THE DUEL CONTINUE
Emi's footsteps echoed in the hallway as she exited Kazuo's office, each step slower than the last. The adrenaline that had carried her this far was fading fast, leaving only pain and fatigue in its wake. Her abdomen throbbed from a deep gash, every breath scraping against the sharp burn of her torn muscles. But she pressed on. The mission wasn't over—not yet.
But then—a figure stepped into her path.
One of Kazuo's remaining bodyguards stepped into her path—tall, broad-shouldered, and smirking.
"You really thought you could walk away after all that?" he sneered, cracking his knuckles. "You're not leaving here alive."
Emi's grip tightened on the sword in her hand. Blood dripped from the blade, mixing with her sweat, but her stance remained firm. Her voice, though low and worn, didn't waver. "I've come too far to let you stop me now."
He lunged without warning. Their swords collided with a clash of steel. Emi's arms ached with each parry. Every motion sent pain shooting up from her abdomen. She moved through instinct—fluid, trained—but her strength was waning. Her muscles were sluggish, her wounds leaking warmth down her side. Still, she fought back with everything she had.
She ducked under his swing and slashed his ribs. He grunted, but powered through, his next attack knocking her back.
Suddenly—movement behind her.
Before she could turn, a second bodyguard appeared. His arms clamped around hers, yanking them back violently.
"Let go of me!" she cried, but her voice cracked.
She thrashed, trying to break free, but the sharp motion made her cry out—a short, high moan torn from her throat as pain exploded from her gut. The wound reopened. Blood poured anew down her legs.
The first bodyguard stepped in front of her, sword raised. "This ends now."
He thrust the sword onto Emi body.
Steel met flesh with a sickening sound.
The blade punched into her stomach, just below her ribs. Her body went rigid, a deep, wet moan escaping her as the pain crashed over her in a tidal wave. Her mouth dropped open, and a spray of blood erupted from her throat as she coughed violently. Her knees buckled, but the man behind her held her upright.
"AAAGHH—!!" Emi continue let out a piercing scream, the raw pain ripping through her as the sword drove into her abdomen. Her body jolted violently, her mouth wide with a choked gasp. Blood erupted from her lips in a sudden, thick splatter.
Her eyes rolled back for a moment, her knees shaking beneath her. The pain was blinding, searing straight through her spine as the steel violated her core. The sword didn't stop—it pushed deeper.
"Nnghh—hhhgk—AAHHHH!!" she moaned and screamed again, the sound echoing down the hallway, filled with anguish and desperation.
The sword slid in deeper.
"Aaahh—ghk—hhk!" she gasped, another ragged cough shaking her entire body as more blood splattered to the floor. Her breathing turned to shallow wheezing as her chest heaved, struggling to draw breath.
She felt the tip of the sword push further inside, angling up now.
With a final shove, it pierced through her entire torso—the steel bursting out through her back, just below her shoulder blade.
"GGAAAHHH!" Emi screamed, her whole body convulsing as the sword violated her completely. Blood spewed from her mouth in a thick stream, her jaw trembling from the sheer intensity of the pain.
Emi feel the sword being pull.
Then came the second thrust.
She gasped, a raw, hoarse cry escaping her lips. Her body shuddered violently, breath catching as blood bubbled up from her throat.
The blade pushed deeper, angling upward now, driving cruelly through her core. She felt it grind against her spine—then pass it.
The point burst through her back, just below the shoulder blade, same spot. A searing, white-hot line of agony ran through her. She choked on her own scream, the sound reduced to a wheeze.
The bodyguard twisted the blade, and Emi convulsed, her abdomen tightening in involuntary spasms.
Blood poured from her lips as she sagged between them, barely conscious.
And yet—her eyes remained open.
Even as her body failed, her mind clung to the mission. The thumb drive. The evidence. Everything she had fought for.
"You're finished," the first bodyguard growled, watching her agony with cruel satisfaction.
The second bodyguard behind her had released her arms, smirking as if the fight was over—completely unaware of what was about to happen. He stood right behind her, close—too close.
Emi could barely breathe, every inhale a ragged wheeze. Blood spilled down her chin and dripped onto the floor in thick droplets. But her trembling hand—slick with blood—moved toward the hilt of the sword still buried inside her stomach.
Her fingers wrapped around it.
The second bodyguard hadn't stepped back.
Big mistake.
With a guttural cry, Emi summoned every ounce of strength she had left and shoved herself backward.
The sword—*still lodged inside her—*drove deeper through her torn body.
"GGGHHAAAGGHHH!!" she screamed, her mouth wide in agony as blood gushed from the corners of her lips. Her body spasmed violently as the blade tore through tissue, muscle, and finally—burst out of her back.
A second scream followed—not hers.
The man behind her let out a sharp, strangled gasp as the blade stabbed straight into his gut. His eyes widened in disbelief. The steel had pierced him—through her.
Emi shook, her body burning in agony, her knees nearly giving out. Blood streamed from her stomach, her mouth, her back. But she twisted her grip on the hilt, feeling his warm body press against hers.
She ripped the blade sideways, dragging it through her torn flesh and into him, then yanked it out the side with a wet, tearing sound.
The blade exited her body in a burst of blood, and she collapsed forward to one knee—choking, coughing, crying out in ragged moans of torment. Her body was soaked in blood. It poured from her gut like a river.
But the sword was free.
The second bodyguard was still standing, stunned, both hands clutching the hole now torn through his abdomen, eyes wide.
Emi didn't give him time to react.
Still crouched low, barely upright, she twisted and swung the sword with a cry of rage and pain.
"RAAAAHHH!!"
The blade cut clean through his side, slicing across his ribs and spine. He dropped instantly with a garbled scream, collapsing in a heap behind her.
Emi gasped, her body rocking from side to side. She dropped the sword for a second, coughing violently, splattering the floor with more blood. Her body was trembling, her stomach carved open, her strength nearly gone.
But enemies were down.
She had done it.
Bleeding, shaking, and on the verge of collapse, Emi forced herself to one foot—one trembling, blood-slick hand still holding the hilt.
"I'm… not done yet…" she whispered, even as more blood leaked from the corner of her mouth, staining her chin and neck. And her body slowly collapsed to the floor, loss all energy.