Humanity's Last Stand

Part 20

The moonlight beamed on Shiki's red eyes and pale skin as he walked slowly towards Hanzo with their blade drawn. Both men stared at the other with intensity running through their eyes.

Their boots sounded on the smashed up streets. Hanzo without a word nor was Shiki. A hiss echoed.

Hanzo drove his sword at him. Moving away, Shiki started blocking Hanzo's strikes with his blade.

Pushed backwards with each strike, Shiki launched a kick into the stomach. The blow missed by a whisker. Tearing only the shirt.

Hanzo with his sword unleashed a upwards. The blade ran through Shiki's skin and shed blood down the ground.

Although he managed to block the blow using his arm, it left him an arm. Enough to win. Shiki drove his sword at the knee.

Hanzo moved his leg in time and spun around, smashing his heel into his opponent's mouth. The kick hammered Shiki's blood out. Red rolled down his nose and mouth.

Holding his sword with both hands, Shiki lunged at him with a strong strike. Hanzo dodged but the strike was a trick.

Shiki spun and slashed him in the upper chest. And blood cascaded pass him. Hanzo gasped in exhaustion and surprise.

The warriors equal in overall combat with Shiki's advantage in swordsmanship while Hanzo's advantage in hand to hand combat combined with speed and reflexes.

While on the other hand, Hercules battled with Akashi and Hakura. The duo managed to par with Hercules.

"You're comrades are good fighters," Hanzo said "I am sure in normal conditions that you'd survive this madness but you chose the wrong path."

"What are you blabbering about?" Shiki asked "You're one to say," he prepared to strike once again.

"Let me strike a deal here with you," Hanzo said "You win and I'll return with you as a prisoner and I'll tell you everything but when I win then you and your comrades will come with me."

"You want us to help you?"

"Living is like a game where the survivors are the winners and the ones who die are the losers," Hanzo said "I have no intention to die so I am allowing you to live by helping me because I respect you as people who wished to survive."

"Then explain to me why you would go through this much that led to people dying like this?" Shiki scowled "You've murdered hundreds in this city to experiment and create a medicine but worked with Koichi as well."

"That was necessary," Hanzo replied with an impassive voice "This city resides nothing more than disgusting noble pigs that used lower classes as 'pawns' and 'entertainments'. These people deserve death. You would agree with that wouldn't you?"

Shiki looked down. He's right. I wished those nobles dead so I am no better than him but that doesn't explain the murders he commited to those who weren't nobles "Tell me then why you let the lower classes become your pet experiments?"

"Kidnapping nobles would be troublesome and cause unneeded chaos until now but kidnapping lower classes is much more subtle and easier."

Shiki clasped his sword. Hard. "You're no better than my dad and Hercules, you use your power to take advantage of people without them, you digust me." He charged and swung his sword.

Hanzo dodged backwards and elbowed him in the heart. Stunning him into position. And Hanzo slashed Shiki's leg.

Dropping him to his knees, Shiki's leg ached harder in mere seconds. Hanzo pointed his sword towards the skull.

But Shiki roared and hammered him in the belly with a double punch. Tumbling backwards, Hanzo's sword slipped and skidded on the ground.

Shiki powered his way towards him and rocketed another punch. This one smashed him in the cheek. Forcing blood out through the nose. Crimson splattered on the ground.

Hanzo propelled a kinetic blast through his hand. Driving Shiki backwards as he blocked with his hands.

Placing his hands together, Hanzo generated more blast power into his hands. Shiki also generated more energy into his hands causing purple lightning to spark out his skin.

Hanzo roared and shot a kinetic blast. Propelling through the air and the ground below smashed into pieces. Shiki held his sword with both hands imbuing the blade with his power.

He swung a slash creating a purple shaped beam to shot through the blade. Powered through the kinetic blast. The beam exploded upon contact.

Leaving Hanzo's clothes into rags and blood dripping downwards like river. The man's right eye damaged and his right arm scarred with a burn "Well done, you've earned the right to live." He dropped to the ground.

Hercules pushed back by Hakura and Akashi. The explosion caused by Shiki and Hanzo shocked him.

"Hanzo was beaten in battle?" Hercules gawked "There is no way," he moved backwards "It would seem that I am beaten here today."

"You're running again?" Akashi said "I won't let you run, not after what you did to the people here."

"Who is going to stop me huh?" Hercules taunted them as Seitou arrived "I'll be leaving, let's go Seitou."

Kaise ran into the scene and glared at Seitou "Why are you doing this? What is the point behind all of this?" He yelled

"You'll come to know soon enough once you've seen how pointless it is to resist the inevitable," Seitou throw down a the same item that Hercules used last time to escape.