CHAPTER 25: WOMAN WHO WOULDN'T FALL

The shrine reeked of scorched blood and cursed smoke.

Mei Mei coughed, her fingers trembling as they gripped the cursed spear now embedded in her chest. Her vision blurred, her breath shallow, but her focus remained unmoving—locked on the figure before her.

"Ui Ui…" she whispered.

Her little brother was holding her in his arms, his tears falling like rain onto her shattered armor.

"Run."

"No…!" Ui Ui sobbed. "I can't—ONII-CHAN!!!, you'll die—!"

"I will die," she said softly, her voice cracking with pain. "That's already been decided."

She slowly reached up, placing her trembling hand on his cheek.

"But you… you must carry my will forward. That is what you can do."

Ui Ui's lips quivered.

"Don't make this pointless," she said, a small smile flickering through the pain. "Don't look back. Just run."

And he did.

He didn't say goodbye.

He didn't hesitate.

He turned and ran.

Faster than he ever had in his life.

Even as her body slumped and the cursed blood continued to pour from her chest, Mei Mei didn't stop smiling.

She turned toward Kenjaku, who now approached slowly, hands folded behind his back.

"You all have a fascinating habit," he mused aloud. "Sacrificing yourselves for someone else. Dying with honor. Throwing away your lives. How…boring."

"Shut up," Mei Mei spat, her voice thin but sharp. "You wouldn't understand."

She clutched the cursed spear's shaft with both hands, her fingers digging in as she gritted her teeth—then ripped it from her chest.

Blood gushed out, staining the shrine floor.

She swayed but didn't fall.

"Still alive?" Kenjaku's smile thinned. "Persistent little mosquito."

Mei Mei's knees quivered. Her bones screamed. But she stood.

"I still haven't lost it," she whispered.

Kenjaku's eyes glinted. "Lost what?"

Mei Mei didn't answer.

She charged.

And once again, steel clashed against a storm.

Kenjaku raised a wall of cursed energy to intercept her strike. The shockwave split the room in half.

Mei Mei struck again—and again—and again.

Each blow reverberated through her shattered bones. Her shoulder dislocated. Her leg snapped at the knee. Her ribs collapsed under the pressure. Her eyes bled.

But she kept moving.

Kenjaku slammed her back with an invisible force, sending her crashing into a pillar. She hit the ground with a sickening crunch, dust clouding around her.

"Why…won't you…stay down…" he said, now mildly annoyed.

Mei Mei slowly raised her head.

Her hair was caked in blood. Her braid was torn. Her eyes were dull—but they burned.

She staggered to her feet.

Kenjaku's smile returned. "Fine then. I'll put you down myself."

He stepped forward, hands glowing.

Mei Mei, barely breathing, braced herself—

As the shrine rumbled with cursed energy preparing to erupt once more.