After Leon finished off the first three guys—messy work, but it got done—blood hung thick in the air. His breathing came ragged and harsh. The three bandits still standing saw their dead buddies and went white, but the rage in their eyes burned just as hot. They screamed and came at him again.
One had a long sword. Another gripped a short axe. The last one swung a spiked club. They spread out, trying to box him in.
Leon stood in the middle of their circle. Both hands wrapped tight around his katana. His eyes didn't blink as he tracked all three of them. No more hesitation. No more confusion. Just the raw instincts that'd kept him breathing all those years in River Bend.
The sword came slashing down at his arm. Leon dropped low and barely got out of the way. The blade whistled past his head. Then the axe flew in from his left side. He rolled hard against the dirt, leaves and dust flying everywhere. Before he could get back up, the club was already coming down toward his skull.
Leon slammed his left hand against the ground and shoved himself backward. The club's spikes scraped the earth right where his head had been.
Now it was his turn.
Leon lunged at the guy with the sword. The man was still recovering from his swing. Leon's katana shot forward like a striking snake. Steel rang against steel. Sparks flew. Leon used the bounce-back to spring away, then drove his boot straight into the bastard's gut.
The swordsman folded over, gasping. Leon didn't give him time to recover. He stepped in close. His blade bit deep into the man's ribs. Blood sprayed hot across his hands.
But the axe guy wasn't going to let his friend die easy. He roared and hurled his weapon at Leon's back.
Leon spun around. Got his sword up just in time. The impact rattled his bones, but he held on. While the axe was still locked against his blade, he twisted hard. The katana knocked the weapon spinning away. Then he whipped around and cracked the flat of his sword against the man's temple.
The axe wielder dropped like a stone.
That left the club guy. Seeing two more of his gang go down, pure terror took over his face. He started swinging wild, no technique left—just desperate, panicked strikes.
Leon moved calm and cold. He slipped past the clumsy attacks like they were in slow motion. Found his opening. Darted in close. His katana punched straight through the man's chest.
Leon stood there breathing hard, blood covering his clothes—some his, most theirs. His eyes looked empty. Dead. Like something that killed for a living.
On Shion's side, her fight was just as brutal. The water guy kept throwing liquid attacks at her—fists made of water, spears, whips. His buddy tried to jump her from behind whenever he got the chance.
Shion moved like fire given form. Her massive sword carved through the water attacks, turning them to steam. The red glow around her body got brighter and hotter. Flames started licking along her blade's edge. Every time steel met water, the air filled with hissing steam and white clouds.
The water user's face went tight. Shion's fire was way stronger than he'd figured. He tried using water's speed to fake her out, attack from different angles. But Shion wasn't buying it. She timed his moves perfectly, threw up a wall of fire to block him. Then she burst through with flames streaming off her sword.
The other bandit tried to get her from behind. But it was like she had eyes in the back of her head. She twisted away at the last second, then drove her sword's pommel into his stomach like a hammer.
The guy doubled over, screaming. Shion spun back around. Her blazing sword came down on him with everything she had.
He went flying and didn't get back up.
Just the water guy left now. With all his friends dead, his face went gray as ash. Fear finally started showing in his eyes. He tried pulling together all his remaining power for one last desperate shot.
Shion didn't let him finish. She launched herself forward at full speed. Her sword burned brighter than it ever had.
The flaming blade cut right through him. His body turned to ash before he could even scream.
It was over.
Leon and Shion stood among the corpses, both breathing like they'd run a marathon. Blood and sweat covered them both. The metallic smell of death hung in the air.
They looked at each other.
Leon's eyes weren't the same anymore. Gone was the confused, scared kid. What looked back at Shion was something cold and empty—a predator fresh from a kill. The innocence had been burned right out of him.
Shion's amber eyes weren't much different. Her bratty attitude from before had vanished completely. What remained was the hard stare of someone who'd seen too many fights, killed too many people. She studied Leon with an expression he couldn't read. Surprise, maybe. Acceptance. Something else that cut deeper than either of them wanted to think about.
The world around them went quiet. Nothing but their ragged breathing and the sound of blood dripping onto dead leaves.