a direct hit as the blast swallows him whole. A whirlwind of white-hot energy forms a cyclone around him, destroying everything in its path. It spins furiously for ten long seconds, before slowly finally losing momentum and collapsing upon itself.

A scout sits straddled upon the balcony outside Arai’s throne room in the Fatalists’ castle. He silently holds a pair of binoculars up to his eyes, around which are wrapped a long piece of cloth, completely covering them. Although he is not dressed in the Fatalists’ robes, he wears a similar, plainer black uniform composed of a shirt and pants.

Behind the scout sounds a set of footsteps. The scout turns back as he spots Recelo standing behind him, inspecting him curiously. “What’s wrong? Spotted something?” Recelo asks.

The scout nods. It points vigorously at its binoculars. “I don’t need to look,” Recelo says, striding to the edge of the balcony next to scout nonetheless. He narrows his eyes, staring off into the distance, where several pillars of smoke rise into the air. “My eyes are good enough.”

Silently, the two of them stare off into the distance for some time. The only noise is the distant chirping of birds, interrupted every now and then by an unnatural rumbling like an explosion.

“There sure is a ruckus going on out there,” Recelo notes. “I wonder if it has to do with those intruders… They’re not engaging any of our own out there, are they?”

“Wrong as usual, Recelo,” a condescending voice sounds, interrupting Recelo’s train of thought. Recelo turns, as does the scout, as Midori calmly joins them.

“Smug as usual,” Recelo snarls in a low voice as Midori takes her place next to him at the balcony. “Oww!” Midori pinches him painfully around the ear.

“It isn’t a Fatalist they are engaging,” Midori continues unprovoked, “they’re fighting amongst themselves.”

“Amongst themselves?” repeats Recelo with confusion, rubbing his ear. “Why would they…?”

“Who knows?” Midori replies. “Let them bicker amongst themselves for a while. However, we won’t leave them to their own devices for long. Not while they have the Anti-Paradox. His Majesty will not stand to allow them to keep it for long.”

“Yeah…” Recelo murmurs, as a particularly powerful explosion seems to rent the air far off in the distance.

The smoke from the attack gradually clears. As it finally does, Kunai emerges from the cloud of falling debris standing directly over Fayvard, looking down on him from above. Meanwhile, Fayvard lies face up on the ground, grimacing painfully. Blood covers his body profusely as he lies still on the ground. His sword lies next to him, useless and out of reach.

Fayvard coughs out blood. The blood across his forehead streams steadily down the side of his head, staining his lush green hair. “Damn…it!” Fayvard heaves, choking heavily. “I won’t be defeated so easily!”

With all his strength, Fayvard attempts to return to his feet, but to no avail. He merely collapses back onto the ground, unable to move at all.

Within moments, Kunai moves to Fayvard’s side, his sword pointing directly at Fayvard’s throat. The cold metal blade presses stiffly against Fayvard’s throat as he gazes up into Kunai’s equally cold eyes.

“It’s over, Fayvard,” Kunai mutters, “I’ve won.”
—END SEVENTY-SEVEN—