Bound By Fury:The Forced Path

The woman lunges at Akira again , her body a blur in lethal grace.

Akira gritted his teeth as he instinctively shouted, activating Soul Infusion.

In the surge of power into his body, his aura flared brilliantly, and his eyes turned into a glowing white.

The weight that pressed him down felt lessened as his new strength multiplied.

At the very last moment, he dodges her vicious swipe and counters with a swift strike of his Pantho Sword.

The blade bites, crackling with energy-but the attack barely leaves a scratch.

The woman freezes, staring at the faint mark on her arm, before smiling wickedly.

"How delicious,"

She says, her voice dripping venom as the crimson eyes alight into hunger.

"The more prey resists, the better it tastes."

She licks her lips slowly, as one savoring a thought.

Akira's face darkens, and he clutches tightly onto his sword as the two burst into action, the sound of her claws and blade ringing throughout the dungeon. Every strike shakes waves of energy through the chamber, sending loose stones flying in a fury while throwing his party into stunned silence.

Cha-Jong watches on with wide eyes, gripping tightly onto his sword-though he isn't able to move because of the women Blood Domination Skill.

"How… how is he keeping up with her?!

Garrett his face pale from exhaustion, but his eyes rise in incredulous anger.

"That's insane, he's not just holding his own-he's fighting back!"

"I even teased him before "

Mira, her staff shaking in her hand, whispers to herself in a mixture of awe and terror.

"She's playing with him… and yet he's still holding on."

"How is that even possible?"

"Im really curious now at who this kid is"

Lyra grips her chest as if she will cry.

"He's risking everything… just so we can have a chance."

Akira hears their words vaguely above the ringing in his ears. The women is unstoppable. She darts and strikes with unerring precision, each attack quicker and more brutal than the last. Akira, his breathing heavy and muscles screaming in protest, barely evades her claws.

His own counters are swift but ineffective. She's like a phantom—untouched, untiring, and enjoying every moment of the fight.

"You're slowing down,"

She says, her voice a cold purr as she evades another of his desperate slashes.

"That power of yours...impressive, but fleeting."

Akira doesn't reply but his thoughts raced

"I know she's right."

"My body is reaching its limits my strikes are grow sluggish, my dodges less precise."

Sweat pours down his face, and his chest heaves as he fights to draw breath.

The woman's eyes gleam with a sadistic delight. She sidesteps another attack, laughing softly.

"Is this all you've got, kid?"

Akira clenches his teeth and pushes forward, weight of exhaustion unbearable.

"I can't fall now,"

He mutters under his breath, his voice shaking but resolute.

"Not here… not ever."

The woman stops abruptly, her gaze locking onto his trembling form.

She widens her smirk as silkiness drips from her mocking tone:.

"Did you reach your limit, kid?"

Akira grits his teeth and invokes White Lightning with a desperate shout.

The blinding bolt shoots towards her, but she tilts her head lazily and it passes harmlessly.

"You've done well, kid,"

She says, almost respect.

Before Akira can react, she vanishes.

Her speed blurs reality, and in an instant, she reappears before him, claws gleaming.

"Time to end this."

With one swift swipe of her claws, she tears across Akira's left hand.

Pain bursts through him, his scream tearing from his throat as his blood splatters the floor.

He stumbles backward, clutching at his mangled hand.

The woman watches him coldly, her voice a chilling whisper.

"Did you really think you could win?"

The air is heavy around them as the vampire woman closes in on Akira, her gaze, like a predator's, locked on him.

Blood drips continuously from his mangled hand, collecting on the cold stone floor. Akira clutches his injury, his breathing ragged, yet his defiance burns like the pain coursing through him.

"You whore!"

Akira spits, his voice raw with both fury and desperation.

His glare could pierce steel as he steadies his stance, raising his sword with his good hand.

"Don't get in my way!"

The women chuckles, a light, venomous sound.

Her crimson eyes gleam with cruel amusement, her steps unhurried as she circles him like a predator savoring its prey.

"Oh, such spirit,"

She purrs mockingly.

"Losing a hand and still refusing to bow."

"How… amusing."

She stops abruptly, leaning forward just enough for her chilling whisper to reach his ears.

"But you've crossed the line."

"You have insulted me countless times till now you've made me beyond angry."

With that said, her aura changes.

The playful malice in her becomes something a great deal deadlier.

Her clawed hand flicks outwards, sending a pulsating wave of dark energy tearing through the air towards Akira.

Instinctively, Akira raises his Pantho Sword, the blade crackling faintly with lingering lightning.

The impact strikes like a thunderclap, sending shockwaves through his body as he's hurled backward, skidding painfully across the jagged stone floor.

"E.B!"

Mira screams, her voice trembling with fear.

"Get back!"

"Please!"

Akira struggles to his knees, his body shaking with the exertion, and blood trickling from his mouth.

He looks up at the women, returning her stare with blind fury, warring against the crushing weight of his injuries.

"Pathetic,"

She sneers, her voice a cutting blade.

"You actually thought you could stand against me?"

"You're nothing but a pest-a fragile, insignificant toy for me to break."

Her words are daggers to Akira's pride, but he doesn't bend.

He forces his body upright; his vision swims and his breath comes labored, but his resolve never falters.

"You're not killing me...yet,"

He growls through gritted teeth, though he's barely standing.

The women tilts her head, an amused smirk curling her lips.

"Oh, I'm afraid I am."

She raises her hand then, her claws gleaming wickedly in the dim light.

"And I'll make it slow enough for you to regret every moment you dared defy me."

In an instant, she's upon him.

Her strikes blur quicker than he can follow, successive blows more vicious than the last.

Akira weaves through her attacks as best he can, but exhaustion weighs him down like lead weights.

A crushing blow slams into his side, hurtling him into the cold, unforgiving wall.

His status windown popped out of nowhere before his eyes

[STATUS WINDOW]

[URGENT ALERT]

[HP CRITICAL: The user's health has dropped to an alarmingly low level.]

[WARNING: Immediate intervention required to prevent fatal consequences.]

[CONDITION: Life-threatening injuries detected.]

[RECOMMENDATION: Cease combat or seek emergency aid.]

USER LIFE IN DANGER!

[Proceeding without action may result in irreversible damage.]

"Dam..n...i.re..ll..ay...im..dy...i.ng fr..o..m...thi...s...dam...ag...e...ta..k...en"

Cracks in the stone behind him provide a stark contrast to the guttural cough that suddenly wrenched from his chest, while blood splatters the ground.

He slumps to his knees, darkness folding over his vision.

Cha-Jong clenches his fists, his frustration palpable.

"Damn it, E.B!"

The vampire looms over him, her clawed hand raised for the final blow.

"Goodbye, pest,"

She sneers.

Akira's mind races as her hand falls.

This is it… I'm losing the second chance I was given. My vengeance… gone. I couldn't keep my promises to Mother. I can't avenge Dad. I overestimated myself… and now I'm paying the price.

Everything… everything is over.

Her claws are just inches from him when suddenly…

EVERYTHING STOPS!!!