The Bloody Dawn

[N/B] Please refer to the prologue~

Declar jolted awake as he heard two swords clashing from afar. The sound, becoming rapid, like a battle between two skilled swordsmen.

He immediately sensed the danger and hurriedly grabbed his sword, he then dashed out of his room and ran towards the direction where the loud clash was coming from.

As soon as he approached his father's manor, he heard a thunderous clash, and sudden, his father was sent flying, crashing through the walls of his court yard.

Gliding on one knee and a foot in front of him, his father tried to maintain his stance while holding on to his sword.

He father quickly picked up on his presence and called out to him with concern evident in his voice.

"Declar, go get your mother and run."

These word made it clear to him that this was no simple fight, it was a fight even his father, Nikos Leonidas, the 4th generation master of the Blade fortress, was having a hard time handling.

"Hahahah~" A menacing laughter was heard coming from within the shadows. "You want to put your hopes on an imbecile?"

A huge figure clothed in dark leather robe that had white fur at the bottom, came out from the hole made by his father, and to Declar's utmost surprise it was his uncle, Axel Evandros.

In so much confusion, he doubted Axel could ever do such a thing, as this was a man who his father treated as a brother, and fought many wars alongside him.

"Declar, go get your mother!" Nikos screamed at his son, his tone sounding more urgent under his husked voice.

"No matter how much you strive, the Leonidas generation would end tonight. Kill the boy!" Axel ordered, his sword pointing to Declar.

Three men dressed mostly in black, jumped out from the shadow and dashed towards Declar while he ran.

They got in front of him shortly but Nikos swiftly threw three small knives at them, striking and bringing them down with precision.

"Declar, run!" 

His father voiced out once more before blocking a direct strike to his shoulder from his uncle.

"Do you think you have the leisure to be distracted while I'm here?"

Nikos grunted and parried with his sword. He charged at him swiftly as they exchanged strikes about the courtyard.

Declar ran towards his mother's courtyard, his mind still in confusion but he knew the safety of his mother should be prioritized over his current emotions.

On his way, after rounding a few corners, Declar came in contact with a few swordsmen, and without wasting a single moment, he drew out his sword and got ready for combat.

"Get him!"

"He's just one person."

"Rarrr!"

They came charging at him in fury, but on getting close to Declar, six guards plunged out of nowhere and immediately engaged them.

"Young master, please leave them to us." One of the guards voiced out amidst the sound of weapons clashing against each other.

Declar hurriedly charged past them and continued running towards his mother. 

'Please don't be in danger.' he prayed inwardly.

Declar ran without looking back, and as he approached his mother's room, countless bodies laid around.

Some of them he recognized as members of the clan while the others were new.

He could hear clashes of sword from his mother's room and knew a fight was still going on.

Declar barged into his mother's room and spotted two guards, Josiah and Theron, protecting his mother from a group of swordsmen. 

He swiftly drew his sword and joined the fight to reduce the pressure.

With one heavy slash, he hit against one of the attackers and brought him down to his knees, while Josiah aided him by piercing his sword into the chest of the man.

"Mother, we are in danger, father is fighting against uncle Axel, we need to leave, now!"

"Axel Evandros?" His mother, bewildered by his words questioned. "Why would Axel be fighting your father?"

Theron took a wild swing and slashed down one of the attackers, while Josiah crashed his sword into another.

"There is no time to explain, mother. Theron, Josiah! We can't stay here any more, more attackers could be on their way. We need to clear a path and get her to safety!"

Theron gave a resolute nod, and Declar firmly clutched his mother's hand. Together, they carved a swift and protected passage through the courtyard, shielding Declar and Elektra, his mother.

Upon their successful escape, they reached the canyon nestled behind the Leonidas' castle, their hurried flight persisting.

Declar, flanked by the two guards, raced at top speed, ensuring the safety of his mother, until an unfortunate misstep led her to step on a shard of a shattered vase.

As Elektra winced in pain and fell to the ground, Declar and the guards quickly halted. 

Theron examined her injured foot and then looked up at Declar with concern. 

"It's deep, we need to tend to it, now." Theron said, his voice filled with determination. "We can't afford to slow down, but we can't leave her injured either."

Declar nodded, his brow furrowed in worry. "Is there anything we can do to help her, Theron?"

Just as they were paying attention to Declar's mother, a troop of soldiers who were lying in ambush waiting, suddenly sprang forth and surrounded them.

"Shit!" Declar exclaimed.

Both guards immediately drew out their sword with determination, ready to strike whoever made the first move.

'Damn it, they have us completely surrounded.' Declar cursed within, his eyes trailing around the place. 'How do we get out of this?' 

He continued to question inwardly as he stood by his mother until his eyes caught sight of an escape path, a place that wouldn't be an option in many cases.

Declar shifted his gaze to Josiah who was staring at him from the side, and immediately he understood from his expression that the only way to escape from their current predicament was to go through the Valley of death.

The valley of death was a place only masters of the Leonidas clan dared to enter, those who didn't believe in their competence dared not have thoughts of going in, except they had a death wish, but this was our only option to survive.

"Tsk." Declar clicked his tongue in annoyance and immediately picked his mother up. He carried her in his arms as the guards began to hack and slash at the troop, creating a path towards the Valley of death for them.

Theron applied force to his strike and swung at a few nearby attackers, sending them crashing against the others, while he watched out for Declar and his mother. 

Meanwhile, Josiah who's a skilled fighter, let loose on the remaining troops, evading and dealing heavy damage to their ranks.

As soon as a path was made for Declar to escape with his mother, he dashed through the woods until he got to a clear path, where he halted briefly and hollered.

"I make an oath in the Leonidas name, I will avenge you!"

Slashing the neck of the sword master in front of him, Theron turned around, a smile forming on his lips. 

Similarly, Josiah plunged his sword deep into the chest of his attacker and drew it out without a second thought before kicking the man to the ground. 

His chest rose and fell and he too smiled at the young master. Both men let out a sigh and shook their head as they watched him go.

"Don't kids grow up too fast these days," Theron uttered.

"I know, right. He would have made a great clan leader regardless of him being the least talented Leonidas."

They both fists bumped as they marched to the last battle of their lives with smiles on their faces.

**********

In the secluded courtyard of Leonidas' castle, the clash of steel echoed as Axel and Nikos engaged in a fierce duel.

Axel, an imposing figure with jet-black hair, dressed in a black robe, gray trousers, and leather boots, clearly had the upper hand over Nikos, who wore a fitted red robe.

Both possessed finely toned physiques which exuded authority, but Axel's presence was particularly commanding.

In a blur, they lunged at each other as their swords trailing behind with a fluidity born of countless battles.

Axel's relentless offense pushed Nikos to his limits. Axel parried skillfully, allowing himself a swing, but Nikos' blade vibrated and rang against his hand as he blocked the attack.

Axel continued his relentless assault, his blows resembling thunder and threatening to overwhelm his opponent.

Nikos, while defending against the onslaught, relied on his knowledge of Axel's fighting style and finesse. He calculated and evaded Axel's strikes with remarkable speed and precision.

Suddenly, Axel began spinning wildly with his sword, tearing through the cold wind and closing in.

Nikos evaded and parried, waiting for an opportunity to strike. When Axel slowed down, Nikos cut into his blind spot with lightning speed but was blocked by Axel's swift blade.

Axel turned to face Nikos, and once more, Nikos attempted to strike his other blind spot, slashing him but only managing a shallow cut due to Axel's body armor.

Axel swung his sword down at Nikos, who, still fixated on his position from the shock, managed to dodge the strike, thanks to his years of battle experience.

"You obviously came prepared," Nikos commented as he stood up, his red clothing flowing.

"Of course. Facing the 4th generation master isn't an easy task. I've trained diligently in secret, honing my skills to perfection."

"And you think that will be enough to defeat me? You should know better, Axel. We fought side by side for years."

Nikos weaved in a zigzag manner and dashed toward Axel, almost catching him off guard. Their blades collided, and moments later, they disengaged.

Nikos displayed quick footwork, darting in and out of Axel's range like a red blur, launching strategic strikes one after the other. 

His sword danced through the air with force, probing for openings in Axel's defenses, but Axel's armor-like defense and sheer power proved hard to breach.

With a mighty lunge, Axel forced Nikos back, sending him stumbling across the courtyard. He followed through with another powerful blow that sent Nikos crashing into the wall just from blocking the attack.

Axel's experience and strength began to wear Nikos down as he increased his speed, darting around the courtyard, delivering quick slashes and cuts. His form became a blur, mirroring Nikos' earlier display.

Suddenly, Axel's after image began to take form as he sped about the courtyard and soon, his cold blade found it way into Nikos heart.

Coughing out a mouth full of blood, Nikos staggered a bit as he stared at the sword in his chest.

He then looked at Axel who was holding on to the sword, and saw a wild smile creep it way into his lips.

"I win, Nikos." Axel whispered as he leaned closer. "I told you the Leonidas generation would end tonight didn't I?"

Nikos wavered in his steps as he tried to hold on to Axel but couldn't. His mind began to race across several thoughts as fell to his knees.

"S- son."

"Oh don't worry, I'll make sure to kill him also in case he escape my people lying in ambush."

"Not like I don't trust my people but... I'll do a double check since..." Axel leaned closer to him and whispered the last few words into his ear.

Nikos immediately gazed at him Axel after hearing those last words. His eyes continued fidgeting about their socket at he realized the danger his son would be in if he let Axel go.

He mustered every ounce of strength left in him and grabbed Axel's sword and his hand. He tried to get up but his strength began to fail rapidly.

'No, this can't be.' thoughts formed in Nikos' head and tears began trai

ling down his cheek. 'I- I have to...'

"Cas-" before he could utter a word, Axel twisted his blade in chest and pulled it out without mercy, causing Nikos to drop to the ground finally.