Takemura Itsuki

“That night… was just like the repetition of the Surfurine Town massacre. Truly. And I’ve never imagined… even in my worst nightmares… that I’d be living the same night once again.”

“It’s begun, kiddo… The last phase of the story… has officially begun.”

“T-T-The last phase?” I asked, scared.

“Quite a great start, isn’t it?” Kurayami replied with a smile. He stood up from the sofa at the middle of the wooden room, moved his right arm to the left of his waist on the scabbard of his sword, and then pulled his sword out. “In the middle of the night, for the first time, The Bar is gonna fight against The Seven Sinners.” He raised his horizontal sword up in the air. “Let’s give it our all, guys! Take out your swords…” Tadashi and I pulled out our swords as others moved their hands down to their handles. “… For this time… we needa fight dead serious.”

“Yeah!” We all shouted. We all then turned our heads to the door at the front of Kurayami, on my left. “So, Koma and Irimi should go up and get all the essentials, such as our fighting equipment, rations for a month, and everything else. Yumiko, Ichika, Airi, and I will go to the backside, where the explosion has happened. Oga would be outside this door, protecting the insides of this room, and Itsuki and Tadashi should stay here, waiting until the next orders.”

I frowned. “Wait! We are two of the best warriors right now. Why are we—”

Kurayami turned to his left, and glared at me with his narrowed eyes and a face that was not smiling for now. “The sinners are searching to kill either of you two, kiddos. It’s better if you stay put and don’t excite them.”

Kurayami then turned to Oga on my left and said, “On a second thought, Oga, I think you should get them upstairs on the third floor. And keep them safe until further notice. We’d try to manage everyone down here until Koma and Irimi make all the arrangements for us to leave, but one or two might creep toward you three.”

Oga nodded. “Aye, sir!”

Kurayami then turned to the front. “Yumiko, Airi, and Ichika, the main task of you two would be to fight the sinners alongside me. Koma and Irimi would secretly prepare for our departure at the front side, and Oga, Itsuki, and Tadashi would stay put. Now, anyone who doesn’t know what to do?!”

“No, sir!” Ichika, Airi, and Yumiko, among others shouted. Tadashi turned his head to his left, looking at the primary members of The Bar replying.

“Anyone who has a problem?!”

“No, sir!”

Kurayami then stepped to the front toward the door. “Then, let’s go!”

***

Isekai’d

Written by Dhruv Pabreja

***

The door opened in the corridor. Kurayami stepped out into the narrow corridor, and turned to his right at the backside door of the building. In front of his eyes, he looked at the flames rising from the burning broken wooden wall. With his eyes frowning in anger, confidence, and determination, he continued to walk toward the flames a dozen steps away from him.

BANP.BANP. BANP. BANP.

Just as he was walking, patting his boots on the ground, he soon started to move his boots faster, running toward the fire. Just as he was just a step away from the fire, a figure from the other side of the flames jumped in toward him, his eyes frowning, his sword on top of his right shoulder as he jumped in. That guy was a little young, had blonde hair, and had his both ears pierced, which had diamond studs. Airi, Yumiko, and Ichika, who were two-three steps behind him, looked at Kurayami’s back as he was attacked from the front. Kurayami suddenly moved his right hand up, his waist tilted a little back and his knees tilted a little down, and defended with his sword horizontal on top of his head. The sword of the sinner clashed with the horizontal sword of Kurayami. He then landed on the ground, his sword still in front of him as he continued to push his sword.

As Kurayami continued to push at his sword, he looked into the eyes of the young figure, who was looking back at him. “Naoki…” He said, and then smiled a little. “Been days, right? How’ve you been?”

“Stop blabbering, Kurayami…” Naoki replied angrily.

“No honorifics? Where are your manners, Naoki?”

“Traitors don’t get honorifics, Kurayami.”

Kurayami moved his sword a little toward him as Naoki continued to push at it, and then jerked it at him. Naoki stepped his right foot back due to the impact, moved his sword up in the air, and then swung it straight down from up his head. “That’s what you deserve!”

Kurayami quickly stepped to his left, moved his sword up in front of his waist, and swung it horizontally at him. “You’re still far behind, Naoki. You still got that pride in you, don’t you, kiddo?”

Naoki skillfully moved his straight sword in front of his belly one-eighty down, pointing it at the ground, so as to defend from Kurayami’s waist-level attack. He successfully defended, and as Kurayami moved his sword back, he too twisted it back to its original position. “Imma show you today what I’m made up of!”

CLASH! SWUNG! SLICE! CLASH! SWOOSH!

“Yumiko! Ichika! Airi! Stand ready!” Kurayami shouted as he continued to glide his sword left and right, up and down skillfully.

Airi, Ichika, and Yumiko all had their swords ready in front of their chests, their knees bent, and their eyes fixed at the front. With her eyes scared, Yumiko asked, “W-What do you think, Ichika, a-are not they a little too skilled to be fighting with us?”

“They have not even used kazi by now,” Ichika commented, her frowning eyes a little hesitant. She was even sweating as she looked at the fire burning in front of them, her face completely lit up in yellow. “We gotta perform the best we can.”

“… or else, we might die…”