According to Vayu, these men couldn't be from the village. Villagers might threaten or even hurt each another in anger — but killing? Nope, not once had there been a killing among the villagers in their history. They were outsiders, he thought. He exhaled slowly, the night air felt cold against his skin. He could've stayed hidden or ran into the forest quickly and wait for the next guard squad to arrive… but he knew if he left, rest of his squad will die and he did not want to save his life and live like a coward. So, tightening his grip on his daggers, Vayu stepped out from the darkness.
He didn't reveal his presence openly because the moment they learned someone was still conscious, they will attack him all at once and from the way they had not noticed his presence till now, showed their carelessness, and the level of their skills. He slowly moved towards the man nearest to him, closing the gap. He took out his dagger slowly and in one fluid motion his one hand clamped over the man's mouth, and with his other hand he sliced his throat. It was done so carefully that the man didn't even resisted, he slowly laid down his body and quickly checked if someone noticed his presence and to his relief, no one had noticed him. He quickly squatted down took off the mask and cloak from the dead body, he tried to see the man's face but it was too dark to see anything, so he hid the man's body behind the cage and quickly melted in their group.
Vayu's real target was their leader. The man that had given them order to kill all the night guards, if he died, confusion would arise and maybe, before they could do anything, the next group would arrive. While the intruders gathered the unconscious guards, Vayu walked forward, making his way towards the leader. But the leader sensed his presence and turned "Hey — what are you doing here?" he asked, but Vayu answered casually "I was asking about the animal cages"
"What about them?" the leader asked
"Do we open them all?" Vayu asked
"Do as I say, don't ask questions" the leader replied with anger.
Vayu suddenly pointed behind the leader "Hey what are you doing" he shouted, and every head snapped toward the direction of his finger, including the leader. In that fraction of that second, Vayu drove his dagger inside the leader's neck. The man managed to turn his head halfway his eyes widening, before he crumpled to the ground. Everyone looked towards Vayu as he shouted "Another guard squad's will he here any moment, Run before they come " Vayu bluffed.
Their leader was dead and a wave of confusion spread through them, but then someone spoke, he was a attendant belonging to the second leaders faction, and they were here to support their leader in case things go south "He's bluffing" he said " and even if we go back now, we'll be killed for sure, quickly kill the boy and finish the job" The others nodded agreeing to the man and rushed toward Vayu.
Vayu took a deep breathe, He had trained his eyes to read the battlefield, in a single moment, he scanned the area, there were a total of twenty men remaining as he had killed two already. Eleven man rushed towards him, while nine stayed in their places, those who stayed were the attendants belonging to different factions of elders. Eleven man rushed towards Vayu, three came from behind, five from the front, two from the right and one from the left. The first person to reach him was, from the five in front of him. The second would be from the rear, the third from the left, as this was the direction he wanted to clear first as being in the center would make him a more easy target. He took another deep breathe, channeling his energy towards his heart. His heart started beating faster THUMP!THUMP!THUMPTHUMTHUMTHUM — so loud that he could hear his own heartbeat.
Then he moved.
He stepped forward to widen the gap with the man closing from behind. Daggers tight in his grip, as he spun into a gale-spiral and sliced the throat of the nearest attacker in one clean, brutal arc. The body crumpled and Vayu came to a abrupt stop his torso moving to and fro from the momentum, then he turned left, as there was only one man coming from the direction. Vayu crouched then springed up like a wild animal. His both hands snapped back holding daggers in each hand and then came down with full force. His blades buried deep into the eyes of the attacker at once, piercing the brain, Vayu's legs were on the his shoulders, perched on him like a monkey, and with a violent push with his legs he launched himself backward, landing with a backflip as the corpse dropped away.
The attackers who were rushing towards him a moment ago stopped after watching this horrific scene, silence split the clearing. Vayu slowly rose, he was unarmed but he didn't panick and slowly turned towards them and started walking backwards one step at a times, as his leg touched the dead body he had pushed, he quickly knelt down taking the daggers of the dead man. Then the masked attendant spoke again "How long will you keep looking at him! Don't go one by one — rush at him together!"
Hell broke loose as all the remaining nine rushed at him at ones, but Vayu did not panic. He already knew his fate, Once overdrive ended and even one of them survived he would die. So he wanted to kill as many as he could, he wanted to die like a warrior. HE didn't stood still because for now offense was the best defense. Vayu surged forward, and threw both his daggers aiming at the enemies. Although his aim was very bad, but he still threw them because the targets were more in number so he might get lucky and hit someone, but with Phantom Edge improving his muscle control and Lunar Fang refining his precision over weapons, his aim was sharper than ever. Both blades cut through the air like streaks of silver and struck two men in the front of the group, as they dropped to their knees their bodies lifeless, the daggers embedded deep in their skulls. Vayu was already there before their bodies hit the ground. He snatched their weapons as their bodies fell, an axe in one hand, a short spear in the other. A dagger came rushing for his throat. Vayu bent backward, so far that his head nearly touched the ground, and from there he swung his hand, burying his spear into the attacker's chin, Blood dripped down from the attackers face, dripping over Vayu, warm and wet. He rose in one smooth motion, while grabbing his dagger, and threw it towards the towards the nearest attacker. The man deflected it and came charging, as he swung his blade. Vayu caught his wrist mid-swing, and swung his axe, slicing his arm clean off his body. Before the severed limb could fall, Vayu seized it, turned it holding it from the bicep, the dagger still clutched in its fingers, and slashed the man's throat with his own dagger, using his own hand.
A searing pain rose through Vayu's back. He spun, blood spraying from his back and slammed his axe into the attacker's neck, cleaving deep. He felt another slash across his back, but the pain he felt was very minute, As he was still using overdrive.
He turned once more, panting, drenched in blood, with dead bodies all around him. From the eleven who had rushed him, only four still stood, fear visible in their eyes. The other nine, stayed still watching him from distance and he was glad that they didn't attacked.
"Who's next?" he shouted
Vayu stood in the center of the clearing, clutching the severed hand. As Vayu started to move, the dagger fell from the dead man's fingers and now all he held was a hand. Watching no weapon in his hand one attacker lunged. Vayu snapped his arm out and slapped him across the face with the severed hand, Using the momentum, he spun a full turn and struck the same spot again, shattering the attackers teeth. The man staggered, and Vayu's leg swept beneath him, making him fall on the ground. Before the fallen man could recover, Vayu rose and gripped the detached hand with both hands, using it like a club. He slammed it against the attacker's throat with brutal precision, again and again — until he died. His killing method was brutal and savage, the others barely had time to think what had happened. Only three remained, clustered together their eyes wide with panic, unwilling to move. Vayu turned to them slowly, breathing hard, knelt, and retrieved two daggers from the ground. "If you don't come at me" Vayu said, his voice low and eerie "I will come at you" and started walking toward them slowly, steel whispering against steel as he sharpened his daggers together. His hair and clothes were drenched in blood, in the moonlight he looked like a demon from hell.
The pressure increased as he closed the distance, until one of them could not bear it anymore, he rushed forward, his axe slashing from left. Vayu didn't wait for the blow to land. He lifted his left leg and kicked his wrist, breaking the attacker's rhythm. In the same fluid motion he seized both ears twisting them, the man's head moved backward, Vayu grabbing his ears pulled him downwards, and drove his knee up into the throat. When Vayu left the man ears his body slided down slowly, lifeless on the dirt.
Only two remained. Vayu counted, one of them was a villager, panicked he ran to save his life, watching him run the second man followed, chasing after the first one. But before either could reach the tree line, one of the nine onlookers lunged. He grabbed the fleeing villager, twisted an arm behind his back and slit his throat. The runner choked, and fell down, a pool of blood forming under him.
The second man froze, then the man spoke "Turn around and kill the boy!" with no other choice he turned back toward Vayu, dagger raised in a desperate attempt to save his life. Vayu caught his wrist mid strike, and twisted it as the dagger fell from his hand, Vayu stabbed his dagger into his palm, the man screamed. Vayu loosened his grip and plunged his dagger into the man's mouth, shutting his mouth.
Vayu stood alone midst the fallen bodies, his chest heaving, he slowed down his breathing ending overdrive. His muscles trembled, veins pulsing as Overdrive ended. He felt pain, but he kept standing, he could use Overdrive for twenty minutes at most, and to kill all these man he had used more then 15 minutes, he was still thinking something, when he heard a voice.
"Impressive" one of the nine said, stepping forward.