Chapter 26: Sakumo S.Sagase
The moment Sakumo launched forward, the world around Daito Greyhell seemed to slow.
Steel flashed.
Two blades came from opposite angles.
Daito barely brought his sword up in time.
CLANG!
The force blasted them both sideways.
SWOOSH!
They tore straight through the wall of an abandoned hive structure.
BRRSSTLE!
BOOM!
Chunks of fungus-infested concrete exploded outward as the two fighters crashed through the building.
But they never touched the ground.
SWIISH!
Sakumo twisted in mid-air.
His dual blades slashed downward like falling lightning.
Daito parried one strike—
CLING!
SLASH!
But the second blade scraped across his shoulder.
PSSSH!
Blood scattered through the air.
Sakumo grinned.
"Slower than I remember."
Daito didn't answer.
KA–POW!
Instead he kicked off a broken wall fragment mid-flight.
The sudden movement shifted his angle.
His blade came upward in a precise arc.
Sakumo crossed both swords to block—
CLANG!
BOOM!
The impact blasted them apart again.
They spun through the collapsing interior of the building.
SWOOSH!
Dust filled the air.
Broken beams and rotting hive flesh fell around them.
* * *
Outside, the battlefield had turned into complete chaos.
SLASH!
CLING!
CLANG!
The Dreamers were cutting through both Freakers and rebels with terrifying efficiency.
SLAAASSHHH!!
One Dreamer sliced through three Freakers in a single spinning strike.
BOOOOOOM!
SPATTER!
Another launched explosive darts into a hive wall, collapsing an entire section.
BRRMMM!
Meanwhile hundreds of Freakers poured out of the infected structures.
The Red Zone had fully awakened.
BLOCK!
SLASH!
Near the edge of the battlefield, Zachia blocked a Freaker's claws and cut it down in one clean motion.
He glanced toward the collapsing building where Daito had disappeared.
"Yeah…"
He muttered.
"He's busy."
Beside him, Wei-Wan deflected another Freaker attack.
"We should go."
Zachia nodded reluctantly.
Swoosh...
They began moving toward the eastern edge where Wasabi and the others were trying to escape.
* * *
Back inside the ruined building—
SWOOSH!
Daito and Sakumo landed almost simultaneously.
CRACK!
The floor shattered beneath them.
They rolled apart instantly and sprang back up.
Sakumo laughed.
"You know…"
He spun one blade in his hand.
"When you disappeared at Armagoth, I was actually disappointed."
His eyes burned with hatred.
"I didn't get to finish the job."
Daito wiped blood from his shoulder.
"You're welcome to try."
Sakumo's smile widened.
"Oh, I plan to."
He raised both blades.
"And this time…"
"You won't survive the fall."
Suddenly—
SWOOSH!
His entire body exploded forward again.
This time faster.
SHWING!
Both blades came down in a crossing slash meant to split Daito in half.
Daito stepped in instead of back.
His sword deflected the first blade—
CLING!
His elbow smashed into Sakumo's ribs.
KA-POW!
But Sakumo twisted with unnatural flexibility.
SHWING!
His second blade slashed toward Daito's neck.
FWOOSH!
Daito ducked under it.
Their bodies spun past each other.
SLIDE!
FWOO!
Both fighters skidded across the broken floor.
Then turned again instantly.
For a brief moment.....
They simply stared at each other.
Both breathing slightly heavier.
"Huff...Huff.."
"Huff....hmm."
Both measuring the other.
Then Sakumo chuckled.
"You've gotten better."
He lowered his stance.
"But so have I."
Outside—
FWOOSH!
BRRRRMMM!
The massive NBA jet suddenly roared again.
Something heavy was being deployed from its undercarriage.
A giant metal shadow began descending toward the battlefield.
CRAAASH!
BOOOM!
Its landing shook the entire Red Zone.
Freakers scattered.
FWOOSH!
Dreamers stepped back.
Even the rebels felt the ground tremble.
Inside the ruined building—
BRRRMMMM!
SHAKE!
Daito felt the vibration through the floor.
Sakumo noticed it too.
His grin slowly widened.
"Oh."
"You're going to love this part."
Outside the building—
PSSSSHH!
Steam burst from a massive armored frame.
GLING!
GLANG!
Towering metal limbs unfolded.
Heavy hydraulic joints hissed loudly.
Inside the machine, a silent boy opened his eyes.
The most dangerous weapon of the "National Biohazard Authority" had arrived.
And the battlefield was about to become far worse.
* * *
Inside the ruined building, dust drifted slowly through the shattered beams and cracked walls.
Outside, the heavy metallic sounds of Project A.B.I.G.A.I.L echoed across the Red Zone.
The massive machine had landed.
But strangely, it hadn't moved.
Sakumo noticed Daito Greyhell glance toward the sound.
He laughed softly.
"Don't worry."
He rolled his shoulders as he began walking forward, both blades flexing in his hands.
"Project A.B.I.G.A.I.L doesn't activate…"
"…unless I die."
His grin darkened.
"So that leaves you with a choice."
His footsteps echoed across the broken floor.
"You either kill me…"
"…and deal with that monster."
He pointed lazily toward the outside battlefield.
"Or you lose here."
Daito's expression didn't change.
"If you want to defeat me…"
He lifted his sword slightly.
"You'll have to do better than that."
Sakumo's grin widened.
"Good."
Then they moved.
SWOOSH!
At the same moment.
The impact of their blades exploded through the room.
CLANG!!!
A shockwave blasted outward, rattling the entire structure.
CRACK–CRACK!
Cracks spread along the ceiling.
BOOM!
CRASH!
Debris rained down.
But neither fighter slowed.
Daito slipped forward with incredible precision.
His sword cut low—
SLING!
But at the last second he shifted his stance.
THWACK!
His elbow slammed toward Sakumo's jaw.
Assassin techniques blended seamlessly with martial arts.
SWOOSH!
Daito moved like a flowing current.
BAM–POW–EVADE!
Strike.
Redirect.
Step.
Attack again.
He used everything around him.
Broken pillars.
Collapsed walls.
Falling debris.
Even the uneven floor became part of his movement.
He kicked off a tilted beam and spun mid-air—
KA-BAM!
SWOOSH!
His blade flashing toward Sakumo's neck.
But Sakumo wasn't overwhelmed.
He was smiling.
His two swords moved independently like twin serpents.
One blade blocked Daito's strike—
CLING!
The other launched a devastating slash toward his ribs.
SWOOSH!
Daito twisted his body just in time.
SLING!
The blade grazed his side instead of cutting deep.
Sakumo stepped in aggressively.
His style was completely different.
Where Daito flowed, Sakumo pressed.
CLANG–CLANG–CLIING!
CLING–CLING–CLAANG!
Constant pressure.
Constant attacks.
His mind worked on two tracks at once.
One blade focused entirely on defense, intercepting Daito's movements.
The other unleashed brutal counterattacks.
Steel collided again and again.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Their speed increased rapidly.
Daito darted forward.
SWOOSH!
Three punches landed in rapid succession against Sakumo's chest
.
POW–PANG–THWACK!
Sakumo responded instantly.
One blade forced Daito's sword aside—
SLASH!
SKKEETCH!
The second blade carved a deep slash through a stone pillar.
BOOM!
The entire column collapsed toward them.
SWOOSH!
Daito grabbed Sakumo's shoulder and flipped over him.
Using the falling pillar as cover.
BOOOM!
CRAAASSSH!
The stone smashed into the floor between them.
Dust exploded into the air.
Through the cloud—
SWOOSH!
Two silhouettes charged again.
CLAAASSSHHH!!
The clash this time was even louder.
SWWOOOOSHH!!
CRASHH!
FWOOSH!
The shockwave blasted every loose object across the room.
Even the walls trembled.
Sakumo slid back slightly.
His grin had grown sharper.
"Not bad."
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"You're actually pushing me."
He raised both blades again.
"But let's see how long you can keep up."
Daito stood across from him.
Breathing steady.
Eyes focused.
Every muscle ready.
Outside—
The battlefield continued to burn.
Freakers screamed.
Dreamers fought through the chaos.
And the giant machine of Project A.B.I.G.A.I.L stood waiting silently in the Red Zone.
Waiting…
For Sakumo to die.
* * *
The clash continued inside the collapsing building.
Broken pillars leaned at impossible angles, dust hanging thick in the air as the fight between Daito Greyhell and Sakumo Sagase pushed the structure to its limits.
Steel flashed once more—
Then suddenly—
SWOOSH!
Daito slipped inside Sakumo's guard.
A rare opening.
Without hesitation, he trusted the movement.
His blade drove forward.
THUD!
STAB!
The sword sank deep into Sakumo's stomach.
For a split second—
Fwoo...
Everything froze.
Then Sakumo started laughing.
"Ahahaha!!"
Loud.
Uncontrolled.
Daito's eyes narrowed.
But Sakumo kept laughing.
"You know…"
He coughed slightly, blood sliding down his lip.
"I once had a feeling."
His eyes locked onto Daito.
" That somehow you survived."
"I just couldn't prove it."
"So I kept quiet."
His grin widened despite the blade buried in him.
"But I've been wondering…"
"What exactly made you run your mouth like that earlier?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"The Daito I knew…"
"…was quiet."
"Calculative."
"Decisive."
He slowly stepped closer to the blade that had pierced him.
Unbothered.
Almost amused.
"That day…"
His voice lowered.
"At Armagoth…"
"When I kicked you off that cliff…"
"I thought that was the end."
Sakumo's eyes darkened.
"You probably think I did it because of Fretty."
He shook his head slowly.
"That's not the whole truth."
A twisted smile formed.
"The real reason…"
"…was simpler."
His gaze sharpened.
"You were a swordsman."
"Just like me."
"And deep down…"
"…I hated that."
The words came out colder now.
"You were better."
"And my instincts knew it."
"So I pushed you off that cliff."
"Out of jealousy."
Daito tightened his grip on the blade.
Without warning—
SWIISH!
FWOO!
He shifted his stance.
Then, he repositioned himself below it.
Crack..
His muscles tightened.
Preparing to swing upward with everything he had.
A finishing blow.
But Sakumo saw it.
And reacted instantly.
SHOOOFFF!
His fist shot upward.
BOOOOM!
The uppercut connected directly with Daito's jaw.
The force was monstrous.
BREAK!
BOOOM!
Two entire walls behind Daito exploded outward.
His body was launched through them like a missile.
Wood, stone, and infected flesh shattered as he crashed through the building.
CRASH!
Daito slammed into the far side of the structure.
The impact shook the entire block.
THWISH!
SHATTER!
Windows across the building shattered violently.
Glass rained down like deadly rain.
For a moment—
Daito's vision blurred.
His body barely responding.
Consciousness flickered dangerously.
Back inside the ruined room, Sakumo slowly straightened.
Blood dripped from the wound in his stomach.
But he didn't seem bothered.
He wiped the blood from his mouth and turned slowly toward the hole in the wall where Daito had crashed.
His voice echoed through the wreckage.
"I wasn't done speaking."
Broken glass crunched beneath Daito as he struggled to push himself up from the crater his body had carved through the building.
His vision blurred.
ZWIING!
His ears rang.
For a moment the world felt distant.
Through the broken wall he could see smoke rising from the Red Zone of Whaley Saw.
"Gwraaa!"
Slash!
"Sstrriiee!"
The screams of Freakers and the explosions from the battle with the Dreamers echoed outside.
And towering in the distance—
Fwoosh...
The silent metal giant of Project A.B.I.G.A.I.L waited motionless.
* * *
Footsteps approached slowly through the debris.
STEP–STEP–STEP!
Sakumo stepped through the broken walls Daito had crashed through, brushing dust from his shoulders as if they were merely walking through a hallway.
Blood still seeped from the stab wound in his stomach.
Yet he walked steadily.
Calmly.
Almost casually.
"You see…"
He cracked his neck slightly.
"You were always like this."
He stopped a few meters from Daito.
"Everyone admired you."
"Your sword."
"Your discipline."
"Your quiet confidence."
His eyes hardened.
"But no one noticed what it did to the rest of us."
Fwoosh....
Daito finally pushed himself up to one knee.
His breathing heavy but controlled.
Sakumo continued.
"Back at Armagoth…"
"I realized something."
His grip tightened around his twin blades.
"As long as you existed…"
"I would always be second."
He pointed one of the blades toward Daito.
"So I erased you."
"At least…"
"I thought I did."
Suddenly his voice rose.
"But now you're back!"
His eyes burned with manic energy.
"And somehow you've gotten even stronger!"
In an instant he lunged forward again.
SLASH–SLASH!
Both swords slicing downward.
Daito rolled aside just in time as the blades slammed into the floor.
CLING!
The impact carved deep trenches through the concrete.
SWOOSH!
Daito grabbed a broken beam and swung himself up using the momentum.
THWACK!
His foot slammed into Sakumo's chest.
Sakumo slid back a step.
But smiled.
"Good."
He wiped blood from his lip again.
"Fight back."
Daito steadied himself.
His body still ached from the uppercut.
But his mind had cleared.
"You talk too much."
Sakumo laughed again.
"Maybe."
He lowered his stance.
"But you always needed someone to push you."
His blades angled forward.
"So let's see…"
"…how far you've really come."
Outside the ruined building, the battlefield worsened.
More Freakers poured from the hive structures.
The Dreamers fought brutally, cutting their way toward the city's edge.
Somewhere in the chaos, Zachia and the others were still trying to escape with Avenor Yakisa.
But none of them realized something.
The giant machine of Project A.B.I.G.A.I.L had just shifted slightly.
Inside its armored cockpit—
Fwoo...
A boy's eyes slowly opened.
And he was staring directly at the building where Daito and Sakumo were fighting
To be continued....