Rescue

Azuma and Ilona reach the house. By the looks of it, only Václav and Florián are here.

They slowly enter the house, checking room by room, making sure no one escaped their senses.

They go upstairs; it is empty.

Florián must be in the basement.

Carefully they approach the stairs leading downwards. Hearing voices, they stop for a second, trying to listen for what's being said.

Only snippets of the conversation are clear enough to hear, "...what do you mean, you bitch...." They try to move a little forward, to listen. "... you will heal me, you'll find a way, or trust me..."

Tying not draw any attention, they push forward, waiting for a chance to intervene without risking her life.

"I am sorry…. Please don't." A woman's voice pleaded, "I can't do anything, the wound never healed properly, and whoever tried to heal you, didn't do a great job." Her voice sounding terrified although there was a tinge of delight in it.

"Some rats seem to be here to rescue you. I will enjoy seeing their reactions to how you end up." It appears he hasn't sensed Azuma and Ilona.

This is their chance.

They get ready to advance and rescue her, the closer they get to the door, the more nervous Ilona seems to get.

They hear shouting, someone appears to have fallen to the floor. "No... no..no, no, no, please don't, I beg of you…... don't."

Florian's voice, filled with horror and aversion.

This was the team's cue to stop striving to be silent. Sprinting ahead, alarms ringing in their heads. Azuma at the front, him being the one that would be fighting.

They burst the door open, in front of them, Florián on the floor, a man who could only be Václav, crouching on top of her, attempting to rip her shirt off.

He turns his head towards the door, looking surprised about the interruption he says, "Aah, the rats." Looking back at Florián, he whispers to her, "I'll have my way with you soon." Scaring the already terrified woman even more.

He slaps her with the back of his hand with enough force to send her across the room.

Ilona hisses and tries to jump forwards, Azuma restraining her.

While restraining Ilona, Azuma takes a glance at the woman on the floor, it seems she's unconscious.

Waiting for Ilona to regain her bearings, Azuma looks more carefully at the man in front of him.

He sees a muscular man, in a tank top, with a military-style haircut, his face filled with scars, probably from the war.

His most resounding feature being a giant horizontal scar that seems to travel across from arm to arm.

As he was inspecting him, the man was doing the same, looking at the people that so rudely interrupted his fun.

An amused smirk on his face, "Really? A small kid and the bitch's daughter. It would appear I will have my fun sooner than expected." He laughs a little, "And the rat outside? Why is he not at the party?" He asks, not expecting an answer.

Azuma, letting go of Ilona, who already calmed herself, thinks about what Václav was about to do to Ilona's mom.

._._._._._._._.

At the beginning of the mission, when Arek started killing the mercenaries, he realized his first kill would happen here.

What he did not realize was that he would be so eager to kill.

This was not a man but a rabid animal, and rabid animals need to be put down.

._._._._._._._.

Azuma does not say anything, he sprints at the man, ready to fight.

He starts with a roundhouse kick aimed at his face.

Not expecting Azuma to go at him so quickly the man is surprised, if only for a moment. He rapidly jumps backward, evading the kick.

The moment Azuma's foot land where Václav's face would have been, an arc-like shockwave is released. Heading towards his opponent, launching him against the wall and creating a crater where he impacted it.

Thankfully, the room they are in is big enough, or the shockwave may have injured the unconscious Florián.

Taking note of his mistake, Azuma shouts at Ilona. "Take her outside, quickly!"

Ilona, who was astonished by the after-effects of Azuma's kick, takes a second to respond, "But...-"

"No buts!" He shouts hurriedly.

"Take her out of here quickly, then you can return to help me deal with him..."

"HURRY!" He screams, blocking a punch from Václav, who had already regained his bearings.

"Right, right" Ilona murmurs to herself.

She quickly runs towards her mother, carrying her, as Azuma is in an intense confrontation with Václav.

Moving as fast as she can, she heads to the door. Václav, having realized that his hostage is getting away tries to push past Azuma, who blocks his way, sending a swipe at his ankles. Václav rapidly dodges it, going further than normal, expecting another shockwave.

There wasn't any, a simple feint to buy time for Ilona to get out of the room.

As Ilona leaves the room, Azuma once again sprints at Václav. Since Florián is no longer here, he can go all out once again.

Near enough to him, Azuma starts with a left hook aimed at his temple, flowed by a middle kick toward his ribs.

Moving his head back, Václav evades the punch and stops the kick by lifting his knee, believing the shockwave Azuma generated before is only for long-range attacks.

He didn't know that trying to block Renewal, without having a sturdy enough body is suicide. It would be like seeking to stop compressed gunpowder from exploding with your body.

He's launched sideways in the air.

His is battle experience shown when he nimbly lands some meters away from Azuma.

He flinches in pain from the kick and clicks his tongue. He would not make the same mistake again, choosing to evade and dodge Azuma's kicks rather than blocking.

This time he sprints at Azuma, sending a flurry of blows at him, Azuma dodges or parries them, but most are feints.

The true attack was a knee strike aimed at his stomach, he tries to sidestep, but being busy blocking his punches, he realized too late.

The strike came harder than expected, launching Azuma in the air. Václav jumps at him and sends an axe kick, realizing his situation, Azuma twists his body and crosses his arms in an X, blocking the strike, the force still powerful enough to rapidly throw him to the ground.

Impacting the ground, Azuma is left gasping for air, not only is his opponent better experienced, but he also has a better understanding of his art.

Quickly getting up, Azuma dodges another kick and backs away. Pondering on how to turn the tables back in his favor.

Evading another knee, he sends an uppercut, easily dodged, followed by a front kick that connects, sending Václav through the air, seeing an opportunity, Azuma performs Korui Nuki.

As it impacts, Václav is launched to the ceiling, breaking it, and reaching the upper floor, Azuma following behind.

._._._._._._._.

Ilona, having hidden her mother in a bush near the back of the house, is running back to help Azuma.

Almost at the entrance, she sees the floor being destroyed, a body flying upwards.

It loudly crashes on the floor, not recognizing who it is, she readies her stance, sword in hand, waiting.

The answer quickly comes, as the dust clears and sees Azuma jumping through the hole in the floor, glancing at her, tiredly saying "Took you long enough."

Without time to respond, she sees him rushing toward the man, who was already standing up, getting out of her stupor she follows Azuma.

Looking at Azuma and Václav, who are trading punches, one blocking, and the other dodging, she has to wait in the perimeter, not finding a chance to enter the battle.

As Azuma tries a roundhouse kick, she discerns Václav will dodge sideways, this was her chance.

She pushes forward with a thrust of her sword, aiming at the back of his shoulder, almost behind the giant scar she saw before.

Azuma, recognizing the spot Ilona was aiming for, follows suit, he forms sword fingers and thrust in front of him, aiming at Václav's other shoulder.

Václav, noticing their attacks attempts to dodge both of them, Ilona's sword creates a deep gash in his arm, while he tries to redirect Azuma´s attack, forming a deep wound in his hand.

Anyone else would have been killed or amputated right there. Once again, showing why he had reached grandmaster class.

Hissing in pain, breathing rapidly. "Fucking children, enough!" He screams at them. Rushing forward, growling, he attacks Azuma, sending him flying through a wall, landing at the back of the house.

Ilona tries to get his attention, succeeding, seeking to keep him at a middle range, while he is pushing against her, trading blows.

They both leap backward, avoiding Azuma, who came crashing with a kick at Václav.

With the momentary pause in the fight, Ilona deeply inhales, nodding at Azuma they both run in Václav's direction, trying to push the fight outside.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Václav does the same.

Another round of fighting began, no one having the upper hand, Ilona trying to distract her opponent at every chance, Azuma seeking to connect a blow, and Václav trying his hardest to continuously dodge.

They were at a stalemate.

Václav growing steadily frustrated decides to quickly take care of Ilona, giving Azuma the chance to take a gamble on his next move.

As Ilona was trying to defend herself from Václav's assault, Azuma's legs muscles were being compressed, the tension growing so much that it would have snapped an ordinary person's legs in half.

Shouting at Ilona to quickly move back, rushing at Václav, he whispers to himself [Twin-Dragon Kick] and as fast as he possibly could, kicked twice in different directions in a circular pattern, trying as long as his legs would allow him, to keep kicking in the same pattern.

Ilona, who thankfully able to retreat, was gobsmacked.

Azuma's kicks were so fast they were leaving afterimages, almost making Václav seem to be floating.

Due to the strength of the kicks, wind was rushing upwards, forming a helix pattern, like the onset of a tornado.

As quickly as the attack began, it ended, Václav limply falling to the ground, and Azuma to his knees, breathing rapidly, the pain in his legs excruciating.

Ilona, seeing Václav was not moving, runs at Azuma, worriedly checking on him, asking what happened.

She helps him get up and positions herself as support, almost a full minute and a half into the fight, shots are heard.

They look in the direction of the shots. The shots stop, seemingly Arek taking care of it.

._._._._._._._.

Seconds after the shots. A voice says, "Huh? What's happening." Alerting Azuma and Ilona. They whip their heads in the direction of the sound.

What they see mortifies them, Florián is standing up, but what mortifies them is Václav, slowly trying the hide, limping near her.

He sees the woman that is starting to stand in a bush near his location, "Ahhh, the bitch is awake." Quickly glancing at the ones responsible for his state, he looks back to the confused woman, and says, "At least I could take you with me…... right?"

With all his strength left, he rushes at Florián, her face one of confusion, morphs, from horror to sadness, as she looks at her daughter, to finally, reluctance.

._._._._._._._.

As Václav nears Florián, Azuma sees Ilona, her face losing color, distraught, with tears in her eyes, she knows they are too far to help, either way, she rushes with all the strength her legs can give her, trying to save her mother.

Azuma, watching this, regrets ever coming to Europe.

Sighing, and taking a deep long breath, once again, starts tensing, his already incredibly painful, leg muscles, the pain he is feeling is beyond anything he could think of, but he pushes onwards, increasing the tension.

And he... disappears.

._._._._._._._.

Václav, making up his mind to kill the woman, almost in front of her, hand-drawn, fingers extended, about to impale the Florián chest.

Instead, a figure materializes in his way, taking the full brunt of the impact.

"Ughhhh" Azuma screams, a hand piercing his shoulder, almost taking his arm.

While looking at the man in eyes, he says, "You, indeed are a fucking animal.", and claps his hands on the man's temples, ki rushing through his arms.

Václav's eyes start losing focus, his look one of perpetual ignorance, not understanding what has occurred.

As he falls to the ground, his arm out of Azuma's shoulder, he stays there, dead, grey liquid coming from his nose and ears.

Not a second after Václav's death, Azuma falls, screaming in a bestial manner, his whole body spasming, his screams echoing in the night.

_____________________

A/N:

I hope you enjoyed the fight scene, this is literally my second try ever, hope it was somewhat entertaining.

P.S: Writing these things is a pain, I hope they get easier to write or don't expect them that often.

Anyway, tell me your thoughts in the comments.

Thanks.

Ciao