What It Means To Protect (2)

"Uh..." Kaiden dragged his steps backwards. 

The intensity of the pressure in his surroundings has increased by more than several folds. 

Fighting eleven Sword Knights and one Sword Master was too much for him to handle!

"Attack!" Yumi commanded as her fingers danced. 

All twelve swordsmen charged at Kaiden with Hawks' body leading the group.

*Swoosh!* *Swoosh!* *Swoosh!*

"Poul, Sney, Kriz, Fuu..." Memories of the people who were attacking him right now were popping one after the other.

 Kaiden's mind was in disarray as he received the incoming attacks.

One strike after the other, Kaiden desperately tried to survive. He couldn't move his body the way he wanted because of the overwhelming memories in his head.

"I can't attack them..." Kaiden passively endured the barrage of attacks from his late comrades. A conflicted expression appeared on his handsome face,

"Ahhh, the feeling of being forced to fight your fellow comrades. How tragic yet beautiful!" Yumi was delighted with the sudden turn of events.

"You disgusting woman! If I am able to survive this, I swear to cut your body into a thousand pieces!" Kaiden loathsomely glared at Yumi.

"Your hate-filled face just fills me with pleasure, my dear knight!" Yumi sweetly giggled as she did not mind Kaiden's hatred. In fact, she was enjoying it.

But suddenly, a face emerged and slashed a sword at him. 

It was the very same uptight and stern face that would do an early morning roll call, initiate hellish training and even do one-on-one sparring with all of them every single day.

As Kaiden received the blow from Hawks, the sound of metals clashing made him remember his spiritual transmission earlier.

...

The words resounded in his mind, 'I, Hawks Cross, order you Sword Knight Kaiden Triggs to heed this order. You shall retreat with Victoria Cross and ensure her safe escape from this encirclement even if it means to give up your very own life!'

...

"That's right! I have a mission to fulfill!" The light in his eyes came back once more.

He looked at the vacant eyes of his comrades who were being controlled to attack him, "Pointing your swords at your lady is something a knight would never do. This must have damaged your honor as you watch from above..."

Kaiden gritted his teeth as he attacked, "I swear on my honor as aknight that I shall relieve everyone of this maliciousness! I apologize for further desecrating your bodies by doing this!"

Kaiden bravely stepped forward and executed another sword move, "Twin Swords Style: Turbulent Winds!"

*Swooooosh!*

Kaiden spread out his swords as his Innate Energy cloaked them which made it resemble the wings of an eagle.

 He twisted his entire body and created a whirlwind with his swords.

The whirlwind dragged all twelve puppets into it. The attack had bisected the bodies of Hawks and the others while they spun around the whirlwind.

"He actually found a reason to fight despite this situation I put him in?!" As Yumi wondered how Kaiden was able to reignit his will to fight, all the remains of the twelve of her puppets were blown back to her direction.

Individually, Kaiden could take all of them and cut them down in a few rounds.

But Yumi was ingeniously controlling the puppets to attack by groups of four attacking him from the front and his sides interchangeably. 

So, it became hard for Kaiden to finish all of them.

When he was distracted in his thoughts, the puppets mobbed around him trying to finsih him once and for all. 

Who would have thought that this would actually be his opportunity to wipe them all out?

"Oh my, you really are a tough nut to crack." Yumi smiled in elation. Behind her, Hawks stood with his body reconnected.

"You're next!" Kaiden pointed his sword at Yumi with anger apparent on his face.

"I won't be so sure about that." She raised her hands again as her fingers began to gracefully dance. 

Threads started appearing from the parts where they were cut and were actually sewing them back together.

In an instant, the torn bodies stood up one after the other. Yumi smiled as she waved her hands, "Now, it's time for Round 2."

At the same time, the undead puppets attacked Kaiden. This time, they were trying to isolate and manipulate his movements using their swift sword strikes.

However, these attacks were still clumsy in Kaiden's eyes. From what he observed, Yumi was not a sword expert but she is still able to manipulate the puppets to use the sword to attack at blind spots.

*Clang* *Clang* *Clang*

Kaiden thought as he put all of his strength into defending all incoming attacks. '"Their attacks are disoriented. Controlling swordsmen with the power of Mortal Severing is strenuous. There's no way she can maintain using them for such longer periods of time. That's why she just brought them out instead of immediately using them!"

Suddenly, an over extended arm grasping a sword stabbed Kaiden from the back.

*Puchi!*

"Gargh!" Kaiden coughed another mouthful of blood from the attack. It was also at that moment that a slash on his body and a stab to his shoulder connected with the sword stuck on him.

Enduring the damage the three attacks brought to him, Kaiden initiated another sword technique, "One Swords Style: Rising Eagle!"

With one sword, Kaiden broke through the encirclement and went airborne. While in midair, he assumed another sword stance.

"I can still press on and attack them! From the way she controls them, the puppets always become slower every time they finish their attacks. That must be due to the adjustment she should need for the attack. And that moment is... right now!"

"Three Swords Style: Cloud Rending Talons!" Using all three of his swords, Kaiden executed the same attack as the great eagle behind him appeared and descended for an attack!

"Don't think you've won yet. I have gotten the hang of using swords now. Fufu." Yumi smiled confidently as her fingers started moving again.

The puppets assumed a different sword stance as they slashed their swords towards Kaiden's attacks. These attacks contained the strength of a dozen Mortal Severing experts.

"She used their sword skills?!" Kaiden's eyes nearly popped out when he saw this.

Though these sword skills were very basic and fundamental, to be able to simultaneously control eleven sword skills for a synchronized attack was an absurd thing to do.

This would require some degree of understanding the sword skills and meticulous puppeteering to execute. Yet, Yumi who looked like she was only twenty was able to do this.

'Just who the hell is this woman?!' Kaiden thought in trepidation.

After some volatile clash, the collective attack of the puppets managed to over power Kaiden's Cloud Rending Talons!

Kaiden was overwhelmed by the residual force of the attacks. He fell from the sky and rolled on the wet ground twice before regaining his footing.

 However, by the time he stood up, the puppets had already closed in on him!

He was being pushed back with every exchange. Whenever someone would try to get past him, he would forcefully use his body to block him and fend him off. "I... will not let you pass!!"

Kaiden was once again forced into a passive defense. 

Although he was able to keep the puppets from passing him, his situation became grimmer with every second, 'My energy reserves are running out... I have lost too much blood too...'

Kaiden was frantically trying to think of a way to survive, 'Should I do this? Or use that? This is bad. My Innate Energy is running out! They're going to kill me at this rate. I was too conceited!'

"Oh, no!" Kaiden was so distracted that he failed to notice that Yumi was actually preparing an attack. But the four puppets that were currently attacking him suddenly grabbed his limbs.

"Let's cut off your limbs first, my knight!" Yumi had actually prepared a joint attack from behind the group that just attacked him. Waves of sword beams hit Kaiden and the four puppets.

"I need to protect myself!" Kaiden focused all of his Innate Energy to harden his skin. 

Thankfully, it was enough to keep him alive. However, he was blown back and got more cuts and lacerations from the attack.

The four puppets were cut into pieces but with Yumi's Silvernight Threads they were quickly mended up and ready to fight once more.

'I'm sorry, Captain. I might not be able to keep my promise...' Kaiden thought while he parried the sword beam and sword thrusts in front of him.

His body was becoming more sluggish and his movements became more forced. From his condition, it would only take a few more rounds before Kaiden falls in battle.

Then, Hawks appeared in front of Kaiden and used a sword art which blew him away as his blood scattered throughout the air. Kaiden fell on the ground.

 He was continuously twitching but no matter what he did, his body no longer listened to him.

'My consciousness is fading... So, this is it...' Kaiden thought as his vision blurred. 'It's okay... I did my best... I should just rest... Everyone, I'll soon be joining you.'

"Until his last breath, he still fought for her master, even when the odds were against him! I wasn't wrong! He's the knight I have been looking for!" Yumi panted as she excitedly muttered.

"I'll just feed him a Restoration Pill and take him back. Fate has really brought my knight to me." Yumi said as she walked towards Kaiden while her puppets surrounded them in a circular formation.

...

Kaiden slowly closed his eyes as his life flashed before him. Suddenly, he saw a peculiar scene.

It was in a large garden filled with all kinds of beautiful flowers and herbs. The sunlight decorated the setting with a light that emphasized the beauty of this garden.

"An intruder?" Then, he saw a handsome young boy who was holding a sword in his hand. He seemed to be running towards a large light-brown tree. The man had that familiar serious and stiff aura with him but it was more apparent.

This boy was Kaiden when he was just about sixteen years old.

Kaiden thought, 'This was...'

"It seems to not be moving. This aura is quite peculiar..." The young boy said.

Young Kaiden suddenly stopped running as he started to carefully approach the tree. Trying his best to be silent, he hid behind a bush. It looked like he was trying to see something under the large light-brown tree.

Underneath the tree, there was a girl with beautiful brown hair and amber eyebrows. She was as fair as snow and as petite as a doll. The girl was holding a wooden figure in his hand that resembled her.

"She's..." Young Kaiden wanted to say 'so beautiful' but if he did, the girl might notice his presence. So, he stopped himself by covering his mouth.

He stared at her in befuddlement. He had never seen a girl this beautiful before especially when she was in this tantalizing scenery of nature.

The girl sobbed. Tears beautifully flowing from her gem-like eyes. A frail voice could be heard from the girl, "Why...*sob*... does everyone leave me... *sob*...?"

...

At the same time, he heard a trembling voice from beside him, "Why... does everyone leave me...?"

Kaiden's closing eyes trembled and slowly opened.. With his half-open eyes he saw Victoria's tearful face. The girl was clearly experiencing the trauma she had been trying to recover from all these years and the guilt of killing a living person.

Suddenly, Kaiden revealed a smile, "To think I actually forgot..."

It was as if he was once again reminded of the reason for why he had become a knight! 'It was to become someone that could protect her… someone who would never leave her side!'

"Argh!" Kaiden's body suddenly jerked. With a grunt, he used his swords to stand. 

Panting with his shoulders, he assumed a fighting stance

. Truth be told, he was barely standing but his eyes gleamed with a strange light.

It was his will to protect! Kaiden reminded himself, 'Ever since that day, I swore that I will protect her!'

"He actually stood up?!" Yumi, who was barely twenty meters away at this point, said in shock.

Victoria noticed this as she looked at Kaiden's trembling body, "Big bro Kai..."

'Whether I beat them or they beat me, I will still die in the end. But if I defeat them, I could save Victoria...! If Triple Star Burst at 100% isn't enough, then...' Kaiden knew this bitter truth.

Then, he actually stabbed his twin swords to the ground as pulled out the sword puppet Hawks planted on his back and the other sword stabbed onto his left shoulder. 

This caused his blood to flow out of his wounds.

"What is he?!" His actions greatly shocked both Yumi and Victoria. Doing so would greatly diminish his power.

"Big bro Kai, you..." Victoria looked at Kaiden with a pale face as he recognized the unique flow of energy within his body.

Kaiden did not look back as he said, "As your personal guardian knight, I will..."

"...PROTECT YOU AT THE COST OF MY LIFE!" Kaiden exhaled with a deep breath.

He shouted with a newfound conviction, "BLOODLINE IGNITION!!!"