The air was thick with tension, suffocating in its weight. Every breath felt heavier than the last, every heartbeat louder than before. Reika's sword was steady in her hand, but her grip tightened, the knuckles turning white. Her breath was controlled—slow, measured—but inside, her pulse hammered with a frantic rhythm. The Shikiban was no longer just a monster. It was her challenge. Her test. Her reckoning.
The creature circled her, its grotesque limbs moving with a disturbing grace, the long claws scraping against the stone floor with an almost musical rhythm. Its eyes, glowing red with hunger, never left her face. She could feel the malice radiating from it—like a predator sizing up its prey.
But Reika wasn't prey.
Her blade gleamed in the dim light, catching the faint glow of the creature's eyes, its metal surface a reflection of the warrior she had become. The girl who used to hesitate. The girl who was afraid. She was gone. In her place stood a woman who faced death head-on. She could feel it—the weight of the sword in her hand, the cold steel that was no longer a tool of fear but of power.
She would not flinch. She would not run.
The Shikiban lunged. Its claws were impossibly fast, a blur of motion aimed at her throat, but Reika was already moving. Too slow.
Her body reacted before her mind could. She ducked low, her movements a fluid, practiced dance. The creature's claws scraped past her, missing her by a hair's breadth. The force of its strike shattered the stone beneath her, debris flying in every direction, the impact reverberating through the floor like a thunderclap.
But Reika didn't flinch. She didn't hesitate.
In a single, fluid motion, she twisted on her heel, her body spinning, and her blade followed. The air sliced with the sound of steel against flesh, and the Shikiban screeched, its arm falling to the ground with a sickening thud. Black ichor poured from the stump, sizzling as it met the stone.
Reika's breath came faster, but her focus never wavered. It's not enough.
The creature hissed, its broken arm already writhing in an unnatural way. Its flesh rippled, muscles twitching, and in seconds, the wound was closing, the limb reforming at an unnatural speed. Her stomach churned, but she swallowed the rising bile. It heals. That meant it could die just as quickly.
Reika flicked her wrist, the blood staining the blade, but it felt like nothing. The creature's healing was only temporary. The real battle had only just begun.
Her eyes locked with the Shikiban's. A deadly dance.
"Is that all you've got?" Reika muttered under her breath, her voice as cold as ice. The challenge hung in the air.
The creature's grin was more grotesque than human, its jagged teeth flashing as it let out an eerie laugh. It's enjoying this.
But Reika wasn't about to give it the satisfaction. She readied herself as the creature lunged again, its claws cutting through the air like a streak of lightning. This time, Reika didn't dodge.
She anticipated.
Sidestep.
With a dancer's grace, she pivoted, her feet sliding across the stone floor as the claws missed her by a hair. The wind from the strike brushed her skin—too close. The creature's movement was lightning-fast, but Reika's instincts were sharper. The wind had barely cooled the sweat on her brow before she struck.
Her sword slashed through the air, the curve of the steel sharp and precise. The creature howled as her blade cut into its chest, digging deep into its monstrous form. Blood—their blood—spilled onto the ground, thick and dark.
The Shikiban staggered back, gasping for air as its body twitched and spasmed. But Reika was already moving again. No hesitation.
She closed the gap between them in a single breath, her sword raised high, ready for the killing blow. Her heart beat faster now, but it wasn't fear. No, it was something far more dangerous—fury.
The Shikiban grinned again, the wound in its chest already stitching itself closed at an impossible speed. Her stomach flipped.
What is this thing?
Before she could react, the creature's claw shot out with a brutal, uncaring speed. It was too fast for her to block—too fast for her to dodge completely. The claws scraped across her shoulder, tearing through her sleeve, and pain exploded through her side. She gritted her teeth, but she didn't stop.
No. Not now.
Blood oozed from the gash, but Reika's focus never wavered. She refused to let the pain control her. She refused to be afraid.
Her heart beat loud in her chest as she surged forward, her body moving faster than she'd ever moved before. The creature's claw swung downward, aimed at her head with terrifying speed. In that instant, the world narrowed. Her focus was absolute.
She was already gone.
Her body shifted, a blur of motion, and the Shikiban's claw missed her entirely. She was faster now, faster than the creature's feral instincts. She sliced her sword through the air in a wide arc, the blade flashing in the dim light before sinking deep into the Shikiban's side.
It was a deep, clean strike, one that should have killed it. The creature howled, the force of her blow sending it staggering backward, its body twitching in a grotesque spasm. Blood spilled from the wound, dark and sickening, but the creature didn't stop.
It wasn't over.
Reika didn't wait. She didn't hesitate.
In a single, smooth motion, she lunged again, her body an unstoppable force. Her sword drove forward with the precision of a viper, and this time, the creature didn't have time to react. Her blade pierced its heart, the steel sinking deep into the dark, pulsing organ that kept it alive.
The Shikiban screamed—a long, drawn-out shriek that echoed in the vast chamber. But it was no longer the sound of a predator. It was the sound of a dying animal.
And then, silence.
Reika stood over the creature's fallen form, chest heaving with exertion. Her sword was slick with blood, and her body ached with every movement. But there was no fear anymore. No hesitation. She had faced death—and she had won.
Victory.
The creature's body lay crumpled at her feet, its glowing eyes dimming as the life drained from it. The black ichor continued to spill from the wound, but its movements were still. Its regeneration had stopped. Reika wiped her blade clean, her breath steadying as the adrenaline faded, replaced with a quiet satisfaction.
Her shoulder throbbed, but the pain no longer mattered.
I did it. She had fought—and won. The fear that once clung to her was gone, erased by the fire within her.
And as she stepped away from the fallen creature, the faintest smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.
Elsewhere, Yeaga stood alone amidst the carnage of fallen Shikiban. His bloodied blade hung loosely at his side, the smirk on his face unreadable as another creature approached.
"You never learn," Yeaga muttered under his breath.
The creature lunged.
But Yeaga didn't move. Not yet.
In a blur of motion, he vanished—faster than sight—and reappeared behind the creature. A thin red line appeared across its neck, the cleanest cut. The creature froze mid-air before its head fell to the floor with a sickening thud.
Yeaga wiped his blade clean, eyes calm. "Next."
Meanwhile, Daigo and Ishigo stood back to back, surrounded by a dozen Shikiban. Their glowing eyes filled with malice.
Daigo cracked his knuckles, grinning. "Man, this is bullshit."
Ishigo wiped blood from his lip, eyes steely. "Focus."
The battle raged on, the two warriors moving as one. Daigo ducked under a strike, his fist connecting with a Shikiban's chest, sending it flying into a wall with a sickening crunch.
"Two down," Daigo grinned. "How many left?"
Ishigo glanced around, his expression grim. "Too many."
"Then let's finish it."