The city groaned under her power. Streets had folded into impossible angles, neon signs flickered and shattered, and shadows moved like living tendrils. Akira Kurohime's red eyes cut through the chaos, each step leaving a ripple in reality itself.
Then she felt it: a presence approaching fast, deliberate, and dangerous.
Rin.
She appeared atop a twisted skyscraper, moving like a shadow folding into reality. Her eyes locked on Akira's with a mixture of warning and challenge. "I told you, fledgling. You're stronger than I expected… but you've lost all subtlety."
Akira's grin widened. "Then let's see if you can keep up."
In an instant, Rin leapt. The two collided mid-air, shadows and neon sparks erupting around them. Buildings twisted and folded with each strike, streets bending like paper beneath their feet. Each punch, each kick, sent shockwaves through the warped cityscape.
🌆 Akira bit down instinctively, tasting Rin's blood—just a fragment—and felt her own abilities surge. Level Up: Blood Infusion – Rank 6. Her reflexes sharpened, her senses expanded, and the city responded violently: walls stretched, alleys folded into tunnels, and the neon lights screamed with intensity.
Rin's smirk never faltered. "Not bad… but you still have no control."
Akira's mind swirled with the fragments of blood memories she'd consumed, merged with the city's energy and the rush of battle. Time seemed to slow, stretch, and loop around her. Every movement became fluid, almost impossible to track.
The fight escalated. Rin twisted through reality itself, forcing Akira to bend the city to follow. Neon staircases erupted beneath her feet, street signs stretched into bridges, and shadows formed into barriers that she had to slice through.
But Akira was growing. Every dodge, every counterattack, every surge of blood-level power brought her closer to something greater.
Finally, Rin paused, hovering above her. "You've changed… faster than I anticipated."
Akira smirked, chest heaving. "Then let's call it even… for now."
Before Rin could respond, the ground below exploded—a massive pulse of energy radiating outward, destabilizing the city. Somewhere, in the distance, the Blood Architect stirred, intrigued by the chaos these two were creating.
Cliffhanger: Akira has fully unleashed Rank 6 powers in combat, warping the city itself—and the mysterious Blood Architect now takes a personal interest in the escalating chaos.