Jetstream Sam, Night City Legend

10.The only thing I know for real

(The title is the song that you should listen to while reading this)

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Sam's blade contacted with Takemura's Tachi again and again. Sam noticed something about Takemura's technique, he was mimicking the Minuano's style, every slash, every stab, Takemura's form was perfectly aligned the Sam's moves.

'Interesting.'

Thought Sam, 'let's try something outside of the books shall we?'

He faked an opening, leaving his chest wide open, and Takemura reached in instantly with his Tachi, but Sam was prepared, he sidestepped the jab, tucked Takemura's Tachi under his armpits, and performed a textbook machiavellian counter stab.

Takemura let go of his Tachi and backflipped to dodge the move, and Sam was left with two blades.

Takemura grimaced, but the next second Sam chucked the Tachi back to Takemura.

"Well taught, not half bad,"

Sam did not hesitate to compliment him,

"Still, you're technique lacks something."

Takemura felt insulted, but he did not say anything, right now he only wanted to avenge his Master, and make up for his failed duty of protection.

Sam on the other hand felt amused, Takemura was trying to replicate his memetics, but he only scratched the surface of the Minuano's techniques, he copied the form, but he could not copy the soul, at least not yet.

The men clashed their swords together again and the Maglev train howled through the tunnel, this time Sam did not emphasize on his usual moveset, unpredictable slashes and jabs came from him left and right, and Takemura was having a hard time holding his ground.

Sam sliced sideways towards Takemura, and he blocked it vertically, boths hands on hilt, their blades formed a cross shape, and they began pushing against each other's blades in a duel of power.

"Now I see what your technique truly lacks."

Said Sam, with that, he put his free hand on the far side of Muramasa's blade, and pressured down on Takemura's Tachi.

"You deny your weapon its purpose."

Sam continued as Takemura visibly strained himself in his losing power struggle.

His remark seemed to have angered Takemura, he jumped upwards, flipping both sideways and forwards in midair to face Sam again from above, effectively freeing himself from the power struggle.

But Sam was 2 steps ahead, he smoothly transitioned his blade with both hands to face the sky, held back the blade slightly with his other hand, and released his slash like a slingshot.

It seemed that there was no dodging this attack, Takemura tried to swung his head sideways to avoid but it was to no avail, the Muramasa made ground zero contact with his left eye, instantly disabling it and sending Takemura flying into the tunnel ceiling, where the bodyguard tried to stable himself with his blade before Sam jumped at him with a classic forward slash.

Takemura was knocked tumbling back on to the train.

"Your weapon, It seeks to bathe in the blood of your enemies, but you hold it back."

Sam continued his mentoring speech from before.

"My blade is a tool of protection." Yelled Takemura defiantly.

"Tch..." scoffed Sam, this again, "and yet you failed."

An annoyed Minuano decided to give Takemura a lesson. He drove Muramasa into the Maglev train and dragged it along the floor as he approached Takemura. The friction between the Muramasa and the train floor lit the blade on fire, and Sam attacked again, this time more fiercely than the last.

"Clang, Clang!"

This time Takemura was barely able to defend, he blundered left and right, openings were spotted on him here and there, this exchange of blades only lasted for about ten seconds before Takemura's entire body was wide open and defenseless. 

Sam decided to end it there, he sheathed Muramasa and lowered his weight center, waited for Takemura to come at him with another slash, and pulled the trigger.

The red Tachi flew out of its sheath like it had done so many times before, and the cyber Samurai caught it half way in the air like he had done so many times before, they slashed upwards together, sword and Samurai, severing Takemura's right arm from his body, throwing him off balance at the same time.

Takemura landed on the ground, blinded, amputated and exhausted.

"See, this is what a sword should be, one with its master,"

Sam concluded,  before kicking Takemura's Tachi off of the train,

"and this, is what happens when you bring a tool to a sword fight."

"Come, V, Jackie, we'll leave him be, I'm disappointed that this is all the emperor's bodyguard has to offer."

The train had exited the tunnel, and Takemura stared blankly as Sam, Jackie and V hop into a pod and fly off into the distance.