🔥 The Path of Fire (Path of Light and Fire Book #1)(Completed) 🔥

Chapter 26.1 - Rock vs. Hard Place

"Knights of Acadia! Show some spine and face your sovereign!"

Raw strength flowed through his veins. Rock and gravel slithered up his legs and hardened around his vital areas, legs, arms and chest, leaving his joints free to bend.

The land itself bends to the will of the Hidenka.

He wiped his brow. Creating a sniper's nest for Kianna and this armor in such a short time drained his strength. The ground rebelled against his power, placing extra weight in his step.

To his left, Sabin rushed into the fray. To his right, Leena's section erupted in chaos. He stomped forward to handle his portion of the battle.

Takuya and the Yuan woman sprinted towards the opposite side of the camp in Alaina's direction. Sakima suppressed his desire to help.

Alaina can handle herself. I have my own duty.

To his dismay it was not the Acadians who engaged him, but those four Yuan behemoths. The thickly muscled giants towered over him. They wore an identical chestplate of stone over their red and black plaited battle robes. The robes came down to their knees and met stone plated boots. Their faces were painted in alternating swirls of red and black and on their foreheads a phoenix was etched in yellow.

A stone is not intimidated by four pebbles. I will give them the rebirth they seek.

They struck in unison, each hurling a Yuan spear at him. Two ricocheted off his rock gauntlets and he caught the others by the handle and pulled. Despite drawing on his Path, he was unable to move either of the giants. He smiled

Maybe they are not pebbles.

He thrust the spears blade first into the ground and shot sharpened shards of rock from his forearms. They bounced off of the stone plate, but some pelted the giants. They kept forward, flanking him on each side.

Sakima charged the one in front. With rock covering his knuckles, Sakima crushed the warrior chin with an uppercut. The man's head snapped back and the crush of bone rung in Sakima's ears. He collapsed to the ground and Sakima rushed the next one. The giant his short spears by the handle and thrust for Sakima's unguarded throat. Sakima slapped the first to the side, the second one up and put his fist through the stone plate.

A spear pierced his left shoulder, sending a searing pain through his arm. He gripped it with his right hand before it was pulled out. He squeezed and crushed the wood, leaving the spear tip.

Sakima turned to his side, watching each warrior out of his periphery. With each step, the warriors would retreat, leaving him trapped. He thrust his arms outward, grimacing from the spear, and shot rock shards and the two of them. One got up his hands to defend his face and Sakima feinted forward. He turned and caught an incoming spear, inches from his face. He shattered it, leaving that man unarmed.

He sneered at the last armed Yuan giant and clenched his fists. He hoped that his crazed demeanor combined the failure of his fellows would unnerve him. It didn't.

I can't tell if he's brave or stupid.

Before Sakima could get there, a spear caught him in the back of his right knee. Sakima screamed out in pain immediately.

How? That was not enough time for the other man to grab the fallen men's weapons.

He reached down, breaking the handle of that one and looked back. The two he downed earlier were back up, looking no worse for wear.

I crushed that man's face. The other should be barely breathing if at all.

The cloth robes were singed. It took a moment before the clues registered.

They can draw on fire. Like Sabin.

Schewa's balls.

Sakima would need to irrevocably end them then, before they could heal themselves. Drawing deeper on his path, he sent a ridge of rock up the jawline of the one who caught him in the knee, knowing that would finish what his uppercut did not.

That took too much.

The remaining three men's eyes narrowed. His ridge trick had bought him some time, but he had maybe one more in him before he was spent. The spear in his knee made it unbearable to walk.

He slapped his chest with his right hand. "Fight me!"

They instead took the time to flank him again.

"Cowards!"

It was worth a shot.

He closed his eyes.

I am the Hidenka, future Heika of Acadia. I will not die here. These-

"Catch!" a voice yelled.

Sakima opened his eyes to a great axe spinning through the air in his direction. He jumped off of his good leg, plucked it out of the sky and spun with its momentum as he landed to the ground. He roared.

These men are dead.

The weight in his hand felt natural as if all those years of wielding his katana were wrong. The inscription in the haft was one he'd heard Asako Demonsbane say more than once.

This blade of Acadia will follow you to hell.

He aimed it forward, Earth-aided strength making it as light as a pen.

"Come see why I am are your better!"

Their eyes widened and their grips on their weapons tenuous. Yet instead of flight, spears sailed at him. His axe strokes cleanly severed the blades in flight.

With their remaining spears they rushed, hoping their numbers would overwhelm him, or perhaps they just wanted the end to come quickly.

Sakima was happy to oblige.

His first stroke took one of the men under his arm and continued through his shoulder. The second stroke took another at the throat.

The third man jumped back out of his axe's range. He sprinted in the direction of Sikati, looking back over his shoulder at Sakima.

Axe blade planted into the ground, Sakima leaned on the haft and caught his breath. He slowly pulled the spear tip from his knee and shoulder. The surviving giant had the right idea; he was in no position to chase them.

It seemed that luck was on his side for once.

I should check on the others and see if they need help. Whatever help I can offer anyway.

He paused. It was faint, but he could hear the battle horn on the wind.

Sabin said something about an army.

He limped forward as fast as his body would allow. Maybe if he hurried, he could find Alaina and get his wounds treated before the army arrived. It seemed as though time and luck was not on his side after all.