The city shivered beneath her feet. Neon lights twisted like molten glass, streets folding over themselves, buildings stretching and collapsing in impossible angles. Akira Kurohime's heart raced—not with fear, but exhilaration.
The shadow-beast from the alley below roared, a deafening sound that bent reality. Its form wasn't stable—one second a hulking figure of black smoke, the next, shards of glowing neon, like broken glass given life.
Akira raised her hand, sensing the pulse of the beast. Her second blood-level up had made her faster, sharper—but this was something else. A hunger pulsed inside her, wild and electric, craving the power hidden in this creature.
Rin appeared beside her, as silent and sudden as a flicker of static. "You're stronger than I thought," she said, voice calm. "But that thing… it's not just flesh and blood. It's feeding off the city—and now it's feeding off you."
The beast lunged. Akira twisted midair, dodging with supernatural grace. Every movement stretched reality—streets rippled under her feet, streetlights bent toward her like they were alive. And then she bit.
Blood. Or something like it. A torrent of energy surged into her veins, stronger than anything before. She screamed—not in pain, but in raw exhilaration. Memories and voices not her own swirled inside her mind: the beast's fears, anger, and fragmented consciousness.
Level Up: Blood Infusion – Rank 3
The world tilted. She could see the city's energy flows, the lifelines of every human, machine, and magic-warped being around her. Glitches tore through the air, forming staircases in midair, streets folding into spirals.
Rin's eyes widened. "That… that's impossible. You're bending reality now. At Rank 3, you could—"
A voice boomed inside her head, deep and resonant. You hunger. You grow. Do not stop, Akira Kurohime.
She staggered, trying to focus. But every step she took reshaped the environment—alleys twisted, walls melted, neon signs shattered into sparkling fragments. Even Rin was forced to step lightly, careful not to be caught in the distortions.
The beast roared again, charging. Akira's instincts screamed. She could feel its essence, the pulse of life that connected it to the city itself. Another bite. Another surge. She didn't hesitate.
The explosion of energy shattered the skyline. Neon and shadow collided. Reality fractured. And Akira realized: she was no longer just a hunter. She was becoming the axis around which this city twisted, the center of a power that neither humans, vampires, nor corporations had ever seen before.
And somewhere in the chaos, a deeper presence stirred. Watching. Waiting.
Cliffhanger: Akira's Rank 3 blood-level up has made her reality-warping powers fully manifest, attracting the attention of a mysterious, godlike entity that sees her as either a threat or a tool—and the city itself trembles in anticipation.