CHAPTER 13 - Der Kampf [The Combat]
'You should already have had figured out the only thing you've been doing is run around,' Falke told her, his eyes dancing with mocking amusement.
Kei just stared at her former accomplices, too stunned to speak.
'Really, Kei-chan,' continued Falke, tapping his palm with his baton's silver end. 'How many times have you used the secret passages of our fortress? Thrice? Don't you think that is a little too much for our guests to see?'
'Falke-sama…' Kei stammered.
'I am aware you are very hospitable to our guests,' Falke said grimly. 'It surprised me though, you've been too much to the point of betrayal.' He lifted his brows and tilted his head pointedly. He turned to Jin. 'Finish the rest. I'll take care of my daughter.'
Jin's men immediately took action with Jin's flick of hand. He gestured them to attack in all directions, scattering the weakened Weiss about, away from Kei. Falke clutched Kei by the neck and dragged her deep into the forest.
*
Kei writhed in pain as Falke's arms circled tighter around her neck. She coughed, choking, scarcely breathing. She should never have had misjudged Falke's relentlessness. It would definitely cost her life.
Brusquely he flung her to the wet, muddy, grass-covered ground. 'I believe this is the end of your disloyalty, my daughter,' he began scornfully.
'I am not your daughter,' she told him indignantly, as she pulled herself up from the ground. Rain continued to fall down on her. It reminded her of the scenario ten years ago, when she killed her stepfather…and was found by Falke soaked in rainwater. 'You used me…'
'Is this the gratitude I will get for helping you?' he asked, walking around Kei with a contemptuous façade.
'I owe you nothing,' she spat back, glaring at Falke through the raindrops, which glistened on her lashes. 'I am already fully paid. In case you have forgotten, your business grew to my expense.'
He lifted his brows and chuckled derisively. 'Oh is that so?'
'The fact that you used me as an experiment to test the success of your new medicine?' she reminded him. 'And the fact I had to seduce your customers to bring growth to your market sales. I lost all innocence because of you.'
He sprang toward her, dropping the baton, and they fell on the ground, his hand on her neck. He pressed her deeper to the mud as he strangled her mercilessly, eyes burning with ire. 'You were already tainted when I found you. How dare you accuse me of that.' He took out a pocketknife and cut a deep wound on her arm, which was trying frantically to take his hand off her neck.
She screamed in pain, and had no other choice but to take her hand off his. Her face was slowly turning pale, and she was slowly losing air supply. Rain mingled with the blood flowing freely down her arm.
Menacingly he loosened his grip on her collar. She coughed, feeling a sudden rush of air surging through her windpipe. 'You see this?' he hissed, showing her the gleaming knife. 'I can kill you anytime I choose.'
'Then do it, I dare you,' she retorted.
Enraged by her words, he prepared to thrust his blade through her naked neck, letting out a wild shriek.
She reeled away from his just in time before the dagger hit her. Kicking him on his genitals, she lurched away from him and quickly regained composure. She breathed heavily, inspecting the stinging wound on her arm. 'You old bastard,' she cursed.
His eyes burned as he lunged at her again, his knife aimed at her. She quickly evaded all his attempted hits that he grew frustrated and threw the dagger away. Panting he challenged her to a physical fight.
He attacked quickly, kicking her on her stomach. She recoiled, but hit him back, punching him on the face. Staggering away from her, he wiped his cheek, stained with blood. A loose tooth fell from his mouth, stained with blood and saliva. He licked his bloodstained lips, and spat out red liquid.
Angrily he assailed again, aiming for her long-injured leg. Expertly she avoided his blow and sailed through the air, striking him at the back of his neck with her feet. He hit the tree bark before him harshly. Blood trickled down from his nose.
'Don't underestimate me Falke,' she hissed.
'YOU don't underestimate me. I taught you everything you know,' he snapped.
'Not everything Falke,' she corrected him. 'I am better than you are now. You're old and withered,' she told him in disgust. 'Do you realize how easy it would be for me to beat you?'
*
Meanwhile, the long withheld battle between Ran and Jin had begun. Ran had unsheathed his sword, and Jin did so as well. Their eyes glimmered with lust for bloodshed, as their katanas gleamed silver in the torrents of rain.
Wordlessly, Jin assaulted, thrusting his sword toward Ran, who defended himself with his own blade. Their swords clicked and clanged noisily, the sound of metals mingling with the sound of their footsteps in the mud. Jin lunged his sword forward, aiming at Ran's side, but Ran had leapt to the air and kicked Jin at his back.
Jin stumbled ahead, and collapsed to the ground unsteadily. Ran spun immediately, hurling his sword to dive into Jin's body. However, Jin rolled away just a couple of inches away from the sharp blade before it even gashed his skin. Quickly, he sprang up and was swiftly back on his feet. A defiant stare met Ran's eyes.
At the same time, they both charged forward, their blades directed at their enemy. The swords clashed, and the two landed on the opposite sides of the clearing. Ran felt his leg's skin bare itself. He received a shallow wound from Jin's attack. Jin, however, was busy fingering the cut he got, which was in his upper arm.
Droplets of blood flawed the grass, as red liquid blended with silver water.
'So you have gotten together with Kei-chan,' Jin said disdainfully. 'What was she like on bed?' he asked, his breathing slowly returning to normal. 'Was she delicious?' He snickered, licking his lips. His blue eyes flashed madly.
Ran responded with a glare.
'I understand you know she WAS mine,' Jin went on. 'Until you came into the picture that is…what has she seen in you?' He scoffed. 'Perhaps I am in the position to tell you she is a whore. A goddamn whore for all I care…'
Ran's eyes blazed. 'Enough cheeky talk,' Ran said in a no-nonsense tone. 'I suggest you use that talking to pray before you die.'
'You should already have had figured out the only thing you've been doing is run around,' Falke told her, his eyes dancing with mocking amusement.
Kei just stared at her former accomplices, too stunned to speak.
'Really, Kei-chan,' continued Falke, tapping his palm with his baton's silver end. 'How many times have you used the secret passages of our fortress? Thrice? Don't you think that is a little too much for our guests to see?'
'Falke-sama…' Kei stammered.
'I am aware you are very hospitable to our guests,' Falke said grimly. 'It surprised me though, you've been too much to the point of betrayal.' He lifted his brows and tilted his head pointedly. He turned to Jin. 'Finish the rest. I'll take care of my daughter.'
Jin's men immediately took action with Jin's flick of hand. He gestured them to attack in all directions, scattering the weakened Weiss about, away from Kei. Falke clutched Kei by the neck and dragged her deep into the forest.
*
Kei writhed in pain as Falke's arms circled tighter around her neck. She coughed, choking, scarcely breathing. She should never have had misjudged Falke's relentlessness. It would definitely cost her life.
Brusquely he flung her to the wet, muddy, grass-covered ground. 'I believe this is the end of your disloyalty, my daughter,' he began scornfully.
'I am not your daughter,' she told him indignantly, as she pulled herself up from the ground. Rain continued to fall down on her. It reminded her of the scenario ten years ago, when she killed her stepfather…and was found by Falke soaked in rainwater. 'You used me…'
'Is this the gratitude I will get for helping you?' he asked, walking around Kei with a contemptuous façade.
'I owe you nothing,' she spat back, glaring at Falke through the raindrops, which glistened on her lashes. 'I am already fully paid. In case you have forgotten, your business grew to my expense.'
He lifted his brows and chuckled derisively. 'Oh is that so?'
'The fact that you used me as an experiment to test the success of your new medicine?' she reminded him. 'And the fact I had to seduce your customers to bring growth to your market sales. I lost all innocence because of you.'
He sprang toward her, dropping the baton, and they fell on the ground, his hand on her neck. He pressed her deeper to the mud as he strangled her mercilessly, eyes burning with ire. 'You were already tainted when I found you. How dare you accuse me of that.' He took out a pocketknife and cut a deep wound on her arm, which was trying frantically to take his hand off her neck.
She screamed in pain, and had no other choice but to take her hand off his. Her face was slowly turning pale, and she was slowly losing air supply. Rain mingled with the blood flowing freely down her arm.
Menacingly he loosened his grip on her collar. She coughed, feeling a sudden rush of air surging through her windpipe. 'You see this?' he hissed, showing her the gleaming knife. 'I can kill you anytime I choose.'
'Then do it, I dare you,' she retorted.
Enraged by her words, he prepared to thrust his blade through her naked neck, letting out a wild shriek.
She reeled away from his just in time before the dagger hit her. Kicking him on his genitals, she lurched away from him and quickly regained composure. She breathed heavily, inspecting the stinging wound on her arm. 'You old bastard,' she cursed.
His eyes burned as he lunged at her again, his knife aimed at her. She quickly evaded all his attempted hits that he grew frustrated and threw the dagger away. Panting he challenged her to a physical fight.
He attacked quickly, kicking her on her stomach. She recoiled, but hit him back, punching him on the face. Staggering away from her, he wiped his cheek, stained with blood. A loose tooth fell from his mouth, stained with blood and saliva. He licked his bloodstained lips, and spat out red liquid.
Angrily he assailed again, aiming for her long-injured leg. Expertly she avoided his blow and sailed through the air, striking him at the back of his neck with her feet. He hit the tree bark before him harshly. Blood trickled down from his nose.
'Don't underestimate me Falke,' she hissed.
'YOU don't underestimate me. I taught you everything you know,' he snapped.
'Not everything Falke,' she corrected him. 'I am better than you are now. You're old and withered,' she told him in disgust. 'Do you realize how easy it would be for me to beat you?'
*
Meanwhile, the long withheld battle between Ran and Jin had begun. Ran had unsheathed his sword, and Jin did so as well. Their eyes glimmered with lust for bloodshed, as their katanas gleamed silver in the torrents of rain.
Wordlessly, Jin assaulted, thrusting his sword toward Ran, who defended himself with his own blade. Their swords clicked and clanged noisily, the sound of metals mingling with the sound of their footsteps in the mud. Jin lunged his sword forward, aiming at Ran's side, but Ran had leapt to the air and kicked Jin at his back.
Jin stumbled ahead, and collapsed to the ground unsteadily. Ran spun immediately, hurling his sword to dive into Jin's body. However, Jin rolled away just a couple of inches away from the sharp blade before it even gashed his skin. Quickly, he sprang up and was swiftly back on his feet. A defiant stare met Ran's eyes.
At the same time, they both charged forward, their blades directed at their enemy. The swords clashed, and the two landed on the opposite sides of the clearing. Ran felt his leg's skin bare itself. He received a shallow wound from Jin's attack. Jin, however, was busy fingering the cut he got, which was in his upper arm.
Droplets of blood flawed the grass, as red liquid blended with silver water.
'So you have gotten together with Kei-chan,' Jin said disdainfully. 'What was she like on bed?' he asked, his breathing slowly returning to normal. 'Was she delicious?' He snickered, licking his lips. His blue eyes flashed madly.
Ran responded with a glare.
'I understand you know she WAS mine,' Jin went on. 'Until you came into the picture that is…what has she seen in you?' He scoffed. 'Perhaps I am in the position to tell you she is a whore. A goddamn whore for all I care…'
Ran's eyes blazed. 'Enough cheeky talk,' Ran said in a no-nonsense tone. 'I suggest you use that talking to pray before you die.'