Itching for a fight (II)
Naoki ended up cutting off the emotional reaction of his retainers by almost beating them to a pulp within the time it took for a small kettle of water to boil.
Hitting the back of the last man standing with the katana handle, he pushed him aside before turning to glance at the men sprawled on the floor and groaning before him in pain.
Bringing the clean steel of the katana down to his side as his sharp glint narrowed at them, he spat. "A bunch of useless fellows!"
The disappointment was very clear in his tone as he did not bother to go easy on any of them by trying to mince his words.
He wanted them to know how he clearly felt.
'Have they been training or playing around all this while?'
The retainers bowed their heads in shame. None of them dared to say a word in defense.
They couldn't bring themselves to glance at their Master.
They had wanted to impress him by showing him that they had not been slacking off from training daily, but Lo and Behold, they failed woefully.
It was a great disappointment.
Watching from the side and seeing how disheartened the men felt at Naoki's scolding, Daisuke felt something prick his heart.
He had nearly been with these men daily and watched them train with all their might. They had indeed given it their all.
Normally, as their leader went into a coma for so many years, it wouldn't have been a surprise if any of them had decided to leave and go back to live a normal life, but it was not so.
They had hope and faith that everything would fall into line soon, hence, they continued without giving up.
Alas! One negative word was enough to make them feel worthless as if they did not put in their best toward training.
Unable to bear the feeling of loss, he hurriedly stepped forward to intercede on their behalf.
"Master," He offered a bow as he called for Naoki's attention.
Naoki lifted his gaze from the quiet men holding one part of their body shooting up in pain, to him.
Feeling the strong gaze on him, Daisuke felt a bit nervous about how to continue, for what he was about to say was going to put him on the line.
Regardless, he summoned courage as his thin lips slowly parted. Not daring to meet Naoki's gaze, he continued.
"Master, actually, the men have been giving their all every day. The reason you were able to finish them off in a blink of an eye, has to do with your supernatural powers."
The more Naoki listened, the more his gaze turned dark as his eyes narrowed at him.
"Bravo! What a sharp tongue you've got there," he uttered in a low dangerous tone.
It seemed like a person tired of living was bold enough to challenge him.
Being aware of his Master's anger, Daisuke lowered his head further as the retainers watched in fright.
They could very well feel their Master's dark aura. It was enough to make them shudder, even in their pain.
Was Daisuke going to be in trouble for speaking up for them?
Despite hearing the touching thoughts of his soldiers, Naoki remained unfazed.
Without warning, he drew a small circle around him with the tip of his sword, forcing Daisuke to take a few steps back. And immediately the latter stopped in his steps and raised his head to meet his gaze, he threw his katana back to him.
Catching the flying sword mid-air, his fingers grasped the handle as he listened to his Master's commanding tone.
"You owe me a duel and be rest assured that I wouldn't embarrass you in front of these men. At least, not today."
The retainers and the instructors amongst them felt their chests tighten.
Their eyes were still intact, so it was hard not to feel the intensity of Naoki's gaze, and probably what he was up to.
Being not worthy to interfere, they all stayed clear, and could only sit up and watch.
Daisuke felt his heart race in his chest as he swallowed a lump. He could feel his palms suddenly become sweaty around his katana's handle as he tried to hold his breath.
"M-Master…" He drawled as something shifted in his eyes.
How could he engage in this fight when he was unprepared?
This wasn't pride. Daisuke didn't just want to disappoint his Master as the others did. He was his right-hand man so, the burden on his shoulders was more than the others.
Naoki ignored him as he remained insistent. "You have ten chances to strike me. If you are able to hit me once before the last one, you win. If you can force me out of this circle, you win."
'What? How is that even possible?'
'We couldn't even touch his sword, how will Daisuke-sama stand a chance?'
Although Daisuke was the strongest amongst them, they still couldn't see him winning against their Master.
It just wasn't possible.
'Ten chances?' Daisuke thought to himself as he watched Naoki in that small circle around him.
This sounded appetizing, but it was a far more difficult task to achieve. He could recall how none of the retainers were able to touch his garment even as they came at him at once.
Knowing that he was not going to succeed, a long sigh fell off his lips. This was bad.
Naoki smiled to himself before raising his right hand in front of his face. Then without uttering a word, his lashes fluttered close, and immediately eight rings of purple light surrounded his body as the men watched in awe.
It was not every time they got to see their Master show off a glimpse of his powers. They could as well enjoy this view while it lasted.
"What do you think Master is doing?" One of the retainers whispered to the man beside him as his eyes remained glued to the stage.
"Let's watch and see…"
'Master is trapping his powers.' At this discovery, Daisuke felt a sense of relief wash over him.
When Naoki was done trapping his powers inside the ring, his lashes slowly opened to reveal his black pupils as the purple color of his ring, equally faded as well.
His powers were gone. Now, no one is going to dare tell him that he used his supernatural abilities as an advantage.
Although relieved, Daisuke felt bad. He knew the reason Naoki took away his powers was because of his utterance earlier.
At the moment, he felt guilty for having accused his Master, though he did it because of his retainers.
Gazing intently, Naoki commanded him to come at him.
Left with no choice, Daisuke was forced to step forward and got into position as his gaze turned fierce.
When last did the man ever get serious like this? It's been several years and now because of their Master, everyone got to see this side of him again.
Naoki shut his eyes as he tried to use his normal human senses to defend himself.
Without warning, Daisuke swung his sword to his side but immediately, Naoki turned his body slightly as his hands crossed behind his back, instantly dodging his sword as it pierced the air.
'Wow!' The retainers stared in awe. That was a smooth move from both men.
Daisuke was silent as ever with his feet, while Naoki seemed to have been expecting that move and only shifted to the side when the katana was close enough to his body.
Seeing that he had failed in the first attempt even with Naoki's eyes shut, Daisuke wasn't surprised, and instead, got ready to use his second chance.
Again, he failed.
Having a knowledge of what the battlefield looked like, Daisuke was sure he wouldn't make any progress with his sword if he continued that way hence, he decided to change strategy.
Instead of attacking once and taking a moment's break after failing, he decided to go all out and not stop.
Continuously, he lunged his sword forward without a break as his heartbeat increased by a few paces while at the same time, trying to be as silent as the grave.
'Good strategy,' accorded Naoki after he noticed the changes as he tried to dodge the flying sword a little faster just to meet his pace.
Just like that, six more chances went into the drain, leaving Daisuke a little breathless.
'Is he even human?' Takashi thought in astonishment.
A careful look from his position at the forefront was all it took for him to notice that Daisuke was giving it his all, while their Master tried to match his current speed effortlessly.
He could even tell that Naoki was holding back on his incredible speed as well.
"Are you tired?" Naoki asked as a smirk turned up at the corner of his lips.
He seemed amused at the current expression his righthand man must be holding unto after having frustrated him for a bit.
Daisuke's chest rose and fell as his gaze narrowed down to the top of his Master's head. 'With his powers gone, he can't probably hear my thoughts right?'
Not bothering to respond to his Master's question, he took a gamble and said thoughtfully to himself, 'All this while, I have been attacking his body and he seemed to be taking it quite well. Maybe it's time for a change.'