Cold Steel - Inazuma Gaiden

V: Ichors on the Snow [Rated T+/M]

PREFACE:

That T-Rating I got on the cover is not just for show, people. This work of fiction can and probably will get bloody sooner or later. This chapter will be your first taste of it. Heavy violence and blood will be mentioned, and this might be a put-off to certain individuals, so just be warned.

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Nobutada counted at least half a dozen individuals now circling him. In front of him stood that one blonde outlander, which he assumed to be her most trusted guard, while he too was accompanied by a handful of guards and staff members alike, all of them looking especially bleary-eyed likely to the late hours of them being waken up. A couple of them were clothed in the guard's uniform, while the rest merely carried their katana with them.

Not to mention, the still-present lady of the house situated right behind him, who now had this red hot orb surrounding her body. It seemed as she too looked especially stunned by the sudden arrival of the men and women that were there to disable him.

And disable him they did, or at least that lead guard with the spear and Pyro Vision did. His throw was harsh, incredibly so. So harsh that despite the successful deflection, his blade was instantly shattered the moment their weapons met one another. Shards of worn metal and the longer edge of his blade flew upwards before landing and embedded itself on the soft tatami mats just to his side. His sword was already plenty worn before he came into the estate, and he'd fully expected it to break sooner or later - he just wasn't expecting it to be so soon.

Whatever the case, his now defunct blade wouldn't be cutting through anything anymore, nor would Nobutada himself, in a matter of fact. Maybe it was due to the surprise that he wasn't able to fully prepare himself to parry the thrown spear, but his left wrist just literally went unresponsive after it registered a monstrous amount of pain, to the point that he had to bit his tongue to prevent himself from outright screaming.

The thief unconsciously used his right hand, which has also started bleeding again after he used it as a support to brace against the blow - to check for the damages to his other limb, and found out that his wrist bone may have either been cracked on a few places or just straight up broken.

"Now, I don't know who you are or how you managed to sneak into the manor..." That guard in red started to speak, his tone carrying a hint of casualness and perhaps even friendliness to it, but the hostile, bordering on being bloodthirsty expression on his face suggested anything but. "But would you be so kind to take a couple... hundreds... of steps back from the Ojou?"

"Thoma..." The young lady in white managed after quite a long silence, probably just now recovering from her surprise.

At her voice, this Thoma's green eyes looked past his body and focused on the one behind him instead. "Are you hurt anywhere, milady?"

So she was indeed the lady of this estate.

"No... no. No, I'm not. But..." She trailed off, and Nobutada felt her gaze landing on his now bleeding arms, her icy crystal blue eyes showing hints of regret and maybe even concern for some reason.

The thief then hoisted his broken wrist with his right arm, which it would then be directed to place the broken sword back to its saya. "Yeah..." He grunted out, pressing his other, still wounded arm to his haori in an attempt to stop the bleeding. "...Sorry again for dirtying your tatami mats."

"Whoa, whoa... easy with the movements, friend. Don't do anything stupid now," Thoma held a hand out to his side, now holding back the other guards present with him. But his faux tone of concern betrayed the venom and glare that was still directed at him. "Weapon down, buddy. We have you surrounded."