Note: It's been some time since I've worked on this story, so I apologize for that. In fact, it's a story that I feel like I've neglected in favor of my other ones. Despite that, I intend to update it as I update my other ones. Before we move on, I have something to say to three reviewers.
hechtmanelijah6: Yep, the Seven Heroes are skilled enough to defend the Prime Minister. I hope that you like that about them.
EmpressLoveSiren23: Thanks, I hope that you enjoy the later chapters as well.
Ron: I agree with you, man, considering how I made Bentley more badass in this story.
Alrighty, let's move on to chapter ten.
Chapter 10: Lupine Ferocity
At the Serpent Gang's HQ, Hirose was speaking with Yamashiro and Shiobana.
"Alright," Hirose spoke, "we need someone who can knock the Seven Heroes off their guard. Seeing as our previous efforts failed, I've got someone who is strong enough to beat those annoyances, including Arthur Schaefer."
"You're not thinking of sending him out, are you?" Yamashiro asked.
"Yeah, he's a very frightening person, even to me!" Shiobana said as he shivered.
"Look," Hirose stated, "I know that we have reinforcements, but we can't use them all. We need to utilize our best men in the group better."
Hirose then turned his head towards a Dalmatian who was waiting by the door.
"Go tell Araki that we're sending him out for our next move." The black jungle cat told him.
The Dalmatian nodded, running out of the room.
"Mr. Hirose," Yamashiro protested, "you can't send a man like Kazuma Araki out for a job like this!"
"Yeah, send me out instead!" Shiobana said.
"Yakamashi!" Hirose glared at them. "Just trust me on this."
Yamashiro and Shiobana did as they were told. Even though they wanted to beat the Seven Heroes, the infamous Kazuma Araki was being sent out instead of them. While he would kill the Seven Heroes, there was no doubt that he would kill anyone who got in his way. The group that had been hindering the Serpent Gang's mission would need a miracle to beat their next foe.
Bairei, Ryuta and Bentley were down at the lake, meditating. The three had been given permission by Chu-ya to go down to the lake, hence was why they were there. As they meditated, the three raccoons felt something flow inside of them: their warrior spirit. The spirit was increasing, which was strengthening them. Before Bairei, Ryuta and Bentley could meditate for long, Chikaga came up to them.
"Guys!" He spoke.
"What is it, Chikaga?" Ryuta asked, not opening his eyes.
"There's a disturbance in the Evergreen Mountains, and father needs us to go there!" Chikaga told them.
"Tell the others that we'll be there!" Bairei said as he got up.
"Right!" The aardvark said as he ran off.
Ryuta and Bentley got up from the ground, gathering their belongings.
"The Evergreen Mountains?" Bentley spoke. "These Serpent Gang guys must be raising the stakes higher if they've got someone there."
"Yes," Ryuta said, "and we need to go fight whoever they have sent to the mountains."
"Alright, let's go!" Bairei shouted as he raised his sword.
The three raccoons then took off for the Evergreen Mountains, hoping to meet the others there.
Once they got to the Evergreen Mountains, Bairei, Ryuta and Bentley saw Mayumi, Chikaga, Shizuka, Schaefer and Officer Perry going up.
"You guys are here early!" Bairei spoke.
"Now's not the time for greetings," Mayumi stated, "we need to go up the mountains!"
"Right!" Bairei, Ryuta and Bentley said in unison as they followed their teammates up the Evergreen Mountains.
The Evergreen Mountains were silent, as if no living creature was on them at the moment. It was too silent, making it perfect for an ambush. Chikaga and Schaefer were looking around, staying on guard for a potential ambush. However, outside of the dead silence, nothing was unusual. In fact, it seemed like no one, not even an enemy, was on the mountain.
"I don't think we're alone in this place." Bairei whispered.
"Yeah," Bentley whispered, "I feel like we're being led to a trap."
"Keep your eyes open," Chikaga whispered, "don't let anyone take you by surprise."
All of a sudden, there was a loud "thud!" in the distance. The noise, combined with the general emptiness of the Mountains, caused the Seven Heroes to stop in their tracks.
"What was that?!" Mayumi cried.
"It sounds like it came from over there." Schaefer said as he pointed towards a path that went in between the Evergreen Mountains.
The Seven Heroes then walked through the path, where they saw a horrific scene: several violently mutilated corpses. All of the victims were missing limbs, with one of them having no arms or legs. In addition to that, they had been slashed with claws, as if a wild animal had attacked them. Their blood stained the ground, having drained out of their open wounds. The Seven Heroes were mortified by the carnage before them, with Bairei nearly vomiting from the sight. Whoever killed the people they saw wasn't human, and it was, no doubt, waiting for them.
"What kind of monster could have done this?!" Bentley cried.
A deep, menacing laugh rang out, echoing through the mountains.
"I think I know who." Schaefer stated.
"Who did this, Schaefer-san?!" Shizuka asked.
"Show yourself, Kazuma Araki!" The sheepdog shouted.
All of a sudden, a gray wolf walked out into the open. He was holding a a Bowie knife and had his claws out. In addition to that, the lupine was shirtless, being muscular enough to destroy one if he tried to put it on. His eyes were ice blue, reflecting his cold-hearted nature. His fur was stained with the blood of the people he killed, some of it looking matted. The wolf needed no introduction: he was the infamous Kazuma Araki.
"Well," he spoke, "this is a pleasant surprise! I didn't expect for you to be a member of the Seven Heroes, Arthur Schaefer! That being said, this will make killing all of you more entertaining!"
"You won't be saying that when we beat you to a bloody pulp!" Bentley shouted as he got out his knife, getting ready for battle.
"Wait, Bentley!" Mayumi warned. "I wouldn't rush into battle if I were you!"
"Yeah, Kazuma Araki is easily one of the most dangerous members of the Serpent Gang!" Ryuta stated. "If the corpses around us weren't enough of a warning, you'll see why he's the most feared member of those creeps!"
"And I'm going to be the one who takes him down!" Bairei bravely said, taking his sword out.
"No, you'll get killed!" Chikaga cried.
"Or maybe I'll win!" The raccoon said as he walked up to Araki.
"Baka, do you think that you can beat me?" Araki asked as he tilted his head.
"I can try!" The smaller male shouted as he swiped his sword at the wolf, missing his flesh by an inch.
"Bairei, this is between me and him." Schaefer stated.
"No, you're too important to risk!" Bairei said.
Bairei and Araki began to trade blows with their weapons, with an occasional punch and kick thrown. The raccoon was at a slight disadvantage, as his opponent was much taller than he was. Despite that, he was faster than the wolf, to the point where it looked like he could easily decapitate him. However, Araki was not letting his guard down.
"Is this self-sacrifice or pure stupidity?" The lupine scoffed.
"What difference does it make?!" Bairei screamed as he swung his katana again, which managed to cut Araki on his chest.
"You got him!" Chikaga said.
Araki swung his knife again, but Bairei knocked it out of his hand. In response, the wolf slashed his claws at the raccoon. Despite being quick on his feet, the smaller male received claw marks on his back. He blocked several other swipes from the lupine, but received a claw mark to the face. Blood trickled out of the wounds, which made it painful for Bairei to move. His vision became blurry, due to him having lost a lot of blood.
"Bairei, give up!" Mayumi cried.
"He'll kill you!" Chikaga shouted.
Bairei ignored them, swinging his katana at Araki again. While he managed to cut the wolf a few more times, the raccoon found himself collapsing to the ground. After that, the other Heroes ran to their injured friend.
"C'mon, don't die on us!" Bentley said.
"Don't worry, we'll get him to a doctor!" Shizuka told him.
"He'll have to stay in bed for a while, though." Ryuta stated.
Araki began to walk off.
"Hey, where are you going?!" Bentley shouted.
"The whole reason I came here was to kill all seven of you, but I didn't expect to fight anyone other than Arthur Schaefer." Araki said. "That was an interesting battle, as you're stronger than I realized. It's quite exciting, honestly."
"We'll beat you next time!" Mayumi yelled.
"You'll have to train harder." The wolf said. "Until next time, I will be waiting for our next fight, but I'm working with the Serpent Gang. I wouldn't recommend getting in our way for the time being."
"Kazuma," Schaefer spoke, "it doesn't have to be this way."
"I don't care." The lupine said.
Once Araki was out of sight, Ryuta and Chikaga wrapped their arms around Bairei, lifting him off of the ground.
"Come on, let's get him to the doctor!" Ryuta said.
Note: Welp, Bairei/Bert is injured, so he might be out of commission. However, we can only hope for the best when it concerns the little guy. Now that the chapter has come to an end, I shall put the Japanese to English translations here.
Yakamashi! = Shut up!
Baka = Idiot or Fool
Until next time guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!