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Chapter 21: The Unknown III
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The blade tore through his torso, leaving a gaping wound that should have been fatal.
The Shinigami was fast, faster than he ever was in their fight, his killing intent manifesting around him, uncaring about the arrow still in his chest.
That's why Akashi has to be really careful about inflicting darkness upon others, especially against monsters like Kenpachi Zaraki. He could only imagine the consequences of such an action.
Not this time for the wound wasn't fatal. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
The Shinigami's blade wasn't the only one that went through Akashi's chest.
There was another blade that came from behind him to also pierce Akashi's heart but to do so, it had to go through the Shinigami's heart.
It was all too confusing.
"Huh?" The Shinigami gasped, his voice barely a whisper, "No..." Comprehension dawned on him too late.
The moment of clarity allowed him to notice something eerie about the Akashi that stood before him, the places where the two blades went through weren't bleeding blood, but rather Ink.
Not blood. Not flesh. Instead, the wound bled ink, the dark liquid dripping onto the ground and pooling at his feet.
Furthermore, the Akashi before him seemingly felt no pain as he adored a smile on his face. He also didn't have any of the injuries he's had before.
Turning his head ever so slightly to look behind him made everything rather clear as another Akashi stood behind him, the latter's blade accurate to tee in sinking right through his heart.
Ah, I understand now. That's the Akashi I've been fighting all along, standing behind me, all bloodstained.
Akashi slowly pulled out Kurayami, allowing the dumbfounded Shinigami to fall to the ground in a puddle of his own blood, letting out his last breath.
He stood over the fallen Shinigami, swinging his blade one last time to decapitate the man, making sure he was gone for good.
Breathing heavily, Akashi wiped the blood from his blade, his body trembling from exhaustion and pain, but he hadn't forgotten to say, "Eat him."
The only other besides him was the other Akashi, or rather, the First Eldritch.
The First's appearance deformed into its original inky form, opening its mouth wide and consuming the fallen Shinigami in one sweeping gulp. Then it picked up his blade.
Akashi swayed on his feet, his vision blurring. "Take me away... far from here," He murmured, his voice barely audible.
The First caught him as he collapsed, cradling him like a child. Without looking back, it carried him away into the night.
It was a hard-fought battle that left Akashi in tatters, his body broken and bloody. It was a battle he shouldn't have been able to win.
The enemy was stronger than him, way more experienced than him, and he also had mastered Shikai, although he didn't get to release it.
In such a hopeless situation, Akashi found victory.
Aside from the fact that the Shinigami wasn't trying to actually kill him but capture him, the most vital piece for his victory was the element of surprise.
It was a surprise that Akashi could push him so far, even managing to injure him so much and fuck with his head with a single word.
It was a surprise that Akashi could unleash his Shikai in an instant, or rather, in his case, awaken Kurayami with a single thought and word.
It was also a surprise that Kurayami could turn into a bow and unleash an arrow that could mess with his mind so much that it decided his victory.
Kurayami isn't a blade. Akashi's Zanpakuto has always been the hilt and the Inky sphere within.
That's why when Akashi first released his Shikai, what he held in his hand wasn't a blade, but only the hilt.
The sphere within the hilt released darkness that then formed the blade, just like it formed a bow. kurayami's forms are endless.
It was also a surprise to Akashi that the arrow did very little damage to the Shinigami, but maybe he expected that.
The point of the arrow was to muddle the man's head. Should he have attacked then? No, he couldn't, not when the muddled Shinigami's Reiatsu was running amok.
When two spiritual beings collide, the side with weaker Spiritual Pressure will get hurt.
In this way, a Shinigami with a greater amount of Reiatsu can use their own Reiatsu to harden their skin and effectively protect themselves from attacks.
Shinigami battles are battles of Reiatsu; if one possesses a greater level of Reiatsu, then the other can be overcome completely, One can even concentrate their Reiatsu to repel attacks.
Therefore, had Akashi attacked then, he would have likely not done fatal damage to the Shinigami, thus why he flashed away, taking his place was the First.
The First Eldritch, in his appearance, approached the Shinigami whose mind was chaotic with negative emotions, compelling the latter to strike, most of his Reiatsu concentrated on that purpose only.
It's that collection of events and emotions that left the Shinigami's body almost entirely defenseless, allowing Akashi to stab him from the back, straight into his heart.
You could say that the Shinigami lost because of a lack of information for Akashi's powers are a mystery to him.
The moment that arrow touched him, his fate was determined, and Akashi chose the perfect moment to fire that arrow.
No, he manufactured that moment by messing with the prideful man's mind.
Questions still swirled, each one more troubling than the last. Who had sent the Shinigami? And why had they targeted him?
It was some time before Akashi awoke to the gentle rustling of leaves and the distant call of birds, their songs weaving through the air like a delicate melody.
His body ached with an intensity that felt like fire coursing through his veins, every muscle protesting even the faintest movement.
Blood had dried in jagged streaks across his robes, and his chest felt hollow, as though it carried the phantom weight of the wounds he had suffered.
Despite this, his mind was sharp, piecing together fragments of memory; the Shinigami, the battle, and the First Eldritch.
Groaning softly, Akashi turned his head. He was lying on a bed of soft moss, the earth beneath it damp and cool against his skin.
Surrounding him was a dense forest, its towering trees stretching skyward like sentinels guarding some ancient secret.
Their leaves formed a canopy so thick that only scattered shafts of sunlight pierced through, casting dappled patterns on the ground.
The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp soil, a stark contrast to the blood and smoke of his previous battlefield.
Standing a few meters away, motionless as a statue, was the First Eldritch.
Its inky form shifted subtly, an amorphous mass of darkness given shape. Despite its unsettling appearance, there was an odd sense of loyalty in the way it lingered near him, like a guard dog watching over its wounded master.
Its piercing, liquid-like eyes; if they could even be called that; seemed to track his every movement, ensuring no harm would come to him.
"How long was I out?" Akashi croaked, his voice barely a whisper. His throat felt dry, and his body screamed for water and rest.
The First tilted its head, as if pondering the question, but it remained silent.
Communication between them had always been more intuitive than verbal.
Akashi let out a breath and attempted to sit up, gritting his teeth against the sharp pain that lanced through his torso.
He could ignore the pain amidst the battle, but now, it was like a wave falling upon him all at once.
Still, he could endure. He wasn't a stranger to injuries and pain. It was common throughout his life in Rukongain, but never like this.
Akashi leaned up against a tree nearby and started performing Kaido on himself, healing Kido, holding his hand above the wound on his chest first, his palm soon glowing with green spiritual energy.
If there is something Akashi must master, it has to be healing Kido simply by virtue of how he fights and the fact that he views his body as nothing but a tool, a vessel to achieve his pursuits.
It's maybe for that reason that he found out that he has a remarkable affinity with healing Kido.
The spells that constitute Kaido do not have known names, numbers, or incantations to cast, and simply heal the target in a myriad of ways.
He was now using Kaido to accelerate his healing and close the wounds lest he bleed out.
Akashi's mind soon wandered. The Shinigami who had attacked him was no ordinary opponent.
Yet his face was unfamiliar to Akashi, never having seen him before, but his mannerisms told him enough, his pridefulness and disdain spoke of nobility. No, likely working for nobles, not a noble himself.
Thus, the questions gnawed at Akashi like a persistent itch, why had they targeted him specifically?
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