Sword Demon And The Black Knight

[N.B: Before reading the chapter please read the comment on the first paragraph]

In another part of the village, the twins, Luke and Rukh, felt a strange, unfamiliar energy. They exchanged alarmed glances and murmured, "What's this energy pressure? It's unfamiliar. An attack?" Swiftly, they rose from their beds and began preparing for the impending conflict.

Near the center of the village, on a monolithic structure, Flex inquired, "Could this be the Man Beasts they told us about, Uncle Tony?"

Tony squinted at the approaching figures and replied, "Their appearance matches the description of the Man Beasts. It's quite evident."

Flex couldn't contain his excitement and noted, "Man, their stigma energy is... is... amazing."

"Oh man, here we go again. Hey, Flex, let's take this seriously, okay?"

"Huh! You got it," Flex replied.

Meanwhile, Akihiro, sleeping restlessly, heard a sweet, haunting voice calling out from an unknown source.

"Akihiro… Akihiro… Akihiro…" A sweet, enigmatic female voice echoed from an unknown expanse. Suddenly, Akihiro jolted awake, questioning himself, "Was I dreaming?"

The haunting echo of the voice filled him with an indescribable sense of déjà vu. "What's that stigma pressure?" he mused, the same overwhelming sensation he had felt in the forest.

"Could this mean?" Before he could finish his thought, he swiftly realized the urgency of the situation. "Everyone!" Akihiro urgently dashed through the house.

"Akihiro, I've been calling you to come out. The village is under attack, monsters have come to attack the village. We must evacuate now," said Sarah.

Fearing the worst, Akihiro couldn't help but question, "Where are Noah and Amelia?" His eyes wide with fear.

Richard appears, "They are outside preparing to fight these monsters. You sleep like a bat."

"I'm sorry. But they can't… let's run away, Father."

"Listen, Akihiro! Take your mother to old man Tom. He will protect you. As for us three, we will face these monsters. I am a knight, remember?"

Confused and fearful of what he had witnessed in the forest, Akihiro knew his father's words were final. He took his mother and hurried to Old Man Tom's dwelling.

As they rushed away, Richard stepped outside, grabbing his sword and shield. He addressed his son and daughter with unwavering conviction, "Listen, son and daughter, this is it. The fight for your lives. Whatever you do, do not hold back, okay?"

Noah and Amelia replied, "Yes, Dad," eager for the looming battle that lay ahead.

"Now, get going! Make your old man proud," Richard cheered them on as his children took their leave.

As they departed, Richard's demeanor shifted abruptly from a warm smile to a steely, unwavering seriousness. "You can come out now. You want to fight the strongest, right? I'm over here."

Nubby, a fox-like man-beast, emerged from the shadows, and a fierce exchange ensued.

"My my… You have sharp senses for a man," said Nubby.

Richard raised his stigma energy to defend against Nubby. Without a word, Nubby sent spears created from stigma energy.

Richard used his shield to block the spears. The clash resulted in a powerful explosion, sending Richard hurtling backward, crashing into his house.

Thick smoke shrouded the aftermath, and Nubby called out, "Come out already. That was no intent to kill. You're not that weak."

Noah sensed his father's stigma surge and witnessed the explosion. Concern filled him as he realized, "They already got to him."

Noah yelled to his sister Amelia, "Go and protect Akihiro and Mom. They need you now. I have to check on Dad. I'll join you in a moment."

Amelia nodded. "Okay, brother. But be careful."

Noah focused on his father's stigma energy, sensing that he was still alive. Noah set off towards the source of the explosion.

[Richard's house]

"Fine then, since you don't want to come out, I will force you out of that trash you call a shelter! Spear blast!" Nubby screamed as he generated a massive spear of energy, obliterating the entire house.

"Noooo!" Noah screamed, still sensing his father's stigmata inside the house before it turned to a pile of ashes.

"Hahaha! So the brat has come to save his father, huh? Shame, he was trying to save you too, but no matter. I am your fate now, little boy," said Nubby.

As Noah stood there in disbelief about his father's demise, Nubby capitalized on the moment, thinking, "Yes, let that despair consume you while I strike you down… Master Giret will be pleased with my work." Nubby fired a stigma energy spear at Noah, and before Noah could regain his senses, the stigma spear struck, causing an explosion. Smoke enveloped the area, and Noah was no longer visible.

"That punk had it coming… Hahaha! Just like his old ma… Ugh! What? His stigmata pressure… I can still sense it, and it's intense… Grr!" said Nubby, confused.

Finally, as the dust and smoke settled, it became clear again. Noah remained unharmed, enclosed within a shield of purple stigma energy.

"What? A… a shield? Bu… t… but it can't be!! Wait… tha… that… that shield is…!" Nubby uttered in disbelief.

"No way… I don't believe it… my dad is a…" Noah trailed off in disbelief as the shield slowly ascended toward the dark sky, surrounded by stigmata. It eventually landed in Richard's left hand.

"So Coooooool, a black knight?" Noah said. Nubby, upon hearing Noah's words about who Richard was, turned his head to look at Richard. But when he finally focused on where Richard was, he found no one there.

"Ugh! Where is he?" Nubby wondered aloud, searching frantically, but there was no sign of Richard. His stigmata energy had disappeared as well.

"Hey kid, where is he?" shouted Nubby, his frustration evident. Before he could take another step, he sensed a tremendous stigmata pressure behind him, and as he turned, he met Noah's smiling gaze.

"Right next to you, fool," replied Noah. In a swift move, Richard kicked Nubby in the neck, sending him flying and crashing into the wall. Nubby struggled to come to an end to his involuntary motion, finally creating a stigma spear to stab the ground and halt his slide.

"Grr! That human!" exclaimed Nubby. "How dare you touch me?"

"Noah, where is your sister?"

"Oh… she… she is with Akihiro and Mom," replied Noah.

"What? He is ignoring me?" Nubby expressed.

"Look, son… I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth, but now is not the time to mourn. Go and defend the village. Go now," Richard urged.

"Yes, Dad," Noah replied as he took his leave.

"That's it… Master can punish me all he wants… you're dead, Black Knight!" Nubby said.

"Words can't physically touch me, so if you really want me dead, why don't you act a little bit… this time with a true intent to your words?" Richard challenged.

"This stinking human!" Nubby muttered as he powered up, releasing all his stigmata energy, boosting his stamina, endurance, and transforming his physique.

"You've done it, human!" Nubby declared.

"Ready when you are,"

[At Old Man Tom's House]

At Old Man Tom the Old Man Watched as the houses engulfed in flames . A wolf-like man-beast known as Azure appears and comes face to face with Old Man Tom.

"Huh, a man-beast?" Old Man Tom scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain.

"You know, my instincts always lead me to the strongest. To my disappointment, it led me to an old man."

Old Man Tom chuckles derisively. "Is that so? It probably was leading you to your death, don't you think?"

"Huh, you think this is funny? Laugh again in the gates of hell."

With a smirk twisting his lips, Old Man Tom retrieves his sword, a red aura seemingly emanating from its very edge. His smirk slowly fades, replaced by a look of disdainful seriousness. "Too bad, it's time to die."

In a sudden blur, Old Man Tom vanishes, leaving Azure bewildered. "What the—"

Abruptly, Old Man Tom materializes behind Azure, aiming to strike. Azure swiftly turns back, managing to graze Old Man Tom with his claws.

He laughs scornfully. "Haha... What a clown, old man." But the figure dissipates like smoke. "What an illusion!" As Azure turns, Old Man Tom viciously blinds him by cutting his eyes, causing a visceral scream of pain.

"Ahhh... You damn old man!" Azure attacks recklessly, a mix of anger and agony fueling his onslaught.

Old Man Tom seizes this opportunity mercilessly. "What a joke, so weak."

Summoning three swords. "It's over," he sneers as he directs them. The first sword pierces through Azure's mouth, the second to the throat, and the last to the stomach, painting the ground with his blood as Old Man Tom approaches.

"Argh...d...damn it!" Azure choked out, blood gurgling from his mouth, his words distorted and labored.

"Sword Technique: Hell Cut," With a swift, brutal movement, he decapitates Azure with his sword.

Gazing at the severed head of Azure, Old Man Tom remarks disparagingly, "The fight only lasted 10 seconds. It's not that you were weak; it's because you chose the wrong man to fight. What's worse, you chose to fight Tom, the Sword Demon."

Old man Tom coughed, catching a bit of blood as he spat, "perhaps I'm too old for this."