This story is rated ( NC-17/R ) M for violence, language and sexual content.
Disclaimer: Intelligent Systems owns Fire Emblem. I own this fanfic.
Fire Emblem: Legend Of The Chaos Hero
Book One: In The Grip Of Hatred
By Chaos Hero Mark
Chapter VIII: Decisive Deathmatch
The sea blue sky with patches of mist-like clouds, was filled with the mad screams of the crowd as the gate lifted. Even though Karel was powerless without his weapon, he felt his bloodlust reaching its peak. The Berserker threw the Wo Dao one side as the Monk got ahold of his Divine tome. The scared man flipped through the pages frantically, looking for a powerful spell to recite. The Sword Demon trembled with a mix of excitement, anticipation and surprising to him, a hint of fear. A pair of blood-red eyes emerged from the dark shadows of the cell, followed by the rest of its figure. The Leo was a black maned, lion that was nearly as tall as the seven foot Berserker. Its dark, blue skin was covered by what looked like dragon scales. The Legion found themselves slightly awed by the size of the beast.
"That's the Leo? These people are serious." Raven muttered to no one in particular as Guy joined them. He too was awestruck as he came to see how Karel fared. "We gotta lotta moni' on him, so Karel betta not be dyin' on us!" Came Dart's voice. Guy was dumbfounded at to how Dart and Geitz could try to make money off Karel, when the man was fighting for his life.
The lion started bearing its fangs, while slowly advancing towards them. This had the Vanguard slightly shaken as its intimidating, blood-red eyes looked at each of them. Karel wasn't sure if he should dash for his sword or stay where he was. Either way, he was definitely in trouble. The moment the Divine spell was completely chanted, the Leo had its eyes fixed on the Monk. When it started dashing, Karel was unsure of how to react as he froze. Fortune was on his side as the Leo sprinted by, paying him no heed, while the Monk cast the Divine spell. A gold, bright beam of light, surrounded with halo rings, was unleashed upon the Leo as some of the people turned their eyes, due to the spells brightness. Even though the spell connected directly in the face, the Leo beast charged in, regardless. The Monks end was a cruel one as the large lion bore its fangs into his flesh, tearing it asunder. While this horrific display took place, Karel saw his now-or-never opportunity and scout for his sword. Nerth saw this and wanted to stop him in his tracks as Karel spotted his Wo Dao and made a dash for it. The large Berserker tossed his axe towards the Swordmaster thinking he didn't suspect this. The Sword Demon saw this and arched his upper body back, barely dodging the axe. While Karel avoided Nerth and grabbed his Wo Dao, the Vanguard was busy activating his Aether skill. The Leo tore and pierce the man's flesh in its teeth and rattling its prey briskly, like a dog would with a bone. Some of the people were cheering like crazy at the carnage, while others turned their eyes away. What came next was a shock as the Leo, with its jaws, threw what's left of the bloody, flesh-torn corpse into the crowd.
The Legion was watching this bloody spectacle unfold as some of them turned their eyes away. The section of spectators that received the bloodied corpse, shrank back in horror and screamed. The Leo turned his attention to the three fighters remaining, blood splashed on its muzzle alongside a few fragments of flesh. Karel stood poised to attack, sword in hand as the Berserker spat in defiance, taunting Leo. The large lion made a dash towards the Berserker as the man, suddenly realized he forgot to pick up his Swordslayer. The man prepared himself as the lion got closer, when it suddenly diverted its direction to the Sacaen swordsman. Karel prepared himself as the lion was about to pounce upon him. The swordsman jumped as high as he could to match the lions height and aimfully managed to strike it in the eye. At that very moment, the Leo pounced Karel aside with its clawed paw. As Karel crashed to the ground rolling, his Wo Dao was stuck in the Leo's left eye which was bleeding profusely.
The Leo snarled in pain from the blade buried in his eye socket as he tried shaking it off, to no avail. Its right eye glared at a kneeling Karel with murderous intent as it began charging in for him. The Sacaen saw this and ran from it. Karel found himself surprised at the lions agility as its jaws snapped at thin air. Unfortunately, not even he could not outrun a lion that big in an enclosed space. At that point, the Lancer was on the edge of his seat, silently watching the match unfold. He paid no heed to the advisers murmuring amongst themselves, who expected Nerth to win as always.
The Sacaen, out of desperation, ran against the wall and somersaulted himself onto the lion. He gripped its black mane tightly as it furiously tried to shake him off. Most of the Legion cheered Karel on as the lion tried to shake him off like he was in a bull ride. With a hard fling, the lion threw Karel off its back and sent the Sacaen flying forward. Out of natural instinct, Karel aerial position gave him the opportunity to pull the Wo Dao out of the lion's eye socket. As the sword came out, blood and pus shot out of the damaged eye as he landed. Although successful, the Sword Demon had to get to his feet fast. The Leo winced at the pain its bloodied eye caused and gave a deafening roar. The blueish lion prepared to attack when the Vanguard saw the perfect moment to attack. He tossed his Silver Blade in the air and leaped to catch it. When he did that, the Vanguard came down, striking the Leo's scaled back. To the warriors surprise, the Silver Blade snapped in two.
Next thing he knew, the Leo turned his murderous eye towards the Vanguard and came after him. The Berserker grabbed the Leo by its mane before it could strike and got behind it. Nerth locked his arms underneath the Leo's and lifted it, exposing its weak point: the belly. As the Leo struggled furiously, Karel and the Vanguard saw their chance. The swordsman used his Wo Dao to pierce the belly of the Leo. He twisted the blade 180 degrees, causing a mix of black and red blood to spurt forth from the wound. The Leo roared in pain, but Karel paid it no heed. At that very moment, his red Wo Dao ripped through the beasts belly, all the way to his torso and then pulling it out. Blood spurted forth from the large wound, slightly exposing its insides. Before the blue beast could even react, Nerth quickly grabbed its neck in a choke hold and strangled it, upon death. As the Leo lost conscious, Nerth tossed it to the floor, near the Vanguard. The angry man then proceeded to gut its belly open with his Killer Axe. This caused the bloodlust audience to cheer and heckle at the carnage, inflicted upon the beast.
- I -
Most of the Legion turned their eyes from the gruesome display, but Knarvet remained unfazed. Satisfied with the Leo's death, he stood from his seat to address the combatants, while the crowd fell into silence. "Congratulations on slaying the Leo, but don't get comfortable!! After every fifteen minutes, another will be sent forth, and another, till one or none is left standing!! And I assure you, that's not the most vicious Leo we have!!"
At hearing this, the combatants turned their attention on one another. Nerth stared at the Vanguard who was making sure the Leo was dead. Karel glared at the Berserker with murderous intent. Lack of sleep for three days had him more pissed off than he ever was. Realizing he had no weapon, Nerth sneered at the angry man. Karel saw his opportunity and ran towards Nerth, Wo Dao gripped in both hands. Although the Sacaen was fast, he was about to learn just how tough Nerth was. The large Berserker saw Karel aiming low and dropped to his knees. What happened next, Karel never saw coming. With precise aim and outstretched arms, he brought his hands crashing against Karel's head, like he was swatting a fly. The vicious blow rendered the Swordmaster semi-conscious as he staggered back, trying to keep his balance. Surprisingly, his head wasn't crushed, but it began to throb in pain. The Sword Demon soon felt a powerful kick to the chest, sending him flying, far back.
Seeing what Nerth did had some of the Legion worried for Karel. Guy was surprised at how quick Nerth was for someone so large. Dart and Geitz were shouting at the top of their lungs for Karel to win. Nerth shot a smirk at the Sacaen, not noticing the Vanguards Killer Axe plunging into his right side. Nerth bellowed a scream as the axe opened up a deep gash. Even more painful was the way the angry man removed the axe from his side. Nerth turned around, attempting to slap the man with his fist. The man dodged and stepped a few feet back, leaving Nerth to clutch his bloodied wound.
"Ai'll gut ya, ya mongrill shirte!!" The Berserker spat angrily. The Vanguard wasn't intimidated by Nerth's outburst and smirked at him. With speed on his side, a weaponless Nerth and a near unconscious Karel, the Vanguard believes he had already won. He tossed his Killer Axe in the air, towards Nerth, and leaped mid-air. He caught it by the handle, activating his Aether skill at that moment. Not even the Vanguard realized how skilled Nerth actually was. The Berserker saw an opening and propelled himself in the air, giving a double kick. The second kick connected the man directly in the face. The impact of the blow, broke the man's lower jaw, causing him to drop his Killer Axe and sent him flying. The Vanguard crashed to the floor, reeling in pain as Nerth picked up his Swordslayer and lifted it above his right shoulder. He pulled in his nose and spat, while staring at the kneeling Vanguard. The tall man waited for the man to stand to his feet. Ignoring the side wound, he ran towards the man and tossed his axe forward. As he stretched his right leg forward, Nerth caught the axe handle mid-air. It was at that very second, the Vanguard was on his feet. He turned around to see the last image before he dies. With a mighty blow, the Swordslayer tore through the man's flesh and bone, cutting him in half from the shoulder blade down to the waist. Some of the people cheered frenziedly at the sight as Lyn and her knights shut their eyes in revolt. The Vanguards bloodied body collapsed in two, exposing his insides. Although the wound in his side was deep, Nerth ignored it. He battled in arenas like this before and climbed his way to the top, plus he was feared by many. Dropping his axe, Nerth tore off his vest and stretched out his arms. Arching his head back and clenching his fists, the man let loose a deafening battle cry, which silenced the crowd.
- II -
From a distance, high above the crowd, Mark was observing the fight through his telescope. The Tactician believed Karel could win, but regardless of his size, Nerth was an opponent the Sacaen shouldn't underestimate. At the same time, Nerth's cockiness and superior attitude may cost him if Karel took advantage of it. While the genius continued to quietly observe, a man among the spectators began chanting Nerth's name. It soon escalated to more people chanting his name, followed by a whole crowd. Nerth was immersed in the cheers, believing he's invincible. From a distance, Karel was trying to get to his senses. His head throbbed with agony, coupled with blood coming out of his nose and ears. The swordsman got to his feet, but was still feeling the effects. Luckily, he still had his Wo Dao in hand. Nerth soon noticed this and picked up both his axe and the dead man's Killer Axe. Both combatants kept in mind what Knarvet said and didn't waste any time. The only thing standing between Karel and his freedom was the undefeated Berserker.
"Dus it hert fresh meet?!" The Berserker flashed a devilish grin. "Das wat u' get fer disresspektin' me!!"
Karel remained silent as he came to his senses. He began to assumed his fighting stance and waited patiently for Nerth to attack, all the while, ignoring the crowds jeering. Nerth did the exact same thing as he readied his Killer Axe in the left hand and Swordslayer in the right. As the Berserker inched closer, Karel learned that this man was very skillful and sought for an opening. That was the best he could do for now. The Swordmaster and Berserker soon clashed with their steel and it became a battle of endurance. Nerth swung both axes skillfully, more refined than a regular Berserker. Karel block each of them to match Nerth's skill. While blocking them and countering, the Sacaen knew that Nerth held back the power of his swings. Karel took a gamble and aimed low, only to be countered again by Nerth's Swordslayer. Things got worse for Karel as his Wo Dao went through one of the Swordslayers slots. Before the Sword Demon could react, the large man turned the axe. This caused the Wo Dao's blade itself to snap in two. Karel saw this and tried to block the other axe, Nerth swinged at him. The end resulted in the swordsman blocking the blow, but the force of the axe overtook it and had the blade buried slightly in Karel's shoulder blade. The Sword Demon winced in pain as Nerth removed the axe and spat angrily. "Das wat ya git fer cut'ing me!!" Karel stepped a few spaces back, clutching his right shoulder. The Berserker wanted to pursue him, but his wounded side ached in pain as he clutched it.
Nerth became relentless at that point. He threw the Killer Axe at Karel as he ran in for him. Karel quickly deflecting it with his broken Wo Dao. Though he successfully blocked it, his bleeding shoulder caused him agony. Before the swordsman knew it, Nerth delivered a kick to his wounded shoulder, causing him to stagger. The Berserker followed up by grabbing Karel's hair and striking his head with the butt of the axe. This blow caused Karel to collapse to the floor. Nerth further insulted the swordsman by putting his foot on his face, pushing his head to the ground.
Knarvet was on the edge of his seat with his folded hands in front of his face. Adviser Shirl spoke. "The timer's up. Release the next Leo, commander."
"Let us wait for a moment." Came Knarvet's response. He wanted to see how this match would end. Moreso, he wanted the one he was rooting for to emerge as the winner. Meanwhile, Dart was going ballistic. He and Geitz waged all of the Davros's money, along with the Legions on Karel. Fortunately, the others and Fargus doesn't know of this...yet.
"Dammit, I knew we should've gone with that Nerth guy!!" Geitz shouted, burying his head in his hands. Dart ignored him as he screamed at Karel. "Sweet matha auf Fargus Karel, getcha shit together!! Ya can't let dis wart kick ya ass!"
In the arena, Nerth was laughing at Karel as he further pressed his boot in his face. Karel felt his rage at its limit as well as his bloodlust. Murder was the sole intention in his mind. Nerth was too busy gloating to noticed the broken Wo Dao in Karel's right hand. Gripping it with all his might, the Sword Demon plunged his broken sword deep into the man's ankle. Before Nerth could even scream in pain, Karel tore through his ankle flesh, leaving a deep and horrible scar. Nerth took his foot off, screaming profanities and cursing Karel. The Swordmaster saw his chance and got to his feet quickly. When he did this, Nerth tried to attack him with a swing of his Swordslayer. Karel dodged by rolling one side and crippled his other foot. Nerth screamed in agony as he wobbled, trying to balance himself. The Sword Demon stood a few spaces from him and undid his blue gi, revealing his naked, upper body. The gi hung by his waist, tied with his magenta sash. As Nerth gritted through the pain trying to stand, Karel gave his psychotic smile. Despite the bruises on his face, that very smile striked fear into the weak hearts of his foes. Nerth winced in pain, due to the gaping wounds on his side and both his ankles. Gripping the Swordslayer and ignoring his pain, Nerth screamed viciously and charged in for Karel. The Sword Demon stood ready for the kill.
Nerth lifted his arm, indicating that he would bring his axe down, overhead. Karel stood calmly, lifting his left arm mid-air and placing his broken sword's shard at the back of his left hand. Nerth feigned his overhead and switched to a horizontal mid-air slash. Unfortunate for Nerth, the wounds inflicted upon him became to much and caused him to lose his momentum. This made it easier for Karel to counter and bring an end to Nerth. The Swordmaster pierced his wrist with speed and ripped his wrist flesh, causing Nerth to drop his axe. The wound was huge, leaving his hand, half-way severed. The wobbling Berserker attempted to strike Karel with the other as a last ditch effort. The psychotic swordsman dodged it with ease and kicked one of Nerth's bloodied ankles, causing the man to buckle and fall to his knees. Karel took a step back and looked at his prey. There was no remorse in the man's eyes as the crowd fell into silence. Dart breathed a sigh of relief as the Deathmatch was near its conclusion. The second Nerth held up his good hand, spewing curses at Karel, the crazy Swordmaster gave him the comeuppance. A horrific end for Nerth.
Karel unleashed a torrent of sword slashes, cutting serious wounds all over the large man. During the attack, Nerth's fingers and a portion of his hand got severed, followed by his left ear. Nerth gave out a deafening scream, but it was music to Karel's ears. He began to move at an inhuman speed, the same speed that nearly killed Knarvet. Nerth couldn't follow Karel's movements at all as he winced in agony, crying from the pain. Before he knew it, a large wound suddenly appeared on Nerth's back, spurting forth blood. Nerth didn't even have time to scream in pain as Karel drove his broken sword into the man's shoulder blade, near his neck and pulled it out quickly. Blood shot forth like a fountain from the wound. Before a kneeling Nerth fell forward, Karel appeared in front of him and plunged the broken Wo Dao into his stomach. Paralyzed with pain, Nerth breathed a hoarse noise before Karel twisted the sword in his belly. The gruesome twist, caused blood to shoot forth from the wound and sprayed on Karel. For the final move, Karel pushed the sword all the way up to the chest, opening up a large wound and exposing his insides. Blood spurted from the gaping wound, causing Nerth to arch his body backwards. With his back turned, Karel stood with his Wo Dao in both hands and a vicious smile carved on his face. The undefeated Nerth lied in that position, now dead.
- III -
Silence was in the air. The only thing that could be heard was Karel's sinister chuckle. Dart looked around and saw how silent the crowd was. He decided to show off and chant Karel's name. "Dart, what the hell are you doing?" Geitz whispered. Dart ignored what he said and motioned for him to join him. Soon another joined in chanting Karel's name. Eventually, it escalated into a crowd cheering the psychotic swordsman. Knarvet heaved a sigh of relief as Jazmal and the advisers left. A blood stained Karel turned his attention to one man... the Lancer, Knarvet. He pointed a finger at Knarvet, indicating that he wanted to challenge him. Knarvet saw this, stood from his seat and jumped off the balcony. The aged elite landed on the ground, kneeling as his cloak gently made its way down his back. "Show-off." Dart thought to himself. The crowd was still cheering for Karel until an old man started shouting Knarvet's name. Soon, the cheers for Knarvet was mixed with Karel's. The swordsman didn't care if his blade was broken, he found himself craving a battle with Knarvet. But that craving was short-lived as he dropped his sword and began to collapse. Karel would've fell to the floor had Knarvet not caught him in time. He signaled for his soldiers to dismiss the crowd, now that the Deathmatch has ended. From here on, the lives of certain individuals will intertwine with one another.
Trivia:
Leo: The name Leo is taken from astrology (which is star signs and such) but the actual description is based off the nemean lion in greek mythology. Except, I'm not sure if the lion in greek mytho had dragon scales as well.
Author's Notes: I hope I didn't exceed the M rating in this one. Let me know if I have. Thanks for your time.