Burning Flesh

Ty's breathing grew heavy. He dropped to one knee, feeling the sting of a deep gash on his back and the unmistakable pain of a broken rib. Glancing at his wrist, he noticed the watch beginning to flash red.

"Why is this thing blinking now?" he gasped, trying to catch his breath.

But there wasn't a moment to waste. Another Samurai, brandishing a pure black blade, lunged at him with deadly intent. With a swift movement, the Samurai aimed for a powerful downward strike.

In desperation, Ty swung his invisible blade upward, managing to slice the guard's blade in half. The shattered pieces fell to the ground, echoing a metallic clatter.

The guard, momentarily stunned, discarded his broken weapon. Switching tactics, he lunged at Ty with a fierce punch, his fist encased in solid armor.

Though Ty attempted a counter, his lack of experience with the blade betrayed him. He only managed a partial deflection, slicing a piece of flesh off the Samurai's armored hand. The Samurai's retaliation was swift and brutal—a direct punch that landed squarely on Ty's face.

With the world spinning around him, Ty crumpled to the ground, landing beside Elithira. He looked at her with deep concern, desperate for a response. In return, she offered a weak smirk, saying, "It's okay. This is beyond your skill level. I have a plan. Just let them capture me and make your escape through the back door. I can create a distraction for you."

"No!" Ty interrupted, noticing cracks forming on his watch. Pulling his blade close, black flames erupted, slowly burning away the flesh around him. Elithira coughed, managing to say, "No, you idiot, I'm being seri—" before another fit of coughing interrupted her, a grim reminder that she hadn't yet adapted to the poison.

Ty didn't hesitate. He lunged at the injured Samurai while two others tried to flank him. His eyes shimmered a vivid green, sharpening his perception. In a swift, fluid motion, he dropped low, evading both their strikes. Rising, he slashed upwards with his ethereal blade, murmuring, "Air Blade," and split the Samurai before him in half.

A chilling breath slipped from Ty's mouth, with frost forming on his lips. Even after seeing their ally cut down, the blades of the other two Samurai didn't falter. They closed in on him from behind, their movements relentless.

Whirling around, Ty managed to block their attacks, but their combined force was too much. He was hurled against a wall. From a distance, Tusandro's voice echoed with frustration, "Stop playing around and just finish him!"

Ty's breaths were heavy as he said, "Elithira, tell me you need to be saved." The poison marks on her face began to fade, and she tried to answer, "I, I don'—"

But before she could finish, she coughed hard and dropped to one knee.

"That's all I needed to hear," Ty declared. The two guards moved to attack him again. To Elithira's surprise, he let go of his blade. She managed to say, "What are you doing?"

A blade dug into Ty's shoulder, making him wince. He reacted with a punch to the face of one guard, who looked crazy. The second guard swung his blade, but Ty caught it with his hand. With a quick move, he broke the blade in two.

Then, the watch on Ty's wrist broke apart. The pieces fell and turned into a black puddle that slowly came back together on the floor.

Ty's hands reached out as the black mass around him faded, revealing a skeleton form. The scent of the black flames had blackened it, and cracks of green snaked across its surface. Expressionless, Ty moved swiftly, his blade cutting through the guards. In moments, they lay lifeless on the floor.

The final four guards charged, each choosing a different angle of attack. Around Ty, a vortex of black flames roared to life. Inside his chest, a red mark glowed, splitting into eight fragments. The core fragment transitioned from red to green.

Time seemed to distort as the flames reached out, ensnaring each guard in its fiery grasp. Their armor, designed for protection, betrayed them. It began to melt, adhering to their flesh. One by one, they tried in vain to strike at Ty, but the intense heat consumed them until only ashes remained.

Ty then turned his gaze to Tusandro, declaring, "No one hurts my friends." With an outstretched skeleton hand, he summoned the hilt lying on the floor. It levitated to his grip, encased in an invisible force.

Tusandro, face drenched in sweat and terror evident in his eyes, yelled, "W-what are you?" Hastily, he weaved hand signs and traced a circle around him. Picking up his own blade, blue sparks crackled along its length. "Are you some dark summoning from that woman?" he accused.

Ty began to answer, "No, I a—." But suddenly, a shockwave hit him. Rigidity overtook his form. The sword slipped from his grasp, and he collapsed to one knee. His vision blurred, and the world started fading. The last image imprinted on his mind was Tusandro's face, a smirk tinged with concern.