<h4>Chapter 15: Burning Flesh</h4>


    Ty''s breathing grew heavy. He dropped to one knee, feeling the sting of a deep gash on his back and the unmistakable pain of a broken rib. ncing at his wrist, he noticed the watch beginning to sh red.


    "Why is this thing blinking now?" he gasped, trying to catch his breath.


    But there wasn''t a moment to waste. Another Samurai, brandishing a pure ck de, lunged at him with deadly intent. With a swift movement, the Samurai aimed for a powerful downward strike.


    In desperation, Ty swung his invisible de upward, managing to slice the guard''s de in half. The shattered pieces fell to the ground, echoing a metallic tter.


    The guard, momentarily stunned, discarded his broken weapon. Switching tactics, he lunged at Ty with a fierce punch, his fist encased in solid armor.


    Though Ty attempted a counter, hisck of experience with the de betrayed him. He only managed a partial deflection, slicing a piece of flesh off the Samurai''s armored hand. The Samurai''s retaliation was swift and brutal—a direct punch thatnded squarely on Ty''s face.


    With the world spinning around him, Ty crumpled to the ground,nding beside Elithira. He looked at her with deep concern, desperate for a response. In return, she offered a weak smirk, saying, "It''s okay. This is beyond your skill level. I have a n. Just let them capture me and make your escape through the back door. I can create a distraction for you."


    "No!" Ty interrupted, noticing cracks forming on his watch. Pulling his de close, ck mes erupted, slowly burning away the flesh around him. Elithira coughed, managing to say, "No, you idiot, I''m being seri—" before another fit of coughing interrupted her, a grim reminder that she hadn''t yet adapted to the poison.


    Ty didn''t hesitate. He lunged at the injured Samurai while two others tried to nk him. His eyes shimmered a vivid green, sharpening his perception. In a swift, fluid motion, he dropped low, evading both their strikes. Rising, he shed upwards with his ethereal de, murmuring, "Air de," and split the Samurai before him in half.


    A chilling breath slipped from Ty''s mouth, with frost forming on his lips. Even after seeing their ally cut down, the des of the other two Samurai didn''t falter. They closed in on him from behind, their movements relentless.


    Whirling around, Ty managed to block their attacks, but theirbined force was too much. He was hurled against a wall. From a distance, Tusandro''s voice echoed with frustration, "Stop ying around and just finish him!"


    Ty''s breaths were heavy as he said, "Elithira, tell me you need to be saved." The poison marks on her face began to fade, and she tried to answer, "I, I don''—"


    But before she could finish, she coughed hard and dropped to one knee.


    "That''s all I needed to hear," Ty dered. The two guards moved to attack him again. To Elithira''s surprise, he let go of his de. She managed to say, "What are you doing?"


    A de dug into Ty''s shoulder, making him wince. He reacted with a punch to the face of one guard, who looked crazy. The second guard swung his de, but Ty caught it with his hand. With a quick move, he broke the de in two.


    Then, the watch on Ty''s wrist broke apart. The pieces fell and turned into a ck puddle that slowly came back together on the floor.


    Ty''s hands reached out as the ck mass around him faded, revealing a skeleton form. The scent of the ck mes had ckened it, and cracks of green snaked across its surface. Expressionless, Ty moved swiftly, his de cutting through the guards. In moments, theyy lifeless on the floor.


    The final four guards charged, each choosing a different angle of attack. Around Ty, a vortex of ck mes roared to life. Inside his chest, a red mark glowed, splitting into eight fragments. The core fragment transitioned from red to green.


    Time seemed to distort as the mes reached out, ensnaring each guard in its fiery grasp. Their armor, designed for protection, betrayed them. It began to melt, adhering to their flesh. One by one, they tried in vain to strike at Ty, but the intense heat consumed them until only ashes remained.


    Ty then turned his gaze to Tusandro, dering, "No one hurts my friends." With an outstretched skeleton hand, he summoned the hilt lying on the floor. It levitated to his grip, encased in an invisible force.


    Tusandro, face drenched in sweat and terror evident in his eyes, yelled, "W-what are you?" Hastily, he weaved hand signs and traced a circle around him. Picking up his own de, blue sparks crackled along its length. "Are you some dark summoning from that woman?" he used.


    Ty began to answer, "No, I a—." But suddenly, a shockwave hit him. Rigidity overtook his form. The sword slipped from his grasp, and he copsed to one knee. His vision blurred, and the world started fading. Thest image imprinted on his mind was Tusandro''s face, a smirk tinged with concern.