The knee connected, sending sparks of pain through his side and making Takasugi's vision blur slightly. It was intense enough to make bile tickle the back of his throat again, and he knew he was going to lose consciousness soon if he didn't take care of his wounds.

Gritting his teeth and trying to breathe through the pain, he kept Sanzo pinned to the ground, increasing the amount of force used to hold down his limbs. His eye went towards the knife, knowing he had to dislodge it from his hand quickly if he planned on keeping himself from being stabbed. He increased the pressure on Sanzo's wrists, attempting to force him to drop it, but there wasn't much strength left in his arms, either. The only thing animating him now was sheer strength of will. He just knew he had to live -live and return to Edo to complete his goals.

He couldn't die here and now. His death wouldn't be wasted on something so meaningless to him.