Yatari City(4)

"Phew, looks like I made in time." Jason looked on at the lady that lay on the ground. "Are you alright, General Sara?"

He had been drawn over the explosions that were occuring in the battlefield, thinking that there was another bandit vision hunter for him to hunt.

From the moment he arrived, he could tell something was wrong with the way General Sara was acting. Her breathing was incredibly ragged, and she was biting down on her lip; seemingly trying to fight back against something. Although he couldn't pinpoint what it was, he was certain she was in no shape to offer up any defense to the enemy.

"I-I'm fine. Be careful. The man in front of you is Taheiji, he's the leader of the bandits."

"Oh?" Jason turned his attention to the opponent in front him. They stood in the midst of the battlefield, facing off.

Taheiji sneered. "What do we have here … a normal soldier trying to play the hero? Tch. You'll pay for ruining my fun."

The bandit's lips drew back, revealing his out of shape canines which made the smile incredibly creepy.

Jason didn't reply. The general seemed to be injured; he would have to end the battle quickly so she could be treated. If he could kill the bandit leader right here, it would tip the battle heavily in the shogunate army's favor as well.

There was also the matter of mora, this was another hundred thousand mora being dangled right in front of him.

He lowered the tip of his blade to eye level, preparing for his strike.

"Sun Breathing: Sunflower Thrust."

Jason kicked off the ground with all the strength he could muster, shooting towards the bandit with astonishing speed.

Upon closing in, he swung his flaming sword right at the bandit, intending to finish him in a single blow. He felt his blade scraping against a glowing layer that dimmed upon contact; making it unable to pierce through.

Taheiji leaped away, his eyebrows pressed together.

"Interesting, to think the shogunate army had someone of your skill. Even my shield was dissipated in a single strike. You will be a prey worth devouring before I go for the highlight ..." Taheiji licked his lips as he eyed the general that lay helplessly on the floor, then turned his attention to Jason again.

"Glacial Art: Consecrated Armor."

The bandit became shrouded in a layer of blue light, then launched himself at Jason. His sudden movement left the undergrowth in its path erupting into the air, a trail of falling dirt marking its ferocious passage.

Jason sidestepped the incoming attack, sending another strike of his own that met Taheiji's blow. He could feel the waves of frost emanating from the bandit's blade when their weapons traded strikes. They then both withdrew, facing each other in silence.

"Once I'm done with you, I'm going to trample all over the dignity of your precious general and have her beg for her life. Kuahaha. I can't wait to see the sight of her naked body being paraded in public."

"Beast … don't think that you can escape." Jason finally responded. Hearing what Taheiji was implying to do to the general made him feel disgusted. He had no sympathy for the bandits; not for all the atrocities many of them had done; and especially not this man. Many more innocent girls would suffer at the hands of this depraved beast if he was left alive.

"Escape? I'm afraid you got it all wrong. I didn't get a chance to use this against the general earlier, but you will be the perfect target." The bandit flung his katana away, then took a step forward; his hands curling into fists.

"Glacial Art: Imbuement of Frost."

In front of him, Taheiji's surroundings now swirled with cyro elemental particles, turning the ground beneath him to ice.

Jason could feel the temperature dropping several degrees as his body shivered a little. He kept his focus on his enemy, trying to decipher the meaning behind his actions.

Discarding his katana … was Taheiji trying to lure him into a melee fight? That would make sense, considering the protection he had from his shield - trying to finish the bandit in a single strike would be impossible. He probably also had something up his sleeves as well; a skill that would aid him in close combat.

(I'll have to be careful. if I get hit by one of his attacks it would be over for me.)

Jason lifted his blade once more and took a deep breath.

"Sun Breathing: Sunflower Thrust."

Jason dashed towards Taheiji, once again slashing his katana at the bandit. Waves of heat and frost collided, jostling against each other as the thin layer of blue light that shrouded Taheiji began to fade.

The clash lasted for a second. From his periphery, Jason saw the bandit leader swinging a fist right at him. A huge amount of cyro particles were gathering around it, causing Taheiji's incoming punch to shine brilliantly with a light blue glow.

"Huehue, it's over for you ... Glacial Art: Apex Cascade!"

A thunderous explosion immediately occurred where Taheiji struck, sending shockwaves throughout the whole battlefield. When the shroud of blue mist dispersed from the attack, all that remained was a deep-hollowed out area where the point of impact occurred.

"I missed that brat at point-blank? Impossible, where did he go?"

"Sun Breathing: Fake Rainbow."

Only then did the bandit notice that Jason was already on top of him, his body twirling and spinning high in the air.

"Glacial Art: Consecra-"

"Too slow! Sun Breathing ... Beneficent Radiance!"

Descending upon his enemy, Jason brought his blade around and through Taheiji; enveloping the bandit's body in spirals of flame. The faint layer of blue light that protected him earlier extinguished now completely upon contact, and the bandit let out screams of agony; then finally collapsed.

The tension in Jason was released, and he felt soreness ringing in his muscles.

"...Hey, look ..."

"Who's that person? He actually killed their leader."

"The Shogun's Army is invincible! Kill them all!"

As the corpse of the once-mighty bandit leader lay on the ground, the shogunate soldiers who saw the battle had their morale raised to an all time-high. They fought even harder against the bandit army; which was now collapsing with the loss of their leader.

The battle had turned into a one-sided slaughter then on for the shogun's army, and the remaining ronins were scattering to forests nearby as fast as their legs could carry them.

Jason collected the greyed vision crystal from Taheiji's body, then rushed towards the general.

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Sara could only watch the battle helplessly, her body had now gone completely numb; being able only to barely move her hands.

"I'll bring you back to the encampment, you don't look like you can move at all. Is that fine?"

The general looked on at the shogunate soldier that was standing beside her. He was dressed in the standard battle attire for the ashigaru - the low ranking soldiers; with an average-length straight dark-brown hair. At the first look, there was nothing completely that made him stand out at all.

Yet this man would fight and defeat the notorious bandit leader of the Narukami island, saving her from a grim fate in the process. She saw how the battle had unfolded and the mesmerizing blade skills the shogunate soldier had displayed in the process - it was as though the person was dancing with his blade. A display of peak swordsmanship that would perhaps be only beneath the Shogun's and the Five Sword Saints, and he looked like he was only in his early twenties.

"Fine." She squeezed out the words. It wasn't like Sara had a choice. Once the paralysis of the initial stage of Valrodine had dissipated, the more vulgar effects of it would be made apparent. She had to get back into the privacy of her tent before that happened and could no longer control herself ... The display would be too embarrassing.

"Eep!"

She felt a warmth underneath her waist as she was lifted, and the soldier was now carrying her around his right arm.

"… What is it?"

"N-nothing."

(1366 words)