Chapter 46- Lose

The demon flicked the coin high into the air. Then in a flash he was off and charged toward the group with the small blade in his hand. Before Sotsu even had time to react Breeze also began a charge to meet Croh. There was the faint sound of metal hitting metal as Breeze’s parried a very slight swipe from Croh, but the black echidna just passed by Breeze and was going for the main of the group.

Sotsu pulled the triggers over and over but Croh seemed to pass between the blasts, as they were nothing. The green tattered cape flapped vividly as the black echidna made it close. Sotsu dived to the side as Croh swiped inward. Wolf jumped out in front of the dirk-wielding echidna with a wide swipe from his blow only to easily be sidestepped. The coin reached it’s arc and now was hastily falling to the ground. Croh took a mere blink of in eye to send a strike to the coin and send it back into the air. And before anyone could notice, he was back on attack mode again in the very same spot he had left from.

Wolf jabbed his bo toward the echidna and with cat-like grace Croh flipped over landing a hand on top of the wooden shaft, and using it to level a swift kick to the ex-earthling’s head. Before Wolf had time to drop to the ground Croh had got off the bo and ran by Wolf slashing him in the ribs. Crimson life-fluids jetted for a second before Sotsu’s friend hit the ground with a loud thud.

He was nothing more then a flying blur of green and black, a streak of silver being pulled about with it. An unstoppable demon of immense power, and yet, he seemed nothing more then a poor, lost echidna.

He ran straight for whoever was in his immediate front. Charging with almost recklessness. His blood red eyes took in the sight of Welkin, the doberman wielding his military broad sword. Welkin took a horizontal swipe at the black echidna, Croh found his way inside the swipe and with one hand pressing on the canine’s back, the other pressed the dirk into his stomach. Welkin spat forth a good amount of blood before falling to the ground. Red now stained the hands and blade of the villain.

The coin reached it’s arc and began to fall. Croh didn’t take his eyes off his next target, he knew where the coin was, and he knew he would be able to knock the currency back up before it hit the ground. Without slowing pace he rolled under a slash from Eron and continued his in-human swiftness toward Gray. The metal-clad echidna opened a blazing salvo with Spitfire, it was no use. Croh simply seemed to run through the bullets as if they were air. The scarecrow-echidna took his left foot to the red echidna and pushed up. The demon pulled himself into Gray stabbing the echidna in the chest, now with his legs tucked on the echidna’s chest he pressed off maneuvering a black flip, empty gattling shells exploded outward as the echidna did this. Gray fell backwards with the gattling shells clattering about, a large hole now in his chest plating.

It was another fragment of a second before the coin rang out loudly having been hit back high into the air, and Croh was onto his next target. Croh rolled underneath Yasha as the blade swiftly passed over his tall brown hat, and Shekaru was locked into the black echidna’s sight. As the black-clad feline lifted her hammer the dirk already found her open stomach. Another slash from Eron was evaded and Croh brought his arm about sending the dirk into his chest. Sotsu took off another fifty shots only to find the other black echidna had maneuvered about them and now neared Quicksilver.

The yellow Guardian took a few swipes at the black demon. Croh easily ducked the jab, he evaded right as a punched aimed toward the abdomen passed by. He preformed a back flip in order to avoid an uppercut, then landing in a crouching position he blasted off with both legs and pushed the dagger into the other echidna’s chest. Then using the left over momentum he back somersaulted and passing his weapon to his left hand shot that arm back to feel the warm life-fluids of Jim run down his dark, gloved hands.

Generation shot off multiple times only to have her be ignored as the echidna dashed forward and pressed his blade into Carmen’s stomach. A bright streak of white moon light flashed as Eron’s blood sped out following the path of the slash that found his thigh. Before he could attack the gray hedgehog again Karzola shot in her blade. Croh passed to the right as it slipped by, the cold metal only millimeters from biting into the echidna’s soft fur. He shot backward quickly to hit the coin high back into the air, this time though on his return he maintained his incomprehensible speed. Two flickers of moonlight and Karzola and Eron were grounded with puddles of blood forming about them.

The only ones left standing were Sotsu, Raven, Generation, and Breeze. Raven dashed forward sending a quick slash across, Croh merely took a light leap back as the blade leapt across the expanse of the fox’s reach. Raven struck out again following the path of his collar, a graceful dialog slash going upward, yet once again Croh evaded by a mere stray hair’s worth. Sotsu charged in now with dual shadow blades in hand. As Sotsu crossed by with his blades extended in an attempt to perform a run-by slash, Croh leapt on the Black Knight’s back pressing his blade deep into his left side, then he pressed off, hitting the ground rolling by Raven. As he passed the fox he jutted out his left hand sending the blade into the samurai’s right side. The Black Knight and the Black Fox of Destruction hit the ground in near unison. Generation simply stumbled to the ground as she backed up in panic. The echidna ran back a ways, sending a blow to the coin to send it air-borne again.

The sinister demon simply flipped his blade high into the air then upon catching it he sent it speeding toward Generation. The hard pummel of the blade struck her upside the head, knocking her unconscious. Breeze stood there, not even with her guard up though a small dirk of her own held posed for fighting.

"Why didn’t you attack me?" Croh asked in his normal thick voice.

"Because if I did while you were busy with the others I could have killed you," she replied menacingly.

"Do you incline on letting them know how powerful you are?" the echidna questioned, tilting his head to one side.

"Don’t be absurd, I wouldn’t do something as foolish as that. Especially not after what happened last time. And those people did die because of you," she scolded harshly.

"These won’t. I only gave them minor wounds. Though I do intend on killing you, perhaps later though," the echidna stated with a shrug.

"Why not now? It’s just you and me. We can finish this once and for all!"

"Because, we won’t be alone for very long. The others are here and I would like to know how this plays out," Croh said as he took up the blade he tossed at Generation.

"Others?" Breeze asked quizzically.

"Yes, so I must be going. Have fun with your friends," he replied.

With that he dashed off, as he passed by the squirrel he pressed his blade into her stomach. She gagged forth blood and collapsed. He held out his hand as the small coin landed gently in the palm. As she hit the ground, Sonic the Hedgehog came into view, just at the edge of camp. Shortly following him where the other Freedom Fighters along with the other ex-earhtlings, Croh was no where to be seen.

A slight chill wind picked up as the arriving group looked upon the carnage in silence. Many questions they held, but the shock was too great for any of them to speak. They stood terrorized. The carnage in front of them was beyond anything they had witnessed.

"Looks like someone beat us here," Sonic assumed in a silent and fear filled voice.

-Nicholas D. Wolfwood-