The Moonlight Swordsman

[Warning R18+]

David staggered back as scarlet blood spurted from the incision in his left elbow as he gripped his arm. He looked directly at Leah and Yelena, who were both staring back at him with expressions of rage and triumph on their faces.

Yelena\'s lips curled into a sinister smile as she watched David struggle to keep up, his strength dwindling with every passing moment.

"Now, without one arm, David, how long do you think you can keep up with this charade?"

David gasped in pain as he surveyed the destruction caused by the artifact.

The town was reduced to ashes, and the cries of the injured and dying filled the air.

Despite his injuries, David\'s attention was fixed on his mother and daughter, who were now standing before him with their swords at the ready.

As he looked up, he saw a vision of Katherine floating above him, beckoning him to join her.

"No no no no NO NO NO NO ...

"YOU CAN\'T CALL ME NOW XELGAR, NOT UNTIL I GET RID OF EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM"

"IT DOESN\'T MATTER IF I HAVE LOST AN ARM OR LEG OR EYE OR EVERYTHING...

"I will make sure to get rid of every single one of you,"

David tore off a section of his shirt and bandaged his arm, despite the terrible discomfort he was in. He glanced up to see his mother and daughter watching him intently, swords still in hand.

His right fist clenched tightly around his Doomstaff as his eyes flashed red with fierce wrath.

"I WON\'T DIEEEE...."

He charged them with a battle cry, ready to vent his wrath despite his damaged arm.

David sped up to where Leah and Yelena were in a flash.

Leah attacked him with a fierce strike, but David deftly deflected it with one arm.

His eyes were already fixed on Yelena, who followed up with an attack of her own. David quickly deflected her strike as well, and the two engaged in a fast-paced sword fight, moving with incredible speed and precision.

As Leah tried to strike him from a different angle, David swiftly bent down to dodge her attack.

With lightning speed, he reversed the grip on his sword and delivered a deep slash to her leg. Simultaneously, he extended his other leg to kick Yelena\'s grip away as she launched her own attack.

Leah\'s injured leg caused her knee to give way, and she fell to the floor. Yelena realized what was happening and sprang at David with her sword pointed down, but David expertly diverted her assault, making it graze Leah\'s shoulder instead.

At that moment, David saw an opening, and with swift precision, he grasped his blade and delivered a deep slash across Yelena\'s chest.

As David\'s blade penetrated Yelena\'s chest, blood gushed out of the wound, staining his hand and sword.

"NOOO MOTHERR....

Leah gritted her teeth and lunged at David, trying to ignore the searing pain in her leg and shoulder.

But David was too quick for her. He deftly moved Yelena in front of him, using her as a shield to deflect Leah\'s attack.

Yelena cried out in agony as the blade slashed her again, causing her to cough up blood and grow weaker by the second.

David kicked Yelena in the back, sending her flying toward Leah, who grabbed her.

Leah\'s eyes welled up with tears as she looked at her mother writhing in agony and spitting blood.

She knew Yelena was on the verge of death, and she felt powerless without any mana left to summon the healing potion from her ring.

"P-please David, spare her. Take my life instead," Leah said.

David limped slowly toward Leah and her dying mother, his wounds gushing blood and causing him intense pain with each step.

As he drew closer, he struggled to catch his breath and grimaced in agony.

When he finally got there, he got down on his knees and looked into Leah\'s tear-filled eyes.

"I faced the worst.

"I begged in front of everyone, to take my life instead of Katherine\'s.

"She was with my child, Leah, your nephew. You guys didn\'t even look at me.

"You, along with grandfather, could have talked with the prince to change his mind and do something about it. But did you do it?"

"TELL ME! WHAT CRIMES DID I DO TO FACE SUCH CRUELTY...

"IS IT MY FAULT I WASN\'T ABLE TO USE MANA? I ONLY HAD KATHERINE IN MY LIFE.

"You had everything; the only thing I wanted was to spend my life with her."

David\'s body trembled with emotion as he rose to his feet, his tears mixing with the sweat and blood on his face. He glared at both Leah and Yelena with burning anger in his eyes, his hand tightly gripping his Doomstaff.

"You, along with that prince, took the only light of my life in this dark world."

"YOUR TIME ENDS HERE, THE NEXT IS THE PRINCE...

eaglesnovɐ1,сoМ "Go and join Father and Grandfather; I will join soon,"

*****

Aizel reached the town after a long and arduous journey. His eyes widened in shock as he gazed upon the ruins of what was once a lively and bustling town.

There were charred and burned-out pieces of houses everywhere, and smoke and ashes filled the air.

As he walked through the destroyed streets, he couldn\'t help but notice the horrifying sight of burnt corpses lying everywhere.

But he didn\'t feel anything for them. Not even a slight emotion occurred in him for them. 

These memories are really affecting me," he thought.

He had to use his water element to stay cool; the heat was almost too much to bear.

Aizel walked towards the remains of Rosewell Castle and was met with a gruesome sight. Two tall poles were erected on the ground, and on them were the mutilated and chopped-up bodies of Leah and Yelena.

Their heads were impaled on the spikes atop the poles, and their eyes were wide open, streaming tears of blood. As he looked around, he noticed a message scrawled on one of the destroyed walls that read, "David Rosewell - The Common Man."