Reflections on the Warpath - [An Isekai Progression Fantasy]

Ezekiel emerged from the treeline, and Karis sighed.

Unfortunate.

He sent another five crows to pester Draeven, thankful that his swarm directly countered the weapon based style.

Ezekiel snarled, snapping his neck side to side.

Searching for Jay? You probably should be.

I can't let you know that yet though.

He needs time to untangle Lyra's mess and you're more likely to chop the knot in half.

If Ezekiel really was searching for Jay, he gave up very easily. The swordsman locked his eyes on Karis and Akira beneath him, extending his whip-like sword and marching forward.

Karis held up his machete. The utilitarian blade had served him well throughout his journey to the coliseum and stood up to the Emergent Bloom's challenges too, but he doubted its effectiveness against the Soulsnatcher.

More accurately, he doubted his own effectiveness in wielding it.

But if he didn't want to fight, why join the coliseum in the first place?

Karis set his thoughts of the past aside, instead opting to juggle his present and future situations. He walked forward, far enough that Ezekiel couldn't strike Akira without passing him first.

The young man had never truly trusted him, and somewhat understandably so. Karis knew of Akira's suspicions, both the ones he voiced to his team and the ones he likely harboured internally. He didn't begrudge Akira for his scepticism, even if it was directed towards the wrong teammate in the end. The dormant suspicions didn't offend him. If anything, he was impressed by the young swordsman's pragmatism.

The trio of Jay, Lyra, and Akira were far too useful to betray this early on in their relationship, if at all. Karis had bigger problems to solve than advancing to D grade.

Ezekiel whipped his quicksilver sword forward.

Bigger problems? Yes.

More urgent problems? Probably not.

Karis crudely pushed Ezekiel's sword aside. Even after thirty fights in the coliseum, he still wasn't as accustomed to duels as most gladiators. But if he wanted to live, he had as long as his skills could grant him to find a solution.

Ezekiel thrust his sword forwards. The blade snapped into position as it rushed towards Karis' chest. He gave up half a step instead of attempting another block.

Akira wasn't within the Soulsnatcher's range yet, but Karis' meagre defence couldn't keep him back for long.

Two crows darted towards Ezekiel, earning Karis an extra half-second, he glanced down at the Akira and frowned.

What's more important, buying Jay time or saving his friend?

The more time he has with Lyra Twinstrike, the more likely he is to sway her… but will that ever happen?

It's not impossible, but he's not much of a talker.

Karis deflected another sweeping blow. The curled tip of Ezekiel's sword almost nicked his skin as it clanged off his machete.

The Soulsnatcher almost growled as he lashed at his prey.

And it looks like this guy isn't either.

Ezekiel shortened his sword and took a step closer. Karis couldn't force him back without leaving Akira unguarded.

I can't stall much longer, not safely anyway.

The next time Ezekiel slashed forward, Karis held up his blade with both hands. The mercurial longsword wrapped around Karis' rugged machete. He shifted his grip, exposing his palm to Ezekiel's sword and running his thumb along the blade.

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Every time Ezekiel had snatched his opponent's Harmony so far, he'd leapt backwards before re-engaging. Karis gambled that he'd do so again. Even he struggled to fight using the essence of information, Ezekiel would need more than a moment to adapt his style.

The gamble paid off.

The Soulsnatcher retreated, his piercing emerald eyes stared at Karis for half a second before darting around the clearing.

"Go on. Use it. Channel the essence of information," said Karis, giving Ezekiel a moment to think. Hopefully the knowledge would quell the swordsman's aggression. He needed it to.

Before Ezekiel could open his mouth, Karis began the line of reasoning for him.

"Amaya Ironglove has been alone in the jungle with Lyra Twinstrike for quite a while now. What do you think they've been up to? Lightning Leonard went running after them less than a minute ago. He's not known for taking things slowly…

"What do you think will come of your partner if you leave him with enough time to land a punch? Is it worth spending a minute finishing me off, or would you rather spend that time running?"

Ezekiel sprinted towards the treeline, and Karis sighed.

He looked down at Akira, at the quiver that contained his relics, and debated what to do next.

"The fuck do you mean If you kill me, Lyra dies?" shouted Jay.

"Where is she?"

Jay closed the final few metres to Amaya. Her blank, expressionless face told him nothing. Both eyes stared off into the jungle, barely acknowledging Jay's existence.

He pulled back his sealed right fist and clocked her across the jaw, knocking her prone.

The puppeteer didn't make a sound as she fell, blood dribbled from her lacerated body, staining the mud crimson as her face dropped into it with a wet thud.

Leaves rustled behind Jay. He spun around.

Lyra lay face down in the brush. She pushed herself upright and returned to a kneeling position. In his peripheral vision, Jay saw Amaya mirror her movements exactly.

"What's going on, Lyra?" asked Jay. His voice began to wobble. He gingerly stepped away from Amaya and towards his friend.

Slightly closer now, Jay saw that Lyra wasn't in good shape either. Her obsidian skin was pockmarked with more cuts and grooves than Jay had ever seen across it before. Ashy dust clung to her skin and she knelt beside what looked like a pile of rubble.

"Kill her, Jay."

Both women spoke in perfect unison.

"Tell me what's going on first."

Jay targeted Lyra, but he flicked his head between both gladiators, hoping for an answer.

"She's gone crazy!" screamed Amaya. Lyra winced in pain.

"She's trying to ki-"

Amaya's voice cut short. Her terrified expression faded to nothingness. She picked Lyra's axe off the ground beside her and silently sliced into her thigh.

Jay spun round to Lyra. The hilt of her rapier poked off to her side. No blood seeped out of the wound but Jay watched a trail of obsidian gravel roll out from beneath her armour and join the mound beneath her.

Is that her body?

Lyra stared at Jay, severity etched across her face. He turned back to Amaya. Blood dribbled off her lower lip. She didn't cough or heave, instead meeting Jay's eye with the exact same expression as her counterpart.

Both women spoke in perfect unison.

"Kill her Jay."

"Will it kill you as well?"

He didn't get an answer.

No way.

"I won't kill her if it means sacrificing you, Lyra. You know I won't do that."

"KILL HER!"

Two shrill screams pounded at Jay's eardrums. He clenched his jaw and stared at Lyra. His ally. His friend. He met her obsidian eyes and searched them for any flicker of humanity

Lyra… what are you doing?

Did it really have to come to this?

"Are you serious Lyra? Are you fucking serious?" Jay's voice began almost as a whisper, but he couldn't hold back as the realisation set in.

"This? This was your grand plan? This was the shit you left Akira to die for?

"You left Akira to fend three people off on his own, and for what? So you can torture our opponent like some kind of sick freak? Akira's fucking bleeding out right now because you left him to die and you're asking me to kill her?

"You're asking me to kill you too?"

Jay marched towards Lyra, he bent down and pointed his finger directly at her eyes.

"I killed for you Lyra. Two people are dead right now because I wanted you to get your revenge. You saved my life, man. I would've fucking died for you Lyra, do you realise that? Akira almost died for you! He's not even twenty years old and you left him alone with the fucking Soulsnatcher so that you could waste everyone's time playing out your little sadist fantasy instead of going back and helping him?

"You knew we'd help you. You shouldn't have relied on it. That's our choice to make. Our decision. The only life you can sacrifice is your own. Don't toy with your friends' lives like chess pieces, leaving them to die just to further your goal."

Jay turned his back to Lyra, hating the coldness that burned him whenever they locked eyes.

"And you couldn't even finish it yourself!"

He spun back around. Fists clenched, voice rising to a shout.

"All that shit and you couldn't even fucking end it? You're brave enough to kill Akira but when it comes to your own life you need me to swoop in and do it for you?

"Pathetic."

Jay's closing word cut through the rainforest din, silencing the jungle with its authority. He walked backwards until he could see both gladiators, letting his eyes run over the cuts on Amaya's skin and the pile of crushed obsidian beneath Lyra's. As much as he seethed at Lyra right now, he didn't want her dead. Regardless of what she asked of him.

A flicker of movement pulled Jay from his thoughts. The bushes behind Lyra parted. A whip-like sliver of steel tore the leaves to shreds.

Ezekiel the Soulsnatcher leapt out from the jungle, eyes locked onto Lyra's neck.