Shin began to wail as he envisioned his impending death. He knew he didn't stand a chance against Sierra unless he acted immediately. He stopped running and wheeled around, staring into the eyes of the woman pursuing him. He extended his mind outwards, enveloping Sierra and filling her entire body with dread.
She gasped as she slowed to a walking pace, then stopped entirely. The feeling was overwhelming. She lowered herself to the ground, twitching. She struggled to breathe as the fear took over her mind, causing incomprehensible pain.
Kai and Hana arrived at the scene and stood over Sierra.
“Shin, there are civilians watching,” Hana warned, more surprised than stern.
“She was trying to kill me!” he defended.
Kai turned around and saw dozens of pairs of eyes staring in their direction. The citizens of Nishihama were both curious and shocked, but also afraid of what was happening before them. “We need to eliminate her,” he whispered. “But not here. The people don't deserve to witness this.”
Shin never knew what hit him. Nikolai's fist connected with his jaw, delivering a sickening crunch and sending him soaring several metres into the air. In the blink of an eye, he'd also elbowed Kai in the chest and kicked Hana down to the ground. The people backed away when they saw the altercation. Some of them began to frantically call the police on their wrist comms.
Kai was the first to his feet. He launched himself at Nikolai, but the towering man was too fast and disappeared from view.
“Save your strength,” Nikolai joked.
Hana looked up at who had attacked her. She shot Nikolai a menacing glance, and then held her arm outwards to absorb his energy. She shrieked when he delivered a knee to her face, lifting her off the ground.
“You didn't even thank me for warning the four of you earlier,” Nikolai said. “I thought you'd be grateful that I saved your life.”
He spun around and saw Shin eyeing him off hungrily. Before he could infiltrate his mind, Nikolai had attacked once again, this time punching him in the side of the head and knocking him through a shop window.
“Nor did you once thank me for letting you stay in my villa. Although, to be truthful, they were the worst three months of my life,” he laughed.
Kai summoned a stream of energy and swung it at the eyeless man. Nikolai turned around and held his hand up, grabbing the stream effortlessly. Kai gasped—he'd never met anyone who was able to withstand the powerful beam.
“You seem surprised,” Nikolai said. In an instant, he was standing in front of Kai. He grabbed the beam with his other hand and wrapped it around the man's neck. “But you shouldn't be surprised. Surely you know what I'm capable of.” He pulled the beam tight, choking the life out of the Tianzu warrior. Nikolai smiled. “Or perhaps you don't. Could it be that you and your pathetic clan have underestimated your enemy?”
He released the beam, not wishing to end Kai's life so hastily. The warrior fell to the ground, gasping for air.
Sierra clambered to her feet and stared at Nikolai suspiciously. She grabbed her kunai tight and contemplated attacking him.
Nikolai sensed her intentions and held a friendly arm up. “I'm not here to harm you, Marion. As you can see, I just saved your life. It seems that I'm saving everyone's lives tonight.”
Shin stumbled through the broken window and back onto the street, covered in blood. He stared at Nikolai with terrified eyes, then turned and began running down the street. Sierra watched him as he fled, but made no attempt to give chase—she was far too fatigued from what Hana had done to her.
Kai climbed back to his feet, along with Hana. They both glared at Nikolai, but took no action.
Nikolai smiled at them, his face smug. “You're not going to attack?”
Hana spat blood at Nikolai, then began running south with Kai, no doubt to protect the defenceless Shin.
“I can sense how desperate they are to slay me. Retreating is a wise move for the time being,” Nikolai said as he watched them flee into the distance. He turned his attention to Sierra. “I do hate combat. I'd much rather allow someone to do the fighting for me. But I suppose my involvement was merely an inevitability.”
Sierra watched him with apprehensive eyes.
“Relax,” he said. “As I've already informed you, I'm not going to harm you. Don't assume I want you dead just because I told the Tianzu that you were planning on storming their little hideout.”
Sierra said nothing. She continued studying him, unsure what to make of the situation. She'd come dangerously close to having her life taken away from her, but she offered him no thanks.
“You're quite the fighter, aren't you?” he asked. “It was a kind gesture of you to pursue Shin the way you did.”
“That boy needs to be killed,” she said. The feeling of Shin paralysing her mind with fear was unable to be explained. She was usually quite resilient, but no one appeared to be immune to the boy's terrifying ability.
“Indeed. It perplexes me to see an elite so young as himself. How he was able to push his consciousness to the next level is beyond me. A delinquent like that shouldn't possess such skills.”
Something caught Sierra's attention. She watched as flashing lights from police vehicles appeared in the distance. Nikolai turned and saw them too.
“Nevertheless,” he said, “it's intriguing for me to see you pursue someone who isn't Tahlia. It seems as though you truly are a member of White Shadow after all.”
“I still want her dead.”
“But you postponed your own needs and assisted your faction. That's a sign of loyalty, if you ask me.”
The police were closing in on them. Sierra turned around and began to limp away from the conversation.
“Would you care to join Black Dawn?” Nikolai offered. “It would be nice to work with someone loyal. Although it would also mean defecting, which actually contradicts loyalty altogether, and therefore means I'd be unable to trust you.”
“I'm not joining you,” she said without turning around. “Why don't you just give me Tahlia?”
Nikolai laughed and placed his hands on his hips, pleased with the odd request. “I'll take it under advisement.” He watched as Sierra disappeared down an alleyway, vanishing into the shadows. “Tahlia never told you, did she?” he called after her.
Sierra stopped walking, her body hidden in the darkness. “Tell me what?”
Nikolai smiled, although his face was more one of empathy than happiness. “A tale for another time, perhaps.” He could sense Sierra's frustration from the cryptic statement. She kept moving.
Nikolai turned around; the police had almost arrived. Not wishing to waste his time with them, he transported himself away from the scene.
Forty-two
Karatsu swung his sword in a circle, narrowly missing all three of White Shadow as they dropped to the ground. They countered his attack with one of their own, all lunging forward with their respective blades, but only to fall into each other as Karatsu leapt into the air.
Skye spun around and tried to jab Karatsu with his kaiken. The masked man brought his katana down, smacking the weapon from Skye's hands. Karatsu attempted to finish him off, but turned his sword at the last minute, instead deflecting Delta's kunai.
Charlie's mind raced as he tried to think of a way to kill the warrior. He threw his kunai at Karatsu as hard as he could, then rolled forward, grabbing his pistol in one swift movement, and firing upwards at him. His strategy worked—Karatsu paused for the briefest of moments and hesitated. He wisely chose to dodge the kunai, the consequence of which being the bullet tore through his shoulder. He recoiled with pain as he sustained yet another wound.
Skye saw his chance to attack. He used his mind to shove Karatsu's katana backwards, slicing the man's collar in the process. Delta didn't give up either, continuing her onslaught with her small kunai, yet to little effect against the much faster Karatsu.
The masked man leapt up once again and landed further down the street, retrieving Skye's kaike
n. He spun around and faced the trio with two bladed weapons held high.
Skye tried to think of a new strategy. Their enemy had sustained several lacerations, but showed no signs of giving up. He was terrifyingly quick, which made Skye wonder in the back of his mind how difficult it would be taking down the reminder of the clan. Three of them were seemingly ineffective against one Tianzu.
Charlie raised the gun to eye level and fired several times. This time Karatsu was prepared for the firearm, rolling to his side and dropping the kaiken. He then appeared in front of Charlie, snatching his gun and kicking him in the chest, sending him soaring down the street. Karatsu tilted the gun right and held it to Delta's face. Skye used his telekinesis to move her head out of the way, narrowly avoiding the bullet, but also knocking her down to the ground.
Karatsu fired at Skye. His speed was no match for the bullet, which flew straight through the side of his abdomen. Skye didn't have time to react to the pain before Karatsu held the gun higher, this time to his head, and pulled the trigger again. Skye twitched when he heard the sound of the hammer strike an empty chamber.
Charlie was back on his feet, as was Delta, both with their knives ready. They jumped forward at their attacker. Karatsu swung the katana at them with just enough force to knock the small weapons from their hands. Charlie and Delta froze for a brief second, both realising they'd been disarmed.
Karatsu raised the sword high, ready to bring it down and kill the pair with one movement. Skye watched on, knowing what the man was about to do. The pain from his bullet wound began to burn. He kept his mind focussed, doing the only thing he could to save his friends—he held his arm upwards and used his mind to summon the fallen kaiken.
Karatsu began to swing downwards, stopping suddenly as the kaiken ripped through his backside. He tilted his head downwards and saw the metal protruding from his chest. He let out a sickened groan.
Delta breathed a quick sigh of relief. But Karatsu still didn't give up. He stepped forward, grabbing Delta by the shirt and trying to pull her forward into the deadly blade jutting out from his body.
Skye had to act quickly. He pushed past the searing pain, flying forward and snatching Karatsu's katana from his hand. In one final movement, Skye spun around with the blade held outwards, slicing Karatsu's head from his neck.
It took Charlie a moment to react as he watched the severed head fall to the ground. Delta freed herself from Karatsu's lifeless grasp, his body slumping to the concrete in a heap.
Skye doubled over as the pain intensified. It took all of his strength to keep his mind and body composed. “Delta, where are the others?” he asked, not wasting any time. The Tianzu were still on the loose and needed to be stopped.
She closed her eyes. Her mind had been focussed on the battle; she'd lost track of Kai, Hana, and Shin. “They're moving away from here. Sierra's on her way back; she's close.”
Skye climbed to his feet. Charlie and Delta inspected one another's bodies, looking for any hidden wounds.
“We should go after them,” Skye said. “But ...”
“We're in no condition.” Charlie finished his sentence for him. The trio looked about themselves, all nodding in agreement. They had so far managed to eliminate one of the Tianzu; their mission had been successful. More importantly, they'd all managed to survive.
Sierra returned to the scene, noticeably slower than usual. She looked down at Karatsu's decapitated body, realising her comrades had defeated him. “I've lost the others,” she said.
Skye stared at the hideous sight of the headless warrior too. It was the second of his enemies he'd killed in such a gruesome manner. “It's fine. We need to return home and recover.” He placed his fingers over his side, applying pressure to the gunshot wound. Blood trickled from his side, but it didn't appear to be life threatening. The cells of the shengxian healed rapidly, and most lesions often healed by themselves with little complication.
“It's not safe here,” Daye said, his illusion appearing in front of them. He looked down solemnly at the deceased Karatsu. As feared, this war was leading to needless slaughter, and much faster than anticipated; he thought he'd be able to intervene in time, but had clearly underestimated the groups' desire to kill one another.
Daye tilted his head back up to White Shadow, not commenting on the matter. “You need to leave Nishihama.”
Skye was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the man. “Daye? What are you doing here?”
It took Daye several seconds to respond. He sighed, cautiously choosing his next words. “I'm here to help you.”
“You're not helping anyone!” Charlie shouted, not trusting him in the slightest.
“Please don't assume I'm your enemy,” he pleaded. “I may work for the Tianzu, but my loyalties are to the original clan we founded; not the one you know.”
The other four looked at one another, uncertain what he was talking about.
“They're returning,” Delta gasped. “Kai, Hana, and Shin. They've turned around. They're making their way back here.”
“We can't fight them,” Charlie admitted. “Not like this.”
“I can take you somewhere safe,” Daye said. “I assure you our intentions are pure. It pains me that we're forced to choose sides in this war, but ...” he paused, still uncertain of the decision they'd made. “ ... this is the only way we can end this war as swiftly and peacefully as possible.”
Skye frowned with confusion. “We? Who else are you referring to?”
“Miyoshi Hiroaki. He'll keep you safe.”
Charlie clenched his kunai and contemplated an attack.
Skye looked across at him and saw what he was thinking. He held an arm out, indicating for him to not attack. “It's alright, Charlie,” he said. “Daye has no reason to lie to us. He assisted us back in Athenia by giving us the location of Nikolai's villa.”
Charlie loosened his grip on the weapon. He was baffled by the fact that one of the Tianzu was offering them assistance, but decided to trust Skye's judgement.
“They're getting closer,” Delta warned. “We need to move. Now.”
“Please come with me to Kitadera,” Daye said. “I'll take you to Hiroaki. You'll be safe with him, as the Tianzu would never attack his residence. There's much we need to explain to you.”
White Shadow hesitated, none of them quite certain what to do.
“We'll be safe here,” Charlie insisted. “The Tianzu aren't able to locate us.”
Daye shook his head. “I'd advise against that. They'll find you eventually. Seeing their fallen comrade will infuriate the clan beyond imagination. It's true that the Shizuno sect aren't able to track the shengxian, but there are those on the mainland who possess such abilities. You need to stay safe while we devise a strategy to end this war.”
Skye winced in pain from his wound. “Shizuno sect ... so it's true then. There are two sects.”
“How many Tianzu are here in Shizudera?” Charlie asked, not wasting the opportunity to probe for information.
Daye looked down at Karatsu's remains, his eyes watering. “Including the life you've taken, six.”
“We need to move,” Delta reminded them. “Whatever we're going to do, we have to decide now. We don't have long.”
Skye looked into Daye's eyes. Going to Kitadera wasn't at all what he had in mind, especially while Shin was still in Nishihama. However, it was true that Daye had never acted against them. If the Kaipuran man could indeed assist them by providing knowledge on the Tianzu, he may very well prove to be a useful ally.
“We'll go,” Skye finally said. He looked at the perplexed faces of his teammates, who weren't quite sure if they agreed with him. “If you're as righteous as you say you are, Daye, then this is your chance to prove it. But don't think we won't hesitate to kill you if you betray us.”
Daye's face fell. While he could understand that White Shadow didn't trust him due to his involvement with the Tianzu and Black Dawn, their needless warnings made him wonder if he and Hiroaki ha
d made the right decision.
“I assure you, you're safe,” he said again. “I'm asking you for your assistance. If you don't take action now, the Tianzu will eliminate you.” He turned and began walking away.
Charlie stood frozen, his mind torn. “Are you sure we can trust him, Skye?”
Skye shrugged. “I'm not sure of anything anymore.”
“I say we go,” Sierra added. “We're outnumbered and outclassed. We need all the help we can get, especially if it's from an inside source.”
“Agreed. But we have to move, now,” Delta said, eager to flee the scene before the other three Tianzu arrived.
Skye began hobbling after Daye. He didn't like making such sudden and rash decisions without first considering them.
But what other choice do I have?
His instincts have always told him he could trust Daye. In fact, Skye had never once felt threatened by the peaceful man. The threat instead came from the default perception that Daye was his enemy which, after all this time, may not be true at all.
Therein lies the confusion of war, Skye thought to himself. An individual is, quite often, not one's enemy.
Rather, it's their loyalties that make them so.
Forty-three
“Interesting,” Nikolai said. “Very, very interesting.” He stood proudly in his hotel room, gazing down upon Tahlia, Juliet, and Romeo.
“I can't believe you betrayed them like that!” Juliet shrieked. “You purposely allowed the Tianzu to attack!”
“That I did. But, as I just advised you, it was justified. Killing the four Tianzu in their home by means of a sneak attack is inconsequential. It would amount to nothing.”
Juliet's jaw dropped. She tried to retort but choked on her words, too enraged to say anything.
“Why did you save Marion?” Tahlia asked, frustrated that her leader failed to deliver on his promise yet again.
“Because I don't necessarily consider her to be an enemy. Is she a threat to me? Quite possibly. But she may also be of use when it comes to taking on the Tianzu.”
Eternity's War (Books 1-3) (Eternity's War Boxsets) Page 64