Raging Storm Part One
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CLANG!
Devon grit his teeth as he met both swords of his former masters. He held them both off with just the Kitetsu, but with his injuries, it wouldn't last long.
"You challenge the both of us?" Hugin asked as sparks crackled along his blade, "Bravery or foolishness?"
"Does it matter?" Devon growled, "The fight will end in the same way, regardless of what this is!"
"And how will it end, Devon?" Munin asked, pressing harder on the blade.
"With me standing over you both!" Devon snapped at him, "You bastards...! How could you do all this?! You taught me better than to pull shit like this!"
The three warriors took a swing at their targets and were forced back at the blow. Devon landed on his feet a short distance away, but knelt down and coughed blood when one of his more serious wounds came back to haunt him.
"Shit...!"
"How could we do this?" Hugin asked, holding out his blade, "Like you, we learned many things, Devon...and we've gained new abilties to show for it. For example," he tightened his grip, "Raijin: Divinus Raikou!"
Not this again! Devon growled and leapt out of the way of the lightning bolt that erupted from his master's sword, "Won't get me with that again!"
"Fujin: Ryukaze!"
Devon snapped his head to the side just in time to see the dragon shaped air blade cut through him. Some of his older wounds reopened as a new one was created thanks to the attack. Though he was in pain, Devon regained his footing quickly as he hit the ground, doing his best to ignore the injuries.
Hugin hefted his sword onto his shoulder, "I must admit, Devon, you impress Munin and myself. Even with those injuries, you still have the strength to stand up and hold your sword,"
Devon grinned, "That's nothing...," he coughed a little, blood spurting out of his mouth, "You haven't seen what I have up my sleeve,"
"Is that so?" Munin chuckled, "You used to boast like that when you were younger, Devon, but everytime, it wasn't very much. Remember what happened earlier?"
"What happened in the forest...was nothing!" Devon snapped at him, "I've grown stronger since I've left the dojo, former masters, I won't be defeated so easily!"
-Flashback-
Dojo of Odin
"Gwah!"
Devon hit the floor of the dojo hard, holding his stomach. He growled and gripped his training weapons, "Shit...,"
"Didn't you say you were getting better, Devon?" Hugin asked as he spun his weapon fluidly, "We've seen you training, and when we began to teach you the Nine Realm techniques, we thought we would see more and more improvement in you, but so far, we haven't seen much,"
"I'm getting better!" Devon shouted, rising to his feet, "You're just too blind to see it!"
"Am I?" Hugin tilted his head to the side, "Just what am I too blind to see, my pupil?"
"My strength!" Devon snapped right before running towards Hugin, "I don't care if I have to kill you to prove it!"
-End Flashback-
I'll show the two of them just what I can do now... Devon gripped Kitetsu and ran at them, "Tyr's Hand, Leavings of the Wolf!"
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"Oh, man, this is not good...why'd he do that?!"
Niri ignored Dusty's frantic cries as she applied bandages to Austin's wound. She glanced at Kirsty, who had just been recently bandaged, then back at Austin, the child's blood seeping through the cloth.
"Kid, that was idiotic, reckless, and downright stupid!" she cursed before grinning for some reason, "Then again, you'd have to be to be a part of this crew. Just look at Dusty,"
"Hey! Just keep your mind on saving his life, and not making fun of me!" Dusty shouted at her before turning back to watch the fight between Masters and student. Her eyes twitched and her tail quivered as Devon suffered blow after blow, losing more and more blood by the second as he barely inflicted any damage at all to the enemy.
She shook her head, "What the hell is that idiot doing?! We gotta help him!"
"No,"
The kitsune turned to Azu, who was watching the fight closely, "What are you, drunk?!"
"Little bit,"
Dusty rolled her eyes and pointed to her nakama, "Devon is gonna keel over and die out there if we don't go out there and help him! Why can't we go?!"
"Because," Azu leaned back against the nearest tree and crossed his arms, "This is his fight. His and his alone,"
"Eh!?"
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One of the ancient buildings of Shandora collapsed as Devon plowed through the wall, propelled by the wind strength of Munin's Fragment blade. The twin swordsmen watched as the tall, stone building crumpled to pieces, completely burying their former student.
"He has improved, I'll give him that, but other than that, he's nothing special,"
"That's because he has relied too much on borrowed power,"
"Is he dead yet?!" Frigga shouted from behind them, looking impatient.
The twins didn't answer right away. They stood there, weapons at the ready, waiting for something.
C'mon kid... they thought, staring at the rubble, C'mon! Prove us right in our instincts! Do what you have your heart set on doing and rise up!
Suddenly, a large amount of rubble was suddenly blown away from the Shandian ruins. The twins smirked as Devon rose from the wreckage, his clothes torn and bloodsoaked. The half-Shandian panted as he pushed more rock out of his way.
"Looks like he's not ready to die yet,"
"No, he's not, is he?"
Devon climbed out from the rubble and began to advance on the two swordsman, the Kitetsu clutched tightly as blood ran freely all around his body.
"You're a stubborn lad, aren't you, Devon?" Hugin asked him casually.
"I think he's the most stubborn pupil we've had," Munin agreed with a nod, "Devon, do tell us...you've suffered incredible injuries, you're half dead and we're nearly at full strength. What keeps you on your feet?"
Devon lifted his head and pointed Kitetsu at them both, a strange look in his eyes, "What keeps me on my feet is the desire to kill you both for your traitorous actions against the Allfather!"
Munin raised an eyebrow and held up his sword, the blade covered with swirling air, "Is that so? Well, this is no spar like in the dojo, boy! This is a true duel between swordsmen, Devon! If you wish to bestow Odin's Judgement upon us, then prove it! Attack us as though you truly wish to kill us, for we will give you no special treatment! Brother!"
Hugin nodded and suddenly disappeared. Devon quickly turned to the Kitetsu to the side just in time to block the incoming sword. The blonde stared Hugin straight in the eye, "I won't give up until this land is safe once and for all!"
"Good, keep thinking like that and you'll go far," Hugin suddenly pushed his blade forward, scraping past Kitetsu, "Thunder Shock,"
Devon yelled as the blade pierced his side, and his screams intensified as electricity coursed through his entire body.
Hugin withdrew his sword and watched as Devon stumbled a little, the wound and the hole in his skull shirt smoking. The ebony haired swordsman frowned, "Still...you're still so disappointing to us, Devon!"
"I'm disappointing? Master Hugin, you shouldn't talk...,"
"Hm?"
Devon's hand shot forward and grabbed one of the swords that was stolen from him before. To add to Hugin's surprise, with amazing speed, Devon cut deep into his chest, showering himself with the blood of his former master.
"AAH!" Hugin stumbled back, blood flowing from the newly formed gash in his chest. He looked down at the wound, "You...you actually cut me...you've never done that before!"
"AH!"
Hugin turned to see that Devon not only had already run from him to Munin, but he just delivered his twin brother a wound similar to his own. He shook his head, Where...where is this coming from? He's not using that power, but this is his own strength!
"Masters, as I said before, you shouldn't call me a disappointment,"
The twins turned to see Devon was now standing across from them, right in front of the pile of rubble he rose out of a short time before. To their surprise, not only had Devon managed to cut them, but he now held both Geri and Freki in his hands.
"I heard what you said, Masters...about me using borrowed power, and I think you're right," he held up Kitetsu, "This is a sword with a name that is similiar to the three famous Kitetsu blades, but the only other thing it has in common with those swords is that it's cursed. It must feed on the life force of it's owner, or the souls of those it cuts into in order to deliver greater power. The blade I seek, the Onimaru, is like this, but it's also completely different,"
"What are you going on about it?" Munin demanded.
Devon gripped both the hilt and the blade of Kitetsu with his bare hands, "This is a test, and I cannot use power that is not my own," he growled right before he snapped the blade into two pieces with his own hands.
Hugin stared, He broke the blade! Not even my brother and I were able to accomplish that feat with our strength and skill, but this young man has done it with his bare hands!
"Masters, you have made a grave mistake by invading this holy place,"
"Holy place? What the hell are you talking about?"
"This land, this city is sacred to those who share Shandora's blood! Four-hundred years ago, the great warrior Calgara gave his life in order to defend this place and for four-hundred years, my father and our people have fought to take it back from those who stole it from them!" Devon held both Geri and Freki outward at the sides, "Do you understand, my Masters? Do you understand what I'm fighting for?! This land is Shandora, the birthplace of my father's people, and I will defend it to the death!" he shot a deathglare to the both of them, one that even sent chills down their spines.
"I WILL NOT LET THE LAND OF MY ANCESTORS BE TAKEN BY FILTH LIKE YOU!!!" he screamed, "I am Devon! Son of the great Shandian Warrior Sefu and the lady pirate Celeste, nakama to Gold Roger, the Pirate King himself! Calgara's blood runs through my body and it has been spilled, so I will be damned if I fail in defending my homeland!"
Off to the side, a now conscious Wiper, Laki, and Gan Fall were watching the fight from afar and they heard every word that the Blue Sea dweller had just said. Laki turned to Wiper, who was staring at Devon in disbelief.
"Well, Wiper? What do you think of him now?"
Wiper was speechless. Here was this kid, this boy from the Blue Sea, the son of the deserter and traitor of the past, standing before him, putting his very life on the line for Shandora, as their ancestors have done in the past four centuries. He didn't look like the son of the bastard Sefu anymore...in fact, he looked just like Sefu used to do in the battles for Upper Yard years ago.
Maybe, I was wrong about this kid...
"Wiper?" Laki's voice brought him out of his thoughts, "Wiper, what's wrong?"
The Shandian shook his head, "Nothing. Does this kid really think he can win?" he murmured.
"He is Sefu's son, and a true warrior...he'll come out victorious,"
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Kilnorc: Oh man, this is going great! Hehehe...there's plenty more action, as well as some revelations coming up next! Stay tuned!
On the next chapter of Homeland...
Frigga: What the hell-?! He was losing a second ago!
Hugin: Looks like we were right about you, Devon...
Devon: Shinigami-giri!
Dusty: He can't last much longer!
Raging Storm Part Two
Hugin and Munin: He's mastered them! Every single technique, he has mastered them all!