Chapter 67: Astaroth's slaughter

Maxi had seen horrible things along his life, but none like that.

His crewmen thought the same, according to their screams and terrified faces.

Maxi noticed something: Yoshimitsu had disappeared.

- Maxi, we've got to get out of here. – exclaimed one of his men.

- Fighting is useless. – added someone else.

Maxi looked at the exit. It would be impossible to get there avoiding Astaroth.

- No, we'll never make it. We must fight. – ordered Maxi.

However, his men were too frightened to follow his orders. Two of them ran desperately towards the exit.

- No! Don't! – yelled Maxi in vain.

As it was expected, Astaroth blocked their way.

- Going somewhere? – asked the giant laughing.

He raised a leg and kicked them as if they were puppets.

The two men flew out at full speed and they crashed against a wall.

The sound they made when hitting the wall was so disgusting that Maxi didn't dare to look.

Two men less. The slaughter had just started.

Astaroth was slowly approaching the crew. They crouched in fear, while Maxi stayed still ahead of them.

- You don't scare me, monster.

- Really? – replied Astaroth mockingly.

He strongly punched a wall, thus making some rocks come off.

He picked up the biggest one, which was the same size as a human child, and threw it at his victims.

Maxi was one of the few men who managed to duck and avoid the rock, but it bumped into about ten men. None of them survived.

Maxi swore at Yoshimitsu in a mutter, with his eyes full of anger and tears, while seeing the giant killing his whole crew.

For some minutes, he couldn't do anything but close his eyes waiting for his death, thus not seeing the blood and bones of those who had already been crippled by Astaroth.

The screams and cries tormented him, but there was nothing to do.

Suddenly, he heard someone talking to him:

- Maxi! The exit! The way is clear! Run, save yourself!

Maxi opened his eyes to see who was talking to him. It was one of his oldest crewmen. Astaroth was approaching him, and he had managed to take the giant quite away from the exit, so it was easy for Maxi to reach it, because Astaroth wasn't very fast.

Maxi started to run there, but something made him stop before he could reach it.

A horrible shriek coming out from the same place where his crewman had talked to him.

Maxi looked there and what he saw made him feel sick. His man's guts were scattered all over the place.

Astaroth laughed cruelly.

Maxi then noticed his whole crew had already been killed.

For a second, Maxi hesitated whether to run away or to try to beat the monster who had killed his crew and had caused his brother's death.

However, that second was enough for Astaroth.

The monster picked up a small rock which was the same size as a book and threw it at Maxi.

The pirate managed to avoid it, but it smashed the wall behind him.

The wall collapsed and some rocks fell on Maxi's trunk and extremities, thus immobilizing him.

Maxi almost couldn't breath. He tried to get rid of the rocks. He was managing to do it, but he was also giving Astaroth some time to approach him.

He was about to set himself free when Astaroth arrived.

- Well, little rat, it's a pity that we have to finish this now…but it has been funny.

The giant raised a leg but, when he was about to crush him, something happened.

Yoshimitsu appeared from behind as fast as lightning and leapt on the giant holding his katana up high.

The ninja reached Astaroth's head and stuck his katana on the monster's nape.

However, he hadn't chosen the right moment to do that.

Astaroth had a foot in the air, so he lost his balance. He fell backwards, and Yoshimitsu's speed wasn't enough to escape in time.

The giant's enormous body crushed the ninja's.

Maxi closed his eyes at that very moment and he relaxed for a few seconds. Finally, he got rid of the remaining rocks on him and stood up.

What had happened there had been horrible, but he could feel lucky: among all the people who had been there during the slaughter, only he had survived. Not his crew, nor Astaroth, nor Yoshimitsu.

Just him: Maxi, the pirate from Ryukyu.