The Shadow Self

The crack of thunder split the sky as the armored figure stepped forward, its every movement making the earth tremble beneath Ning's feet. The creature's black armor gleamed under the storm's flickering light, its crimson runes pulsing like veins of molten blood. 

The blade in its grip was an eerie mirror of Ning's own curve, same deadly glint, yet the aura radiating from it was suffocating, as though the very air refused to breathe in its presence. It was a monster unlike one Ning had ever met, and even the system, after its hysteria, had gone blank and silent.

Ning's fingers tightened around his katana. His heart hammered against his ribs, his instincts screaming at him to run, yet his feet remained rooted as if the ground itself had ensnared him. The figure's glowing eyes locked onto him, unblinking. A slow, cruel smile curled across its face, revealing teeth too sharp, too predatory.