Chapter 146
CHAPTER 146
PARTS AND PIECES
Not unlike Gustav, Lino also attempted to process what had just transpired; however, unlike Gustav, he didn’t have much knowledge when it ca to the natural laws, which is why to him it rely seed as though he moved bits and pieces of space around to win . As he pulled himself out of his thoughts, his eyes landed onto Gustav and saw the man shiver and shake, his eyes growing twice their size, lips trembling, sweat breaking out .
It took Lino but a mont to see it in those eyes; terror, fear, confusion . . . his heart skip a beat as he realized he’d shown too much to a wrong person . Without almost a thought, he rushed forward and sliced away with his sword, aiming directly for Gustav’s neck . The latter barely recovered in ti to duck and pull himself back, but before he had a mont to shout for help and to share his revelation, he felt cold death of a blade encroach upon his back .
Swiftly spinning in place, he managed to sohow block the blade with the shaft of his hamr, pushing Lino back . However, the latter - as though maddened - forcibly cracked a few bones in his body to suppress the backward force and strut himself forward . Without even having a chance to take a breath, Gustav was forced to raise his hamr in defense again . This ti, though, the blade slithered around almost as though it had muscle, bypassing the hamr and striking at far right side of Gustav’s chest .
Blood spurted out as Gustav found himself pushed back, gritting his teeth as he reached with his arm and forcibly halted the bleeding . Still, he didn’t have much ti to accommodate the newfound wound as blade ca slicing yet again . His eyes sohow t up with a pair of Lino’s black; then and there, Gustav realized he had made a mistake . Those eyes were void of emotion, of compassion, of playfulness that the strange beggar displayed almost always .
They were dark, cold, full of resolve and empty of any sort of empathy . It almost seed as though a completely different person surfaced and was now leading the attack . There was no grace in the movent, there was no playfulness in expression and in style; it seed the entirety of attacks desired only a singe thing - to take Gustav’s life .
The old man repeatedly got pushed back until he realized sothing was strange; looking around, he once again saw hilly formations and remnants of ruins causing him to gasp as he tended to a wound on his thigh . He was led away from the central battlefield further back, till nobody could see them any longer . Lino suddenly stopped attacking, surprising Gustav . He just stood there, a hint of that playfulness apparent on his expression .
" . . . oh boy, I sure chose a wrong opponent . " Gustav laughed bitterly .
"And I sure chose a wrong technique," Lino replied . "Didn’t know those old bones of yours had seen the world . "
" . . . " Gustav nearly wanted to vomit blood; the bastard was not taking him seriously, at all! How could anyone miss the fact that he literally changed the laws of nature?! "I-is that so? Khm . . . uh, well, I feel obliged to ask . . . but could we not go directly into a deathmatch? Though you would probably win in the end, it won’t co at no cost . "
" . . . this I feared," Lino said, sighing lightly . "Who I am . . . cannot be disclosed, old man . The only reason I’m talking with you is because even I’m childish enough to believe in the abstract notion of respect . "
"I won’t tell anyone if that’s what you fear!"
"Yes you will," Lino said, smiling . "And, frankly, I can’t fault you for it . After all, it would co with many benefits . If it was alone that was involved in this . . . I might even let you go on the grounds that I like you quite a bit . But I’m not . There’s more at stake here than just my life . "
" . . . " Gustav himself figured as much, actually . The beggar didn’t seem like soone who would kill for any random reason . "Aren’t all Empyreans supposed to be loners?"
"So I’ve been told repeatedly . " Lino shrugged . "But, I’d rather not base my social life on a thing that’s never fucked a woman, you know?"
" . . . " this, however, Gustav did not figure; he did not expect or anticipate and, even if soone was to beat him to death over it, he would never co up with it . From his knowledge, all Bearers were reverent toward their Writs - regardless if Empyrean or others . There was awe-inspiring respect within them toward the source of who they were . Or, at the very least, that’s what he believed until now .
"Eh, I don’t know . " Lino suddenly said, scratching his hair . "I an, did he fuck a woman? Or at least, you know, Writ-equivalent to a woman? Maybe he’s gay? I an, I did notice that since this guy inhabited , most of those interested in turned out to be old n . It’s weird, you know?"
" . . . hah . . . I’m gonna lose my life to a fool . . . " Gustav lanted .
"Ah, you’re right . Why am I worrying about his sex life? Who cares, right? Anyway . . . any ssage you want to tell them?"
" . . . heh, no need," Gustav said, taking a deep breath and brandishing his already half-crumbled hamr tightly . "I just hope, at the very least, you will have enough courage to admit to what you’ve done . . . and to bring my body back . "
" . . . I owe up to what I do," Lino said calmly, rising his sword . "That’s the least I can do for sowing chaos in my wake . "
He vanished from the spot, kicking up winds behind him as he reappeared above Gustav, striking down with his sword . It swayed madly as did his tattered clothes, his eyes once again lacking any emotion . Gustav swung his hamr up as he roared, his entire body flexing madly as his bones cracked . Alongside the hamr, a massive earthen spike erupted, following the hamr’s flow .
Lino switched his trajectory and swung sideways, repelling the hamr strike and using the backlash to avoid the spike . Before even landing back onto the ground, he swung his sword backwards and used its force to propel himself forward . He flew in an arc, eclipsing Gustav who smashed the hamr onto the ground and caused the earth to rumble and rapture . Lino landed just next to a crevice and began a slalom-like movent over the cracks and holes and spikes, evading them seemingly with no effort .
He soon closed the distance between the two and began a relentless onslaught; wound after wound appeared on Gustav’s body, his clothes torn and tattered beyond recognition . He flayed his hamr madly, trying to at the very least delay Lino as much as possible in hopes that soone will co . But, he quickly realized that was impossible; the more they fought, the quicker Lino beca, more savage, unrestrained, more beastly in nature . His form, his attacks, his strategy . . . Gustav realized it now, that the so-called ’Writ of Chaos’ was nad so not only because of the energy it used .
Its na resonated with everything it represented, down to how its Bearers fought . There was no logic or reason or order to the sequence of attacks, to his footwork, to anything; above, below, from front and back and both sides, all around attacks ca in indistinguishable patterns, leaving one extra hole or one extra gash on his already wounded body . He was bleeding from every orifice, barely able to cope .
It all lasted nearly five minutes till Gustav finally collapsed, letting go of the hamr and faltering onto his knees, his head hunched down, grayed hair in disarray falling over . His arms were slouched at sides, body full of wounds to the point where it was harder to find a whole section of skin than a wounded one . He bled profusely and, even if Lino never attacked again, he would bleed out in minutes at most . Gustav suppressed the cry of pain and anguish deep within his lungs . He breathed heavily, but didn’t allow himself to groan . . . even less to plead for rcy .
Lino landed slowly in front of him and squatted, using his free arm to grasp Gustav by his chin and lift his head up . The twos’ eyes t shortly after . Gustav’s were full of complex emotions, while Lino’s remained relatively pure and simple . Almost like the eyes of a child .
"However little you may value my words," Lino said . "I promise . . . I won’t allow them to fall so long as I live and breathe . "
" . . . ha-cough-cough," though blood splattered over Lino, he didn’t even blink, calmly looking into Gustav’s eyes . "You may damn them, just the sa . . . "
" . . . maybe," Lino nodded lightly . "And if I do . . . I’ll redeem them . Dynasty of your forefathers will last Gustav . "
"W-what makes . . . makes you think I give a shit . . . about those pricks . . . " he mumbled faintly .
"If you hadn’t, you would have long since left this place," Lino said, smiling lightly . "It’s alright . Though I can’t let your sons and daughters kill just yet for revenge . . . " he added in a low voice . "I can assure you, my end . . . will make you laugh from down below . "
"Of course it will . . . you bastard . . . " Gustav grinned, his bloodied and cracked teeth painting a picture of a madman . . . yet his eyes contrasting it with a man who’d accepted it all .
"Goodbye . " Lino said, still looking into Gustav’s eyes as he shoved a sword directly through the latter’s heart . A last breath escaped Gustav’s lips as he closed his eyes, ready for eternal rest .
Lino remained silent for a mont before sighing lightly and lifting up Gustav’s body, putting it over his shoulder and strapping the sword to his waist before heading back to the distant dust storm where the battle was fought . His steps were brisk, and calm . . . yet appeared lifeless . His expression still calm with a hint of playfulness, his smile still boyish . Only his eyes seed to lack sothing . . . as though part of what they reflected dimd and disappeared .
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