Neato

CHAPTER 45: Shadows of the Darkened One

As Roman and Nina walked through the desolate streets, the early morning sun casting long shadows around them, an uneasy silence settled between them. The aftermath of the previous night's horrors was still evident, with the bodies of the fallen strewn across the streets. The air was thick with the stench of death, and the only sound was the soft crunch of their boots against the debris-laden ground.

Nina finally broke the silence, her voice low and contemplative. "Isn't it odd that me and you are the only ones sent to kill the Darkened One? Why would they send just the two of us?"

Roman slowed his pace, turning to look at her. For a moment, they locked eyes, searching for answers in the silence. The question hung in the air, unanswered, as the weight of the mission began to settle in. The Union's orders had been clear, but now, doubt began to creep into their minds. Why just the two of them? What did the Union know that they didn't?

The tension was palpable, and just as the silence threatened to stretch into eternity, two figures appeared in front of them, materializing out of the shadows as if they had been there all along. Roman and Nina instinctively tensed, their hands hovering over their weapons.

One of the figures, a tall, gaunt man with multiple stitches crisscrossing his face, spoke first. "I'm afraid this is where you end," he said, his voice a cold whisper that sent a chill down Nina's spine.

Roman's eyes narrowed as he studied the two strangers. "Who are you, and what do you mean by 'end'?"

The two figures exchanged a glance, and then, in a slow, deliberate motion, they removed their cloaks. The first figure, the one who had spoken, had six grotesque faces sewn into his back, each one twisted in an eternal expression of pain. The other figure had stitches across his mouth, holding his jaw together with thick, black thread.

The one with the six faces spoke again. "Our lord, the Darkened One, has sent us to kill you." His tone was devoid of emotion, as if he were merely stating a fact.

Roman's grip tightened on the hilt of his katana. "Kill me? What makes you so confident that you can?"

The man with the six faces on his back smiled, a grim, humorless expression. "My name is Azrael," he said, his voice echoing unnervingly through the faces on his back.

"And I," the one with the stitched jaw rasped, his voice muffled by the threads that held his mouth together, "am Dolores."

Roman slowly unsheathed his katana, the blade gleaming in the morning light. He pointed it at Azrael, his voice calm and steady. "How about we all fight one on one, since there are four of us?"

Dolores chuckled, the sound wet and grotesque as it escaped through the gaps in his stitches. "Fine by me," he said, a twisted grin spreading across his face as he eyed Nina with malice. He reached into his mouth, and with a sickening squelch, he pulled out a sword made of bones and muscle, fresh blood dripping from the grotesque weapon. He licked the blood off the blade, his eyes glinting with sadistic pleasure. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"

Without another word, Roman launched himself at Azrael, his katana slicing through the air with deadly precision. At the same moment, Dolores lunged at Nina, his bone sword raised to strike. The air crackled with tension as the battle began, each warrior fully aware that only two of them would leave this fight alive.

END OF CHAPTER 45