Whispers of Shikiban:The king walks among us-Chapter 58 --

Reika's breath came ragged. Her ribs screamed with every inhale, each movement a war she was barely winning. Sweat streaked down her bloodied cheek, her will flickering under the weight—but not breaking. Not yet.

Should I summon Ryujin...?

The alert pulsed coldly in her mind, mechanical and sharp like ice across bone.

SYSTEM LOG: RYUJIN_CORE_INTERFACE_V3.7

STATUS: ON-HOLD

LIMIT: 00:30:00

REMAINING_USES_TODAY: 01

WARNING: NON-ENGAGEMENT DETECTED

CONSEQUENCE: SPIRIT_CORE_DESYNCHRONIZATION

NEXT_AVAILABLE_SYNC: 12H:00M:00S

PRIORITY: HIGH

:: INITIATING PROTOCOL 9X-ENGAGE

:: USER INTERFACE STABILITY AT RISK

:: CONTINUED NON-INTERACTION WILL RESULT IN CORE DECAY

AWAITING INPUT...

SYSTEM STANDING BY...

RESPOND TO AVOID DESYNCH

She hesitated. If she held back now, she'd lose her final window. But if she unleashed him—Ryujin—would she survive the backlash?

She wasn't fighting one Earth Shikiban anymore.

There were two. Both unchained. Both at full strength.

Her fingers tightened around Shinsoumei. It wasn't just a katana anymore. It had changed—like her. Forged in suffering, baptized in pain. A living extension of her rage and resolve.

Then, one of them stepped forward. The earth shuddered beneath his massive footfall. His voice rumbled like ancient stone grinding against itself.

"You feel it, don't you?" he said. "We Earth Shikiban... we're built different."

Reika didn't flinch. Her eyes narrowed.

"Many 0-Rank Kageshiki survive Levels 1 to 4," he continued, circling her. "But Level 5? That's where gods bleed. And you? You're just a girl playing with fire."

A faint smirk tugged at her lips. "Tenshiko's only letting you breathe out of boredom."

The Shikiban paused. Then he laughed—slow, deep, and monstrous. It was a sound carved from tectonic plates shifting.

"Out there, the Kageshiki keep us caged. But here? This is our sanctuary. Uro made a deal—we get space, we take lives."

Reika's gaze sharpened. "Did you see a boy? Silver-white hair. Eyes always hidden. Smiles like he already knows everything?"

His face stiffened. "Not me. But one of ours did. He died."

Another growl of laughter followed. "Strange boy. Never stopped smiling."

Reika didn't wait for more.

The Shikiban raised his hand, fingers twisting into an ancient seal.

The air shifted. Not with wind, but a suffocating pressure. Like the ground itself wanted to crush her.

She cut it in half.

Then charged.

Every second mattered now. After Level 1, these monsters didn't die from beheadings. Only the heart would do.

He roared. A boulder ripped from the earth and screamed toward her.

She rolled, barely dodging. It slammed into the ground behind her, shattering like a meteor. More stones followed. She ducked, weaved, leapt, slicing through, closing the gap.

Her blade struck his chest—

CRACK.

Shinsoumei shattered.

Her breath hitched. The shock flared through her arm, and then came the pain.

A massive backhand sent her flying.

She collided with a stone wall, the impact folding her in half. Blood spilled from her mouth.

"Damn it..."

VRMMMMMM.

A red screen bloomed beside her face, digital veins crawling outward like roots.

SYSTEM LOG: SHINSOUMEI_WEAPON_STATUS

STATE: CRITICAL

REGENERATION_TIME: 00:10:00

CORE_ENERGY_LOSS: -5.00% [PERMANENT]

RECOMMENDATION: CROWN_TECHNIQUE_ACTIVATION

CLASS: EMERGENCY_PROTOCOL

RISK_ASSESSMENT: EXTREME

SURVIVAL_PROBABILITY: 0.0204

:: INITIATING ACTION: BACKUP_NEURAL_SHIELD

:: SHIELD SYNC STATUS: 07%

:: PROCESS: IN PROGRESS

WARNING: STABILITY BELOW THRESHOLD

CORE INTEGRITY COMPROMISE IMMINENT

ENGAGEMENT REQUIRED TO AVOID SYSTEM COLLAPSE

:: AWAITING CROWN_TECHNIQUE_CONFIRMATION...

:: PROTOCOL LOCKED UNTIL USER INPUT RECEIVED

She stared. Jaw clenched.

This was Level 5.

Not a test.

Not a trial.

Hell.

Her hand found the broken hilt of Shinsoumei. Even shattered, it glowed faintly—fierce and loyal. Her body screamed with every twitch, but pain meant she was still here. Still fighting.

Then, a whisper—deep, commanding, familiar—echoed through her mind.

"Use me."

Ryujin.

She wasn't ready.

Not yet.

She forced her body up, dragging herself from the stone. Blood stained her temple, ran down her collarbone. Two steps. Her leg buckled. She fell.

She rose again.

The Shikiban tilted his head. "Still moving?"

Reika didn't answer. Her eyes locked on his chest.

One more shot. Just one. That core had to break.

She flickered forward.

Her fist—not a blade this time—cracked against his sternum.

The impact shook the air. He stumbled back.

She reached for another strike—but he grabbed her arm. Twisted.

Agony flared.

And then the second Shikiban emerged behind her, silent as death. His punch sank into her ribs. Another drove into her spine. She collapsed.

They stood over her. Carved from stone. Unmoving. Immortal.

And she laughed.

Not loud.

But bitter.

Fierce.

"Still standing...?"

A glow flickered under her skin. Purple. Deep. Violent.

She raised her eyes.

"Activate Ryujin."

SYSTEM LOG: RYUJIN_CORE_ACTIVATION

ACCESS GRANTED

UNLOCKING: PURPLE DRAGON CROWN PROTOCOL

TIME LIMIT: 00:30:00

SYNCHRONIZATION: 34%... 46%... 59%...

:: WARNING: CORE PRESSURE RISING

:: USER DAMAGE LIKELY

:: PHYSICAL RESILIENCE REQUIRED

INITIATING PHASE ONE...

INTERNAL LIMITERS: OFFLINE

CROWN CIRCUITRY: ENGAGED

NEURAL INTERFACE STRESS LEVEL: 78% AND CLIMBING

:: SYSTEM OVERRIDE IN EFFECT

:: FAILSAFE DISABLED

STAND BY FOR FULL ASCENSION

NEXT PHASE IN: 00:00:07

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Then came the dragons.

Not literal—energy made manifest. Amethyst spirits surged around her like wrath incarnate.

Her eyes burned violet.

The Shikiban flinched.

And Reika rose.

Not like a girl healing.

Like a storm unleashed.

The earth cracked. Trees nearby withered into dust. Her hair floated upward like the world no longer held her down.

"You're not gods," she whispered. "You're bricks. I'm the fire."

She vanished.

A purple streak slashed the ground.

The first Shikiban screamed—his arm gone. Then his chest split, exposing the core.

She drove the broken sword into it. Twisted. Heard the crunch.

The second tried to flee. Too slow.

Her arm shimmered—dragon's claws formed of spirit energy.

She plunged through his back, hand straight into his core.

"Ryujin..."

The core pulsed.

"...Requiem."

The explosion swallowed them.

And then silence.

Smoke curled from her lips. She fell to her knees, body steaming, heart still pounding.

Thirty minutes. That's all she had.

The countdown had begun.

Elsewhere—

"BRO, WHY ARE WE STILL RUNNING?!" Yeaga yelled, dodging tree branches.

"We're baiting them!" Daigo snapped. "Keep 'em moving. Drain their power!"

"You're gonna get us killed!"

Behind them—madness. Screams. Blood. Explosions.

A group of Kageshiki girls ran toward them, crying out.

"HELP! PLEASE!! HELP US!!"

Then—

CRASH.

A massive boulder dropped from above.

Silence followed. No more screams. Just a red smear on the grass.

Daigo froze.

Ishigo stumbled. His lips parted, but no words came. Just wide, shaking eyes.

Yeaga's voice dropped to a whisper. "God..."

From behind the stone, another Shikiban stepped forward—tall, slow, terrible.

He raised his hand.

The stone rose again, dripping blood like rain.