Mark reached Musashi and ducked under the wide swipe from Musashi. Musashi dodged the punch from Mark and used his feet to block a leg swipe that would have taken him into the water! Mark reached for Musashi's head to slam it into his knee, but Musashi held his head back and prevented Mark from bringing him down!
Musashi rotated his sword in his hand and thrust it forward to stab Mark in the stomach and Mark was forced to step back to avoid it!
Musashi dashed forward to pressure Mark, but Mark was no longer stepping back! Mark stepped forward and Musashi grinned as he kicked his leg into the water below them!
SPLASH!
The water splashed into the air, blocking Mark's vision for a moment and Musashi used that moment to charge forward and drive a knee into Mark's solar plexus! He kicked Mark in the kidney and finally flipped and drove Mark into the air with a perfectly timed kick to the jaw!
Bam!
Musashi wasted no time as he immediately activated the mana surge around his blade once more. His mana gathered around the blade and began to spin until it turned white-hot! Musashi raised his sword into the air with a dark look in his eyes and he waited for just the right moment for Mark to look at him!
But once Mark turned to him, he didn't see the surprise that he thought he would see there. Instead, he saw a smug look that made him hesitate for a second.
[Demonic Killer's Aura] has been activated!
Ba-Dump!
[The effects of [Fear] have been applied to the opponent.]
[The opponent will experience the effects of Fear for thirty seconds.]
What is this feeling?
There was a trembling in his chest.
Musashi couldn't explain it, but he could feel something tremble inside of him. Almost like his heart wanted to leap out from his chest. This sensation. Don't tell me. Am I afraid? Me?
Miyamoto Musashi!?
"Who are you to make me fear you!?"
Mark flipped around and slammed his fist into Musashi's face!
[Divergent Fist]!
"What will you do if you get out of this alive? Are you going to keep fighting? Do you want to rest?"
Luna was sitting on the floor. The head of a young boy was in her lap, and she gently caressed his forehead with a blank look. She watched his face scrunch up in thought. He had multiple injuries around his body, but Luna could see the injuries healing right in front of her eyes, and she knew that it would not be long before he was completely healed.
It wouldn't be long before he goes out there to continue the battle.
The boy grunted.
"I don't know. My parents are dead, and all I want for now is revenge. Everything else is an afterthought."
"Oh, you are an orphan? I suppose we are alike then. But humor me, what will you want to do with all this power? After your revenge is complete, have you thought about what you will do?"
The boy was silent for a while longer, and the only thing that filled up the silence between them was the sounds of explosions and screams coming from outside the building. But neither of them bothered moving from their position on the floor, regardless of how loud the screams were.
After some time, the boy finally spoke.
"I'll probably keep fighting. I like it."
Luna's eyes widened in mild shock.
"Really? I didn't think you would choose that. I'm a coward, so I'd probably go hide in my room if I were you. I wouldn't want anything to do with the outside world anymore. It's too scary for my liking. The people, the monsters, friends, family.
Everything is so scary."
The boy hummed as he finally sat up from her lap. Luna immediately reached out to hold him—she did not want him to go—but he didn't bother stopping as he stood fully. His injuries were already fully healed, and when he stood to his full height, it was obvious that he was preparing to go back into the fray.
The boy stood with his back to Luna and looked back at her.
"Staying all alone sounds pretty boring. I don't know what happened to you, but I think you should give the world a second chance. It's not all scary. And if you ever think that it's too much, then come find me, I'll protect you."
Luna gazed up at her savior with reverence, and after some time she nodded.
...
Inside the hideout in the Bishop's territory, Luna groaned in her sleep.
"You fucking liar."