THE LAST KEEPER-Chapter 74: MONSTER

"Kill him!" Tonga said and the two with no injuries hesitated before they charged. except the creepy duo. The girl remained seated and the man boy stood protectively behind her. She was looking straight at sagiri as if she was trying to hypnotize him. sagiri could feel her attempts now as if they were a caress on his mind. So she was only good at hypnotizing people but without it she is as good as powerless.

Sagiri was not phased even as they unsheathed their knives and came for his throat. Their attacks were fast but somehow he could keep up. The fire in his veins cackled with life and it kept getting stronger by the second.

he dodged the first two attacks as if they were in slow motion. he did not have any weapon on him so all he could do was dodge. His back felt like it was made of springs and he bent so far back his head touched the earth. He jumped back until he was where the two dead men lay and pulled the two knives from Maita’s opponent. He barely picked them before the two men were on him, their attacks more relentless than the last. They were not holding back one bit. It was as if he had taken a backseat in his own body however because he saw the attacks coming and the power firing his veins cackled.

Sagiri remembered all the defences and attacks as if he had trained them a thousand times. He kicked them back as if they weighed less than a sheet of paper. sagiri was tired of the girl trying to hypnotize him so he gave chase towards her. He wanted to punish her and tear her eyes out of her pockets. Even with the power cackling in sagiri’s veins and the markings on his body crawling on his skin and glowing faintly, he did not see the manboy move. He only saw him when he was in front of him and his blade pushed into his stomach. They then kicked him with so much force he went flying a few yards. sagiri did not land however, just twisted through the air and landed softly before he jumped back.

Kaka had not stirred yet and Lotaga was hanging onto life by a thread. He needed to end this before it was too late. that though made the power in his veins expand to new levels. Just as he turned he saw the two who first attacked him run towards lotaga and kaka and he just acted.

"Stay back!" The voice tore through his throat and sent the two flying with so much force they smashed into the trees. He did not understand what he just did but the power inside of him had moved according to his will. His will to protect. They did not stand up again and just lay where they landed in fatal positions. In that moment he had merged his will with the one inside firing his veins. He could not hear any sound of a heartbeat. they were dead? he did not have time to dwell on it however nor did he care at the moment.

"kill him!" Tonga yelled but manboy was already on him. This time he was faster but manboy was surprisingly matching his attacks. sagiri could feel the wounds on his body knitting themself together faster this time but still slowly. the boy reeking of evil cheered at the scene as if he had seen something interesting. He had at some point pulled his blade out and he was looking eager to join the fight. sagiri could almost taste the excitement on his lips. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"He is a monster. I love monsters!" He cheered, kicking his feet more violently as if waiting for the perfect time to join the fight.

"How can he even move in that state!" star shaped marking yelled drawing his weapon towards him. "Hey, you said we were coming to pick a student. What is this?!" he was totally confused and sagiri could sense fear from him.

"Just kill him!" The captain said, and star shaped marking joined the fight to help manboy. Their attacks were lethal and sagiri could barely dodge even with his new found strength. He was being cut as rapidly as he was healing and even he did not know how long he was going to last. Their combined attacks were fast and lethal and even with his upgraded body he was pushed on the defense. The knives he retrieved from the dead body. A combined kick from the two to his chest sent him flying into the woods. He hit into a tree with a thud breaking the tree in half but the power in his veins must have broken some of the impact.

"Sagiri!" A familiar voice reached his ears. He turned around to see nvaru, kiuga, in the company of senraki and captain salka. sagiri barely spared them a glance before he was back on his feet. He used the trees to propel him forward. He did not need to move normally with power pulsing in his bones. There was surprise on everyone’s face before they followed after him. sagiri was cut everywhere but he was still moving faster than anyone in the group had ever seen him.

sagiri used the agent of surprise and landed a good one on the man. The sent him flying a few yards. Star mark came at him with all he got but alone he was no match for his current self. Sagiri slid low dodging the attack right as the group broke into the clearing and watched what was happening. Sagiri spun his body around with the sudden acquired agility and landed a kick to the back of the knee of star mark. The bigger man landed on one knee. sagiri did not waste a moment before he jumped on his neck with both his knees. He spun around in a move only the archive inside of him recognized. The force applied by his knees twisted the man’s neck violently, breaking it with a cracking disturbing sound. He pulled the now dented knives from defending for so long and drove them into the man’s heart. He pulled them out and jumped to his hand and rolled to his knee before the man could even move and fall to the ground void of any life.

his black eyes lifted and met with that of the four acquaintances who had a mix of feelings. nvaru held that of relief and fear, salka that of surprise, kiuga bewilderment and senraki a cold unreadable expression. The cat was out of the box. sagiri did not have time to sit and chat however. He still had people to punish. He turned around to go after the manboy but the vermin was nowhere in sight and the wide eyed girl had disappeared with him.

An irritable voice left sagiri’s throat that shook the very ground and the trees. The man boy was the one he wished to punish most.

"What on earth!" Salka exclaimed as everyone braced themselves from the impact.

"Sagiri stop!" N’varu said, trying to go over but Sagiri turned around quickly, his stare freezing him in place.

"Stay back! They are mine to punish!" his voice was a command. The statement barely left his mouth before he jumped into action and went after Tonga.

"Kaka!" kiuga yelled seeing the state kaka was in. Kaka had stirred and he must have seen sagiri’s last display but he was in no state to move. kiuga ran to him.

"lotaga!" Salka just then realized the sorry state of lotaga who was lucky to still be alive even after the amount of blood he had lost. One thing was sure however if he did not get any treatment he was going to succumb from excess blood loss. That must have been the first time sagiri perceived so much fear from the captain. He was on him in a flash in a second and pulled him into his arms. Lotaga’s eyes fluttered barely as he looked up at Salka and a weak smile pulled to his lips.

"T-Took you long enough Captain." lotaga struggled to let the words out. "I knew you could come." he said, his ragged breaths coming in gasps.

"I told you to stay on the wall you stupid child, why do you never listen to me." Kaka said, pressing his coat which he had shrugged to Lotaga’s wound on the side of his neck.

"I held them out till you came." lotaga coughed and Salka’s fear grew deeper.

"If you die now I will let the pets eat you." Salka threatened and. sagiri had stopped midway in his steps to listen to the exchange. Lotaga’s eyes rolled back and he went silent and Salka’s heart stopped beating for a second in horror.

"He is not dead. yet." Sagiri said changing trajectory to the two but before he even moved a blade he had not seen coming was edged into chest stopping him mid movement. The evil reeking boy had moved and Sagiri, being distracted, had missed him. He did not want lotaga to die and he felt the urge to help. He did not know how but his feet had just moved to Salka’s and Lotaga’s direction.

"I love killing monsters." The boy said before pulling the blade out. the power in his veins cackled to. The boy pulled the blade back and looked into Sagiri’s eyes. There was a moment of silence before sagiri moved. He pushed his palm into the boy with all his might and sent him flying a few yards and landed with a thud. He was not dead however even though he remained immobile. Sagiri fell to his knees, completely spent. The boy had struck his heart. His eyes returned back to their normal colours and he fell forward.

"Sagiri no!" nvaru cried running to catch sagiri but he was late.

Sagiri, barely recognized as Senraki, retrieved a long sword from its sheath by his waist and charged. He made contact with Tonga with so much force the ground trembled. It was the first time Sagiri had seen senraki in action and he had never felt such intent. He was cold. His movements were precise and accurate with no wasted move. Even Tonga was not ever to hold on and he was pushed on the defense.

"Senraki, you want to kill me because of that monster?" Tonga said, barely escaping an attack. Senraki with a weapon however was a different person. He still seemed like he was not going to his full power yet Tonga could not even keep up.

"A monster is one who kills his own comrades, Tonga and right now you are the monster," senraki said in a flat tone sending to his knee in defense with the amount of force he attacked with. "i am the only one with the right to decide what becomes of any student dressed in the galka war academy uniform." senraki said landing three consecutive attacks.

"I get to kill him." Suddenly, Salka’s voice cut through the fight. Senraki did not even turn or debate. He just stepped back letting salka have his way. He barely stepped back however before salka was on Tonga. Tonga did not even have time to defend before he was torn skin from bone. salka was just as lethal as Senraki. Tonga was not even in the same league with him even if he had claimed to be a captain. Salka finished his attack by driving two small blades into his heart.

"Get everyone out of here, I’ll teach the kid a lesson." Senraki said and salka remained standing for a long time before he finally turned around.

The evil boy had finally stirred and his smile was even more crazed now. senraki did not even seem to care as he drew his other blade. a twin to the other. He must have recognized that the boy was the one who killed the gravescale and even more so from the decomposing filth on him. he must have understood that his opponent was even more crazy to hide in a corpse he had just killed to avoid being caught.

"I love that blade. I want it in my collection." Senraki said a smile of his own, taking over his features.

"Hung in there." nvaru said close to sagiri’s ear in a plea but that was impossible. He was not able to hold on and he could feel his life slipping from him quickly. sagiri turned one last time and looked at lotaga who was now airborne in Salka’s arms, his heartbeat barely audible. his own shut without warning and he was swallowed into darkness.

He had failed to protect and failed to even punish those he wanted.