Death loomed close. But Reika was closer.
The wind shrieked like a starving beast, its howl reverberating through the barren landscape. The storm, an unseen force, swirled in the distance—an enemy far more dangerous than any Reika had faced before.
Blood dripped from her split lip, staining her chin as she fought to steady her breathing—ragged, but controlled. Every muscle in her body screamed in protest, and her ribs felt like they might cave in at any moment, but stopping wasn't an option.
Damn it. My ribs… Can't breathe. But I'm not dying here.
Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her knife, the blade slick with the essence of her last kill. Though it had grown heavier with each battle, it now felt strangely familiar. An extension of herself. I won't lose. I'm not weak.
A mocking laugh sliced through the chaos. It slithered in, smooth and cruel.
"Weak?" A voice, soft yet powerful, like a whispering gale. "No, you humans are worse than weak. You're blind."
The air twisted around her, coiling with a life of its own. The wind was no longer just a force of nature—it was an entity, a Shikiban. Its form barely visible in the tempest, but present, a swirling mass of air and fury.
"You step into our domain," it continued, its voice a mixture of disdain and pity, "bleeding, exhausted, barely standing… and still, you believe you can win?"
Damn right, I do.
Reika's legs threatened to buckle beneath her, but she forced them to stay steady. If she stopped moving, she would die. No hesitation. No fear.
She rolled her shoulders, trying to shake off the excruciating pain. Her breath came in shallow bursts. "Talk all you want. I'm still standing."
The Shikiban's voice sharpened. It was no longer a whisper; it was a howl of wrath. "Not for long."
FWOOOSH!
The wind tore through the air with the force of a thousand invisible blades. Every gust felt like it could tear her apart.
Too fast—
The wind slammed into her with the power of a tidal wave.
CRACK.
Pain exploded in her ribs. Blood burst from her mouth as she was lifted off the ground, the storm spinning her like a ragdoll. She tried to scream, but no sound came.
The pressure grew worse. Crushing. Suffocating.
"You can't fight what you can't touch," the Shikiban whispered, its voice a venomous hiss in her ear.
Her lungs burned. Her vision blurred, flickering in and out. Damn it. If I black out, it's over.
She could feel herself slipping, but she refused to give in.
Focus. Think.
The wind was everywhere. She couldn't fight it directly, but maybe… maybe she could use it.
A spark of realization shot through her mind. If the wind was her enemy, then she had to become one with it.
Reika stopped struggling. Instead of fighting the storm, she let it carry her. She twisted her body, shifting with the current. If she couldn't resist it, she would flow with it.
The same force that had been tearing her apart suddenly launched her forward with terrifying speed.
The Shikiban hesitated. What—?
Too late.
SLASH!
Reika's knife cut through the heart of the storm. The wind screamed in fury as the blade connected.
A piercing, high-pitched scream tore through the air, as if the storm itself was crying out in agony. The Shikiban's form trembled, then began to unravel, its body disintegrating like sand swept away by a fierce gust.
"Impossible… I am the wind… I cannot be—"
Reika stood tall, her voice cold as ice. "Then be the wind somewhere else."
With one final strike, she drove her blade deep into the heart of the storm.
The wind collapsed into nothingness.
Silence.
Reika exhaled, the relief of victory bittersweet. She rolled her shoulders, trying to shake off the lingering energy that still crackled through her veins. Her knife, still slick with the Shikiban's essence, felt heavier—more alive.
The last remnants of the Shikiban flickered and vanished around her. But then—
THUMP.
A surge of warmth shot up her arm, flooding her senses. The knife pulsed in her grip, its weight shifting. It darkened. The edges sharpened further, stretching longer. A faint, ethereal glow illuminated the blade, tracing her name along its length.
Her heart skipped a beat. What is this?
Power hummed beneath her fingertips. It was stronger now—faster. Deadlier. She could feel it, deep in her bones. Her knife had evolved.
Her lips curled into a smirk. "Nice."
Then—
Rumble.
The ground trembled beneath her. The earth shifted as though the world itself acknowledged her victory. Without warning, a massive gate materialized before her, iron-framed and ominous, like a dark portal to an unknown hell.
Reika frowned, her pulse quickening. "Wait a second… The gate only appears after two kills."
A whisper, soft as the wind, drifted through the space.
"I held the strength of two… That is why you may proceed."
The final embers of the Shikiban's essence flickered and vanished, leaving Reika alone with the gate.
Her mind raced, questions swirling in her head. The gate had appeared after just one kill. Why? The answer wasn't clear, but one thing was certain—the next level would be worse. She could feel the weight of it—the pressure building like a storm on the horizon.
Tightening her grip on her now-enlarged knife, Reika stepped forward.
The air around her grew colder, sharper—more oppressive. The storm had subsided, but the ominous feeling in her gut remained.
She could already feel the next trial waiting beyond the gate.
The Shikiban were growing stronger.
And so was she.