When the Void Calls

The air was thick with the scent of blood and the lingering energy of battle. Shin Noragetsu's grip tightened around the hilt of his katana as he stood amidst the ruins of the ancient temple. The weight of his own exhaustion pressed against him, but he refused to let it slow him down. The fight was far from over.

Rei and Jiro were by his side, their bodies bruised and battered but their spirits unbroken. Tenka stood ahead of them, the aura of the Void swirling around him like an endless abyss. His dark robes rippled as if caught in an unseen storm, his expression unreadable. The cracks in the sky above pulsed ominously, growing wider with each second. Reality itself trembled beneath their feet.

"You feel it, don't you?" Tenka's voice was calm, almost serene. "The world is unraveling. The Void does not take prisoners, Shin. It consumes. It calls."

Shin steadied his breathing. He couldn't let Tenka's words shake him. He had seen what the Void could do, how it twisted and devoured everything in its path. He had watched men lose themselves to its power. But he had not come this far to let it take him.

"You talk too much," Shin said, lifting his blade. "Let's finish this."

Tenka's smirk deepened. "As you wish."

The moment stretched. Then, in a blur of motion, Tenka was upon him.

Their blades clashed, sending sparks through the ruined temple. Shin barely had time to react as Tenka twisted, shifting his weight to unleash a devastating counter. Shin dodged by a hair's breadth, feeling the void-imbued steel graze past his ribs. Pain flared, but he pushed forward, launching a rapid series of strikes.

Rei and Jiro moved in. Rei's kunai flew through the air, each one aimed at a vital point. Jiro swung his massive sword in a wide arc, forcing Tenka to step back. But Tenka was not so easily cornered. Shadows coiled around him, absorbing the blows, twisting the battlefield to his advantage.

Then, the Void pulsed.

A shockwave erupted from Tenka, sending all three warriors skidding backward. The walls of the temple groaned as the energy lashed out, carving deep fissures into the stone. A deep rumble filled the air as the ground beneath them trembled. The temple was collapsing.

"We can't stay here!" Rei shouted, dodging a falling pillar. "The whole place is coming down!"

Shin gritted his teeth. They were running out of time. If the Void spread any further, if Tenka gained full control of it, there would be no stopping him.

He had to end this now.

Ignoring the burning in his muscles, Shin launched himself forward. His blade ignited with power, Void energy clashing against itself as he met Tenka in a final exchange. Blows struck faster than the eye could see, each movement pushing Shin to the brink. He could feel the Void whispering to him, trying to pull him in, but he resisted. He had to. He had made a promise—to himself, to his fallen comrades, to this world.

Tenka's eyes gleamed. "You think you can fight it forever?"

Shin didn't answer. He let his sword do the talking.

With a final, desperate strike, he broke through. His blade met flesh. A shocked breath escaped Tenka's lips. For the first time, the Void cult leader staggered.

But the fight was not over. Not yet.

The temple groaned one last time before the ceiling gave way.

Everything collapsed into darkness.

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