The ice beneath Reika's boots groaned under the weight of the battle, her breath ragged and her pulse echoing in her ears. Blood, dark and thick, stained her hand and dripped onto the frost, a stark contrast to the pale landscape.
Her hand throbbed, but the cold numbed the pain enough for her to ignore it. She couldn't afford to show weakness.
Before her, four Shikiban stood, their presence a suffocating pressure in the storm.
Their eyes were hollow with disdain, but in them, she saw something else. Hunger. They were circling her like predators, the freezing air thick with malevolence.
The tallest of the four, his silver hair cascading like a frozen waterfall, stepped forward.
His piercing gaze was cold—devoid of emotion, save for an almost cruel amusement. The others flanked him, icy blades drawn, but it was the leader who spoke.
"You should've stayed out of our way, human," he hissed, voice as sharp as the shards of ice clinging to the frozen battlefield. "Now, you'll pay the price for your defiance."
Reika's knuckles tightened around her blade, a flicker of something burning deep in her chest. She wasn't about to back down. Not now. Not ever.
"You've underestimated me,"she replied, her voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through her veins. This was no ordinary fight. This was survival.
In a blur, the four Shikiban moved. Their movements were fluid, a seamless choreography of death as they attacked in unison, the cold light of their blades glinting like the edge of a winter storm.
Instinct alone guided Reika's movements. She spun, her body a blur of motion as she evaded the first strike—an ice spear lunging toward her chest. She darted to the side, only to meet the second Shikiban's attack—a flurry of razor-sharp shards slashing in every direction. She ducked low, feeling the wind of the ice whiz past her head.
Her heart pounded, and the cold gnawed at her muscles, but there was something else—something more. The desperation to win, to protect those behind her, surged through her veins.
She was pushed to her limits, but instead of faltering, she leveled up—a surge of energy, raw and unrefined, exploded from within.
Her sword began to hum with a radiant aura, the blade glowing faintly as she tapped into the dormant power she had barely begun to understand.
"Impressive," the Shikiban leader sneered, watching as the ice began to shimmer and distort around Reika. "But it's too late."
"Not yet,"Reika hissed under her breath.
With a primal roar, she launched forward, her blade a streak of light against the darkened storm. The Shikiban leader parried her blow with his own icy blade, the shockwave sending a violent tremor through her arm, but she didn't stop. She pushed forward, channeling every ounce of her willpower into the attack.
Each strike she landed on the Shikiban leader fractured the ice around them, sending shards flying in all directions, creating a deadly maze of frozen weapons. The other three Shikiban moved in, attempting to flank her, but Reika's energy had shifted. The fight had become something else—frenzied, raw, and untamed.
With an explosive pivot, she blocked one attack with her blade and used the momentum to spin, striking the second Shikiban's shoulder with a brutal slash. The ice cracked and shattered under the force of her blow, but she didn't hesitate. Her instincts were guiding her now.
The third Shikiban lunged, aiming for her midsection, but Reika anticipated his movement. She dropped low, sweeping his legs out from under him with a fast, calculated kick.
His icy body slammed into the ground, but before she could finish him off, the leader appeared at her side, his ice blade aimed at her throat.
Time seemed to slow.
Reika's eyes locked with his. The Shikiban leader's smirk was gone now, replaced by a cold fury. She could feel the weight of his power, the crushing pressure of the impending blow.
But something inside her snapped.
In a heartbeat, Reika leapt backward, landing on the frozen ground in a crouch. Her eyes burned with the fire of determination. She wasn't just fighting for herself anymore. She was fighting for everyone she loved.
The energy coursing through her surged again, stronger this time. Her sword crackled with energy, and with one final roar, she launched herself forward once more, slashing with such force that the air itself seemed to scream in response.
The four Shikiban were caught off guard. Her blade cut through the leader's icy spear like paper, sending the shards spiraling into the wind.
The shock on his face was enough to give her the edge. In a single fluid motion, Reika pressed forward, landing a devastating blow to his chest. The force sent him flying backward, crashing into the ice, shattering it beneath him.
The remaining three Shikiban hesitated, their faces filled with disbelief as their leader lay defeated, his icy form crumbling into the storm.
But it wasn't over.
From the shattered ice, the leader slowly stood, his form flickering with an otherworldly cold. His eyes were filled with malice, his body radiating an aura that sent a chill deeper than the frozen earth itself.
"You may have won this round, but you're not leaving here alive," he growled, his voice filled with a bitter promise.
Reika wiped the sweat from her brow, her breath heavy but steady. The fight wasn't over yet.
She faced him once more, her sword raised high, a beacon of defiance against the encroaching storm. The air around them trembled, charged with the fury of the coming battle.
The real fight was just beginning.