.The Shadow Knight.

-11-

I glared at him, reaching in my back. It burnt with fire, the pain crawling up and spread through out my back.

"A bold move for a spineless man like you." I coldly said. "I already told you I am not like those women you men molded into submissive beings in this stupid empire, I am the best the most powerful queendom can offer outside of mages and you dare disrespect me, I won't let that pass, not when you made my skin split and spilt my blood." I flicked my hand, sending the droplets of blood at his face. "When the flea annoys the cat, the cat won't stay nonreactive. It swipes."

I spin and swept the blade from his hand with a kick to the flat side of it and kept my foot against it, slamming it down on the stone.

"I don't play around like you'd do 'greatest swordsman'." I cracked my neck left to right. "If you are so impressed by this I'd fear for the empress' army's chance of living through a probable war."

Without stepping off the blade I brought up my other leg, shin clashing with his right hook, the leather off the boot blunting the pain along with the training I've been through.

I knocked his hand aside gently and looped my leg around it, trapping his wrist under my knee in a tight hold and yanked my leg closer to my opposite side, pulling him along.

"You are slow and predictable 'greatest swordsman', a shame for someone thinking so highly about themselves wouldn't you say?"

I freed his arm as he yanked on it, his own strength making him fall back before I side kicked him in the chest to achieve the full on tumble.

"You annoyed me, now I'll play with you little flea."

"STOP MOCKING ME!!!"

"Make me!"

I did a quick spin and kicked him on the left side of his face and where the head went so did the body follow.

"I don't even need my arms you worthless piece of meat!"

I watched him spit out two teeth without their roots, clean broken by my kick.

"Admit defeat, show respect and scurry away and this will stop here."

I coughed as a fist full of the dust on around was thrown in my face, stinging my eyes.

"Alright... No more mercy!" I glared with one eye open, tears dripping from them to get rid of the dust.

I snapped out my leg, slamming my heel down on his toes and put all my weight on it, my fist on the same side launching up towards the sky and catching his chin along the way.

As I held his foot down, as he fell, his ankle wasn't flexible enough to bend all the way and it made a popping sound.

I stepped away, waiting for him to stand, this is not a fight but a lesson.... A lesson to all to not mess with me.

"I didn't hurt you that bad stop whining.... Oh yeah you men are stiff as boards while I am flexible, ah the perks of being a woman no?"

I punched his own punch, fist flat against fist, these new gloves I wore really blunting the pain with their knuckle protection so I just felt a blunt shock like I would if I punched my own palm.

His wrist bent against the shock while mine stayed straight.

I stepped into his personal space so many times, he could have died so many times already. I slammed my forehead down on his nose.

I glanced at his face, nose already dripping blood, eyes watering as a natural reflex to that, cheek a deep inflamed red and I brought my other fist down on it.

"Stay down and crawl away."

"I will never submit to a woman! You good for nothing bags of organs, all you do is carry our young!" That even shocked a few of the trainees as gasps and comments of indignation ran rampant.

"SILENCE!!!" I barked at them. "That's better." I turned back to the man. "So be it 'greatest swordsman', so be your fate be sealed as my first target for my empress, a man like you shouldn't even exist to serve her! As the realm knight it is my duty to teach you a lesson you are not ready to forget!"

I patiently waited for him to stand before shoving him in the chest, a hole the size of my hand remained and a hilt rising from it, I grabbed it while taking half a step backwards to free the whole length of my blade and swung it.

His screams echoed louder then anything his ever screamed at me.

"Dirt like you should just remain that, dirt I walk over." I spat, kicking him in the head again, he slid across the ground a few feet.

I didn't give him a quick death, no he had pissed me way off for that to happen.

I watched with an indifferent look as he tried to grab his slimy innards the were spilling from his gut, the blood making them slippery, the intestines slashed and emptying their fowl smelling content on the ground.

"That always wins 'greatest swordsman'." I spun my katana into a reverse grip and slashed it across his throat.

I watched his voiceless gargoyles as he tried covering his throat while blood pooled from the slash and from his mouth.

I put the tip of my blade against his forehead and shoved him with it, his body falling over, twitching but lifeless.

I heard slow clapping and turned around before bowing my head right away.

"Impressive display."

"This was nothing empress."

"I know you are capable of much more but impressive none the less and raise your head." I did so. "You did great."

"Thank you empress."

"And now you." I turned to the other soldiers, they had got down on their right knee with their right fist on the ground, the left forearm across their knee and head bowed, so that was a traditional greeting I wondered about, more complex then back at home but I bet less detailed, with a simple bow and how low I go I can either greet a friend, a lord or the queens while I don't think they have such detailed greetings, Solor was known for how important dancing was to their culture and their silent language of the noble cast. "How dare you look down on my fiancée?!" I wouldn't have used the fact that I was to be wed to her for my own gains but it seems that she doesn't want to hide it like I would.

"Elise." I whispered so only she heard as I grabbed her shoulder. "Not worth it." I shook my head.

"You are lucky, you owe you life to her or I would have had all of you executed before sunset." She declared.

"Yes empress!" All of them said at the same time.

"I'll shake them into shape, show them what serving you should truly be like."

"I like the idea.... I'll grant your wishes but first you are coming with me."

"Right away empress."

I opened a hole between my fingers and put my blade away into it, falling in line with her step, feeling slightly happy about the fear of these men towards me and her.