Saki gritted her teeth, knuckles white around the hilt of Slaughtering Assault.
Fear twisted in her gut, but she refused to run.
With a sharp battle cry, she charged straight at the blood-soaked figure.
Gashin stood casually, flashing a wide, fanged smile.
He ran a hand through his messy hair, flicking blood off his fingers, and didn’t even shift his feet as she swung.
The blade sliced through empty air.
He sidestepped with lazy grace.
”Too slow, little exorcist,” he mocked, voice echoing with ancient malice.
“Is this the best your era can offer?”
Saki spun, slashing again in a furious arc.
Gashin weaved effortlessly, then caught her wrist mid-swing.
His grip was like iron.
He leaned in close, grinning inches from her face, hot breath reeking of blood.
”Pathetic—”
Saki’s free hand flashed into a two-finger sign.
Above them, the air warped.
A massive spiritual spike—thick as a telephone pole and glowing with searing light—materialized high in the alley and plummeted like divine judgment.
Gashin glanced up, eyebrows raised in mild surprise, then grinned wider.
At the last second, he released her wrist, clenched his fist, and slammed it upward with raw power.
The spike shattered on impact, exploding into harmless shards of light that rained down around them.
”A magnificent technique!” he chuckled, genuinely impressed.
“Falling Judgment… I haven’t seen anyone wield it since my era.
You modern children still have some tricks.”
Saki didn’t waste the moment.
She swung Slaughtering Assault again with a shout, aiming for his neck.
Gashin continued weaving, almost dancing around her strikes.
He ducked low under her final slash.
”My era was stronger though,” he said cheerfully.
SLAP!
His open palm cracked across her cheek with terrifying force.
The impact sent Saki flying backward.
She crashed hard into a stack of trash bins, the air knocked out of her lungs.
A gasp tore from her throat as pain exploded through her body.
She rolled onto her hands and knees, spitting a thick mouthful of blood onto the pavement.
Her vision blurred.
Gashin slowly approached, laughing low and deep, the sound bouncing off the alley walls.
”Stand up,” he smirked.
“At least entertain me a little longer before I—”
Saki thrust her hand forward in a new gesture—this time forming a tight circle with her fingers and thumb.
The ground trembled.
A enormous boulder, summoned from spiritual energy and coated in glowing runes, materialized in the air above Gashin and hurtled down.
Gashin barely glanced at it.
With casual indifference, he swept his arm in a wide arc.
The boulder exploded on contact, reduced to dust and pebbles that scattered harmlessly.
”…Cute,” he finished, still smirking as he continued advancing.
“But you’ll need far more than parlor tricks if you want to survive me.”