Chapter 179
Prince Leo ran on alone while Vorbuk was kept within his shadow. All around him he could hear the sounds of werewolf knights being taken down by those of the temple. The air carried the scent of earth and iron with a heavy scent of blood on top of it that even an average human could notice instantly.
CLANG! Skkrrr..
The prince's sword collided with the claws of a werewolf's sword as it leapt at him. The werewolf was in its middle form. He could see the man's wolf ears and tail as it growled down at him. Hair roughed up from fighting against the temple for a long time.
Their swords scraped together as Leo knocked the werewolf away. Slamming his foot into the stomach of the werewolf. Knocking him back a bit as the werewolf stumbled.
Grunting the knight swung once again only to be blocked by the prince once more. The flame on the prince's sword flaring up as the black flame seemed to react to the wolf's emotions. Blinded by the heat of the dark flame the knight faltered in his movements.
Shhinngggg!
The prince took advantage of the opening to strike the werewolf. His blade cutting through the werewolf as its eyes opening wide at the sudden pain. Not risking the chance of the werewolf striking back the prince twisted his weapon and pulled back to strike once more.
Once the werewolf collapsed to the ground the prince ran once more in the direction he needed to go. His eyes keeping watch for more enemies and more importantly he location of the king that Vorbuk needed him to help find.
Meanwhile....
"Huff.." Ashley breathed deeply as he knew he had to buy time for the prince to get his master far enough away from the executioner before he could try to escape himself. If he left too soon it would put their lives in danger. The werewolves were already enough for them to deal with on their own without the extra pressure of an enemy vampire.
"You look like your getting exhausted." Aoki mocked Ashley for the difference in stamina.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Weapons scraping and striking each other repeatedly between them. The fire left behind by the prince coated the blade of Ashley's scythe. Every time their blades would collide the flames would cause Aoki to flinch as the fire made him uncomfortable.
"You keep talking and I might really consider cutting your head off and calling it an accident." Ashley smiled so brightly as he spoke that it made Aoki shiver subconsciously.
Ashley lunged towards the vampire and swung his scythe. As Aoki saw the attack coming he moved to block it. Mistaken by the attack's direction he missed his chance to block it. At the last moment the scythe swerved off its original track.
The blade of the scythe swept passed the dagger in his hand. Cutting through Aoki's shoulder. After distance had been put between them and the prince the flames had cooled down to a normal flame. They were no longer black but the fire was more then enough to wound Aoki.
The vampire grunted and hissed in pain as the fire singed his skin. His shoulder felt like it was boiling as it burned. Unlike others for vampires the flames were more dangerous. To get burnt was to feel the part of them that was burnt crumble apart like broken ash.
The cut was not deep enough to be fatal to Aoki. Though it was no different then a form of torture for him. Such a wound could not heal quickly unless he found a source of proper food to aid in the healing process.
Stumbling Aoki pushed the pain he felt into the back of his mind. He was too desperate to allow the pain to affect him for long. The desperation he held was fueling his tenacity even if he could only use one of his arms properly.
Ashley moved and made a dash for the trees. Leaping upward he landed on a branch. Rushing from one tree to another. Behind him he could feel the intent to kill him coming from Aoki. The executioner was rushing after him from behind. Both of them were agile in their movements as they moved through the trees from branch to branch.
I can't follow master with this guy behind me. I must take a detour. Ashley thought to himself as he turned his direction towards the battlefield.
Landing on the ground Ashley rushed through the werewolf knights. Magic exploding all around him causing the earth and trees to be torn apart. He was too fast for the werewolves to target but that did not mean him and Aoki would not be able to attack the werewolves as they moved.
From behind he could hear the knights screaming in distress. Aoki was cutting down any knight that got close to him as they ran. It was like a bloody game of cat and mouse. Ashley could feel his breathing becoming more difficult. He could not hold out as long as Aoki could. Before long he would need to take a break from moving or he would be at risk of falling to the battlefield. If he ran out of energy to move his body it would be becoming an easier target for even the werewolves to attack him if he was caught off guard.
Aoki's beautiful pink eyes glared fiercely as he caught up with Ashley. Reaching out to catch Ashley as the man tried to dodge his hand. The executioner's movements were too quick for Ashley. He could feel the back of his shirt being grabbed.
Yanking Ashley backwards he could feel his breath being caught in his throat. The rough tug on his shirt had choked him as Aoki yanked. His body tensing up as he felt himself being hurled through the air.
Ashley's body skid across the ground causing a dust storm to be thrown up from the dirt. His body trembled where he landed. A numbing sensation could be felt throughout his entire body as he shook it off.
As he was about to force himself to his feet he could feel Aoki closing in on him once again. The vampire towered over him with a hissing glare. Ashley could feel the danger emitting from Aoki as even the knights kept their distance from the struggle between the two vampires. It was not something they wanted to get entangled in.
"Should I consider you pitiable?" Aoki pondered as he looked down at the weak vampire. They were of the same kind but Ashley truly looked pitiable in his eyes.
At that moment Ashley felt his anger rising in his chest. His body shooting upward and slamming into Aoki head on. As if Ashley was an uncontrollable train plowing through a car. He could not even feel the pain caused from Aoki's dagger as it stabbed through his side during the impact.
Aoki was stunned at the sight of Ashley's ignorance of his own wound.
No, he must be aware that he is wounded right now! Aoki knew it was impossible for Ashley to not be aware that his dagger had just been driven into his side.
Ashley was simply ignoring the pain! He was putting his life on the line to ensure that his master's safety was ensured. A normal stab wound would not be enough to kill him but it would weaken his own state even further.
He was clear on that fact. Though he never considered one thing. The executioner was someone who killed his own kind since the day he massacred those that experimented on him. Aoki was someone who was used to torturing others for the Drethia palace after his escape. Furthermore he threw away his own kingdom when he left to enter a state of slumber within the Theapan mountains. He was not a 'normal' killer and neither was his weapon.