Chapter 14

'' Ahem. Ahem,'' a voice suddenly broke the hushed silence that had followed the general's speech, then suddenly an old man emerged from the opposite entrance of the arena. In his hand, he held a hollow tube, a vessel for the words that would escape his mouth, amplifying their reach to the furthest corners of the arena.

'' You shall be divided into pairs!'' he proclaimed, his voice trembling with age but still resounding with authority. '' For each team, a representative will be chosen. And then after this first phase, we will enter the second phase of the fight. when the fight begins tell the crowd your names.'' As he continued his task, the old man paired the prisoners, a cruel twist of fate that placed Hiro and the girl upon opposite sides of the coming battle.

'' The air in the arena hung heavy with the tension of the crowd, a miasma of fear and anticipation that clung to every surface like a second skin. As two prisoners, their fates sealed by the whims of fate entered the arena, their voices rose above the murmurs of the audience, a plaintive cry that heralded the beginning of their final fight.

'' I'm Fuyuku,'' the first prisoner muttered, his voice quivering like a leaf in the wind, his hands clutching his sword with desperation that belied his fear. His opponent, his eyes gleaming with predatory intent, caught the tremble in Fuyuku's voice. A cruel smile stretched across his face like a scar upon his lips. '' I'm Riku,'' he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.

With just those two words. Riku lunged towards Fukuyu, his sword a deadly flash of steel in the sunlight. Fukuyu, his fear of a living beast that clawed at his heart, raised his sword in a desperate attempt to defend himself. Fukuyu's sword, a pitiful shield against the onslaught of Riku's fury, met his opponent's blade with a jarring clang, a song of desperation that echoed through the arena'

Riku, his strength tempered by the fires of rage, pressed his advantage, his strike like the blows of a hammer upon an anvil. Fukuyu, his body racked with fear, stumbled backwards, his feet tripping over themselves as he desperately tried to evade Riku's blade. With each strike that Riku unleashed, Fuyuku retreated further, his desperation mounting like a tower of flames. His sword, supposed to be the emblem of his powers, had become a pitiful excuse for a weapon, his strikes weak and faltering.

Riku, his lips twisted into a leering grin, advanced with the patience of a predator, his movements a deadly dance. And then, in a single, deft movement, he swept Fuyuku's sword from his grip, sending it clattering across the arena floor. Fuyuku, unarmed and helpless, cowered before the leering blade of Riku, a lamb before the jaws of a wolf.

And in that moment, as the cries of the crowd rang out like a funeral dirge, Fuyuku knew his fate was sealed. Riku raised his sword, his muscles coiled like a spring, his eyes locked upon the trembling form of Fuyuku.''  Any last words?'' he sneered, his voice a needle that pierced the silence. But Fuyuku, his breath a ragged gasp, said nothing. Suddenly, Fuyuku's eyes flashed with a sudden courage that defied all logic.

Roaring with a primal ferocity that even Riku was not prepared for, he lunged at his armed opponent with his bare hands, his fingers curled into savage claws. Riku, caught off guard by the unexpected attack, stumbled backwards, barely avoiding the swipe of Fuyuku's hand. But Fuyuku was relentless, his anger had suddenly become a blade sharper than any steel. Fuyuku, fueled by the desperation that bordered on madness, pressed his advantage, his movements swift and brutal. His fits, like the hammer- blows of a blacksmith, hammered upon Riku's body, the force of each strike sending jolts of pain through his body.

Riku, his eyes wide with shock, managed to deflect a handful of blows, but the ferocity of Fuyuku's assault was unrelenting. With a cry of pain, he fell to one knee, his sword slipping from his grasp. Fuyuku, adrenaline surging through his veins like a torrential river, seized upon the opportunity. With speed that belied his desperation, he pounced upon Riku, his hands grasping his opponent's throat like a vengeful spirit.

Riku, his strength sapped by the surprise attack, struggled against Fukuyu's iron grip, his fingers scrabbling against the ground in a futile attempt to find his sword. But the Fuyuku was relentless, his hands tightening around Riku's throat like a noose. The air in the arena was charged with the tension of the fight, a heartbeat that pounded with the rhythm of their struggle. And then, as Riku's face began to turn pale blue, his hands slackened their grip, his life slipping away like sand through a sieve.

Fuyuku, his hands still clamped around Riku's neck watched as his opponent's eyes rolled back in his head, his body going limp beneath him. The battle was over, and against all odds, it seemed as though Fuyuku had emerged victorious. But Fuyuku's triumph, a fleeting taste of victory, was cut short as Riku, with a sudden surge of strength, came back to life, his eyes blazing with cold fury.

'' You think you've won?'' he snarled, his voice a rasping growl. '' You pathetic worm!''

With a savage twist of his body, Riku threw Fuyuku off him, his hands grasping for his fallen sword. And in a single, fluid motion, he rose to his feet, his blade gleaming in the sunlight. Fuyuku, his victory snatched away by Riku's sudden revival, scrabbled across the ground, his hands groping blindly for a weapon, for anything that could tip the balance of the fight in his favour.

But the arena was bare, his weapon was buried somewhere beneath the sand of the arena. Riku, his eyes fixed upon his opponent, advanced slowly, savouring the moment like a cat with a mouse.'' like I said before Any last words? He asked a cruel smile upon his lip followed by a burst of psychopathic laughter.

With the excitement of the fight, the soldiers cheered and jeered, their cries like a tempestuous sea, Riku, with a smile on his face, held Fuyuku's head placing it upon the sand of the arena.

As if he had been practising for years, Riku raised his sword above his head, the steel gleaming with a cruel beauty in the harsh sunlight. With a swift, brutal motion, he brought the blade down, its tip piercing through the flesh of Fuyuku's skull, the impact echoing through the arena.