THE LAST KEEPER

Perhaps Sagiri had played with his food long enough till it had lost its manners. The fight on the three battlefields had reached a peak. Something was bound to give soon. Sagiri had finally mastered most of their fighting pattern, and he had already memorized it.

Just when he was about to move from his position, he felt something. There were more of the bastards closing in on the location. There were like three dozen more now. So this must have been their plan all along. They were a few minutes out of Yoka and N’varu’s position. The two might have still been holding their own against the three he left with them, but against three dozen more, that could have been straight up suicide.

”So that was your plan?” Sagiri said.

”It was not specifically a plan, but we already knew we were no match for you. You are the one who made the plan successful, if I must say so,” one of them answered triumphantly.

”Well, I must say you are greatly mistaken. You can’t keep me here,” Sagiri said.

”We know very well you can teleport from place to place. which is why....” another answered.

”Veil formation!!” Another announced.

So that was their plan. To separate them. Before Sagiri could react, however, an invincible force started pressing onto him before a mist so heavy that he had ever felt blanketed the place. It was indeed enough to make it hard for him to push the archive far enough to reach N’varu and Yoka. The markings on his body crawled violently. It was as if he were being caged at the moment.

Nokai tore from Sagiri’s hand, but just like Sagiri, thought the veil formation mist was like any formation, difficult to break. It was not enough to kill him, but it could for sure keep him contained for a few minutes, if not seconds, and that was enough time to kill his friends. It was easier to break a formation from the outside, as always.

”So this is your secret weapon,” Sagiri said. ”But you forgot one thing, not only do you have friends.

Sagiri had felt them coming too. Squad 25. Kiuga must not have been able to keep it from them for long, and Kaka must have pummeled him to a pulp till he told them the real plan. Sagiri had wished to keep them away from real danger. Since he now knew the whole plan and the fighting style of Veil blades, there was no need for him to hold back.

”What...” one of them asked.

”Squad 25 formation!!” It was Kiuga. There did not have a squad 25 formation, but he just had to announce dramatically. The formation was broken in a second. Sagiri used that moment to push the archive out, and with the help of his squad, the nine veil blades went flying.

”Shouldn’t you be in war college right now?” Sagiri asked.

”Shouldn’t you have killed them a long time ago? What is with this behaviour?” Kaka snarled.

”Well, I had to buy time for you to come save me since you don’t follow plans,” Sagiri said.

”I should beat you to death, you southerner!” Kaka snapped.

”Just how stupid do you think my bird is?” Pavire joined in. Sagiri knew Pavire’s bird could be the one flaw in the plan. It used its eyes, not its nose. Their showing up was only a matter of time. He had wished to have cleared out the veil blades by then, but well, all was not lost.

”Where are N’varu and Yoka?” Zazarie asked. He was pretty observant.

”Right about now, they have at least three seconds before they die,” Sagiri said, and everyone gasped.

”What do you mean?” Kiuga asked.

”Hold them back for me. Don’t let their blades touch you. We have been at it with them for at least three hours. They are not as strong. Kill them for me,” Sagiri said with urgency.

”What about...” Kiuga went to ask.

”One more second. Their defence is their offence. Kiuga, take care of it. Don’t die,” Sagiri said.

”Don’t tell us what we already know.” Gavina snapped.

Sagiri pushed the archive out, and in the next instant, he was gone. He landed in the clearing where N’varu and Yoka were still going at it with their opponents.

Sagiri landed in the centre of the clearing at the same time as the needle darts started landing. The three dozen veil blades had landed a second before Sagiri. N’varu and Yoka had only realised it and did not even have time to fall into defensive positions.

”Archive defence!!” Sagiri called, and the archive pushed out its shield. The needles rained on the archive. Sagiri did not hold back this time as he sent them flying this time around. It would soon be daybreak, but the sky was already light.

”Right on time!!” N’varu said, rushing to Sagiri’s side together with Yoka. They were out of breath to say the least. They were completely spent.

”Here I thought there would be many sandshades here to protect the keeper,” one of the new arrivals said. He looked more menacing and veteran than the other squad. It was clear that the squad that had just arrived was nothing like the one that had been currently there. These were even more hardcore.

”It is none of your business what the sand shades do,” N’varu snapped.

”So you fail to protect your master once again, just like the last. If I did not know better, I could have thought that you were offering him up for us to slaughter,” he said.

”Yet here he stands unscathed even after engaging your team for hours.” N’varu sneered.

”Yet none of them is already dead,” the man said. It was clear he was the leader of the squads.

”Do you, veil blades, love to talk this much?” Sagiri said. ”If you haven’t noticed, it is time to die,” Sagiri snarled. There were three dozen of the vermin. He needed to fight while protecting the two with him. This time, he was not going to hold back.

”Your death or ours, N’folu? It’s your fate to die like your clan,” the leader said, unfazed.

Sagiri yawned. It was time he finally let loose and showed the veil blades that they were not the only ones with killing intent.

”Shall we find out?”

Sagiri’s killing intent burst through the clearing enough to cripple anyone. He was tired of being chased. Perhaps it was time he showed his hand now.