Third Person POV
The moment Maki and Nanami arrived, they brought the entire army of cursed corpses with them. Their sheer numbers swarmed the area.
"Bringing a party with you?"
"Thought you could use some help," Maki said, glancing over at the massive, half-dismembered cursed spirit still writhing in front of them.
"Looks like you've been busy."
"I had it under control. Your timing's a bit off."
Maki grinned wider. "Yeah? From the looks of it, this one's still kicking. Let's finish it."
Shiki gave a slight smirk but said nothing, her focus returning to the cursed spirit. Its immense form still writhed, but it was weakened—on the verge of collapse. With one more strike, she could end it.
Raising her katana, Shiki prepared to deliver the final blow. The cursed spirit trembled, its body flickering as if it knew its end was near. But before she could move, the spirit suddenly raised its remaining arm and slammed it into the ground with a dull, echoing thud.
The force of the impact barely shook the room. A weak gust of wind followed.
Maki frowned. "That's all it's got left?"
Nanami narrowed his eyes, sensing something off. "Wait—"
"Get back! It's not just wind!" Shiki's sharp voice cut through the room.
Maki and Nanami reacted instantly, leaping back just as the cursed spirit's weak gesture unleashed a sudden catastrophic force. The faint gust that had seemed harmless only moments ago turned into a destructive torrent.
The wind howled like a feral beast, swirling into a devastating torrent that sent the three of them flying across the room along with countless corpses.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the torrent died down. The wind vanished, leaving the room eerily quiet.
The massive body of the cursed spirit collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, its energy fading. Shiki's eyes flicked to its fallen form, her grip tightening on her katana. She knew something was wrong.
Without a moment's hesitation, Shiki leaped across the debris-littered space. She landed next to the cursed spirit's fallen body, her eyes scanning it. A gaping hole marred its back, wide and ragged, as if something—or someone—had crawled out from within.
Her heart tightened. Fearing the worst, Shiki's gaze shot upward, scanning the room for any sign of movement. And then she saw it—a figure, small and humanoid, missing an arm and a leg, slumped in one of the doors above.
Her eyes narrowed as her hand gripped her katana tighter.
"So that's where you went…" she muttered under her breath.
And then, she smiled—a sharp, predatory smile that was completely unlike her usual cold, detached expression. It was... free, wild, like she had let go of whatever kept her grounded. Her usual mask had cracked, revealing something more dangerous beneath.
Before she could take off, chasing after the cursed spirit with that unsettling grin, Maki's voice cut through the air.
"Shiki! Watch out!"
The moment she heard the warning, she ducked, narrowly avoiding the grasp of a corpse lunging at her from behind. The cursed spirit may have been on the run, but the corpses were still moving
Without wasting any more time, Shiki surged forward, her katana flashing through the air. One swift strike, and another corpse fell, its body cleanly severed by the glowing lines only Shiki could see. Her movements were methodical, cutting through the waves of reanimated corpses like they were nothing but insects.
Maki and Nanami quickly joined the fray, fighting side by side with Shiki. Nanami's blunt sword crushed the skulls of the cursed corpses with ruthless efficiency, while Maki's naginata sliced through their ranks with practiced ease.
"Be careful, Shiki!" Maki warned as she decapitated a corpse in one clean stroke. "Even if you behead them, they can still move!"
Shiki, in the midst of slicing another corpse in half, paused briefly and glanced at Maki. "What are you talking about?"
Maki, slightly winded as she fought off another enemy, gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean, 'what'? How are you cutting them down so easily?"
Before Shiki could respond, Nanami interjected, "Focus. You can ask later, for now, let's finish this."
Nanami then glanced down at his watch, his expression growing grim. The second hand ticked slowly, and then he muttered under his breath, "Time's up…"
With a sigh, he adjusted his tie, a subtle shift in his demeanor rippling through the air. "Overtime."
Shiki, observing from the side, felt the change immediately. She had learned about binding vows before—how sorcerers could impose restrictions on themselves to magnify their power when those limits were broken—but seeing it in action for the first time was something else entirely.
In that moment, the atmosphere in the room shifted entirely. Shiki and Maki both felt it—the sudden weight of Nanami's presence growing heavier, like a switch had flipped.
Nanami raised his blunt sword, his eyes cold as he faced the remaining cursed corpses. "Let's finish this."
Both Maki and Shiki fell silent, redirecting their full attention to the horde before them. The battle raged on, the room filled with the sound of steel slicing through flesh and bone. Though relentless, the cursed corpses couldn't match the trio's combined strength. Shiki's blade moved with precision, severing each cursed line with ease, while Maki and Nanami methodically took down the rest.
It didn't take long before the last of the corpses fell, though some still twitched and crawled. The only ones truly dead were those slain by Shiki.
She was the first to leap into the twisted corridor, with Maki and Nanami following closely behind. The three of them raced through the maze-like halls, Shiki moving at full speed, leaving Maki and Nanami slightly behind—though Maki managed to keep pace better than expected.
They followed the cursed spirit's trail of blood, but after a while, the trail suddenly disappeared, as if it had vanished into thin air.
"What the... where did it go?" Maki muttered under her breath, gripping her naginata tighter, her senses sharp for any sign of movement.
Shiki's gaze swept the area. Something felt off. She stepped forward cautiously, her fingers tightening on her blade.
Then, without warning—
"Shiki, watch out!" Maki shouted, but before Shiki could react, she felt a fist connect with her cheek. The hit wasn't strong at first, but the cursed spirit's ability to magnify the force turned it into a devastating blow, sending Shiki staggering back.
The cursed spirit, still battered and missing limbs, stood before them.
"What did you do to me?" it rasped, glaring at Shiki. "Why can't I regenerate?"
Shiki wiped the blood from her mouth, her eyes narrowing. She wasn't about to give it an answer. Instead, she tightened her grip on her katana, ready to strike again. The damage she'd inflicted was severe, but the cursed spirit wasn't done yet. It seemed desperate, angry.
Without a word, Shiki darted forward, her katana flashing as she aimed to sever the cursed spirit's remaining arm. But just as she closed the distance, the spirit moved with sudden speed, magnifying its movement in an instant. It twisted away, narrowly avoiding her strike, and its hand shot toward Shiki's throat.
She barely had time to react, dodging to the side, but the force of the attack, once again magnified, sent a shockwave through the air. Shiki rolled to the side, trying to regain her footing.
Maki and Nanami rushed in at that moment. Maki's naginata struck first, slashing toward the cursed spirit's exposed side, while Nanami's blunt sword came down from the other side.
The cursed spirit, now cornered, moved frantically. It used its magnification technique to evade Maki's strike, its body twitching unnaturally as it barely escaped Nanami's crushing blow. Even in its weakened state, the cursed spirit's magnified strength, speed, and reflexes were still overwhelming.
"Damn it, it's too fast!" Maki cursed under her breath, her muscles tense as she swung again.
Nanami, breathing heavily, looked at the cursed spirit's battered form, his eyes narrowing. "We're wearing it down, but it's still dangerous."
Feeling the walls closing in, the cursed spirit grew desperate. Its body was broken, its regeneration failing, but it still had one final option. It backed away, breathing heavily, and then its single remaining arm began to form a hand sign.
Nanami's eyes widened in recognition as he saw the cursed spirit's hand move.
"No…!"
The cursed spirit's voice echoed through the corridor.
"Domain Expansion: 'Boundless Cataclysm'."
In an instant, the space around them shifted. The air grew dense, suffocating, as the cursed spirit's Domain unfolded. The walls of the corridor disintegrated, replaced by a swirling, chaotic void—a cataclysmic storm of raw, destructive energy. The oppressive atmosphere weighed down on Maki, Nanami, and Shiki as they were dragged into the heart of the Domain.
"Stay close!" Nanami shouted, his eyes darting around, trying to find a way out.
Maki gripped her naginata tighter, the suffocating energy pressing in from all sides. "This isn't good…"
Shiki stood still, her gaze fixed on the cursed spirit in the center of the maelstrom. It hovered, weakened but in control of the Domain, and yet, she could feel its desperation.
This was its last stand.
None of them had expected a newly born cursed spirit to already possess the ability to use Domain Expansion. Even for a special grade, it was alarming. The moment the three of them were dragged into the Domain, a chilling effect settled over the area. Blood began to trail from both Maki and Nanami's eyes.
The cursed technique was clear—it magnified their vision, exploiting the sure-hit effect of the Domain to overload their senses. Every movement, every flicker of cursed energy was intensified to a painful degree.
For Maki and Nanami, this had devastating consequences. The cursed spirit's technique didn't simply magnified its own actions; it turned every flicker of cursed energy and every movement into an overwhelming sensory bombardment.
Both of them were essentially blinded by the Domain Expansion's effects. The intensified perception was more than just a physical assault; it was a psychological one as well. The magnified stimuli caused a disorienting sensory overload, disrupting their ability to process information and react appropriately.
But for someone like Shiki, the sure-hit effect didn't work as intended. With no cursed energy to lock onto, the Domain couldn't pin her down.
Yet, Shiki wasn't foolish.
'If it manages to hit me…'
She understood the cursed spirit's ability well enough to know that the moment it connected, her situation would change drastically. It would magnify not just her sight but perhaps her senses or worse...
A single hit, and she'd be dragged into the same overwhelming state as the others.
"As long as I don't get hit, I'll be fine," Shiki murmured, her fingers tightening on her blade.
But as easy as that sounded, she knew it wouldn't be.
The cursed spirit, despite its state, was still dangerous. Its eyes darted between the three, searching for weakness, its energy thrumming with volatile intent.
It was a fight for survival—either she killed it, or it would kill them all.
No more hesitation.
Shiki took a step forward.
The spirit lashed out with frenzied aggression, its movements erratic and desperate. Each swing of its arms seemed to bring a gust of wind.
The cursed spirit's attacks were relentless. Shiki dodged and weaved, her movements a blur as she narrowly avoided the crushing blows that aimed to pulverize her. Her body was pushed to its limits, her breath coming in sharp gasps as she barely evaded each strike.
Yet, she made a crucial misstep. As she evaded one powerful attack, her foot slipped slightly on the unstable ground. In that brief moment of vulnerability, the cursed spirit's remaining arm swung toward her with devastating force.
Pain exploded across her cheek, and her vision momentarily blurred. The sensation was sharp and intense.
In that moment of disorientation, Shiki felt a familiar, chilling feeling approaching.
A sensation that had plagued her during her time in the void.
The feeling of Death.
But unbeknownst to both Shiki and the cursed spirit, this moment of vulnerability was the spirit's greatest mistake.
The moment Shiki opened her eyes, the crimson 'lines' appeared—clearer than ever before. Too clear. They cut through her vision like threads of fate, interwoven with the cursed spirit's form. She could feel them, almost tangible, as if even with her eyes closed, those lines would still burn in her mind.
A sharp pain pulsed between her eyes, like a hot rod had been driven into her skull. Her brain throbbed, overwhelmed by the intensity of what she was seeing.
But…
There was something familiar in it.
The lines.
She had felt them before, this unmistakable sensation crawling through her skin. It was always on the tip of her tongue, but her mind had yet to fully understand it.
Death.
The word came to her now.
The lines didn't represent weakness—they signified something far more absolute.
They were the lines of death.
The searing pain in Shiki's head, which had been overwhelming just moments ago, began to subside. It was as though her mind had adjusted to the sudden changes, the intense pain and pressure now fading to a manageable, almost serene clarity.
Shiki shifted her focus back to the cursed spirit. The lines were still there, more vivid than ever. But something else had appeared.
In the center of its chest, she saw it—an unsettling hole, spinning like a child's chaotic scribble. The lines formed a circle at one specific point, giving the appearance of a dot.
Shiki instinctively knew what that dot represented.
The point of death.
The death of an existence.
In that moment, the cursed spirit's fate was sealed.
Without hesitation, she understood what needed to be done. The moment her blade punctured that dot, the cursed spirit wouldn't just die. He would be erased from existence, leaving nothing behind.
The cursed spirit hovered in the air, its body twitching as it clung desperately to its last moments of power. But something had changed. It could feel it—an unfamiliar sensation creeping through its form, a feeling of doom that wasn't there before.
It snarled, baring its jagged teeth, but its eyes darted to Shiki. Her gaze had sharpened, fixed on it with a cold clarity that unnerved even this monstrous being. Something was wrong.
It swung its remaining arm, trying to hit her again, to buy itself more time. But this time, Shiki was faster. She effortlessly dodged the blow, moving with an almost ghostly fluidity. The cursed spirit's desperation grew as it threw punch after punch, but each one missed its mark, growing weaker with every failed attempt.
Shiki's eyes never wavered, focused on the hole in its chest. The cursed spirit, now fully aware that something was amiss, tried to retreat. It clawed at the air, trying to distance itself from her. Its body, once full of malevolent energy, was growing frail, flickering like a dying flame.
"Why... can't I move...?" it growled, its voice trembling with fear.
Shiki moved in silence, her movements measured and deliberate. She raised her blade, the tip aimed directly at the dot in the cursed spirit's chest.
The cursed spirit's eyes widened, a realization dawning in its final moments. It could feel it—its very existence was on the line. Panic overtook it, and it screamed, thrashing violently as it tried to escape the inevitable.
But Shiki was already upon it.
With one swift, precise motion, she plunged her blade into the dot.
For a brief moment, time seemed to freeze. The cursed spirit let out a guttural howl, its body contorting as if trying to resist the blade's power. But then, as quickly as the scream came, it stopped. The cursed spirit's form started to disintegrate, pieces of it breaking apart like ash caught in the wind.
Shiki's eyes locked onto a single object at the center of the crumbling remains. A dried-out finger, the very core of the cursed spirit, began to wither. It, too, was vanishing into dust, disintegrating just as the cursed spirit had.
She watched, impassive, as the finger turned to dust and drifted away, leaving no trace of its existence behind.
The cursed spirit was dead.
And with its demise...
Absolute Death was born.
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Third Person POV
In an unknown place, a man with black hair sat motionless, his eyes closed as if deep in meditation. Silence filled the room, broken only by the faint sound of his slow breathing.
After a moment, the man slowly opened his eyes.
"Ryougi Shiki…"
Suddenly, the sliding door behind him creaked open, revealing a girl in her late teens with long, dark purple hair and pale skin. She stepped into the room with an eerie calmness.
"Asagami Fujino," the man acknowledged, his voice steady. "What are you doing here? Don't you have somewhere else to be? With your beloved Geto, perhaps?"
At the mention of Geto's name, Fujino's calm shattered. Her eyes flared crimson red, burning with barely contained rage.
"Don't utter that name. That person is not Geto-sama." Her voice was cold, venomous
"Is that so?" The man raised an eyebrow, unphased by her reaction.
"Then, what are you doing here, Fujino?"
Fujino's eyes flickered back to their calm, unsettling shade. She took a breath, regaining her composure. "Did you see her?"
"…Yes"
"She's dangerous. Far more than I anticipated." He paused, recalling the earlier encounter.
"I used much of my blood to create an army of that size, and yet, she killed them with such ease… It was almost laughable."
Fujino remained silent, her eyes never leaving him.
The man chuckled softly, his amusement clear as he continued. "In the first place, those corpses weren't supposed to be killed by conventional means. Even with your twisted abilities—your weird eyes—you could contort their bodies all you want, but they wouldn't die. After all, they were already dead."
"But that girl Shiki…" He paused, as if the thought lingered uncomfortably. "It feels like she can kill anything... as long as it moves."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The tension in the room was palpable.
"But it doesn't matter." He stood, his gaze shifting to the window as his thoughts wandered elsewhere.
"The Kamo family… those ancient fools… will be the first to fall. I'll reduce them to nothing. The legacy they cling to, their cursed techniques, their bloodlines…"
Fujino's expression hardened slightly, and she spoke. "Don't forget your promise."
The man turned to her, meeting her gaze with a knowing smile. "Of course, I haven't forgotten"
Fujino's eyes flickered briefly, the intensity in them returning as she nodded, satisfied for now.
"Good."
The man's gaze lingered on Fujino, a sly smile creeping across his face. "So, you've really decided to join them?"
"I'll do anything to achieve it," she replied, her voice cold and resolute.
"Anything, huh..."
Fujino turned without another word, her footsteps echoing through the dimly lit room. The man watched her go, his smile lingering as he leaned back, hands resting loosely in his pockets. She had made her choice, and there was no going back now.
As the door creaked shut behind her, the silence returned, heavy and oppressive.
"Good luck, indeed," he muttered under his breath, his gaze now focused on the empty space where she had stood moments ago.
As she stepped out into the open air, a light breeze brushed against her face. She had made her decision long ago, and now, there was no turning back.
No matter how dangerous the path became, she would see it through.
She'd do whatever it took to get what she wanted.
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