Feud

"You're next!"

Grim's voice carried through the shattered remnants of the room, a promise of destruction that sent a cold shiver down Nozomi's spine.

He stood a few meters away from her, his blood-mist katana pulsating with a crimson glow. In contrast, the light pouring into the room hardly broke through the dense shadows that seemed to engulf everything in blackness..

However, his red eyes - like burning embers in an abyss - pulsed within the shadows. The faint flickering light pouring through the doorway barely reached him, swallowed by the suffocating aura that surrounded his form.

Nozomi's fingers twitched.

Despite the weight pressing against her chest, her breath managed to steady. She had fought countless opponents before - the likes of criminals, gami, and rogue Shamans - all of them powerful, and all of them ruthless. But Grim was different - he wasn't just a fighter; he was a force of nature.

And worst of all, he had nothing to lose.

She whispered an incantation beneath her breath. Soon after, the air around her wavered like heat rising off pavement. Its was offensive magic - swirling in invisible currents, waiting to be shaped.

"Grim, please... I'm sorry," she tried once more. "I never meant to betray you. I thought I was doing the right thing."

His reply came cold and sharp.

"Save your apologies. Your words mean nothing to me now."

There was a brief moment of stillness between them before Nozomi replied:

"Fine."

Suddenly, her hand flicked upward, releasing a burst of wind magic.

A spiraling gust roared toward Grim, carving a trench into the wooden floor as it closed the distance. But Grim was already moving.

Then, a digital chime echoed in his mind, followed by a system message.

DING!

[Ability Activated: Blood Veil]

His form wavered, then vanished in a mist of crimson vapor. Consequently, the wind blast tore through empty air, slamming into the far wall with an explosive impact.

Nozomi had very little time to react before Grim reappeared behind her, his blood katana humming with power. But she spun just in time, summoning a shield of hardened air.

KLANG!

The impact sent a shockwave through her bones, forcing her back.

Grim didn't let up. His attacks were relentless, and his movements were precise. Each swing of his blade was calculated, while his system fed him real-time data on angles, velocity, and counters.

DING!

[Blood Strike Combo – Chain Activated]

His katana blurred through the air in a series of rapid slashes, each strike gaining speed and ferocity. Nozomi, however, deflected them with swift, practiced movements, her wind-imbued daggers intercepting each blow.

Sparks and blood mist filled the air as they clashed, neither gaining the upper hand.

The battle slowed for only a moment, and in that instant, Nozomi saw something beneath Grim's rage - a flicker of something broken.

"Grim..." she panted, dodging another attack. "You don't have to do this. I know that what happened to your parents scarred you. But I also know that this isn't you."

Just then, his blade stopped inches from her throat. And in that moment, the room seemed to freeze.

A moment passed before his voice, a venomous growl, filtered through his demon mask.

"You don't know a fucking thing about me, bitch!"

His mind fell into a cloudy haze as his thoughts roared through his head. If what he felt was true, why did he sense a wave of emtions rushing through his gut?

This is some bullshit.. why am I hesitating?

Unexpectedly, memories surged to the surface: his childhood in Division 12, the hunger, the cold, the screams in the night. His parents - never kind, never loving - refusing him the scraps that they selfishly hoarded for themselves. But even so, their deaths had been stolen from him. Their murder had not been his to claim.

Nozomi held his gaze, searching, waiting for a piece of evidence to reveal itself.

"You're parents... they were taken from you. And now you've been forced to bear the blame for it. But I swear... I had no idea what they were actually planning. "

She noticed Grim's hands tightening around his blade. But what she couldn't see, were his thoughts.

He wanted to hate her, to cut down everything in his path - and that meant everyone. But part of him, buried beneath years of blood and vengeance, wanted to believe her.

Howbeit, that hesitation cost him.

Nozomi didn't waste the opening. She slammed her palms together, whispering a new incantation. A moment later, the air around them condensed into a dome of swirling pressure.

"Binding Tempest!"

Promptly, the room trembled. Then wind coiled around Grim, forcing his movements to slow as unseen currents pulled at his limbs. In the interval, Nozomi lunged, her daggers spinning in her hands as she struck with lightning speed.

Grim gritted his teeth as his system flared to life.

DING!

[Warning: Movement Restricted]

DING!

[System Override – Emergency Maneuver Activated]

His entire body flickered, shifting between solid and mist.

[Blood Phase]

In seconds, he reappeared outside the binding dome, breathing heavily while his katana pointed toward the ground where he had just stood.

Nozomi cursed under her breath.

"I see, now. That system of yours lets you defy the laws of magic." She said, steadying herself. "Then I'll just have to hit you faster than it can react."

She clapped her hands together, summoning multiple kuni in the air.

"Cyclone Barrage!"

In an instant, blades of compressed wind erupted from all angles, converging on Grim at impossible speeds.

The attack was flawless - strategically designed to cut off every escape route.

But Grim wasn't worried. He inhaled sharply, focusing on the system input.

DING!

[Chrono-Vision: +5 Seconds]

Time slowed. Chrono-Vision allowed the host to experience time at speeds slower than any normal humans, granting them time to adapt, predict, and strike - which Grim did with ease.

His eyes flickered between the incoming attacks, tracing their trajectories with inhuman precision.

He twisted, his katana carving through the first wave. The second soon followed, then the third.

Every move was calculated, every block an extension of his intent. Even as cuts formed along his arms and legs, he refused to falter.

As they clashed - their breaths ragged, and their bodies pushed beyond the limit - Nozomi tried one last time:

"Grim, listen to me! You're not just some gami! You're still human! You can still choose!"

His blade stopped just shy of piercing her chest - once again.

Why do I keep hesitating?

Just then, she looked at him... with pleading eyes.

"Please. Let go of the hate you have in your heart before it destroys you."

Grim's fingers trembled around his katana's hilt. A moment passed before the system buzzed in his mind, cold and unfeeling.

DING!

[New Upgrade Available: Choose Your Destiny]

Two options appeared before his eyes.

[Path of Vengeance] or [Path of Redemption]

What the hell... you want me to choose a destiny now? What does that even mean?

Before he could decide, a distant explosion rocked the facility. The walls cracked, and debris rained down upon them. Then from the far corner of the room, an ominous presence stirred in the shadows.

Nozomi's eyes widened.

"What was that?!"

Grim turned toward the shadow, his decision momentarily forgotten as a voice - deep and reverberating with ancient power - echoed through the collapsing chamber.

"So… this is where the Reaper has chosen to hide away. How… amusing."

The temperature in the room plummeted right after it said those words. The shadows twisted, forming something monstrous - something beyond either of them.

Grim exhaled slowly, tightening his grip on his blood katana.

"We're out of time. This building won't hold forever."

Nozomi steadied herself, shaking off the exhaustion.

"Then let's finish this together."

They found each other's eyes, and in that moment, their feud seemed insignificant compared to the immediate dangers at hand - especially the one that stood before them, shrouded in darkness.