Reika's heart pounded in her chest, a drumbeat too loud, too quick. The wind around her howled like a beast starved of flesh, a maddening, ceaseless roar.
Her grip on the knife tightened, her knuckles white, the metal slick with the remnants of her previous battle. She could feel the sting of every drop of blood, every cut, as if the storm itself was feeding on her weariness.
The Wind Shikiban stood before her, its twisted form barely visible in the howling chaos of the storm.
It flickered in and out of sight, a silhouette of shifting shadows, its voice a mockery that danced on the edge of the storm.
"Is this truly the best you can do, Kagetsu Reika?"The voice was deep, unnatural, like a thousand voices whispering in unison. "I thought you would be more impressive. A blade and some wind won't save you here."
Reika's jaw clenched, but she didn't respond. Words were meaningless now. She was past the point of banter, past the point of bravado. Each breath felt like a struggle against the suffocating weight of the storm.
Every inch she moved was a battle, the wind pressing against her like a physical force. She could feel the cold bite of the wind, sharp enough to cut, seeping into her skin, draining her energy, her resolve.
The Shikiban swirled around her, its form barely more than a blur. The wind itself seemed to take on a life of its own, a monstrous, invisible hand reaching for her throat, clawing at her with icy fingers.
Her legs burned. Every step felt like dragging concrete behind her, yet she forced herself to stay light on her feet, moving with the knife in hand, ready to strike, ready to kill.
"Is this really your limit, Reika?" the Shikiban mocked again, its voice swirling around her like the wind itself. "You know what happens to those who fail, don't you?"
Her teeth ground together. "I don't fail," she muttered to herself, though the doubt crept in like a thief in the night. Her hands shook, the exhaustion creeping in, but she wasn't going to stop. She couldn't. If she did, that would be the end of it.
The wind shifted again, whipping around her in a vicious frenzy, and she barely managed to duck in time as a gust struck with the force of a battering ram. It sent her stumbling to the side, feet slipping in the loose sand as she regained her balance.
She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stay upright.
The Shikiban was relentless, its form flickering through the storm, and for a moment, Reika couldn't even see it—only feel the razor-sharp winds that tore at her skin. A cold sweat dripped down the back of her neck, mingling with the dirt and blood.
The fight was wearing her down, her body screaming in protest, but there was no time for weakness. Not yet.
"You think you can win this? You're already broken," the Shikiban taunted, its voice coming from every direction, overwhelming, suffocating. "You're already lost."
No.
Her mind screamed the word, even as her body faltered. I won't lose.
She closed her eyes, took a steadying breath, and when she opened them again, she was more focused, more certain. The wind, the chaos—it no longer had control. She did.
Reika's eyes narrowed, every muscle in her body coiled with the anticipation of the next attack. She didn't wait for the Shikiban to strike again. She was done with being the one on the defensive. She was done being mocked.
The storm around her roared, but she welcomed it.
The Shikiban lunged at her from above, a swirling mass of wind and shadow, its claws aimed to shred her in an instant. But Reika was faster.
She twisted, ducking beneath its reach, and as she came up, she slashed the blade through the air. The wind howled with the force of her strike, the knife cutting through the current like it was nothing more than paper.
A scream split the air.
The Shikiban shrieked, its form briefly faltering as Reika's blade made contact with its ethereal body, drawing a streak of blood from its chest. The scent of iron mingled with the scent of earth and wind, thick and metallic, and it sent a surge of triumph through her.
But she didn't let herself linger on it.
She had no time for victory yet.
The Shikiban was quick to recover, reforming in the blink of an eye, but Reika was already moving again. She rushed forward, trusting in her speed, trusting in the momentum of the storm. She had to get close. Close enough to finish it.
The Shikiban snarled, its body flickering once again, but Reika was already on top of it, her knife raised high. The wind bent to her will, twisting around her, becoming a weapon in her hands.
"You want me to fail?"she hissed, her voice low and dangerous. "I won't give you that satisfaction."
With a primal scream, she drove the knife down into the heart of the Shikiban, the steel sinking deep into its chest. The wind screamed in agony, the storm swirling into a violent frenzy, but Reika held firm, her hands locked around the hilt of the blade.
The creature's body flickered one last time, a brief, final attempt to escape. Then, with a violent gust, it vanished into nothingness, the wind collapsing in on itself.
Reika stood there, chest heaving, hands trembling. The storm raged on around her, but the Shikiban was gone. The silence that followed was deafening, the weight of the fight finally lifting from her shoulders.
Her legs buckled beneath her, but she caught herself before hitting the ground. She wasn't done yet. Not even close.
Her breath came in ragged gasps, each inhale a battle against the burning in her lungs, the ache in her muscles.
She looked at the blade in her hand, still slick with the creature's blood, and for a moment, she let herself feel the fear.
The fear that had clawed at the edges of her resolve. The fear that had whispered in her ear, telling her to give up.
But she hadn't. And she wouldn't.
With a slow exhale, she wiped the sweat from her brow, her heart still racing. The fight was far from over.
She could still hear the wind, distant now, but still there. The storm wasn't finished.
And neither was she.