[Completed] Legend of the Five Knights I: Rise of a Guardian Angel

Episode 24: Flame Oni

Tetsuya opened his eyes and saw the blue sky directly above him. The last thing he recalled was an explosion of flames and Suzuki's body turning into a pile of leaves. But why were they here?

He raised his head and stared at Rosa, who had her head pressed against his chest. She seemed to be in pain.

"Are you-" He held Rosa as firmly as he could and spun around. He let out a scream as a sharp object hit the back of his right leg. He gritted his teeth, swallowing his scream.

"Tetsu!" Rosa yelled. The attacks continued, causing Tetsuya to scream in agony. He had started to lose too much blood. She turned toward the left and saw Suzuki make her way toward them.

"So the Suzuki we fought was a decoy," Rosa said before launching stones at the rebel.

Suzuki swatted them away with the side of her sword and dashed forward.

Tetsuya pushed himself up and grabbed ahold of it with both his hands.

"You weren't supposed to come here, knight," Suzuki said, glaring at him as she pulled back her whip.

Tetsuya gave the woman a puzzled look. Her personality seemed off. One moment she was calm and the next erratic and vengeful.

"I, am not... going... to hand... her... over to... you!" Tetsuya managed to say. His entire body felt as if it were in a furnace even though there were no flames.

Suzuki swung her sword again, but this time it curved around him and struck his back, causing him to fall to his knees.

Rosa pushed herself off the ground as walls of earth rose around Tetsuya.

"Stop hurting him," she Rosalba said as rocks rose around her. "The one you want is me."

Suzuki cut the earth walls with a single swing of her sword. "I wouldn't have bothered with him if he weren't serving as your meat shield," the rebel said. A slasher smile appeared her previously stoic face as she dashed toward the princess at full speed.

Tetsuya tried to stand up, but an even more fiery sensation than the last spread down his back leg as he did. His left leg was burnt away with skin peeling off. He knew right then and there that she really was going to kill them.

"Wait, is that a good idea?" Tetsuya cried out as tears rolled down his eyes from the sheer pain. "We-weren't you going to... use the princess?"

Suzuki stopped and spun around to look at him. "True, but like I said prior, I had a change of plans. Besides, I doubt if her father cares enough to surrender to our demands in return for her. Even though she is his favorite. And even if he does love her greatly, he might struggle like the foolish duke of these lands is. I rather not deal with stopping another rescue mission. Besides, by killing her, we will have obtained Caelio, depriving the enemy of one of their beloved Hill weapons."

Rosa let out a grunt and delivered a kick to the distracted Suzuki's stomach, flinging the rebel a couple of feet back. "I won't let you kill me so easily!"

Suzuki rubbed her stomach and smiled slightly. In an instant, she appeared behind Rosa and grabbed her by the back of the neck. "Got you."

"No!" Tetsuya yelled.

Tetsu looked down at the ruby bracelet in Rosalba's right arm as Suzuki brought her sword closer to it.

"Hmm, perhaps I should leave her alive," Suzuki said, chuckling as she advanced a few inches further. "I can obtain Caelio by cutting that right arm of hers."

Tetsuya stared at the frightened Rosalba.

"Run," the princess mouthed. "Forget about me."