16 Encounter of a Dangerous Foe

I walked along the rigorous dirt road casually while sheathing Masamune back into it's scabbard in a smooth way.

On that night.. I was faced with something horrific... something I wish to never experience again...

Verutomo kingdom was burning in pure white flames in the distance, this kingdom which was supposed to be a beautiful place full of life... was in destruction...

I stood in my place on top of the hill looking down upon the destruction in the distance... this scene in front of me reminded me of my childhood...

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I was just a young boy back then and no boy should of seen what I seen... but it happened...

I was travelling town to town looking for work and food so that I could survive, and on my travels I came across a village in burning flames with screaming and yelling which penetrated deep in ears... it sounded like hell at that time..., I know I should of turned and ran away but back then I had innocent justice within we and... and I ran inside the village wanting to save someone in that disaster...

Everyone was dead... the bodies that lied on the ground were gruesome, with organs spread around and blood lying everywhere among the dirt roads, there were heads chopped off with there eyes closed... and some wide open...

I closed my eyes not wanting to see anymore, I had tears rolling down because fear... sadness.... I didn't want my world to be like this... I didn't want to know that this was life... I just wanted to be happy... those were the thoughts at that time.

I sat down hurled up on the floor next to a body with its head chopped off... I could still hear yelling and screaming... there seemed to be survivors who were fighting for their life.... but I just couldn't... I couldn't stand up... I didn't want to... the yelling was getting closer.. and closer... I knew I should do something but back then I couldn't do anything... nothing... while I was crying on the floor now staring at the body beside me... I heard a dying voice in the distance... it was very quiet and it was obvious that this person was about to die... I didn't listen... I was scared... I heard the voice again but couldn't understand what he was saying... I looked up towards where the voice was coming from...

there lied an old man with both his legs chopped off lying on his stomach trying to crawl towards me so that I could hear him... he saw me look at him and... and he smiled at me in that horrific condition, he tried talking again in that desperate voice but... he coughed blood instead. it was painful for him because it made the old man slump to the ground with his head in the dirt... I stared at him, while the yelling was ever getting closer towards me... miraculously the old man slowly lifts his head once more with that small smile and blood pouring out his mouth endlessly... he opens his mouth slowly and tries to voice it out again but no voice comes out... he tries again slowly and I hear him... the old man's face falls to the ground, dead after he knows he had done what he wanted to do...

I still sit there petrified with tears dripping down my face, huddled up still staring at that old man... I then comprehend what he said to me, he said... 'Run...', he said 'run..' Why?

I asked that day... I didnt understand why a stranger on deaths door would hang on to life just that little bit more to try and save my life... I didn't understand then... but now I know, through that mans actions I survived that day...

I forgot about the yelling that was getting closer towards where I sat, and that negligence nearly got me killed because of it... because 6 young men with machetes and small submachine guns were now just a couple of metres away where that old man lied.. and they were yelling at me while pointing and aiming their weapons at me... they walked towards, but I got up swiftly and ran towards small cover then kept of running while the men were chasing me while shooting their weapons in a frenzy like state... a bullet grazed my leg while I jumping a small stone wall, it hurt but I kept on running away... remembering the old man's dying face. I ran as hard as I could away from that village towards the mountains... I knew these mountains were dangerous and I didn't know how to properly traverse them, but it was my only choice, I kept on running and runnig till I couldn't hear the bullets flying past me and the screamig and yelling that was following me.

After 5 minutes which felt like hours, I lost them... I looked behind me and saw the 6 in the distance walking back to the village laughing between each other seemingly not even bothered by me losing them.

That was the day when I started learning how to live in the mountains.

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I woke up from my memories and continued to look down upon the destruction through the night. I thought about the power I wield and walked down towards Verutomo.

As I walked down, towards the kingdom I observed my surroundings cautiously since I knew this world can come out with anything, the small houses outside the kingdom were completely abandoned with most of the belongings still inside the house...

"They were in a hurry"

I saw trees which were burning with white flames and the massive walls which surrounded the kingdom had multiple engravings on it, I had no clue what these symbols were... but once I inspected the symbols more... I could suddenly understand these symbols purpose, this kingdom was trapped! They were locked in! These symbos could make a square of pure magic, that's all the infromation I recieved from simply inspecting it... amazing.

I continued to walk closer towards the city and simply wwalked straight throught the open gates, I was going to see if I could walk back out but quickly got rid of the idea since it could possibly kill me. In this enormous cube, flames were everywhere with minimal walking space, I could hear no noise, only what seemed like ever burning flames... i continued to walk around to see if there was any sort of life left, i knew with how things were going now... it was a low chance.

I ended up in what looked to be a, a city square. there was a pretty female statue in the middle pouring out water, it was a fountain... but then i took closer look and it was not water... it was blood pouring out her mouth... this kind of startled me and I immediately sensed the 500 metre area around me with my sword force.

I sensed something, there was a being on a roof top about, 470 metres South-East of my position, I turn towards my right and stare in the distance at the being... it was a ghoulish like creature with multiple tatoos along it's body, weird piercings on it's nose and ears, it had long pants with no shirt and was sitting down dangiling it's legs over a rooftop while biting it's black nails...

"It's looking at me."

"I AM..." The ghoul like creature had appeared right in front of me but I already took immediate action and had my sword intent surround this creature.

"...Sword Master... hagughahauragughaaa..." The creature had it's eyes wide open and creepily laughed with drool dripping it's mouth.

I looked down at it's tatoos on it's chest and stared at the engravings on it's body...

I slowly looked back up at it's eyes.. because I just figured out what those tatoos were for..

The ghoul's eyes nearly pop out by how open they are and then cracks a big grin with it's disgusting bloodied mouth, "You... know what they meaaan... hmmmmmm!?" "hahahaha"

The tatoos light up in a red hue...

I instantly use my speed movement and am next to the outer barrier in seconds, but so is the ghoul it casually stands behind me with it's head diagonally slanted down staring at me with a big grin, arms resting by it's side, and the red hue around it's body growing more brightly, I then look at the distance far ahead and also see hundreds more of the red lights brightly glowing...

"You're not getting away..." It opens it's mouth with it's long tongue sticking out, and dislocates it's jaw while laughing, it finshes it's sentence... "BOOOOOOOOYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!"

This makes me shiver and I suddenly see all the red lights around the kingdom shoot up into the top of the magic cube...

I know this is dangerous and I need to leave now or I'll die so I promptly turn around while unsheating Masamune and inject as much sword intent as I can into the blade and simultaneously stab into the force field and cut a circle out... it doesn't cut but I can feel the repelling force upon me, so I cut in circles again and again and again... the ghoul was laughing this whole time but then it saw I was about to leave, it turned ferocious and lunged at me with it's mouth wide open and sharp teeth, I was prepared for a attack and punched it in the face but it instanly got back on it's feet and sharp claws grew and it pounced at me with such speed that I could hardly register it...

I tried speeding out of the barrier but it still managed to get close with it's claws... I was not ready for such speed and the ghoul ended up clawing my face from the right side of my nose to my right brow down to the edge of my mouth and the start of my jawline...

I kicked it at the same time and despertely used that force to propell my self outside the barrier before it closed again...

Breathing heavily while laying down with my upper body up and arms behind me holding Masamune, I stared at the ghoul that was screaming inside the cube clawing the barrier trying to get to me...

I stared at the red light that was surrounding the ghoul...

'BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMM'

The whole kingdom exploded in front of my eyes and the cube started to fall apart due to the explosion and all I saw was everything was burnt to ash... I heard nothing but I could see it...

'Pale white skin, first class black magical engravings on the whole body except face... piercings... short scruffy black hair, can instantly grow long strong black finger nails, no fear, crazy, big white eyes and has incredible speed... and these guys were just used to clean up the evidence... what a hassle...'

I stood up while sheathing Masamune and gently felt my face...

"Really got me good didn't he... this is deep, I'll need treat this before it gets worse..."

I took out my map and checked where I had to travel to and also took out some small snacks and water to fiill myself up.

After I finished that I walked through the inanimate land and went on my way to the houses on the other side of the fallen kingdom to see if any medical supplies were present in the house.

As I walked along the ashes I thought... "Hahaha... I wonder if Elizabeth's going to like my new look...? hahahah!" Instead of thinking of all the bad possibilities I chose to think of my beautiful future wife... Elizabeth... her face pops up in my head...