Path Of Blood - 85 Chapter 77

Weiss was glaring at Haruki, Even after all that the only thing she has managed to hit was Haruki’s mask. She gripped her signature weapon Myrtenaster. She clenched her teeth, she positioned her foot behind her. Her whole stance changed, even the aura she was exuding differed from the norm.

“Hohh, Interesting…” Haruki said as he finally drew his blade from it’s sheath. He chuckled inwardly, ‘I really sound like a fucking bad guy right now. Might as well stick to the script.’ He waved his blade in the air as his jet black jacket fluttered in the air. He readied his stance to face the two girls in front of him.

Blake was still observing Haruki’s movements and she was slightly angered. ‘He’s still not taking us seriously…’, She thought to herself.

Blake wanted to prove herself in front of the big brother she looks up to. She doesn’t just want “Clarity” She also wants his “Approval”. She doesn’t want to be the same girl who ran away. This time she’s going to face it head on.

They stared straight into Haruki’s eyes, “This time… we’re going to beat the answers out of you!” They simultaneously ran towards his direction. Weiss Used her time dilation glyph to slow Haruki’s reaction down. They flanked him from both sides, Weiss targeted his torso while Blake slashed towards his legs.

Four Blades clashed onto one another. Haruki instantly summoned Kusanagi to block Weiss’s attacks while he used Mournful Vengeance to counter Blake’s slash. He held Mournful Vengeance in a reversed grip, and pulled Blake towards him. “Alright I’ll take you two seriously this time.” He said as he kicked Blake in the stomach flinging her a quick distance away.

When Weiss saw Haruki attack Blake she used a glyph to cushion her teammate. She twirled and exchanged blades with Haruki. Haruki only used the Kusanagi to Parry her attacks, and ever so often his blade would ignite surprising her.

Weiss used her glyphs to create ice spikes from the ground. Her Myrtenaster’s barrel clicked and the color changed to blue. A huge ice spike came from the ground aiming at Haruki’s crotch.

“Woah!!! Don’t aim for little Haruki! Leave him out of this!” He said as he broke his so called “Character”. Suddenly a chain wrapped the ice spike and Blake spun on it and used the momentum to slash towards Haruki. This time he used Mournful Vengeance to counter. Everytime that Blake attacks she felt like Haruki’s parries increased in strength, it felt like it tripled. It’s like she was striking a rock. He only needs to tilt his blade and the passive of mournful vengeance would do it’s work.

Weiss was surprised that he could take them both on without even taking a step. She used her white glyphs to use as a platform for her and Blake. Slashing at Haruki, While he on the other hand was just spinning his blades blocking every strike.

Blake used her chains to try and wrap Haruki’s foot and trip him. He just raised his leg and stomped on her chains. It felt like she was trying to pull a huge Boulder. Even with her enhanced strength with aura, she couldn’t even make Haruki flinch.

Weiss readied her blade once more, *Click* The barrel of her weapon turned, and Her blade was covered in a blue aura once more. She waved her blade towards Blake’s direction. A huge Ice wave was speeding towards her direction. Haruki immediately raised his legs to let go of Blake’s chains. Blake flipped and was blocked by the huge ice wall. “I’m sorry Blake, I know you have a lot of questions too. But please let me have this one.”

Blake heard Weiss’s voice over the large wall behind her. She sighed and just sat down behind the wall. “Fine…But we’re friends, you could rely on us when it comes to things like this.” Although Blake could not see over the huge wall, she could sense that Weiss felt touched by her words.

Weiss stared straight towards Haruki, “How much are you hiding from us?” She kept pestering him to tell her the truth. Haruki remained silent, just staring back into her eyes.

“Answer me!! In the end are you just like him!!? Do you just see us as pawns!? In your grand chess game!? What even is real? It feels like I don’t even know you anymore!” She shouted all her anger towards him. Weiss not getting an answer was angered even further.

She was confused, and slowly losing herself in the storm of her own feelings. Being pushed, being pulled she’s slowly unraveling. “Do you only see me as your puppet? You…You pretend and…and…lie only to reach your ends is that it? Is this all just a big fucking chess game to you!? Who are you even really allied with? You jump from place to place so quickly.

Please answer me Haruki, Please don’t be like him… It feels like everything is breaking apart. I can’t even look at you anymore! Even that signature over confident smile of yours scares me. That if I look at you all I see is him giving me a condescending smile. Undermining all of my efforts. Treating me like I’m some kind of toy.

Are all of you the same!? Why are you still treating me like a fool!?”

Weiss bare the feelings she’s been holding back. Haruki was silent he was gripping his blade. He would’ve preferred to cross blades instead of dealing with this kind of pain. He’d rather deal with injuries than permanent scars.

At first he was trying to manipulate all of them. To make them go towards the path he wants, To further his own plans. The path that he thought was the right one. But He quickly realized how foolish that was. So he just trained them All he wanted was for them to get strong. He was blinded by his own ambition. Weiss made him realize how much of a dick he’s been towards his friends.

He lowered his blade, “I’m sorry…I never planned on hiding anything from you guys. It’s just I don’t want you to see the bad parts of me. The parts I don’t want to lay bare. The things that I like to keep people in the dark. The ugly truth behind it all. I don’t want you to feel disgusted by the things I’ve done.” He looked away as he gripped his blade.

Then he stared at Weiss, and gave her the most sincere look he could, “But believe me when I say I’m your friend.”

Weiss on the other hand just stared towards Haruki, she gave him a pitying look. “Is that so? You hate your own past it’s so sorrowful it hurts!?”

She gave Haruki a scornful laugh, “I looked up to you. I thought that even without a background one could get that powerful. When I was younger I used to believe that anything can be attained because I’m a Schnee. But that comes with a large price. To be a puppet of that manipulative bastard…

But then I met you, oh so confident. Oh so strong! I respected your strength. But then I found out you were part of the white fang. I will admit that I was afraid of you for a while… No I was scared to the point I can’t look you in the eye.

But you kept approaching me with that warm smile, I kept wondering how you could smile like that. The best I could achieve was a fake smile. But you knew that didn’t you? Because it takes one to know one…

It turns out you’re as broken as everyone else…”

Weiss heaved a large sigh as tears slowly slid down her eyes. “I have spent and wasted years never knowing, I was used, I was Kept as a pawn.

I spent my life degraded, insulted.He would say anything just to crush my soul. Anything so he could feel even a sliver of control. I’m tired of being treated like a pawn.”

She wiped the tears from her eyes. Replaced by eyes that were piercing cold yet radiating with warmth all the same.

“But deep down I know, that I’m still that same scared little girl, but nothing would change if I keep getting chained by the past. I can’t get strong that way.

I won’t be that scared little girl anymore, the one that’s confused and easily controlled.Easily believing that I’m nothing on my own.”

She raised her weapon and pointed it towards Haruki, “It’s my turn. So raise your sword and fight me! I’ll prove to you that I’m strong enough to share your burdens as well… Because that’s what friends are for.”

She dashed towards her opponent and slashed at him resuming their battle once more.

“You were the one who showed me the way, Even if you don’t realize it. You showed me that I’m more than what my father shaped me to be.”

Her strikes grew more ferocious with each passing moment. She used her white and black glyphs to move back and forth in extreme speeds to attack Haruki in every direction. Every strike was accompanied by a quick clicking sound, as her weapon changed elements.

Haruki was unfazed as he kept blocking her stiles with two of his swords.

“You are more than your past! You have to trust yourself more. You are more that that! Isn’t that what you taught me!?” Weiss screamed as she tried to knock some sense into her friend.

Haruki just smiled gently towards Weiss, “I appreciate your concerns. Believe me I really do. Even though you kinda said the same things as your sister. I’m really thankful for you two…” As he was talking he sensed killing intent from the mile away.

“But we have to cut this date short.” He immediately followed it up.

He broke the ice wall Weiss made. He used lightning emperor and carried Blake in her arms. He wrapped Weiss in her waist and leapt of the train. Weiss was going to ask what the hell he was doing bit suddenly the train got bisected in half.

A few distance away in front of the cleaved train a Burly Old man stood with a blindfold in the middle of the tracks. He was holding a single katana. Even behind the suit his muscles were bulging out. He was wearing a jet black tuxedo, as if he just came from a formal party. He wore a red tie, it was the only color on him besides black. His hair was almost ashen with only a few black strands. But it only made him look more experienced in combat.

He wore a normal expression, even with the blindfold on it felt like he could see through all their weaknesses. Behind him was a boy the same age as Haruki and his company. A seventeen year old boy accompanying the old man whose face can’t be seen because it was obscured by the mask of an Oni.

Haruki put down both Weiss and Blake, the two were clearly surprised with the sudden development. Yushu and Kurenai also put down both Yang and Ruby. They stood next to their master.

The blindfolded old man finally spoke, “I hope I didn’t kill anyone of you just now…”

Haruki spat on the ground, “Oh you didn’t Old Man. But do remind me who the fuck are you?”

The Old Man smiled, “Me? Oh yeah! I forgot to introduce myself.

I’m Touma.” He said as he released his aura. It felt like a heavy mountain descended on their shoulders, but it didn’t make them feel faint. But it scared them.

Haruki on the other hand was glaring at the Man behind Touma, “And who the fuck is that behind you? Another sinner?”

Touma just smiled, “I’ll tell you if you managed to beat me.” Haruki clicked his tongue and cracked his knuckles. Yushu and Kurenai we’re about to charge in but he stopped both of them in their tracks. Telling them that Touma is his prey.

“You’re on.”