Roderic05

In an era where every person is safeguarded by their personal Shinigami — and primal soul reapers that patrol the Earth — Kaito Ryūzaki, an enigmatic and penitent Shinigami, has stayed solitary for centuries, declining to form a master bond. Nurtured by the failure to save his first master, a girl named Hikari, Kaito promised he would form no bond again. But after he meets Emiko Fujimura, a young woman whose life teeters on the edge of a blade, Kaito is shanghaied into another deal.

Emiko’s close call echoes the tragedy of Kaito’s past, and he is determined to save her from a fate he couldn’t prevent. But in a world where eliminating a Shinigami and their master can endow you with incredible power, Kaito’s choice lands both him and Emiko in the sights of competing Shinigami and their masters. Struggling for survival, Kaito will fight the demons of his past and the threat of betrayal around every corner, while Emiko will discover the secret to her link to the Shinigami world.

Sworn to the cause and pursued by adversaries, Kaito and Emiko must endure tests beyond their wildest nightmares to win their place as the most feared Shinigami and greatest master–apprentice pair, or see their bond destroyed by the world’s endless thirst for power.

Soulbound: The Shinigami's Oath

The world itself broke apart in a brutal conflict of strength.

Golden flames and black shadow fought and shredded across the devastation, a whirlwind to wreak havoc. Ground trembled from beneath the raging of their strength, shreds of it screaming through the atmosphere.

The strength of her own fire engulfed Emiko, but she pushed on, focused on the warrior in front of her. The dark power swirling around him resembled a hell alive, but she would not give in.

Her fist burst into flames and shot forward as she punched straight into the middle of his chest.

He parried the punch with the blade, shockwaves shooting through the air.

Their fight was no longer a contest of power.

It was a contest of life and death.

Intended to keep secrets from being spilled

The fighter whirled his sword, parrying the attack, and countered. His sword sliced through the air in a death blow.

Emiko avoided by mere seconds, the blade tip snapping off her shoulder. Pain flared but she did not back down.

She whirled on her heel, increasing velocity, and sent a blazing kick into his ribcage.

The combatant caught her assault to the exposed arm, black power swathing about him in a warding pattern. As her foot made contact, a shock wave burst out and sent both stumbling back.

The golden flames around Emiko roared, growing wilder, hotter. The ember inside her was no longer just a flicker of potential—it was a raging inferno.

The warrior adjusted his stance, his silver eyes narrowing. "You're finally starting to understand," he muttered.

Emiko smirked. "Took me long enough."

Without warning, the warrior vanished.

She barely avoided it as his knife sliced past her, mere inches from her face.

Air pressure alone ripped a ragged cut across her cheek.

He returned at her once more, knife already in motion towards her throat.

She attacked back, low and hard, her golden fire bursting outward in a shockwave. The force knocked him off his course, sending him back a step.

Emiko shot off the ground, running forward.

The warrior drew his sword to protect—

She spun around in mid-air, throwing a fiery punch directly into his chest.

The instant her fist landed, the golden energy burst—

A cacophonous boom resounded across the wasteland.

The warrior was repelled, his body slamming into the ground, sliding some meters before it stopped.

Emiko fell crashing, her breathing hard, her whole body aflame with exertion.

A slow, jeering clap shattered the stillness.

There was no trace of fight on his face. He wasn't even hurt.

"Not bad," he acknowledged. "But…"

He advanced a step, and for the first time, Emiko felt something far more frightening than his attacks.

His mere presence crashed down on her like an unstoppable force.

The golden flames that ringed her trembled.

He's been keeping this bottled up inside all this time…

Her body screamed at her to flee, but her pride would not allow her to do so.

The warrior halted a few feet before her, regarding her with a piercing stare.

"You possess power," he told her. "But power is useless if you do not know how to use it."

Emiko's fists clenched. "Then show me."

"Very well," he said. "You are my student, starting today."

Light Against Shadow