Ryuu lifted his head and watched as Nameless approached him. He saw Moriko slay the hunter who had been a shield from Nameless' wrath. She leapt forward, and Nameless never sensed her coming. She was a ghost on the battlefield.
Moriko's sword went straight through Nameless, piercing his heart and coming through his chest. He looked down in surprise, the rage disappearing from his face. He tried to turn, but Moriko held the blade firmly, preventing him from turning.
Nameless fell to his knees, and Moriko pulled the sword from his chest. She didn't hesitate. As soon as her sword was clear she whipped the blade in one smooth cut, taking off Nameless' head.
Ryuu smiled at her. After all his preparation, she had been the one to kill Nameless. He wasn't dissapointed. They had won. He laid his forehead on the ground, completely spent, and passed out immediately.
Chapter 37
Moriko fell to the ground. She felt as though she had run the entire length of the Kingdom with a horse on her back. She never thought she could be so tired. Never before had she pushed herself so hard.
There was a satisfaction there, too, the pleasure of a job well done. She had never put forth so much effort, but never had the results been so pleasing.
All around her, the hunters broke and ran. The death of Nameless threw them into utter chaos. His passing was a shock, even to her. He had possessed so much power. In a moment, it had all disappeared, and to everyone gifted with the sense, it was as though a deep blackness had suddenly opened up in the middle of the battlefield. She didn't blame the hunters. If she possessed any strength, she would flee the battlefield, too.
It was all over. All the fighting, all the killing. The desperate desire to survive. All of it was gone. In its place was a simple peace, a relief that she had survived.
Ryuu was unconscious but alive. She couldn't believe what she had witnessed. His power had grown, much more than even the last time he had fought. He truly was a remarkable man. She may have made the killing blow, but it was only because he was strong enough to stand toe-to-toe with Nameless.
She watched the nightblades as they pursued the hunters. She didn't care. The spine of the Azarians had been broken, and she and Ryuu had given more than enough. She crawled over to him, unable even to stand on her own feet.
She sat down next to him and lifted his head up onto her lap. Gently, she felt his forehead and extended her sense. He was weak. Much weaker than she had initially thought. He had told her he feared using too much power, and perhaps his fears had come true. But there was nothing to be done about it now. She had no ability to heal him, not from this.
Eventually, with nothing to do, she lay down next to Ryuu and stared into the blue sky. It really was a beautiful day. She closed her eyes and rested.
Her sense warned her awake. Two people were approaching. She sat up and saw that it was Rei and Shika. She cursed softly to herself. They were both fine people, but she was enjoying the peace.
It was Rei who spoke. "How is he?"
"Very weak. He used up everything he had to fight against Nameless. I think his wrist is broken, too."
Rei flared her energy. "There should be a dayblade here shortly."
Shika spoke softly. "He did it. He actually killed Nameless. From everything I heard, I wasn't even sure it was possible. I could feel his strength all the way across the battlefield."
Moriko thought about correcting her, but abruptly decided she didn't want to. She didn't want the recognition as the one who had killed Nameless. Ryuu knew, and that was all that mattered. She was happy with as little attention as possible. Anyway, he had done the hard work.
Shika and Rei continued their rounds of the battlefield, trying to aid as many nightblades as they could. As promised, it was only a matter of time before a dayblade came to Ryuu's side. She laid her hands on Ryuu and focused.
"I've never felt anything like this before."
"What do you mean?"
"It's hard to describe. Imagine him as a candle. He has burned himself all the way down. He's recovering, but I think he’s very close to dying."
"His wrist?"
"A clean break. It will be easy to fix."
The dayblade began to work. Moriko watched, but there was little to see. She could sense the connection between the dayblade and Ryuu, but nothing else was apparent to her sense. She lacked the finesse with the ability the dayblades possessed.
A little while later, the dayblade opened her eyes and looked up at her again. Sweat was on her brow, and she looked exhausted.
“This is more than I can handle on my own. He’s dying from lack of strength. His body is completely burnt out.” The dayblade flared her energy, calling for help. “When they come, let them know what I told you. I’ll need them to join me.”
Moriko didn’t have time to respond. The dayblade closed her eyes and focused on keeping Ryuu alive. Fear clutched at Moriko’s heart. Had Ryuu pushed himself too far this time? He couldn’t die, not now, not when they were finally safe. She wouldn’t allow it.
It seemed an eternity before three other dayblades appeared. Moriko told them what the first dayblade had said. They looked skeptical, but knelt down and went to work without question.
Moriko stared, wishing there was anything she could do. She had never seen the dayblades work in unison before. She panicked when the first dayblade collapsed next to Ryuu. One moment she had been kneeling down and healing Ryuu. The next she was unconscious next to him. A few moments later a second dayblade fell. Her heart raced. What was happening?
Finally, the two remaining dayblades opened their eyes. One looked at her. "He should live now. I don't know how long it will be until he wakes up, but his body should be healed."
“What happened?”
The dayblade spoke slowly. “I’m not sure. I’ve never felt anything like it before. He used all of his strength and more in his last fight. We had to find a way to give him more strength, and the only place we could find it was within ourselves. It took all of us to pull him back, but still he’s weak.”
The dayblade saw Moriko’s concerned glance at his companions. “They’ll live. They just need to recover. Like he does.”
She bowed slightly, and the dayblade moved on to the next patient, stumbling as he went.
The sun was beginning to set when Ryuu finally awoke. He looked up at Moriko, affection and relief in his eyes. "I didn't think we were coming back from that one."
She looked down at him. "You almost didn't. It took four dayblades to bring you back."
Ryuu laughed and sat up. He grimaced, and Moriko thought it took him more work to sit up than it should have. He was alive, but exhausted. "Better than Nameless having the pleasure."
He surveyed the scene around him. "You were amazing. I don't know how you managed to defend me and attack Nameless at the same time. I owe you my life. The Kingdom owes you."
Moriko shook her head. "No, they owe you. I told them you killed Nameless."
Ryuu looked puzzled for a moment, and he looked as though he was about to ask her a question. But then he thought about it. Of all the people in the world, he understood Moriko best. He nodded. "I see."
"The hunters all scattered after Nameless died. I think it's all over now."
Ryuu looked off into the distance. "I hope you're right."
The sun was starting to fall when Rei, Moriko, Shika, and Ryuu met again. They had saved all the injured they could, but still their losses had been substantial. They had come into the Kingdom with three hundred and seven blades. There were a hundred and three left. Moriko didn't underestimate the strength they had remaining. It was still the strongest force the Kingdom had seen in over a thousand cycles. But it was a third of the strength they had come with. Each death weighed heavily on her mind.
Ryuu had been meditating, extending his sense, trying to find out what was happening. Nameless' death had had a cascading effect. The hunters had panicked and run back to the Gathering. When the hunters scattered, the nightblades swept down on the main battlefield, breaking the lines of the Azarians who still fought against the Kingdom. Losses had been tremendous on both sides, but all the Azarians had retreated back to the confines of the Gathering.
They had to decide what to do next. Ryuu's worry was the Gathering itself, and he was trying to use his sense to determine what was happening. They were waiting anxiously for his information.
He came out of his trance and looked around. He fixed his gaze on Moriko. "Moriko, you know the Azarians best. How will they react to their losses here?"
His tone was serious, and she guessed he was hoping her opinion would help him understand what he was sensing. She thought carefully, aware her answer might have serious repercussions.
The problem was, it was hard to generalize the Azarians. Although they claimed a single heritage, clan loyalties were stronger than loyalties to the People as a whole. Each clan would react differently. But what would be the dominant reaction?
They wouldn't leave the Kingdom. Every single Azarian knew how rich the land they had come into was, and they had sacrificed too much to get here. Even with their defeat, most Azarians would view the citizens of the Kingdom as weak, and wouldn't hesitate to attack. They certainly wouldn't run with their tail between their legs. The Kingdom had won today, but the Azarians would only view it as another setback, a challenge to be overcome.
She spoke carefully, considering her words. “I’m not sure what they will do, but if you forced me to guess, I would guess they would take one of two actions. They won’t consider themselves beaten, and their reaction will be fierce. They will either use today to unify to a degree we haven’t yet seen, or they will split for good and cause chaos throughout the Kingdom. Nameless held their alliances together, and I’m not sure exactly how they will react to his death.”
“Either way, it sounds as though you don’t think our mission here is accomplished yet,” Rei said.
Moriko shook her head. They had dealt the Azarians a blow, but it wasn’t enough.
“I fear they are attempting to assemble,” Ryuu said. “I can sense a collection of hunters near the center of the Gathering, and they are attracting many of the Azarians. I fear our attack will only provoke them.”
Moriko wondered if their attack had made the situation worse. Had they managed to do what Nameless never had? Had they truly started the unification of the clans?
The nightblades sat around the tent in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Moriko tried to think of a way to save the situation, but nothing occurred to her. She raged at fate. After all their sacrifice, they still hadn’t accomplished what they set out to do. It wasn’t fair.
The silence stretched out, and eventually Ryuu stood up. Moriko studied him carefully. His face was a mask, but she had lived with him too long. He had a solution, but he didn’t like it. She wasn’t even sure he was going to share it with them. Understanding dawned on her. She couldn’t believe what he was thinking, but there wasn’t any other way. It was beyond horrible. It was unspeakable. But maybe it was necessary.
“Ryuu, you need to tell them.”
The nightblades from the island looked up, questions on their faces. Her eyes met his, and she offered him what strength she could. He needed to speak up. He shook his head.
“We need to attack the Gathering itself.”
Rei didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”
Ryuu crouched down, and Rei worried he was about to explode. “Look, we know the Azarians respect one trait above all others. They respect strength. The reason we haven’t succeeded yet is because despite our best efforts, the Azarians still believe they are stronger. As long as they believe that, the Kingdom will always be in danger. It isn’t enough for us just to beat them. We need to put so much fear in them they never threaten the Kingdom again.”
Shika’s and Rei’s faces fell. They began to understand what Ryuu was suggesting. Rei shook her head. “I can’t order the nightblades to do this, Ryuu.”
Ryuu considered his words carefully. “I can’t think of another way to bring peace to the Kingdom.”
Rei was adamant. “Ryuu, this goes against more than a thousand cycles of history. Nightblades are protectors. We’ve beaten the hunters. We’ve done what we set out to do. There are only a few left in that Gathering who can defend themselves against us. You’re not talking about warfare anymore. You’re talking about a slaughter. Most of those people didn’t even participate in the battle against the Kingdom today.”
Ryuu shrugged. “I know. I hate it, too. Fighting hunters is one thing. This is another. But I don’t see any other way. If any of you do, please speak up. I would rather do anything else than this.”
Shika spoke up. “Why not send the remainder of Akira’s units? They’ve been victimized by the Azarians for an entire season. I’m sure they’re itching for revenge.”
Ryuu shook his head. “That’s exactly why it can’t be them. And they aren’t strong enough. If they attack the Gathering the Azarians will destroy them. It needs to be us.”
The silence spread again, oppressive. Moriko knew it was their only path forward. She just wondered if the nightblades from the island would realize it too.
Moriko looked up as she heard a sniffle. Tears were streaming down Rei’s face. “We came here to protect those who were weak from those who were strong. If we do this, we’re no better than the Azarians. I can’t order this, Ryuu. I won’t.”
Ryuu spoke softly, and Moriko’s heart broke when she realized he had made his decision. His voice was firm. “You don’t have to. Put out a call for volunteers. We will do all we can to save those who hope for peace, but I need nightblades who are willing to shoulder this responsibility.”
Shika stood up. “I will join you. You don’t have to bear this alone.”