The air around Ash was thick with tension as the voice—mysterious, haunting—reverberated through the darkened cell block. His mind raced, trying to make sense of what he had just heard. The last thing he needed was more confusion, but his instincts screamed at him to be on edge.


    "Why are you searching for a ghost?" The voice echoed again, colder this time, almost mocking.


    Ash''s breath caught in his throat as he instinctively stepped backward, deeper into the shadows. His pulse quickened, his hand tightening around the hilt of his blade. The unsettling weight of something unseen pressed against him like an unseen predator lurking in the dark. He didn''t have time for riddles. He needed answers. He needed to find his father.


    A sharp sound broke the stillness—the quiet clank of metal against stone, followed by the unmistakable rustle of boots. Ash narrowed his eyes. He had been so focused on the voice that he hadn''t noticed the movement in the shadows around him. But now, as the sound of footsteps grew louder, the chilling reality set in.


    He was surrounded.


    Figures emerged from the darkness, their hulking silhouettes cutting through the dim light. The Raiju warriors, while formidable, were not fully cybernetically enhanced. They wore combat armor reinforced with crude mechanical augmentations—patches of cybernetics grafted onto their bodies. Enhanced arms, legs, and eye implants gave them an edge, but beneath the steel, they were still flesh and blood. Their movements were deliberate, calculated, each one wielding a mix of weapons—energy rifles, shock batons, jagged blades designed for brutal close combat.


    Ash''s heart pounded. The Raiju were ruthless. If they had him surrounded, there was no escape unless he carved one himself.


    Rin-AI''s voice cut through his rising panic. "Ash, you''ve been compromised. The alarm is blaring throughout the castle. Guards are converging on your position. I suggest immediate extraction."


    Ash didn''t need to hear more. He was outnumbered, but not outclassed. His eyes locked onto the Raiju warriors closing in, their weapons raised, their steps measured. There was no room for hesitation.


    With a single fluid motion, Ash unsheathed his blade—its edge gleaming in the dim light. "I''ll carve my own path," he muttered, his voice a razor-sharp whisper.


    The first warrior lunged, its enhanced arm sweeping through the air in a brutal arc. Ash ducked beneath the blow, his body moving like liquid shadow. A blur—unseen, untouchable—until his blade found flesh. The warrior let out a strangled grunt as steel cut deep, stumbling back, clutching his side.


    Another charged with a jagged energy baton. Ash sidestepped just as a searing blast from a rifle whizzed past him. His blade came up, deflecting the next strike before driving through the warrior''s armor. Sparks flew as the Raiju fell, lifeless, to the floor.


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    More closed in, their movements crackling with electric fury. Ash tensed, muscles coiling. The storm outside raged in unison with the battle brewing within. The air vibrated with the presence of fifty hunter-warriors, each a master of their craft.


    But none had ever faced Oni-Rai.


    With a flick of his wrist, Ash unleashed Shinsei Raijin (神聖雷神) – Divine Shadow Bolt. Black lightning struck the nearest warrior, distorting time around him. The Raiju staggered, eyes widening in disbelief as his body convulsed—his very essence unraveling before he could register the attack.


    The moment shattered. The hunt was on.


    Ash moved like a phantom, weaving through narrow corridors, dodging spears of electric fury. His feet barely touched the ground as he vaulted barriers, slipping through the gaps in their defenses. The Raiju were fast—lightning given form—but he was something else entirely. He was the storm''s shadow.


    He burst through the castle gates, the cold rain slamming into him like shards of glass. Beyond lay a jagged wasteland, where storms never ceased, where the sky itself warred against the earth. It was his only chance.


    Lightning surged behind him. He could feel the hunters closing in.


    Ash exhaled sharply. "Fine. You want a storm? I''ll give you one."


    He raised his hands, summoning the full might of his evolving power. Yami no Arashi (闇の嵐) – Storm of the Abyss roared to life. A vortex of abyssal thunder erupted around him, swallowing the land in a spiral of chaos. Time distorted, the hunters faltering as their movements became erratic within the raging storm. Some were flung backward, vanishing into the darkness. Others struggled, but Ash was already gone, dissolving into the shifting tides of shadow and lightning.


    His breath was ragged, the wilderness stretching endlessly before him. The storm pressed against his body like an unseen force trying to consume him. The Raiju would not stop.


    Rin-AI''s voice sliced through the chaos. "Ash, there''s a vent system two floors above. I''ve mapped a route—take the next right and proceed through the maintenance ducts."


    Ash didn''t hesitate. He sprinted, his every step calculated. A loud alarm suddenly rang out, the fortress plunging into full lockdown. Red lights flashed, casting the hallways in an ominous glow. Guards poured into the corridors, weapons primed.


    Ash moved faster, pushing his body to the limit. He ducked into a maintenance shaft just as a burst of gunfire grazed his arm. Blood seeped from the wound, but he didn''t stop.


    Rin-AI was urgent. "The main exit is blocked. There''s a secondary route through the lower levels, but it''s crawling with security. Move fast."


    "I''ll make it," Ash grunted, navigating the cramped vent. His muscles screamed in protest, but his mind was razor-sharp. The fortress was alive with the sound of clanking metal and shouted orders. His time was running out.


    The vents opened into a lower level—a labyrinth of dark industrial corridors. The distant hum of power generators mixed with the rhythmic clank of Raiju soldiers hunting him down. The air was thick with oil and rust. Ash''s senses were on high alert as he pressed forward.


    Rin-AI fed him a steady stream of intel. "Left passage. Exit ahead. Move quickly."


    Ash darted forward, his shadow slipping between the edges of the light. Footsteps closed in. Raiju warriors swarmed every exit, their faces obscured by masks. The alarms blared, the fortress tightening its grip.


    He reached the exit—a heavy steel door. With a final burst of strength, Ash slammed into it, slipping through just as the first Raiju turned the corner.


    Outside, the storm battered the castle''s exterior. The winds howled, rain stinging his skin. He looked back at the fortress, a deep dread twisting in his gut.


    He was free.


    For now.


    Fifty hunter-warriors. And they were still coming.


    The hunt had only just begun.


    They would not stop.


    Not until he was dead or captured.