The rainfall was heavy. Each raindrop pummeled the ground with force, creating a symphony of splashes that echoed through the air. The darkened skies boomed with the sound of thunder.

BZZZT—CRACK!

Its deep rumbling vibrations adding an ominous undertone to the storm's intensity.

[LIGHTNING STRIKES AND LOUD RUMBLING NOISES]

As the flashes of lightning streaked across the sky, casting an ethereal glow on the turbulent clouds above, the wind howled through the trees of the forest below, bending them to its will as if nature itself was in a state of turmoil.

In the heart of the forest, a middle-aged man was running. His movements were desperate and frantic; each step was a battle against the raging storm. He was wounded, clasping his bleeding chest with his right arm.

"I could make it in ti—"

"Ghkkk!"

His breath came in ragged gasps as he continued to push forward. The uneven terrain beneath his feet seemed to conspire against him, causing his once sure-footed steps to falter and slow. His knees were shaking, trembling in exhaustion. His senses began to dull.

"NO!"

"I—I..."

The edges of his vision blur, and the world around him recedes into a distant hum, the boundaries between wakefulness and slumber fading into obscurity.

"I—I cannot d-die here."

But then, a deafening whistling bullet pierced the air.

'SWWWWWWFFFFFFPPPPT!'

Its sound lingering and echoing through the dense surroundings. The sharp and shrill noise was followed by an authoritative voice, "Show yourself, you damned Priest!"

It awoke the middle-aged man's senses, his instincts kicking in as adrenaline surged through his veins.

GASP!

With a newfound surge of energy, he mustered the strength to propel himself a few more meters, seeking cover behind a towering acacia tree.

From the tree, as he caught his breath, his gaze fell upon his injury: a searing bullet wound that throbbed with a relentless ache.

"Ghhkk!"

Despite the agony, he resolved to take matters into his own hands, steeling himself as he made the split-second decision to puncture his index finger—

STAB!

—and extract the bullet lodged in his wound.

"Ahkkk! Ghhkkkk!"

It was painful, but what other choice does he have? If he couldn't pull out the bullet at any moment now, he knows that he will surely die.

"Ghhhhkkk!"

"Aghhhkkk!"

As the bullet was finally dislodged, he acted swiftly, crumpling it into bits.

CRUMPLE!

Subsequently, his torn muscle from his wound began the process of self-repair, regenerating at a remarkable pace.

He then stood up with his body emitting heat, turning rain drops around him into steam.

His eyes was glowing in a crimson hue, squinting seriously, staring at a dark figure, slowly approaching ahead.

Slowly revealing itself from the dark unknown of the surroundings, a mysterious figure began to appear, exuding an aura of foreboding confidence.

This figure, lean and commanding, is a slender man who grips two elongated blades firmly with both hands. His dark hair falls in disarray down one side of his countenance, extending all the way to his knees. His eyes, possessing a singular eyelid, sparkle with a feral and unbalanced intensity as they lock onto the middle-aged man, his broad grin exposing teeth that appear to shine in the faint illumination.

"There you are, Priest!!"

The slender man declared in a baritone voice that rang out with a menacing rasp.

"I really thought that you were the same as your coward brothers!" He added as he point one of his blade. Then, with a guttural cry, he suddenly hurled a challenge, "PRIEST!!!"

"For the last time....make sure you're all in...."

"...because I won't be merciful against you this time!!"

As he spoke those threatening words, both of his blades started to be engulfed in dark smoke, starting from his grip all the way to the tip of the blades. The next moment, he fiercely charged towards the Priest, sniggering in confidence.

"Here I come..."

Standing steadfast in his stance, the priest exuded a sense of unyielding serenity as he began to utter incantations under his breath, his words barely audible.

The steam enveloping him suddenly surged in intensity, swirling and coiling in a mesmerizing dance.

Beneath his eyes, veins began to appear, pulsing ominously, tracing a macabre path down his neck, while an ominous star pattern materialized on his forehead. His voice barely above a whisper, he invoked, "Realm Manipulation..."

"Abyssal Peace"

As the words left the priest's lips, the air crackled with an otherworldly energy, causing a ripple in the dimensional tapestry. Reality itself seemed to buckle and bend to his will.

With an almost deafening roar, the surroundings underwent a dramatic transformation, morphing into a barren wasteland that seemed to stretch into infinity. The once familiar landscape now lay desolate and lifeless.

"A Realm Manipulation?" The slender man inquired, disbelief and amused, his eyes bulging in a mixture of awe and surprise.

Staring at the scarlet sky from above that loomed ominously overhead, casting an eerie glow that illuminated the barren expanse, his face, once shocked, shifted into one of excitement, suddenly laughing like a lunatic.

"KE—"

"KEK!"

"KYA HA!"

"KYAA HA HA HA HA HA YA HA HA HA HA KYAAKA HA HA!

Lowering his blade, he looks at the priest with intense and eager eyes. With a deep and serious tone, he inquires, "So you're just leading me to a trap after all?"

However, as he inquired, the priest's presence suddenly disappeared from his sight, vanishing like a flash of lightning from his position. In a blink of an eye, the priest abruptly appeared in front of him, fist tightly clenched, luminously glowing, while mumbling the words, "Omnipotent Fists Technique."

"Holy..."

"PUNCH!!"

BAM!

The fist of the priest swirls towards the slender man. A powerful blast is then unleashed upon impact, sending a shockwave within the barren land.

BOOM — FWOOOSH!

However, in a stunning twist of events, the slender man seemed to thwart the attack using his blades.

"Not bad!" he sniggered. Continuing that, his blades started to be engulfed in dark smoke and began to start his counterattack.

However, a red, fiery wing abruptly emerged from behind the back of the priest, expanding to about three feet in length and two feet in width. Simultaneously, each strand of his hair underwent a mesmerizing transformation, turning into a radiant golden hue. However, the most captivating aspect of this spectacle was undoubtedly the redstone adorning his forehead, which glistened like a precious ruby. Buoyed by the sudden metamorphosis, the priest tapped into a newfound reservoir of strength that propelled his attack forward with remarkable force; his fist ultimately collided with the Slender man's face.

BAM!

The unexpected and forceful transformation left the slender man reeling as the powerful blow connected with his face.

In an instant, he was sent hurtling through the air, crashing to the ground with a sickening thud—

BAM - THUD - BAGSH!

—before coming to a stop approximately a kilometer away.

The impact was jarring, leaving him disoriented and struggling to comprehend the sudden turn of events.

"Shitty Prie—"

However, once again, the priest wasn't satisfied and continued another attack, dashing toward the slender man who had just gotten up.

BAM!

Another forceful blow connected, a uppercut, propelling the slender man through the air once more.

Engaging his exceptional agility, the priest swiftly seized the slender man's countenance while suspended in mid-air.

GRIP!

Utilizing his own momentum, the priest pivoted and steadied himself, effectively halting the slender man's trajectory.

Exhibiting an extraordinary demonstration of strength and resolute determination, the priest accessed his inner power and forcefully propelled the slender man across the battlefield.

The momentum of the throw mirrored the swift movement of a shooting star cutting through the crimson sky, resulting in a profound impact upon landing.

BAGSH!

Observing the incapacitated and severely wounded Slender Man from his stance, the priest maintains a focused gaze. With a precise gesture, he extends his right index finger, directly aiming towards Slender Man. Suddenly, a luminous sphere emerges, gradually expanding in size.

As the luminous sphere begins to take shape, emanating a radiant glow, the air crackles and shimmers with an ethereal energy, heightening the tension and anticipation in the air.

However...

An unforeseen event suddenly happened.

CRACK!

Like a glass breaking and shattering, the entire realm manipulation that the priest created seems to break apart.

SHATTER!

A loud gunshot then echoed as a bullet streaked, hurtling at a magnificent speed towards the priest, striking his back and ultimately weakening his body, sending him pummeling to the ground, crashing beside the slender man in a prone position.

'Aghkk!'

'This bullet again?'

Paralyzed, he can't move an inch of his muscles nor can he utter a single word, not even his eyes can blink. Only he can speak through his mind.

'This can't be!'

Unexpectedly, a voice filled with exuberance resonated loudly.

"YAHAAAAAAAA!"

"Got ya priest!"

In a swift and dramatic turn of events, a diminutive blonde woman, whose strikingly short hair and boyish demeanor set her apart, appeared. Her presence alone seemed to invoke a sense of impending conflict.

With uncanny dexterity, she skillfully twirled a revolver on her right index finger, exhaling a wisp of smoke from the barrel before deftly reholstering the weapon at her waist.

She approaches the slender man with a playful gait that belies her inner strength. Upon reaching him, her countenance sours, culminating in a sudden and forceful kick directed at him.

KICK!

"Tchh!"

"IDIOT!"

"How come you've lost to this priest?"

"You're such a shame!"

"Never call yourself a ripper again if you lost to a mere human you low level Hollow!"

The Slender Man slowly got up, recovering from the devastating attack he received from the priest. His wounds were regenerating slowly.

As he stood, he chuckled as he politely asked for forgiveness towards the young woman.

"Ke!"

"My apologies, young master!"

"Despite the fact that I almost killed him from the mansion, he still has the energy in him to fight." The Slender Man intoned with a hint of reverence, acknowledging the priest's unexpected reservoir of strength.

"Humans really are unpredictable beings afterall."

The young woman dismissed his reasons. With a disapproving sound, she uttered, "Tch! Whatever!"

Her focus then shifted towards the priest, prompting her to exert physical effort to turn his body from a prone position to face her. As she completed the action, a subtle yet suggestive smile crept onto her face, hinting at an underlying motivation or plan brewing within her mind.

"There it is!" She grinned.

She then look at the slender man as she gesture by slicing her neck.

"Cut him."

In a swift and precise movement, without second thoughts, the slender man's blade deftly sliced through the priest's neck.

SWNGG!

There was a momentary silence.

The ensuing hush was then broken by the unsettling sight of blood spurting from the priest's gape, cascading down as his head began to separate from his body, eventually rolling, coming to rest on the ground when the young woman pick it up and raised it above.

"HEY SKY DADDY!" She boomed aloud.

Subsequently, she removed the ruby from the priest's head, a malevolent grin appearing on her face. Displaying a sense of victory in her gaze, she uttered in a menacing voice, "I've got one of your boys again."

The next moment, the priest's body then disintegrate into a cloud of dust. The ruby from the young woman's hand then pulsated, emanating a dark energy.

DUB - DUB!

As she tightly grasped the ruby, a chilling sense of power washed over her.

"A few more..." she murmured, her words hanging in the air like a dark omen.

"Then, the old king shall make his return," she declared, her voice filled with a mixture of anticipation and dread.

BZZZT — CRACK!

LIGHTNING STRIKE!

- AWAKENING THE DARK SYSTEM -