The eerie twangs of a biwa echoed through the Infinity Castle, twisting corridors and rooms into an ever-shifting labyrinth. Walls expanded, ceilings flipped, and entire rooms vanished in the blink of an eye. The battlefield itself was alive—changing, warping, bending to the will of the Biwa Demon, Nakime.
Standing in the ever-shifting chamber, Mitsuri Kanroji and Kanae Kocho braced themselves against the unnatural distortions.
Mitsuri twirled her whip-like Nichirin sword and pouted. "Ugh! This place is like a funhouse from hell! And I was hoping for a more romantic setting for my battles!"
Kanae, the ever-graceful former Flower Hashira, simply sighed, her serene expression unwavering. "This demon is trouble. Be careful, Mitsuri."
Nakime, seated cross-legged on a floating platform of tatami mats, plucked her biwa once more, her eerie, dissonant melody sending shockwaves through the space.
"You are lost in my castle," Nakime spoke, her voice calm but filled with absolute confidence. "You will never reach me."
Mitsuri stomped her foot in frustration. "That's cheating! Get down here and fight like a real demon!"
The room suddenly lurched sideways, sending both Hashira tumbling. Mitsuri flipped midair, wrapping her whip-like blade around a pillar and swinging herself to safety. Kanae, with her elegant movements, landed softly atop a floating platform.
"She's warping the battlefield at will," Kanae observed. "We need to get close before she traps us permanently."
Nakime plucked her biwa again—
BANG!
Giant wooden pillars shot out from the walls, aiming to crush them both.
Mitsuri grinned. "Oh, you wanna play rough?! Let's go!"
"Love Breathing: Third Form – Catlove Shower!"
Mitsuri twirled through the air, her whip-like sword slashing apart the incoming wooden pillars with rapid, flickering strikes. Shards of wood rained down, unable to touch her as she spun through them like a dancer in a storm.
Kanae, watching her comrade's momentum, struck next.
"Flower Breathing: Fifth Form – Peonies of Futility!"
She weaved through the debris, her blade a blur of motion as she struck at the remaining wooden pillars with nine consecutive slashes. The pillars crumbled to dust, leaving an opening to move forward.
Nakime, unbothered, simply plucked another string—
FWOOOOM!
Tatami doors materialized out of nowhere, swallowing Mitsuri and Kanae whole!
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—
BAM!
A sword slashed through one of the doors as Mitsuri kicked it open, dragging Kanae with her. "Nope! Not falling for that!"
Kanae chuckled, brushing off dust. "Good instincts, Mitsuri."
Nakime narrowed her eyes. "Persistent, aren't you?"
The Infinity Castle rumbled. Walls twisted into massive wooden serpents, coiling and snapping toward the two Hashira.
Kanae's sharp eyes caught the attack just in time.
"Flower Breathing: Fourth Form – Crimson Hanagoromo!"
She gracefully spun, her blade curving mid-slash, slicing through the wooden serpents like a petal caught in the wind. The serpents collapsed, vanishing into splinters.
Nakime's eyes flickered as she adjusted the battlefield again. The ground beneath them opened—revealing a bottomless pit!
"Not again!" Mitsuri yelped.
She coiled her blade around a floating piece of debris and pulled herself up with pure muscle power. Kanae, ever graceful, used the falling pieces of wood as stepping stones, landing beside her unharmed.
Nakime's fingers twitched. "You two are—"
"Love Breathing: First Form – Shivers of First Love!"
Mitsuri's sword cracked like a whip as she lashed it toward Nakime, striking at her floating platform. Nakime barely had time to shift the castle, pulling her seat away, but the attack still grazed her cheek—splitting open a wound.
For the first time, Nakime looked... annoyed.
"You made me bleed," she whispered.
Mitsuri grinned. "Yup! And I'm just getting started!"
Kanae suddenly closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. When she opened them again, her vision sharpened.
"Now, Mitsuri!" she called.
"Final Form: Equinoctial Vermilion Eye!"
The world slowed for Kanae. Every movement, every shift of Nakime's fingers, every twitch of the castle—she could see it all.
Nakime plucked her biwa to warp the battlefield again—
But Kanae saw it coming.
"Flower Breathing: Sixth Form – Whirling Peach!"
Kanae launched forward in a spinning motion, her sword slicing through the threads of Nakime's manipulation before she could complete her move.
Nakime gasped as her control over the battlefield faltered.
Mitsuri, seizing the moment, leapt into the air. Her eyes burned with determination.
"Love Breathing: Fifth Form – Swaying Love, Wildclaw!"
She somersaulted, her whip-like blade spiraling around her body, slashing at Nakime from all angles. Nakime barely had time to raise the wooden walls to defend herself, but—
CRACK!
Mitsuri's strength shattered them all.
Nakime coughed, her biwa slipping from her fingers.
Kanae landed beside Mitsuri, blade at the ready. "It's over, Nakime."
Nakime gritted her teeth, her form flickering. "No… this castle… is… mine!"
She tried to pluck her biwa again—
"Love Breathing: Sixth Form – Cat-Legged Winds of Love!"
Mitsuri dashed forward, her sword twisting in unpredictable arcs, cutting through Nakime's arms before she could finish the motion.
Nakime staggered.
Kanae followed up.
"Flower Breathing: Second Form – Honorable Shadow Plum!"
Her blade struck in a beautiful spiral, a dance of lethal precision. Nakime's head flew from her shoulders.
For a moment, everything was still.
Then—
The Infinity Castle trembled.
The walls, the floors, the endless corridors—they all began to collapse.
Mitsuri gasped. "Uh-oh, I think she was the one holding this whole place together!"
Kanae wiped her blade. "Then we need to leave. Now."
As Nakime's body turned to ash, the two Hashira leapt through the disintegrating castle, dodging collapsing walls, diving through crumbling corridors, searching for the exit.
Mitsuri pouted mid-air. "Awww, I didn't even get to ask if she had a boyfriend!"
Kanae giggled. "We'll talk about romance after we survive!"
The battle was won.
But the war wasn't over yet.
🔥 TO BE CONTINUED… 🔥