Savage As A Meat Axe

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Lennon 'Bladed Monster' Hull

My boots slide back across the dense wood beneath my feet after our first collision. Meanwhile, the organ within the depths of my chest accelerates even further. It is rapidly approaching the limit of what is humanly possible. Too bad I have no way to go beyond that with Ether. Damn Virtue... well, it's not all bad.

The excitement of a good battle...

I almost live for it.

Maddox Adkins smiles right back at me. His scimitar, with a broad and long curved blade, stares into my steeled eyes. The man steps back with one leg, bending forward and placing his arm that wields his sword against his chest.

"An honor to meet you in blood, Lennon Hull. Let us... enjoy ourselves. One warrior to another."

I meet his eyes wholly, finding the oceans within too deep for the ends to be encountered. He's the most powerful enemy I've ever faced. Karn is absurdly dangerous, but Maddox Adkins is something different.

He rarely shows it, however. Only those who are dead besides his crew have ever seen the true Sea's Shadow. To most, he is shrewd, careful, cautious. He only shows his hand when he is sure he can win. A strategist, yet also a grand fighter himself. What lies beneath the surface?

I wonder? Is there a bottom?

It doesn't matter. I must throttle my adrenaline. This is not for enjoyment. This is for... this is for everything and nothing all at once.

"This has nothing to do with enjoyment, Maddox. We both know what this is for."

The captain of this ship laughs ominously as he steps forward, the sea beneath shaking precariously. The bastard is preparing even now. Well, so am I.

"Oh? And, pray tell, what is that?"

I grit my teeth. He's fucking with me, even beyond that facade of a respectable man. Is this what lies beneath the surface? No. That glimmer in his eye. He's not genuinely fucking with me. This is a man who has killed his own wife. Two, in fact.

He will do anything to survive.

"We have both reached our limits, Maddox. And... we are in search of a way to break past them."

The Sea's Shadow nods slowly, raising his blade to point the edge toward my eyes. While doing so, he mocks me even further. It's his strategy. I pay no heed to it.

"Is that so? And you gain no enjoyment from a fight, Lennon? Is that the truth? What about the Monster I've heard so much about?"

The teeth in my jaw grate against each other as I raise my Claymore at Maddox, not from anger or any kind of emotion such as that. The muscles are locking from exhilaration. The preparations are complete. Monster is primed and ready to destroy my body and his.

"I am a swordsman, Adkins. And I am skilled in the business of death, as many are. I take no pleasure in my skill. Simply... I would say I am good at what I do. And in that way... I must grow even better."

My opponent scoffs, spitting beside him with annoyance. Then he strides toward me, brandishing his blade as the sea beneath us rumbles with a greater might than before.

"Horseshit. What a hypocrite. Fools like you rush in where even Angels fear to tread."

And with his last word, the ship below my feet splits open. Like the maw of a vast, never-ending creature, the sea bites toward me with thousands of tendrils. Maddox, across from me, smiles with a swirl of his blade, now cloaked in evervescent lightning.

Gravity takes over my body for the most minuscule fraction of a second before I compel my situation to change. Monster flows through my veins, and with that comes a different perspective.

The world becomes tinier yet austerer to discern. At the same time, the sounds of the water wash away, leaving diluted colors in their wake. Time doesn't halt, but it does meet me in the middle, moving at a middling pace.

I extend my right leg, reaching out for a falling piece of wood. I find purchase with minimal movement. Even in this slowed time, the clock ticking away and away, I take note of Maddox's reactions. His eyes are following me, only superbly slowly.

That means his reactions are faster than his literal movement. Not good. I prefer the other way. The dissonance makes it easier to take advantage of. He is good. Really good.

Force enters my leg and exits through the lumber beneath me. The impact that leaves me is one I would never have thought possible from my feeble body years ago. It's not entirely flying, but to kick into the sky with a platform below you is not all that far.

Kai Vinson...

I've reached your speed, my friend. It is only a shame you are not here to see me exceed it. Your time came, however. Perhaps mine will.

But she'll have to pry it from my fucking hands.

Air warps and tugs at my skin as I shuttle beside Maddox. The compressed form of Monster, reaching only that of two seconds, yearns for release. Thanks to my Virtue, the skill has grown in competence and allowed me to manage it more adeptly.

Even still...

The muscles within my body are imploding while my veins are exploding. Beyond those two seconds...

My very skull will my depart my neck.

The sole of my left boot meets the hardwood, shattering it beneath the heel. But before I fall under the grasp of gravity, I force myself to move yet again. The bones within my arm crackle and distort, but they hold firm.

The Sewing Needle yearns for Maddox's brain matter in less than half a second from the fight starting. I stab toward him, seeking to end the battle in a moment, but I already know he won't die this quickly. Expecting him to retaliate due to his enhanced perception, I sidestep and raise the broadsword from my hip that I brought as backup to my perpendicular.

And my preparations prove to be apt as a watery tentacle crashes into me. The force crumples dozens of bones as Monster fizzles out for a moment. I land on a section of the ship unaffected by the swirling mass of sea below.

I roll, roll, and roll, but I catch myself before I slide off the ship with the fractured broadsword. The steel of a 6th Sigiled Claymore is but paper in front of the Sea's Shadow. I can feel the side of my body that holds the Claymore to be numb and fuzzy. Blood drips down from above my eye, and I nearly fall backward from the dizziness.

Yet, as always, I find balance within the storm.

Maddox turns toward me, impressed but now vehemently earnest toward my death. With a raised hand, water rises from the ship's sides and extends from the open maw in the center.

"Your instincts for battle... they are extraordinary. A lesser man would have died just then. I can name half a dozen at most that can react in time to block that. Best we end this sooner than later. You were... overconfident to fight me here in my domain."

The sight in my eyes hardly stabilizes before I hear the swish of water that heads right for me. Gritting my teeth, Monster reforms, only not as amplified. He can do the same, forcing himself to move at higher levels for limited periods. I need to outskill him, not outmatch him in force. Blood streams down my limbs even under the slowed perception of the skill. He's wrong. I knew that this would be a hard fight—an impossible one, even. But... I have to do it anyway. Every time I reach my limit, I must find a way beyond it. Seven times I have done the exact same thing, one for each Sigil. I must find a way forward.

With my broken arm clenching the shattered hilt of a once-formidable sword meant to never bear my full strength and the thin rapier held nimbly in the other, I launch myself towards the ship's captain. Tendrils of liquid lash out with lethal precision in exchange, a swirling ballet of controlled chaos aimed directly at me. His control is... opposite of mine. It is perfection, a work of art, even.

The water is faster than before now that the tides have gathered and primed to slay me. But... I am not a man to back down when outmatched.

I weave through the undulating waves, a nimble dance on the precipice of death. The first tendril lunges at my right side; I slide effortlessly beneath it, feeling the spray of water as it misses. The next comes from the left, and with a deft parry, I send the lethal momentum cascading harmlessly into the sea.

As I sprint forward, Maddox orchestrates a series of rapid thrusts from multiple directions. With each move, I respond with every ounce of skill I have ever garnered. Sheer speed is not enough. He's faster. I leap over one watery whip, duck beneath another, and twirl away from a third, all in a single movement. The metallic clang of my rapier against water resonates in a disjointed melody as I helm this onslaught.

The Sea's Shadow, undeterred, conjures a colossal wave, attempting to engulf me entirely. Sensing the impending deluge, I make a daring leap, using the crest of the wave as a springboard to somersault over the surging water. Midair, I unleash a barrage of slashing strikes towards Maddox, exploiting the momentary vulnerability.

However, the captain is not finished. His scimitar meets my Claymore, deflecting the first round while the sea erupts once more, this time forming a swirling vortex of water. Tendrils, sharp as blades, whirl around us both in a deadly cyclone. Yet, the liquid leaves him be, seeking only my life. Undaunted, I channel every ounce of skill and agility, darting between the watery blades with razor-thin precision.

Pain elucidates my being as the shards of water bite into me. The ruined arm that holds the broken blade moves, deflecting a tendril with the shattered edge. Then, I dive through the bladed water, seeking the man himself.

Our clash intensifies as I reach the captain, a tempest of blades and torrential might. Maddox, faster and stronger despite not seeming like it, gains the upper hand in our initial exchange. My weary muscles strain against the overwhelming force, and I stagger backward, desperately seeking an opening.

Monster is running low on time. Maddox... that blade. It's what is controlling the lightning in these waters, making it even worse. The man himself is powerful enough on his own.

Water sprouts from behind him and from my rear, giving me a dozen more threats to deal with than he has from me.

It's best if I get in real close then. That way, it'll be hard to take advantage. I dive toward him, taking a slice to my side as I exchange it for space. Once up close, I pressure him with all I can, feeling the short clock approach the ending. Maddox, however, darts inward with his water, meeting me in the middle. He pushes too close, however. He is a man with a sword, not a swordsman.

In a burst of inspiration, I deflect the captain's threatening scimitar with my rapier. His arm flies to the sky as the water around surges in to make up for his loss. But I move on pure instinct, finding the single path to survival and victory. My shattered arm, wielding the broken blade, moves with unexpected finesse as I step up to him and wrap my body along his like a loving embrace to prevent retaliation. Seizing the opportunity, I drive the jagged edge into the Maddox's neck, a desperate gamble to turn the tide.

A strangled cry leaves him alongside a rapturous wave that throws me off of him. The waters cease, however, as Monster does, too.

The captain stumbles back as I stare at him. Not enough. The wound falls short of delivering a fatal blow. As the Sea's Shadow regains his composure, only barely, I collapse to my knees, the toll of the relentless battle finally catching up to me. Exhaustion envelops my every fiber, and the air escapes my lungs in ragged breaths.

I hold myself aloft with only my right arm, keeping the Sewing Needle within. A fragile equilibrium is established as Maddox coughs out blood, crashing against the stairs to his upper deck.

"You... almost... killed... me..."

I push myself, exerting every fiber in my body to move, and it does. But as I stand, I find a bright light radiating from the sea beyond Maddox. It comes off as both silver yet black. A darkness that is trying to squander a light. It paralyzes me at the mere sight. I squint, confused, as a massive heat envelops me.

What the...?

The instant I grow distracted, Maddox moves.

Water encapsulates his blade as he swings at me. I urge my form to move, but I'm not fast enough. The water stings across me, managing to strike me partially.

For a moment, I feel no pain. Then...

It all comes rushing as two mirrored arms fall to the ground.

The fact of the battle hits me just as the sound does. I let the blood sink and crash in significant volumes without a word from my lips.

It would seem...

I have finally lost.

Maddox steps toward me, holding his neck tightly as he stretches slightly. The entire injury is displayed to me, a grotesque cut that nearly removed his whole spine. So close... yet not quite.

I stare forward at Maddox as the captain gradually stabilizes his wound with his manipulated water, tiny threads like stitches putting him back together. He steps toward me, the Ocean's Tempo poised to remove my head.

"I don't know what distracted you so, but I must thank it. Luck is most certainly an aspect of power. And it would appear you do not have enough."

The man's words cut profoundly into my present and past. I've always wished I had come from a different family. That I was blessed with talent. That I was... anyone but Lennon Hull.

An unlucky man who refused to be simply mortal.

A wish for a line anew,

For talent's blessing, a dream to pursue.

Refusing the bounds of mortality,

A poet's son, a soul of audacity.

Through the struggles, he dared to soar,

A mortal spirit seeking something more.

In the echoes of his destined dye,

A man who refused to simply die.

That is me. No one can escape the confines of fate as it would appear. I can only push back the Pale Lady so long. And in the end... I think I enjoyed the struggle. It made me... whole. If I were to do it all over again, I'd only try harder.

I smile as I meet the man to kill me.

My legs give out from overusing Monster and the lack of blood in my veins. I crane my neck to stare at Maddox as I realize he's not looking at me anymore. His one hand still holds his neck, but the other is shaking.

A brilliant light draws my attention. Above the ship floats a figure cloaked with wings of both Darklight and a fire that absolutely refuses to cease. The mere sight gets my heart beating, a hint of something that I do not comprehend.

Maddox raises his blade toward the creature, but before the captain can even speak, the figure soars away. It heads toward the island like a Deadman pursuing prey. The man beside me pivots back toward me, laughing shortly before raising his sword.

"You were an excellent challenge, Lennon. I learned a new way to use my water, thanks to you. Speed is indeed an invaluable trait. I shall meditate on your swordsmanship for many moons as well. A master in every way. Goodbye."

A swoosh of air seeks my neck. I merely stare at the storm clouds above, wishing I could fly into them. I wish... this was not my last battle. I think Maddox was right.

I am a hypocrite.

I look down on those who fight because they enjoy it since I fight to grow stronger, seeing the growth as joy. In the end... I think I am just like them.

Yet, as I wait for certain doom, it does not come. Instead, I peer upward to find Maddox's blade caught by a pair of daggers held by a relatively short man with sandy blonde hair. Clarence Love. The Silent Scorpion grimaces with effort to bear Maddox's blade from a single arm with both of his.

On the other side of Maddox stands Eli Weiss, the actual man's flesh and bone.

"Mind if we join? I also find myself stuck to a limit."

I can only watch Maddox pivot to his side, only to find himself surrounded by five Angels, not including me. Clarence Love, Eli Weiss, Sylvia Harvey, and two other figures I don't recognize hidden by burly cloaks. One seems to be a lithe human, likely a woman, while the other is an oversized one that has to be a man.

Maddox chokes on his own blood as I stay still, watching as he stumbles back. One hand stays on his neck as he shouts toward the air, only to find a see-through sphere surrounding the entire ship. His words echo back toward him as Eli nods to the lithe, cloaked person.

"Thank you, Cloud. We came prepared, Maddox. Your friend won't be saving you this time."

The Sea's Shadow grows in fury before he lashes out at those around him. Water explodes from every direction as my entire vision becomes nothing but the depths of the sea, littered with my own blood. Yet, as I fall into the waters, a hand reaches out and pulls me to the surface. I find Clarence's pained face as he shoves two daggers into the stubs of my arms.

"Apologies, Lennon. We cannot have you rejoin any fights in the future. However... I cannot bring myself to kill you, even if he orders it. It is pointless. Your efforts have done much for humanity over the years. Retire while you can. These arms of yours will never heal. Do not let me see you again."

I listen to his words but hardly pay attention. I lost a fight. I should die. Why am I not dead? It doesn't make any sense. I lost.

I lost.

I should die.

Retire?

Only old men retire. I made peace with the fact I'd never have white hair long ago. I'm not that lucky.

Never was.