Chapter 3: Crimson Sparks.
The clash between Akane and the lightning-wielding ghoul was unrelenting. Each time her massive club swung with deadly precision, the creature retaliated with arcs of crackling energy, creating bursts of light that illuminated the decrepit alley in flashes. The atmosphere was thick with tension, every strike reverberating through the alley and sending electric sparks flying.
Akane's strikes were fast and powerful, but the ghoul moved with unnatural agility, dodging and countering with precision. The battle was a deadly dance, neither side able to gain the upper hand. Every time Akane landed a blow, the creature regenerated, its translucent form crackling with renewed energy. The creature, while seemingly tireless, couldn't overpower her strength, and Akane's attacks, though persistent, couldn't find the finishing edge.
Akane's heart pounded, each breath ragged as the energy from her opponent threatened to overwhelm her. She could feel the sting of the lightning each time it struck her, the electricity sizzling against her skin and numbing her limbs. But she didn't slow down. She refused to let it win.
Realizing the stalemate couldn't last, Akane shifted tactics. She reached into her jacket and pulled out a set of talismans, their glowing inscriptions radiating an ominous energy.
"If I can't kill you yet, I'll make it hell for you to fight me," she muttered, her voice low but full of conviction. She tossed the talismans into the air, watching as they stuck to the nearby walls, their red symbols glowing with a fierce light. The air thickened with the power of the wards as they formed a barrier around the ghoul, trapping it within a confined space.
Each time the ghoul tried to move, the talismans erupted with searing flashes of light, disrupting its form. The ghoul hissed, its movements growing more erratic as it tried to break free, but it only grew more tangled in the barriers. Akane's strategy had worked—at least for the moment. But she knew it wouldn't hold forever.
Seizing the opportunity, Akane launched herself forward, her muscles screaming as she swung her club with ferocious precision. The first strike landed squarely on the creature's torso, splintering its ethereal body and sending it crashing into the alley wall. She didn't let up—another swing, and another, each one cracking through the air with bone-rattling force.
The creature screamed, its glowing form flickering and dimming as it began to weaken. But in its desperation, it unleashed everything it had left in a final surge of lightning that lit the entire alley in blinding light. The energy coiled around Akane, sending a jolt of pain through her body, forcing her to stagger back. The ghoul, clinging to life with its last breath, clawed at the ground as if trying to hold itself together. Its glowing eyes locked onto Akane, filled with terror and rage, as it gathered its remaining strength to push her away.
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Akane stumbled backward, the force of the creature's lightning burning through her jacket and singeing her skin. Despite the pain, she grinned, her crimson eyes gleaming with satisfaction. She had seen it—the desperation in the creature's movements, the flicker of fear that now ruled it.
"It's over now." She said, reaffirming her grip on the club. "I hope you find judgment in the void."
"You may have beaten me until this extent," the creature hissed, its voice cracking. "But I will not let you have the honor of my death."
The creature's body began to crackle with lightning, its translucent skin glowing more ethereal with each passing second, as if preparing for a final, devastating explosion.
Akane's heart raced, realizing what was coming. "We have to get out of here!" she shouted, her voice laced with urgency. "It's going to self-destruct!"
The creature's glow brightened with every passing second, and Ren, still struggling to find his bearings, heard her words in a haze. Panic clawed at him as his mind raced. He could feel the charge in the air, could see the rapid surge of power building up in the creature's form. There was no time left.
He looked over at Akira, her body trembling as she clutched her side, blood staining the edge of her clothes. She was barely able to stand after taking the first attack from the spirit, and now she was unable to move, her strength sapped by the pain. Her crimson eyes were barely open, but they glinted with defiance, the fire inside her refusing to die out.
"Come on, we have to move!" Ren's voice cracked with desperation as he approached her, his hands shaking as he reached down to help.
Akira's response was weak—a soft scoff, barely audible. "And who do you think you are to help me?"
Despite the pain, there was a defiant spark in her eyes, an unspoken challenge that dared him to try.
Ren didn't hesitate. He grabbed her under the shoulders, lifting her with surprising ease despite the panic swirling in his chest. There was no time for an argument. The explosion was imminent.
"What are you doing?!"
"Saving you!" Ren huffed, his voice raw as he began to run.
He didn't even look back, the sound of the creature's crackling energy urging him forward. His legs burned as he sprinted toward the alley's exit, each step harder than the last, but the glimmer of the night sky ahead kept him going. He could make it. He had to make it.
The exit was just ahead, the alley opening up to the quiet street beyond. He could see the faint silhouette of the city beyond, the stars twinkling in the distance. Hope flared in his chest.
But then, it hit him.
"The girl—she's still in there!" Panic gripped him like a vice as his eyes darted back toward the alley. He remembered now—the unconscious girl. He had seen her lying there, helpless, before the battle had escalated. Akane was still in there too, fighting to keep the creature contained.
Ren's heart skipped a beat. "I have to go back in there—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the alley erupted in an explosion so fierce that it shook the ground beneath him. The force sent Ren flying to the ground, his body slammed against the pavement. He shielded Akira instinctively, trying to protect her from the blast, the world around him disintegrating into a cloud of dust and fire.
The shockwave from the explosion reverberated for miles. Ren could barely hear anything over the deafening roar of the blast, his ears ringing as he tried to push himself up. The heat of the flames burned his skin, and the acrid scent of smoke filled his nostrils.
The alley had been obliterated, the once-dilapidated buildings now nothing more than a smoldering ruin. The air was thick with ash and dust, and Ren's thoughts raced as he struggled to sit up.
"Ak… Ak… Akane!" Akira screamed, her voice barely above a whisper, though her heart was thundering in her chest. Her eyes searched the wreckage frantically.
Akira stirred in Ren's arms, her face pale, but her eyes were wide with fear. "Akane, no… no…" she gasped, her voice breaking with distress.
Akira's body trembled as she tried to sit up, but the exhaustion and pain were too much. Her legs wouldn't hold her.
Ren's mind raced. Was Akane—was she still alive? And the girl...
A figure emerged from the smoke, stepping forward from the flames with a confident stride. Akane. She was battered, bruised, and covered in soot, but alive. In her arms was the unconscious girl, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. Ren's heart surged with relief, disbelief flooding him. How could she have survived? How could the girl still be alive?
Akane smirked, her crimson eyes gleaming despite the exhaustion etched across her face. "Relax, I'm not dead yet," she said, a tired chuckle escaping her lips.
Ren, still in shock, collapsed to his knees, his body trembling as the adrenaline finally wore off. His head spun, his vision blurry.
"I'm… I'm really alive," he whispered, looking up at the smoke-filled sky. A tear slipped down his cheek. "I thought… I thought I was going to die. I really thought I was going to die."
And with that, the world faded to black. The last thing he saw was the faint glimmer of stars above, the hope in the sky shining through the chaos.
Yes. Fate had been kind.
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