50 Bushido Blade (2/2)

Then I stepped forward with my left foot and pivoted to my left, forcing the katana to get caught between my hand and my left side which also served to weaken my enemy's grip on her weapon. Once I felt this weakening, I smashed my right fist down her outstretched elbow, forcing her to bend her arm long enough for me to pull the katana away from her grasp.

This successful variation of Muto Dori—which translated from its Japanese kanji literally meant catching weapons with your bare hands—made me feel like all my years of training had finally been validated. It was the best feeling in the world. Sadly, I'd forgotten that I wasn't in my world. I was in an alien one where the common sense of Mudgard just didn't apply.

The masked rider and I were within inches of each other, and you would think that would be enough for me to finally take her out with her own shadowblade which was now in my hands. No such luck. Before I could even think to secure my grip on the hilt, the masked rider's fist came up to my jaw. I barely had enough time to block it with my right forearm.

My attempt to block her uppercut resulted in two things. First, the bones of my right arm felt like they'd just been cracked into pieces by a sledgehammer. Second, even with gravity helping me, I was lifted off my feet. It seemed the pure force of her black-gloved hand was enough to send me up.

If that wasn't humiliating enough, her other arm came forward to my rising chest in a straight punch that blew me away for several feet and I crashed into the grass tumbling and screaming in pain.

It was maybe a minute later when I regained consciousness while nursing a massive headache. My chest heaved from the pain, ensuring my breaths came in quick gasps. My right arm felt like it was either broken or about to be. My mouth was wet with something that had a metallic taste to it.

I spat out the blood while feeling like I was bruised all over. Still, I managed to rise to my feet slowly. I looked up, and through the haze of double vision, I saw my enemy standing maybe six feet away. Even though I couldn't see it, I could tell she was smiling from behind her mask.

My right arm dangled loosely at my side. It was most definitely out of commission. Panic was beginning to set in. I could feel it clawing its way into my brain, forcing me to wobble on my feet. But I couldn't give in.

The battle was dying down around me. Too many soldiers in blue gear were still standing while there were far too many bodies sporting grey cloaks lying on the ground. We were winning. Only one opponent proved difficult to beat, and she was staring right at me. I was still her target.

It made sense. Kill the commander and the battle might still be salvageable.

She charged at me while I hobbled forward like an aging grandpa. When she was almost upon me, I raised my left arm and made a fist with my hand because I understood that this wasn't a time to back down. It was time for action. But I never got to throw that punch.

A swooshing sound similar to the rotating blades of a helicopter invaded the quiet of our moment. In the next second, Thom had descended from the sky between me and the masked rider like a tornado, his katana's shadowblade singing violently as he continued his rotation.

The masked rider pulled away instantly, creating distance between her and Thom—and me, thankfully.

Thom executed a rolling maneuver as soon as he landed on the grass. When he came up again, the katana was no longer in his hands. In its place was the bow that made him such a formidable opponent the first time I met him. He notched an arrow to his bow and let it loose.

The arrow flew true, soaring through the air and right into the masked rider's outstretched hand. She'd plucked it out of the air like it wasn't difficult at all.

I saw it happen but I just couldn't believe it. Just how many times was she planning to defy common sense?

Thom fired another shot. She caught this one too.

He fired two arrows simultaneously, but she just plucked both of them out of the air with one hand. She didn't even need the other one.

It was only then that I realized she'd been going easy on me this whole time. There was no way someone who could catch an arrow with their bare hands couldn't do more damage to me in the time we were fighting. This meant that she either liked playing with her food or she was testing me. Neither thought was all that comforting though.

”Foolhardies!” people roared from behind me.

I turned my head to the sound and saw Luca and Ashley riding toward me in their stolen swiftharts.

”Foolhardies!” Qwipps yelled as if in response.

He was charging in from the right. Pike and a few other pixies flew behind him.

To our left, drow gliders led by Enna skirted the grass while they glided toward us.

Although I was glad they were coming too, it annoyed me that they hadn't shouted the Foolhardies name like Luca and the others did. Say it loud and say it proud, I always believed. But, nevermind, now wasn't the time to get fixated over some of my soldiers' lacking team spirit.

Thom's laughter rang out across the open field. After he finished this disturbing chuckling, he turned his gaze on the last enemy left standing and spoke his next words in an obviously fake conciliatory tone, ”Apologies... Looks like it's checkmate.”

His words annoyed me probably as much as it did our opponent. What did I have to be annoyed about? Well, the mocking banter and self-satisfied victory pose were supposed to be mine to accomplish. I was the commander, wasn't I?

In response to Thom's taunt, the masked rider wordlessly knelt on the ground with her head bowed.

Yes, like everyone who saw her do it, I made the mistake of thinking she was surrendering. Perhaps if I had Fool's Insight activated I would have seen what was happening to the ground beneath her feet. Perhaps then I would have noticed the cracks forming where her fists met the earth or saw the swirl of dust slowly floating up in the air as if the very gravity around her had been reversed. Maybe then I wouldn't have been as shocked as the others were by what happened next.

With power on the level of someone like Superman, the masked rider shot out of the ground—causing cracks to spread out from the grassy earth beneath her feet—and into the sky. Once she was at a height far above us, her grey cloak reshaped itself into black shapes similar to two bat wings, which she used to glide in the direction of the frontline. Just like that, she was gone and the battle was over.

”Huh, I was right... she was a drow,” I said out loud.