The first clone lunged, curved sword slicing horizontally. Ike dropped low, water splashing as he slid under the blade, firing a shot up into the clone's armpit where blood lightly spewed out, the impact jerking the clone sideways.
The spear clone came next, thrusting downward. Ike twisted, letting the spear strike stone, sparks spraying as he grabbed the shaft with his free hand, pivoting to plant a boot against the clone's knee. It bent with a crack, sending the spear clone crashing down as Ike fired point-blank into its face, the shot echoing through the cave.
Twin axes blurred through the air, forcing Ike to duck as one sliced a thin line across his cheek. The second axe came down, but Ike blocked it with the seized spear shaft, snapping it in two as he flipped backward, firing twin shots into the axe-wielder's chest. The clone staggered but didn't fall, blood pouring from the wounds.
The machete clone charged in silently, swinging for Ike's neck. Ike parried with his pistol's barrel, deflecting the blade just enough as he kicked off the cave wall, flipping over the clone while firing down into its spine. The clone's body jolted, stumbling into the wounded axe-wielder, both crashing into a pool of blood near the fallen soldiers' bodies.
The curved sword clone recovered, slashing across Ike's shoulder, tearing the suit and flesh. Ike hissed, twisting away, planting a round in the clone's thigh, spinning it around before grabbing it by the back of the neck and slamming its head into the cave wall, cracking stone and denting its skull, the hat falling from it's head.
The spear clone, crawling, managed to jab the broken shaft toward Ike's ankle, cutting deep. Ike growled, stomping down on the clone's hand, pinning it as he fired a clean shot through its skull, silencing the muffled groans of pain it made.
The twin axe clone roared, charging, axes high. Ike ducked under the first swing, letting it carve a mark in the cave wall, before he pivoted and fired twice into its back, then into the back of its head, dropping it.
The machete clone leapt, blade raised high, eyes glowing faintly as it came down with all its weight. Ike fired, the shot grazing the clone's cheek, knocking its head sideways but not stopping its momentum. The machete came down, slicing Ike's left arm deeply, blood spraying onto the stone. Ike gritted his teeth, shoving his pistol under the clone's jaw, pulling the trigger three times. The clone's head snapped back with each shot before it crumpled, dropping the machete with a clatter.
Silence fell, the cave reeking of blood and gunpowder, steam rising from the glowing spear tip still hissing in the shallow water.
***
The fog shifted with every gunshot, echoing dull and flat across the area.
Kanesaki's head snapped toward the cave entrance, eyes narrowing as the muted thunder of pistol fire crackled, followed by muffled yells he recognized.
'Ike!'
He bolted, boots splashing through ankle-deep water, the hiss of steam rising from the ground as his heat met the cold mist. His shoulder glanced off a jagged rock as he slid down a slope, feet pounding as he charged toward the cave mouth.
'Kanesaki, wait!' Yasuko's voice cut through behind him, her smaller form struggling to keep pace.
He didn't stop.
Gunshots echoed again, sharper now, frantic.
'Kanesaki!'
He dashed through a shallow pool, water exploding around his legs as he sprinted up the rocky incline toward the cave. A shadow above shifted, but he was already gone, disappearing into the darkness of the cave, leaving Yasuko alone at the bottom of the slope.
She stood there, breath misting in the cold air, staring after him, fists tightening.
'Dammit, why now—'
A low, rattling screech split the fog behind her.
She turned just in time to see a Yatzul pouncing, limbs unfolding like blades, its eyeless head turning toward the heat of her body as it lunged.
'Shit—!'
She dove to the side, the Yatzul's claws raking sparks across the rocks where she had been, splashing into the water with a wet slap as it recovered, tail lashing. Yasuko scrambled up, drawing her sickle, teeth bared as her boots skidded on the wet stone.
The Yatzul's head tilted, steam rising from its pulsing flesh as it prepared to strike again.
And Kanesaki was already gone, swallowed by the cave's darkness, hearing nothing but the pounding of his heart and the distant gasps echoing from deeper inside.
***
Ike stood there, blood dripping from his arm and leg, chest heaving, pistols smoking as he turned slowly, scanning the cave for movement, ready for the next wave.
Boots splashed around him, five pairs of them, stepping out from the misty dark of the cave's tunnel like shadows coming to life. Their eyes were blank, their breathing controlled and silent.
They formed a circle around Ike, weapons glinting under the thin light:
Another curved sword, edges dark with oil, a long, black spear, its tip jagged like a fang, a second pair of twin axes, each small enough to be swung one-handed, their blades chipped from use, a heavy chain, coiling and uncoiling in one clone's grip and a gunblade, its barrel integrated into a broad short sword.
Ike's breathing was ragged, pistols trembling in his bloodied hands as he aimed at each of them in turn.
'Stay back,' he hissed.
They moved.
The curved sword clone struck first, slashing for his leg. Ike dodged back, only to catch a sharp jab from the spear across his shoulder, ripping a line of blood as he staggered. He fired a shot, clipping the spear-wielder's arm, but the twin axes came in next, biting into his side, twisting, forcing him to drop one of his pistols.
'Agh—!'
The chain snapped forward, coiling around his other wrist, yanking it wide so the gunblade wielder could drive the blunt edge of the blade into Ike's ribs. Crack. Ike let out a sharp, strangled cry, blood flecking his lips as he sagged, knees hitting the water.
They kept moving, weapons dancing, landing quick, shallow cuts that denied him a chance to breathe, each strike breaking his guard, forcing him to guard one wound while another came from a different angle.
Ike's YNS tried to seal the wounds, but each cut reopened another, draining his strength by the second.
The spear slammed into his chest, sending him crashing back, water splashing as he tried to rise, only for the chain to snap around his ankle, yanking him back down. The axes came next, blunt handles crashing into his shoulder and ribs, forcing a wet scream from him.
A boot stomped on his back, pressing him into the water as he struggled, another stomp into his spine making him yell in agony. The gunblade smashed down on his arm, fracturing it with a sharp snap, making him let out a broken cry that echoed off the stone.
'Damn it—! Stop—!'
They didn't.
The curved sword clone kicked him in the side of the head, sending his vision spinning, ringing, darkness creeping in at the edges. He tried to crawl, gasping, bleeding, teeth gritted against the pain.
A final stomp into his chest crushed the air from his lungs, his mouth opening in a silent scream as he collapsed, body twitching weakly in the bloodied water.
His eyes fluttered once, twice.
And everything went black.
For a moment, the cave fell silent, save for the drip of water and Ike's labored, unconscious breaths.
Footsteps approached, deliberate and calm, the water rippling with each step.
Maeda stepped forward from the shadows, adjusting his glasses, staring down at the battered, near-dead lieutenant lying at the feet of the five clones, their weapons dripping blood into the water.
He said nothing.
And the cave fell quiet again.
Chapter 49 - end