Author's Note:

Time to forward the story, and make up for the chapter updates I missed. Man, it's been a while since I actually went online and read the stories of others. I really need to speed it up! I can't wait to progress this chapter, and I can promise you it'll be full of surprises! I hope you guys like it!

Chapter 50: Save The King.

A Sacred Code.

The King.

He who rules all, and he who holds the highest authority. His fate determines the very fate of the world he resides in. Though the honor of holding the most power goes to the queen, no regiment can be left standing if the King falls in battle. However, this also means that as long as the King is still the piece standing on top of the board, there still exists a chance of victory, no matter how slim it is. As long as the King still exists, the game will push itself forward.

As long as Amato is still alive, we'll do all it takes to come out on top.

Through the pair of binoculars, I caught sight of him hanging still in the hands of his captors, observing through whatever the tiny glass could show me. When I pushed the binoculars down, a field of darkness washed over my eyes, as nighttime came into view. Atop one of the many empty warehouses of that particular district, I was doing a final confirmation of where Amato is.

My legs pressed firmly on the giant piece of metal that forms the roof on the particular warehouse we were standing on top of, with numerous same buildings stretched as far as my eyes could see. Many crates and machinery filled what open areas one could find. The harsh, winter wind blew in great strength against us as we stood there, still and silent while we did what planning we could. The chill could be felt as though the cold wind phased through my shirt.

"Status, Sergio?" Kiera commanded, facing away my back, just as Vito and Dante was, their eyes thrown to cover our location, making sure no one was able to detect our presence.

"Right, our Boss's there, and so are the other three members, hidden behind the robes." Containing my excitement the best I could, I pushed my tone down to a whisper, calmly reporting exactly what my eyes caught sight of. The need to check came over me, and my eyes were turned to the sides of the warehouse we stood on. To the walls, Johann, Aria and Hinata were also doing their best to remain hidden. With their status secured, the next thing of importance was the enemies we had with us, the two girls behind me, tied at their limbs to prevent any form of movement from the pair. Strangely, they did nothing but obey our orders ever since we stepped out of the hotel.

Another glance into the tool in my hand was all I needed. Indeed, we were definitely the ones having the advantage, no matter how one views it.

"The targets' there. Number of targets only boils down to three. They seem to be waiting for someone, probably reinforcements." My report continues, as the tool is stuffed into my pockets. Yes, it was definitely the time to strike, we must attack them while we still held the element of surprise. "But, they're armed." That was the last thing I needed to report, and it could be the most crucial piece of information we needed to be informed of.

"What do you think, Valkyrie? Should we charge in? May I suggest the fragmentation grenade?" Vito's tactical tone is cold, almost cruel, with a small hint of sarcasm still present behind each breath. At his words, he plucked out the very object he suggested. My eyes widen as I saw a real life grenade for the first time in my life, and was shocked that he would even suggest using that weapon when they had Amato at their hands.

"No, we can't risk the safety of the Boss." And without reaction, Kiera struck down his blatant suggestion, an irritated tone in her reply.

"All right, all right, how about the cs grenade?" Vito throws out yet another suggestion, pulling out the weapon and tossing it into the air like a toy, as if he was enjoying the tension of the situation. Now that was something I was familiar with, having read up about it before. The cs grenade, otherwise known as the tear gas grenade, is a tool to be used when one hopes to curb a situation with little damage to the sides. Though those hit by the gas would have to suffer with their bodies going out of control, the effects were known to be temporary, so the grenade only acts to stun and disorient the targets.

"Vito!" Kiera snapped back at him with an angered tone, a fierce glare in her eyes had the angel's mouth all sewed up. After a second or two, her anger dissipates as soon as she realized how she acted. Kiera must be really strung up by what happened for her to lose her cool like this.

"Looks like we have no choice but to walk through the front door..." I softly gave out my suggestion while taking the reactions of the three at my side with great concern, not hoping to agitate them further. In my mind, they must be furious at my incapability, for it was mainly my fault this happened to Amato. "...Hopefully, with their comrades chained at our side, we can ensure Amato's safety." I speak out my mind, before following the others and hopping down the roof, onto ground level.

With my metal chains dangling, dragging along the ground as I walked, we entered into the warehouse. The cold metal froze my skin as they came into contact, and sound of the chains hitting against the ground was loud, but I didn't need to stop the noise, for the figures behind the hood immediately reacted to our presence the moment we stepped past the door. My eyes pinned themselves on Amato the moment I got a clear look at him, as the hooded one in the middle kept his grip around his neck, tugging him with one hand with what looked like an unbelievable amount of strength.

Amato laid slumped to the ground, not even struggling against his captors. Just what the heck is wrong with him? Though his limbs were tied to his back, he was showing no resistance at all as he was pushed around by the three as they got him to where they wanted him to go. That was when the white porcelain bottle popped into my mind. That's right, Amato gulped down a whole bottle of sake! He must be completely drunk after imbibing such a huge amount of undiluted alcohol!

When we stopped before them, there was but a moment of silence, as they were surprised to see their comrades, and we had no proper words to say. Or at least, I didn't know what words should be said.

"Release him!" I surprised even myself when my emotions took over my body, rage and anger, annoyance and guilt, pushed out what words formed in my head. At my roar, my fingers clenched harder on the chains that went around my two arms, so much that my skin felt as though they were tearing, the sharp pain ignored and considered pointless to pay my attention to. Inside the huge warehouse we were in, by the industrial district, a good number of crates surrounded us, some stacked as tall as a few stories, reducing the space we had in case we had to go all out.

Behind me, without even turning, the feeling of the eyes of my comrade piercing as they kept watch on the three enemies were strong. So strong if felt as though Kiera, Vito and Dante themselves were emitting their own presence, seeping it out to engulf the area. Their own brand of murderous intent. Even the faces of Johann, Aria and Hinata were wrecked by caution with sweat dripping down their heads as they appeared beside me. It was the moment which kept me on the edge, for nothing was more important than Amato's safety.

"Heed the words. You know better than to go against the Zanna Famiglia. Release him, for we do not wish to take lives today." Kiera's warning boomed across the quiet warehouse, her voice louder than mine. It seemed less of a threat, and more of a warning. As I took a glance at her, I could sense her fingers digging into the handle of her shield, tightening by the second.

"...Ugh... Rei, listen to them... We shouldn't be messing with them... The mission's a mistake!" A high voice came forth from behind me, though only for a few seconds, it was instantly recognizable. The younger girl with bright, pink hair must be calling out to her comrade. The voice of their comrade caused the three figures in hoods to give off a slight twitch, almost as if they were shocked by what they heard. A few seconds later, they gave their answer.

"No. We don't take orders from outsiders. The mission demands no freedom for this boy, and he must be bound to our hands." The one in the middle, wielding a sleek katana sheathed in an oriental designed sheath, pushed away our hopes by flatly refusing to cease and desist. Even before the three fighters behind me, whose presence would have paralyzed those without training, the leader was able to outright decline and stand up to Kiera, leaving me partly shocked and impressed.

As if a nerve struck by the words, one person's presence behind me exploded to tremendous levels, so much I felt as though I needed to keep my absolute focus just so I could remain standing. The weight of my dangling chains was nothing compared to the pressure pushing down on my body, and the most scariest part was that, I could feel that it wasn't even directed to me. I was just feeling the excess pressure that was seeping out, and I had a pretty good idea who it was coming from.

"Wrong answer." Kiera's voice spoke out, a cold, harsh tone of death filled her words. That was the signal that sent me charging, pulling back my two arms to ready myself. It was difficult to even keep track of what Kiera and the rest were doing with my eyes. Leaving the ones we had in our hands to Johann, we started the assault to free the Boss.

"Let go of him!" It was a simple order, the few words formed in my mind as I let myself be drowned in the moment, focusing everything I had into the fight. Closing in on the leader who had Amato in his hands, I threw down my right arm after raising it, reinforced by the many links of metal chain, down like an anchor, hoping to crush his head. I had nothing to go on, no movement, I couldn't sense his next move. Instinct proved naught in that situation, even his eyes were still hidden in the shadows behind his hood.

And then, with a sharp move, he took a step back, completely dodging my attack. My arm slashed the air only centimeters away from his face. It was a quick move, and he did it with lightness to his step, but the power was so huge it pushed back his hood, revealing his face at last. Faded blue hair, his ends pushed up at his sides at they flowed down from the top of his head. From the strands came a pair of sharp eyes.

"Iaido: Test the Waters." He whispered some words, which sounded more like a name of sorts, before his fingers circled themselves around his katana, which was adorned with the designs of dragons sculpted all around its handle, crouching his back down as he took a stance. The white blade only appeared before my eyes for a second, before it completely disappeared.

"Shing!"

My instincts finally kicked in, and the idea that I must defend myself screamed in my head. Taken back by what was happening, my eyes widen as I hastily pulled back my arms and raised them to shield my body. Flustering, beads of sweat flew from my forehead as an invisible slash flew across my arms, the impact ringing through my bones, before the blade returned back into its sheath. A cold, sharp pain appeared from the skin that was cut.

"...You blocked it? You're good..." The one named Rei still had the composure to give out his comment, unfazed by the situation around him. Wincing on reflex from the pain, I nonetheless recovered myself as soon as I could, and threw another punch towards him. As expected, he jumped back a few feet to dodge my attack again, still holding on to Amato, landing at exactly where I wanted. Pumping my strength, I pushed my steps to close in on him in a second, and swing my two arms like a giant hammer in a wide arc, making sure not to hit Amato.

"...But not good enough." To my surprise, he gave out those particular words, as he disappeared from my eyes. His speed was astounding, so much his visage faded and distorted in half a second before he vanished like a shadow, leaving Amato falling to the ground. Yes, just a few more steps! Suddenly, a split-second later flew by and he re-appeared before me, robes thrown into the air, taking the same stance as before, shocking me to the fact that he could even close in on me so damn quickly, without myself catching on to his actions. What the heck, he's like a ninja!

"Iaido: Armor Piercer." He decalred his next attack, just as before. This time, my eyes were geared enough to barely keep track of his movements, which themselves looked inhuman. Even then, I only saw two actions, one, when his fingers went around the handle of his sword once more, and two, when he already brought it up to the side of his face and was driving it towards me, propelled by his two hands.

"Ka-shink."

"What?" The fact that it looked even faster than before scared me as I brought up my arms once more, pushing them together like a shield. For that one second, my attention went from Amato to myself, as it truly felt as though I would've lost my life right there. Next thing I know, the impact of his attack shredded through my chains and completely sliced through the side of my arm, the cold blade sunk deep, mowing through my very flesh, grinding against the bones of my arm.

"Skletch."

"Gargh! Ugh!" The pain burned as soon as he pulled the blade back, flicking it with the same, insane speed before replacing back in its sheath. I couldn't help but cry out from pain, no matter how much I pushed it back inside me. It had been a long time since my body last shivered in a fight, and the memory of my struggle against Dante surged back in my mind.

"Clink. Clank." The many links of metal coiled around my arms, my weapons, fell onto the ground, becoming nothing more than scraps, crushed and twisted. With my chains destroyed, all he had to do was to drive that katana down my neck or through my body, and it'll be all over for me. Staggering for a second, my steps stumbled back as I tried to recollect myself. The moment I looked up, however, Rei's eyes had meandered away from me, looking towards the person behind me.

"Sergio! Get the Boss to safety!" Kiera's voice was all I needed to kick start my body once more. My body felt what was going to happen, and I pushed my way pass Rei, and at a sharp glance to my back showed me Kiera crashing down on top of where Rei was.

"Crack! Thud!"

Dust and smoke were blown into the air, the ground cracked at the impact of the attack. Pushing away the desire to witness the fight, I got to Amato's side, and held him by the shoulders. He laid as motionless as before, barely breathing, his eyes blocked by a piece of cloth, arms and legs tied by metal chains. It looked horrible. When I looked up once more, the smoke had cleared, and a crater was created from the attack. Kiera stood there, her shield still digging into the ground, while Rei was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, the chains dangling by her waist gave off a soft ring, and Kiera twisted to her sides, raising her giant shield in blinding speed.

"Crank!" The metal blade of the katana met with Kiera's shield as the leader of the kidnappers appears at the side, as if he spilled out into reality. This time, a more serious look entered his eyes, with the light of worry and disbelief in the pupils. Of the two sides, his katana trembled as if he could not maintain the contact between the weapons, that he could not hold back Kiera's strength. Before long, the clash broke, and the shield slammed against the swordsman as soon as he got disoriented.

"Guh!" He gave out in pain as he flew a few steps back, even as he took Kiera's attack head on. Darn, he's strong. Behind him, another one of the hooded figures lunged at Kiera, drawing back his giant scythe. That gigantic weapon was pale white, spikes numerous in its design, climbing down the head like a monster's spine. Because he jumped just as Kiera attacked, I saw a light of surprise in Kiera's eyes as she pushed her body up to defend against the incoming arc of the giant weapon. But, it looked as though it was going to hit, to cut into the Valkyrie before she can raise her shield.

"Kiera!" The word escaped my mouth on reflex, popping out as I held on to Amato. I can't afford to get her hurt as well! That was when the barrel of a familiar sniper rifle came into sight, raising itself against the giant swing of the scythe in mid-air. Dante was the one whose hands directed that weapon, and just nudging it forth, he stopped the swing completely. A sharp glare in his eyes, he threw a swing with his rifle, and tossed the man with the scythe to the sides, sending crashing. I watched it with my own eyes, and I still can't believe what he did was possible, but I can't help but feel a smile stretch across my face.

"Amato! C'mon, wake up! Your Famiglia needs you!" Returning back to what I'm supposed to do, my hands shook down on Amato as I removed his blindfold, hoping to wake him up. His eyes laid shut, as if he was trapped in a deep sleep, his breathing slow and peaceful, totally unfitting fro the current situation. Of course, I can't expect him to pop his eyes open after drinking a whole bottle of Sake, but somehow, I felt as though I really needed to see him okay, to see his eyes open and tell me he's okay with a smile. My hands never stopped shaking him.

"Shirtch. Swish. Shink!"

A good distance away from the fight before me, Vito and the other hooded figure was exchanging blows, the sound of their weapon clashing rang through the warehouse. Still wielding only one dagger in his hand, Vito's sly smile in the face of danger was freaky, as he alternated between melee combat with his daggers to using the ballistic capabilities of his daggers. The daggers clashed with the bone whip flying out of his opponent's robes, the whip itself spiked with multiple teeth and crafted with many metal rings that would hurt if it struck flesh and would break through steel. His opponent seemed to have been driven on edge because of the changes of styles he kept doing, slowly becoming defensive.

Vito said nothing, but his movement was completely erratic, making use of the twisting of his whole body to create unorthodox arcs as he swung his daggers. Suddenly, he changed and threw a regular punch at the figure, who jumped to the sides as he got surprised. That was when the blade from Vito's dagger was shot out of its handle, cutting through the air and flying towards exactly where the figure jumped to. Stunned, his opponent barely dodged the blade by shifting his head back, even so, the flying piece of metal sliced into his face, cutting through the skin.

"Hah... hah..." Vito's opponent was left with bated breath, a sliver of his skin showing from the shadows of his hood, followed by drops of blood falling to the ground. The way he grabbed what chance he has to catch his breath made me wonder just how much energy he needed to keep up with Vito, to turn him like that.

"He he he he he..." Laughter from the voice of men chimed out from nowhere, sounding in unison, as if there were dozens of them around us. The sound was so annoying and surprising that I couldn't help but find my eyes flying all over the place to seek out where they were coming from. That was when a good many men in suits started pouring forth from the entrance, snickering and laughing at what was happening, an ugly sight. Who are they? Are they with our hooded enemies? Even as they spread themselves like a plague, the question still held on in my mind.

"They know better than to take on the Kaijin Palm, now they're gonna die!" One of the faceless men commented out rather loudly, as if he wanted us to hear him.

"That's what they get when they mess with the Yakuza! Our Monstrous Left Hand comes crashing down on them!" Another cries out in haughty boasting, stupidly proud of himself. That little sentence only confirmed my suspicion that these were the men our current opponents were waiting for. Whatever the case, they seemed both stupid and blind, as no matter how one sees it, we are the one winning in our scuffle. The way they act makes me wonder if they're really part of the Japanese crime syndicates, and if they do, where's the honor and the code of conduct the Yakuza is known to have?

"No, we're surrounded!" Johann yelled out loud so that we all could hear it, as he threw his arms wide to protect Aria and Hinata, even the two other members of this group they called the Kaijin Palm we had bound up. Darn it, I may have missed the exact number before, but by the time I turned my focus towards the crowd again, they had already closed off any opening for escape, leaving us trapped to a group that outnumbers us ten to one. That was when silence resumed within the warehouse, a feeling of dread and order in strange harmony. Kiera and the others stopped fighting, and their weapons ceased their clashing.

Next thing I knew, every one of them so-called Yakuza men had guns pulled out of their backs. Machine-guns, pistols, rifles, shotguns, each of them had at least a weapon in their grasp. It made movements difficult, so I assume that's why Kiera and the others stopped the assault.

"Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap."

Footsteps could be heard from behind the crowds, slowly getting louder as it got closer to us, and the silence only grew stronger as it did. Eyes turned towards the source of the steps even as the guns were locked onto us. Whoever was coming was someone of high authority, so much that even the Kaijin Palm seemed to fluster at what was happening. When I turned to Rei, the leader of the group, he had a strained expression on his face, and something told me it wasn't just from the pain of getting smacked around by Kiera's shield.

A second later, he disappeared again, vanishing in a weird, inhuman distortion of his own image. Next thing I saw was an arm flying towards my face just as Rei re-appeared before me.

"Smack!"

"Ngh!" I never noticed such strength nor did I expected it from the leader of the Kaijin Palm, and I was thrown to the sides, sent flying a good few meters. Of course, caught by surprise, my hands released the grip I had on the Boss, a stupid move on my part. Landing on the ground face first, I quickly push myself up, ignoring the burning pain on my arms. And just like that, Amato falls into enemy hands once more.

The footsteps then came to an end, the many people shifted to the sides as the figure, most likely the head of these men, appeared. He had a sleek-looking suit, pale in color, but adorned with accessories, chains and jewels, so much that one look was all I needed to know he was the top dog. His shoes shined even though their black, and he wore a good number of rings over his fingers, slowly my eyes moved to his face. And the sight sent shock-waves through my body.

"It's... you!" Definitely, I could've never expected to see the face I saw, the same black hair and eyes. He just glared back at all of us with a crooked smile on his face. The face of the boss of these Yakuzas was the very same face we sent to the police yesterday, that pervert from the train!

"I see." Kiera gave out as soon as she saw the one who appeared, as if it was the answer she needed. "Cease and desist, our anger is at its peak, but we still cling to the wish of not taking lives today!" Even so, she roared out her words, never relenting before the sea of heads that surrounded us. Even when their weapons stay raised, ready to puncture our bodies with a million bullets at a single order. Is Kiera confident that we can still win even with numbers like this? No doubt it's not impossible, with the three most powerful members of the Zanna Famiglia here with us today, but... why am I so reluctant when I try to follow Kiera?

"Ha ha ha, you're kidding, right? I'm the boss of the Yakuza group you see before you, this is my turf! And I'll be making that boy there suffer for sending me to the cops!" That pervert from the day before bellowed those words under his voice, showing the same crazed look burning in his eyes as he did when he was on board the train yesterday. When he tried to take advantage of Hinata. Darn it, the more I think about it, the more I want to go against him, to save Amato by beating him up!

Both sides had their weapons raised, armed to the teeth, ready for a clash. Kiera, Vito and Dante, together with me and Johann, may come out on top after everything explodes into chaos, but I can't take that risk. I don't want Amato getting injured on top of my mistake, and I don't want Kiera and the others hurt because of my mistake as well. Where I stood, grinding my teeth at my pain, I was alone, and I felt as if I couldn't afford anymore mistakes. I need to fix this, alone, and there's only one thing to do.

"Wait!" I cried out, pushing my back straight as my eyes towards that disgusting man I handed to the police yesterday. With my voice breaking the silence, everyone in the warehouse turned towards me, most of the thugs in suits snarling as they did. "I'm the one who turned you in, so can't you leave Amato alone, and do whatever you want with me instead?" My eyes fell to the ground as my words were churned out, pushing away whatever embarrassment or nervousness I was feeling.

It was a selfish feeling, as my hands shivered slightly out of fear, that I felt more afraid for myself than for Amato, more so when I, myself, knew I shouldn't be feeling that way.

"No way. You think I don't know what happened? I know a leader when I see one, and yesterday, I saw you guys backing him up. Don't worry, you're all gonna suffer, he's just going to have it worse!" The man proclaiming to be the Boss of this Yakuza group threw out his threats with little care, his brass way of speaking rude and uncivilized, shaming the honor and code of conduct of the Yakuzas. What's worse was that some of his men rallied behind his words, getting excitement by the sound of his voice, like mere animals.

"Tsk." The very act of foolishness before her must be extremely annoying, as Kiera gave out a sound in accordance to her feelings. Vito and Dante felt as though they've went beyond their patience as well. Both sides got riled up good just by a sentence made from the enemy boss before me. Darn it, this isn't good, I don't want a clash of forces to break out! I'm the right-hand man of the Zanna Famiglia, I'm supposed to protect everyone else!

"Stop, I have a suggestion." My words delayed the ticking time-bomb for a few seconds, garnering the attention of everyone once more. If they really are Yakuza, they have no choice but to accept this! "We'll settle this little conflict like how my ancestors did in this land..." That's right, I'll solve this little problem myself, I'll do whatever it takes!

"I call for a duel!"

At my challenge, many of the Yakuza members raised their brow in surprise.

"Oh, you're a Japanese." The realization came to the enemy boss by surprise, but it was more of a pleasant reaction. "Well, then, I suppose that would suffice. You do know you'll have to go against the best man I have with me." He casually threw out his words once more, taking the situation very lightly, annoying me to no end. His hands landed on the shoulders of the leader of the Kaijin Palm, after he made his way towards him while we were locked under the aim of the many guns pointed at us. The one called Rei closed his eyes for a moment, as if in contemplation, before opening them with conviction.

"Very well. But we shall fight as our ancestors did before us, through swordsmanship!" He demanded, pulling a katana from one of the grunts beside him, and throwing to my side. The sword dug into the ground from the strength of his throw, and stuck itself up, waiting for me to draw it.

"Wait, Sergio, maybe I should do it..." Johann's concern was a rare thing, but I guess he saw the imbalance of skills it would bring to the match if I accepted.

"Sergio, you don't have to do this. You can't accept something as one sided as this!" Kiera spoke next, almost as if she was lecturing me for my own foolishness. Perhaps it's selfish for me to want to do this alone, but everything that's happened was because of my fault, I shouldn't drag Kiera and the others into danger because of this. Dante and Vito just looked on waiting for my decision, never speaking a word to dissuade me.

"No..." The only way to decline was to rid myself of my common sense, or at least, it felt like that. I can do this, I want to do this, I'll save the Boss, and do my duty to the Zanna Famiglia. Convincing myself the best I could, my fingers gripped themselves around the handle of the katana blade. Drawing it out from the ground and ignoring the strain on my arms, I gave them my answer.

"I got this."

Wow, what a long chapter! I'm doing my best to make each situation believable and have them make sense, because I'm you all know how some situation never make sense in stories. Can you guys feel how Sergio is feeling right now? I hope you do. Even with his swift defeat before, Sergio pushes on alone, determined! What's going to happen to him? You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out! In the meantime, please tell me what you think about the story in your reviews!