The halls of Hell were quieter than usual. Kikidori found himself wandering through the darker regions of the underworld, his steps echoing against the jagged stone walls. His crimson eyes glowed faintly as he adjusted his pace, his wings trailing slightly behind him. He wasn't sure why, but he felt... off. Something in the air was different.
He'd just returned from the celestial meeting, and the weight of the plan to send emissaries to Earth was hanging on his mind. Not that he showed it. Kikidori wasn't the type to let his stress show, but he couldn't shake the weird tension that had been building since the meeting ended.
"Great. More cryptic bullshit," he muttered to himself, his voice echoing slightly.
As he rounded a corner, the temperature in the corridor seemed to drop sharply. Kikidori stopped, his eyes narrowing. He could feel something—someone—watching him.
"Alright, if you're gonna jump me, just do it already," he called out, his tone bored but his hand twitching toward the hilt of his sword.
The shadows ahead of him began to shift and swirl, coalescing into a form that made even Kikidori pause. A tall figure emerged, cloaked in darkness. Its face—or what passed for a face—was hidden beneath the shadow of its hood, but the unmistakable glint of a skeletal hand gripping a massive scythe made Kikidori's wings twitch.
"The hell...?" Kikidori muttered, his lips curling into a smirk. "You've got to be kidding me. The Grim Reaper? You're actually real?"
The Reaper didn't respond, but the air grew heavier. The silence itself felt alive, pressing down on Kikidori like a weight.
"Well, I gotta say, I didn't think I'd meet the actual Grim Reaper today. Kinda thought you were more of a concept than a guy, but hey, I've been wrong before," Kikidori said, his tone mocking. "So, what brings you here? Did someone order a dramatic entrance?"
The Reaper finally spoke, its voice a hollow echo that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "Kikidori, Prince of Hell. Your time has come."
Kikidori blinked, then barked out a laugh. "Oh, you've gotta be shitting me. *My* time? Dude, I just came back to life. You're a little late, don't you think?"
The Reaper stepped forward, the blade of its scythe scraping against the ground. "Your resurrection was an affront to the natural order. I am here to correct that."
Kikidori's smirk faltered for a moment, but it quickly returned. "Yeah, see, the thing about that is... I'm not really in the mood to die again. Kinda got some unfinished business, you know? So, if you could just... fuck off, that'd be great."
The Reaper didn't reply, but its stance shifted, and Kikidori could tell it was about to attack.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Kikidori muttered, drawing his sword in one fluid motion. The blade gleamed with a hellish red glow, crackling faintly with energy. "Fine. Let's see if the Grim Reaper bleeds."
The Reaper moved faster than Kikidori expected, its scythe slicing through the air with a deadly precision. Kikidori barely dodged, his wings flaring as he twisted to the side. The blade missed him by inches, but the force of the swing sent a shockwave rippling through the corridor, cracking the stone walls.
"Alright, you're not fucking around," Kikidori muttered, gripping his sword tighter.
He lunged forward, his blade clashing against the Reaper's scythe in a burst of sparks. The sound echoed like a thunderclap, and the force of the impact sent both combatants skidding backward.
Kikidori grinned. "Not bad. But I hope you've got more than that, Grimmy, or this is gonna be real disappointing."
The Reaper didn't respond, but it raised its scythe again, the blade glowing with an eerie, otherworldly light. Kikidori felt a chill run down his spine, but he didn't back down.
As the Reaper swung its scythe, Kikidori darted forward, his movements a blur. He ducked under the blade and slashed at the Reaper's side, but his sword met resistance, as if striking solid steel.
"Figures," Kikidori muttered, leaping back to avoid another swing. "You're not gonna make this easy, huh?"
The Reaper advanced, its movements relentless. Kikidori dodged and countered, their blades clashing again and again. Each strike sent shockwaves through the corridor, the walls crumbling under the sheer force of their battle.
Kikidori was fast, but the Reaper was faster. It wasn't long before he found himself on the defensive, barely managing to keep up with the Reaper's relentless assault.
"You're a tough bastard, I'll give you that," Kikidori said, panting slightly. "But you're not unbeatable."
Summoning his demonic energy, Kikidori's sword began to glow brighter, the hellish energy surging through the blade. With a roar, he lunged forward, swinging his sword with all his strength.
The blow connected, and the Reaper staggered back, its cloak torn and its skeletal form briefly visible. Kikidori smirked, but his victory was short-lived.
The Reaper raised its scythe, and Kikidori barely had time to react as a wave of dark energy erupted from the blade, slamming into him and sending him crashing into the wall.
"Shit," Kikidori groaned, pulling himself to his feet. His wings were battered, and his sword arm felt like it was on fire, but he wasn't about to give up.
The Reaper advanced, its scythe gleaming ominously. Kikidori gritted his teeth, his grip on his sword tightening.
"You're gonna regret that," he growled, his eyes blazing with fury.
The battle raged on, the two combatants locked in a deadly dance of blades and energy. Kikidori refused to back down, even as the odds stacked against him. He wasn't just fighting for his life—he was fighting to prove that no one, not even the Grim Reaper, could dictate his fate.
The End of Chapter 6