"What are you scheming Liuxing?" Kenji asked, his voice bold and his tone strict.
"Your highness should retreat back to his palace and I shall have no further trouble of stopping the divine procession from proceeding further." Liuxing answered, his gaze fixated.
Kenji gritted his teeth, his lower face covered in veil.
"You will stop us?" Kenji said.
"I have to." Liuxing replied, his face stoic and cold.
Sparks emitted from Kenji's sword.
For a moment Liuxing's eyes seem to soften but then he drew out his sword, it's double sided blade glinting.
In an instant, Kenji and Liuxing clashed their swords, their movements swift and precise. The sounds of steel echoed throughout the place, creating a symphony of battle.
Kenji's movement were like fluid, his sword emitting sparks. Each strike aimed with deadly precision.
Liuxing's sword moved swiftly in a circular motion, each move calculated.
It seemed as if they both were equating their energies to be equal to each other. Chap Xing grew impatient and proceeded to move out of the boundary, Shen grabbed her by the arms, "Don't move unless his highness orders us to." He said.
Chao Xing stepped back, "But Shen-"
"Let us just follow his instructions. I am sure he has thought about it."
"Tell me what these creatures are and what you are scheming in this place." Kenji spoke as he pushed Kiuxing backwards towards the bark of an old tree standing amidst the ground covered in bones, his sword just an inch away from Liuxing's throat.
Liuxing did not break the eye contact.
"Find out if you can, your highness." And he struck the sword against Kenji's.
Kenji's sword moved in a swift motion clashing with Liuxing's.
"Stop here Liuxing." Kenji said.
"I cannot your highness. Either you retreat with your troops or fight me here till I give in."
" I will not retreat Liuxing."
Liuxing and Kenji's sword clashed with a huge ripple of energy, the atmosphere becoming thicker and more sinister with each strike.
It was a spectacle to behold, the swords clanked together. Each strike and counter strike sending sparks.
Kenji's black blade moved swiftly and deadly.
' He is a demon. I am a guardian. Forget it Kenji. Forget the past. He is your rival now. Strike with more force. You have to answer to the heavens. Forget the past.' Kenji convinced himself, repeating each word time to time in his mind.
Kenji's sword seemed to be every where at once. The circular swing method, Liuxing backed away in defense and then struck the sword again counterattacking.
Kenji pushed himself forward and with more energy he swung his blade towards the left, Liuxing raised his sword towards the left and Kenji in a quick and swift motion swung his sword in a circular move again, stabbing Liuxing in the stomach, Kenji's energy flowed out through the sword fatally damaging Liuxing's energy.
Kenji's eyes welled up with tears, his hands almost falling apart, he himself almost falling apart as he felt the pain of that stab, he felt himself stab someone whom he saw himself in but instead of pulling his sword away, Kenji pushed his sinister energy to attack more. Liuxing's sword fell to the ground. His eyes seemed as if he was hurt, not just physically.
"Hurt me…" he said his voice as low as a murmur.
Kenji eyebrows furrowed with pain, it was as if he himself was feeling the pain, kenji screamed as the pain grew. The sword was stabbing Liuxing but Kenji felt the pain of his energy being torn apart. He was projecting Liuxing's pain to himself....
"Hurt me!" Liuxing screamed, holding Kenji's arm with both of his hands he screamed, tears threatening to flow out of his eyes, "Hurt me. Hurt me. Stop doing this. Hurt me."
If the pain would be directed to Kenji, Liuxing would not feel any pain. Liuxing would be deprived of energy for a few hours or even days but he would feel no pain. However, in this way, Kenji would feel all the pain even after not having his energy damaged by himself but the pain that he would feel might damage his energy again, after all he did not even completely recover from the last injury, he would feel every inch of that stab, he would be the one who would struggle with the gut wrenching pain.
"Stop this. Stop this." Liuxing struggled as he saw the pain grow more and more reflective and intense through Kenji's eyes. Kenji deepens the stab. Liuxing's eyes could not hold back the tears anymore.
"No no no, my lord, I beg you, all of you stop him, come ahead he is projecting the pain to himself, stop this, stop this. Don't do this. Hurt me. Hurt me. Stop this." He screamed, holding the blade he pushed himself backwards, collapsing on the ground.
The guards and Shen along with Chao Xing already ran towards Kenji went they heard about him projecting the pain.
"My lord, no Shen go-" The voice seemed to muffle in the background, Kenji felt his vision turn blurry. The blade fell to the ground. He could still see blurred figures of guards and Shen along Xing panicking. He collapsed to the ground, he could see Liuxing collapsed on the ground. He felt his body get picked up.
Somewhere, they were carrying him somewhere.
Kenji would rather hurt himself than hurt that kid, how could he hurt the kid for whom he suffered banishment, a fall from grace, more than thousand criticism and disappointment of Superior Guardian. He tried, he tried everything possible to convince himself that Liuxing is not that kid anymore, he is the demon and Kenji himself was a guardian, they were meant to be rivals, he should forget everything about past. He felt weak, desperate and helpless when he felt the past grip him by his throat and strangle him till he could not convince himself anymore, till he could not murmur the words — "he is your rival, he is a demon, do not let the past hold you back, you are a guardian, this is weak of you to do it."