Third Person POV
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Shiki and Fujino were locked in a fierce exchange, their weapons colliding with relentless force. Each clash sent sparks flying, lighting up the tension between them.
They were completely absorbed in the fight. The rule about not killing each other had faded from their minds, Now, it was the opposite—they were both aiming for blood.
Whuush!
Fujino hurled the buzzsaw, the blade spinning as it cut through the air. Shiki sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the attack, but the weapon wasn't done. In a flash, the buzzsaw reversed its path, pulled back by the chain attached to it.
Shiki moved again, her body twisting just enough to avoid a fatal hit. Even so, the blade grazed her, leaving a thin line of blood on her arm.
The bracelet on Fujino's wrist revealed its second function. Like a coiled snake, the chain attached to the buzzsaw reeled it back into the reflective mirror embedded in the bracelet. But just before it disappeared completely, Fujino caught it, gripping the weapon tightly.
Shiki glanced at the thin line of blood on her arm. Her heartbeat quickened.
Thump!
A smile crept onto her face. The emptiness she carried deep in her heart was being replaced by something she hadn't felt in a long time—excitement.
Her eyes locked onto Fujino.
Thump!
Without hesitation, Shiki threw her knife. Fujino blocked it with her buzzsaw, metal clashing against metal. Shiki jumped back, retreating toward the edge of the forest.
Fujino retaliated by throwing her buzzsaw again, the blade slicing through the air. It narrowly missed a tree, embedding itself deeper into the forest.
Seizing the opportunity, Shiki grabbed the chain trailing behind the buzzsaw. She pulled, intending to drag Fujino toward her. But no matter how hard she pull, the chain kept extending, endlessly stretching without resistance.
She heard the buzzsaw somewhere behind her, maneuvering through the forest. Shiki couldn't figure out Fujino's plan, but something about it felt dangerous.
Realizing she needed to act fast, Shiki stepped out of hiding and rushed toward Fujino. She sprinted as fast as she could, watching as Fujino activated her Mystic Eyes once again.
Shiki's blade came down, cutting through the invisible force in her path. But before she could reach Fujino, an explosion roared behind her. Normally, Shiki wouldn't look back—her focus was always on the target ahead. But this time, she felt it. If she didn't turn around, she would regret it.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw it: countless tree trunks hurtling toward her like jagged spears.
Fujino had planned for this.
She knew her Mystic Eyes wouldn't work on Shiki—Shiki would simply cut through anything in her way. Fighting her in close combat was just as impossible. So Fujino decided to turn the forest into her weapon.
The buzzsaw had been thrown intentionally wide, not to hit Shiki but to position the chain. Even when Shiki tried to pull her with it, it was futile.
The Chain of a Thousand Miles.
A special-grade cursed tool. As long as one end of the chain was hidden from view, it could extend infinitely. Paired with her Mirror Spirit, the chain could stretch as far as Fujino needed.
When the buzzsaw deep in the forest, it enveloped an entire section of the forest, so fujino use both of her eyes. One was to distort shiki to distract her, while the other one, she used to bend the tree on the forest, destroying it.
Using the function of the mirror, to pull back her chain, it dragged countless tree along with it, and with shiki in its path, its definetly going to hit her along the way.
She realized something important—using her Mystic Eyes directly on Shiki was far less effective than manipulating physical objects to hinder her.
BOOM!
The forest erupted. Splintered trunks and branches collapsed, burying Shiki beneath the wreckage.
Fujino narrowed her eyes at the aftermath.
'The eyes that could see death...'
They're definitely dangerous, but that was the extent of it, wasn't it? No matter how powerful those eyes were, they were meaningless without the ability to act.
At least, that's what Fujino thought.
But she had miscalculated.
Even if Shiki's movement was hindered, her physical abilities weren't something any normal person could comprehend. In the modern age, she could only be described as superhuman.
The pile of trees trembled.
For a moment, Fujino froze.
Swing!
One by one, the trees were cut cleanly, their trunks falling apart in perfect slices.
Just before the crushing weight could reach her, Shiki had thrown her sword into the air. She caught it with her mouth.
She had already realized her arms would be pinned, unable to move under the constriction of the trees. Throwing the sword freed her hands, allowing her to brace against the incoming trunks just enough to create some space to maneuver.
Her strength was monstrous. Shiki's hands pushed against the crushing trees, holding them back for a few seconds. But every moment felt heavier than the last. The chain pulling the trees tighter was relentless, and she could feel the pressure closing in.
Without hesitation, Shiki leaned forward and used her head to slash the lines she could see within the trees. Her sword, clutched between her teeth, severed the first line, then another. Each cut created more breathing room.
Swing!
Swing!
Swing!
Her movements were relentless. With every line she cut, the weight eased, and the space around her grew.
When the pressure lightened enough, Shiki freed her hands and gripped her sword. She slashed through the remaining trees in one fluid motion, her arm tracing perfect paths through the lines that crisscrossed the trunks.
It was like writing calligraphy, each stroke flowing smoothly, connecting effortlessly with the next. Her blade moved as though it was guided by instinct, cutting through the death she saw within the trees. She leapt from trunk to trunk, dragging her sword through each line until nothing remained.
Crumble!
The shattered remains of the forest fell around her. Shiki stepped out of the chaos, her breath steady despite the destruction she had just carved through.
She turned to Fujino, a predatory smile spreading across her face.
"As expected…"
Her voice was filled with excitement, her blood rushing.
"You're the best, Fujino!"
Fujino stared back, silent at first.
"You monster!" she spat.
And then, without another word, the two clashed once more.
This time, there was no strategy, no tricks. Just raw strength and instinct driving their fight. The tension in the air pulled them into a pure clash.
Fujino channeled cursed energy to enhance her body, closing the gap in physical abilities to keep up with Shiki's overwhelming strength.
Shiki swung her sword, aiming for Fujino's side. Fujino met the strike with her buzzsaw, the clash of steel ringing through the air. Using the opening, Fujino wrapped the chain around Shiki, constraining her movement. Without hesitation, she hurled the buzzsaw again, pulling it back instantly with the chain.
With no escape, Shiki twisted her wrist unnaturally to block the incoming buzzsaw from behind.
Clang!
The sharp sound of steel echoed, but Fujino didn't let up. She drove forward and delivered a powerful blow to Shiki's stomach.
Thud!
Shiki grunted but held her ground. Fujino followed up with a punch to her cheek, this time imbued with cursed energy. The force of the strike sent Shiki flying sideways.
Shiki crashed to the ground but pushed herself back to her feet almost instantly. She wiped the corner of her mouth, blood smearing across her fingers, and then smirked.
"It seems we're more alike than you think," Shiki said.
Fujino narrowed her eyes. "Huh?"
"No… not just alike. We're the same kind of person."
Fujino's expression hardened. "No, we're not."
Fujino's denial came quickly, almost instinctive. The idea that she and Shiki were the same unsettled her. Sure, they might be different from most people, but that didn't mean they were alike.
Yet, the way Shiki said it—like it was an undeniable truth—made her stomach churn. It wasn't just their differences from others that Shiki was pointing to. It was something deeper, something she didn't want to acknowledge.
"Yes, we are. Definitely the same kind of person."
"You're just talking nonsense," Fujino snapped, her voice sharp.
But Shiki only chuckled, her amusement growing. Her eyes seemed to look right through Fujino, as though she was peeling away her layers.
"Then why are you smiling?" Shiki asked.
Smiling?
Fujino blinked, confused. Since when had she started smiling? Ever since Geto-sama's death, she hadn't felt happiness, not even a shred of it.
She raised a hand to her face, fingers brushing against her lips. Her mouth was curled upward.
She was smiling.
"See?" Shiki said, her grin widening. "We're the same kind of person. Empty inside."
"No…" Fujino's hands trembled for a moment, but she clenched them into fists. She didn't want to believe it.
Shiki's gaze didn't waver. "Keep denying it. It won't change anything."
Shiki's words cut deep, but there was something unusual in her tone. It wasn't her usual indifference. She was taunting Fujino, deliberately pushing her buttons.
It was out of character for Shiki, yet somewhere deep down, she felt the need to do this.
Shiki didn't entirely understand it herself. She liked Fujino as an opponent, but she also disliked her. There was something about Fujino that made Shiki want to drag her down, to pull her into the same emptiness she lived with.
"Don't give me that crap!" Fujino lashed out, her voice breaking with anger. "You don't know anything about me! Who do you think you are, lumping me together with you?! I'm nothing like you!"
Her outburst was sudden, but the thought of being compared to Shiki—being the same as her—was something that she fundamentally cannot accept.
"What do you mean, empty?! I'm not like you! You don't know anything about me!" Fujino's voice grew louder with each word, but the more she shouted, the more her own words felt hollow.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized it too.
From the moment she met Shiki, Fujino had known there was something fundamentally different about her—a stark contrast to normal humans. But she never dwelled on it. She didn't need to.
She had Geto-sama. She still had Geto to lean on, to guide her.
Her breath caught as she looked at Shiki, who was pointing at her stomach. Confused, Fujino glanced down.
A knife was embedded in her abdomen.
She blinked. There was no pain. No sensation.
"You can't feel pain, can you?"
Fujino did not—could not—feel pain. That part of her had vanished, along with everything else that made her human. All she had left was herself and the memories of Geto—the only thing she treasured.
Shiki could see it.
"Shut up! You don't know anything about me! I'm nothing like you! I still have my past! My connection! I still have Geto-sama!" Fujino snapped, her voice trembling with anger
The words spilled out, but they felt hollow.
Shiki's expression didn't change. She just watched, as though she already know the truth.
Because Fujino's words weren't sincere.
Everything had disappeared the moment Geto died.
That's why she was angry.
Deep down, she knew Shiki was right. They were the same.
But the thought of that—of being the same kind of person as Shiki—made her furious. She couldn't accept it. She didn't want to accept herself. Fujino clung to her memories of Geto, the only thing anchoring her. She preserved her way of life, her purpose, not because she believed in it, but because she was terrified.
If she let go of everything, if she accepted her emptiness, she feared she would lose her connection to Geto forever.
Unlike Shiki, who embraced her emptiness, Fujino rejected it.
Out of stubbornness. Out of fear.
And perhaps, out of pettiness, Shiki wanted Fujino to feel the same way she did.
It was ironic.
Both of them rejected and accepted what the other could not.
Fujino dashed forward, the buzzsaw roaring to life in her hand. She wasn't going to let Shiki utter another word.
Her abdomen bled freely from the stab wound, but it didn't matter. Pain had long since abandoned her body, and the thought of blood loss was a trivial concern. If it came to it, cursed energy or Ieri Shoko could handle the aftermath.
Right now, all she cared about was silencing Shiki.
With a sharp twist of her wrist, Fujino launched the buzzsaw, the chain attached to it unraveling like a serpent. The blade spun wildly, carving through the air as it whipped toward Shiki like a flail.
Shiki's eyes flickered, her pupils narrowing as she twisted her body to evade the blade. The saw grazed past her, slicing a strand of her hair as it dug into a nearby tree, the force cleaving it in two.
Before Shiki could regain her footing, Fujino yanked the chain back. The buzzsaw hurtled toward her again, this time low and fast, aiming for her legs.
Shiki leaped into the air, twisting mid-flight as the buzzsaw whizzed beneath her. Her body moved with unnatural grace, the blade narrowly missing her heels. Fujino didn't let up, swinging the chain in a wide arc.
The chain wrapped around a nearby tree trunk, anchoring itself for a moment. Fujino pulled hard, using the tension to redirect the blade back toward Shiki's chest.
Clang!
Shiki blocked it with her sword, sparks flying as the buzzsaw screeched against the blade.
"That's more like it!" Shiki snarled, her predatory grin widening.
Neither of them showed any signs of stopping.
Not until one of them was dead.
BOOM!
"!"
The ground shook violently, forcing both Shiki and Fujino to pause.
From afar, a massive tangle of branches erupted into view, twisting unnaturally. The sound reverberated through the forest.
They stopped at the same time, their gazes drawn to the towering, grotesque plant in the distance.
Almost instinctively, they turned their heads in the opposite direction. A man stood under the shadow of the trees, watching them silently. They wouldn't have noticed his presence if not for the faint bloodlust that seeped into the air.
Shiki recognized him. It would be strange if she didn't. Even though their encounter had been brief, she remembered his face clearly.
"It's been a while, Ryougi Shiki."
The cursed spirit, Reishin, spoke in a slow, lethargic tone, as if each word required effort.
"What are you doing here?" Shiki's voice was cold, her gaze sharp
She hadn't forgotten the man who had interfered with her enemy. Yet, that wasn't what bothering her now.
Even if Shiki was straightforward in her actions, she wasn't reckless.
"Ah, about last time. Sorry for that. It wasn't personal—just orders," Reishin said, almost lazily. "Honestly, I didn't even want to do it. I'm not the hardworking type. But Mahito... well, he was important. Couldn't just let him get exorcised like that."
"What are you doing here now?" Shiki asked again,
"Hmmm, I can't tell you that," he replied, his voice trailing off as if he couldn't be bothered to explain.
"I see."
Immediately after, Shiki threw the knife in her hand at Reishin. An ice wall formed in the air, rising steadily and blocking the knife. It bounced off and fell to the ground with a dull clink.
The air turned colder. Frost spread across the grass and trees, freezing everything around them. Even the air seemed to crystallize.
"As expected of you," Reishin said, his tone unchanged, though a faint smirk tugged at his lips. The cold seemed to strengthen his oppresive presence.
Shiki glanced around briefly, observing her surroundings. From behind, Fujino approached slowly.
"What are we going to do now? Even though I hate you, it looks like we can't keep fighting."
Shiki cast a brief glance at Fujino before turning her attention back to Reishin. With the cursed spirit now in front of them, it was clear that continuing their clash was no longer an option.
Even Shiki knew how to prioritize. Unless the situation involved Mahito, she was pragmatic enough to shift focus.
And as luck—or misfortune—would have it, the cursed spirit standing before them likely knew something about Mahito. That made Shiki's decision simple.
Slowly, an ice spear formed in Reishin's hand as the air grew colder, frost creeping across the ground.
"Truce?"
"Fine, but don't slow me down," Shiki said without looking at Fujino.
"I could say the same to you,"
For now, both of them entered a temporary truce, shifting their attention to the new opponent before them.
[END]
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That's it for the chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it!
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