CHAPTER 75: CH73. SEEING RED

Miles closed the gap between him and Shinji with a speed that caught even him off guard.

One moment, his scythe was spinning through the air. The next, he was already in front of Shinji, fist cocked back, ready to strike. His body moved on instinct, his mind a haze of red and black.

Shinji’s eyes widened slightly, before he twisted his body at the last second, effortlessly sidestepping Miles’ punch. The sheer force of the swing cracked the ground where Shinji had just been standing, sending a sharp tremor through the battlefield.

But Miles didn’t stop.

His momentum carried him forward, and with a sharp pivot, he brought his leg up in a vicious roundhouse kick aimed at Shinji’s ribs. Just like before, though, Shinji was gone before the attack could connect.

He moved like a shadow, slipping out of reach as if he was always one step ahead.

Miles gritted his teeth, frustration mounting. He needed to hit him. Just once. Just enough to wipe that smug grin off his face.

’Just enough to kill him...’

Shinji appeared a few feet away, standing casually as if he had not just been dodging death itself. He rolled his shoulders and let out a sigh, shaking his head.

"You’ve got speed, I’ll give you that," he mused, inspecting his katana. "But you’re still fighting like an amateur."

Miles felt something snap inside him. He lunged again, scythe back in his grip, his strikes wild and relentless. Shinji parried with ease, his katana moving with a practiced grace that made it seem like he was not even trying.

"Too predictable." Shinji’s blade deflected Miles’ scythe, sending him slightly off balance.

Miles snarled, using the momentum to spin, his coat billowing behind him as he launched another attack. But it was as if Shinji could read his every move before he even made it. Every swing, every feint, every attempt to trick him was countered with frustrating ease. Then, Shinji did something that made Miles’ blood boil even more.

He yawned.

Miles froze for half a second, his jaw dropping under his mask.

"Are you... BORED?!" Miles roared, his voice filled with raw fury.

"A little bit, yes." Shinji smirked.

Miles’ vision darkened at the edges, rage surging through him like an unstoppable current. He wasn’t just going to hit Shinji. He was going to break him.

’I need to kill him!’

He reached deep into himself, into the abyss of power that hid inside him, inside the [Shadow of the End]. He felt the energy coil within him like a caged beast, waiting to be unleashed, like a helping hand grasping onto his.

His grip on the scythe tightened as he felt the power coursing through his veins, feeling it surge like a tidal wave.

This time, when he moved, the world blurred.

Shinji barely had time to react as Miles’ scythe came down, the force of the strike sending shockwaves through the air. The impact shattered the ground beneath them, sending debris flying in every direction. Shinji dodged, but not completely. A thin crimson line appeared on his cheek.

For the first time, Shinji frowned.

Miles exhaled sharply, the rush of landing a blow making his pulse hammer. But something was wrong. His body felt... Heavier. His breath came out in ragged gasps, his limbs trembling slightly.

However, he had no time to dwell on it.

Shinji’s frown deepened, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Miles barely had time to register movement before pain exploded in his side. Shinji’s knee buried itself into his ribs, sending him sprawling. The impact nearly knocked the wind out of him, but before he could recover, Shinji was on him again.

A blur of movement. A flash of steel.

Miles barely managed to block the incoming strike, his scythe clashing against Shinji’s katana in a shower of sparks. But Shinji did not let up.

His attacks came faster, sharper, each one forcing Miles further and further back.

"You’re strong," Shinji admitted, his voice devoid of its usual playfulness. "But strength without control is just recklessness."

Miles growled, swinging wildly, but Shinji dodged again, slipping past his defenses. He drove his elbow into Miles’ stomach, knocking him off balance, then spun and slammed the hilt of his katana into the back of Miles’ knee, forcing him down.

Miles hit the ground hard, barely managing to keep himself upright. His breath was ragged, his muscles screaming in protest.

Shinji took a step back, twirling his katana before resting it lazily on his shoulder.

"It’s been fun," he said, "but I think we both know how this ends."

Miles’ fingers dug into the dirt. He wasn’t done. He couldn’t be done. Diego was still-

A sharp pain shot through his skull, and his vision blurred, his limbs locked in place.

Then, for the briefest moment, he wasn’t in the battlefield anymore.

He was somewhere else. Somewhere dark.

And in that darkness, something stirred.

A voice. Low and distorted.

"Are you ready to listen now?" Miles’ breath hitched. He tried to move, but his body wouldn’t respond.

"You’re losing. Again. Just like before. Just like always."

The voice chuckled.

The darkness swirled around him, pressing in on all sides.

"You know what I am, don’t you?" Miles’ chest tightened. He didn’t want to answer.

He had been fighting the Mad Hatter back for as long as he could remember, even if it had not been that long. Even if he never let it show, so that Diego did not have to be worried about him.

But this time it was different.

It felt different.

"I’m the part of you that understands what must be done." The darkness that was the Hatter’s form in Miles’ mind grew closer, its presence suffocating. "You keep holding back, keep clinging to the idea that you can win on your own."

Until it loomed in front of him now, its shape familiar, its stitched grin wide beneath hollow, glowing eyes.

"I can help you," the voice whispered. "You just have to let me."

Miles’ heart pounded.

Then, as suddenly as it had come, the darkness vanished.

He was back in the battlefield, gasping for breath. His body felt cold, his fingers numb. Shinji stood a few feet away, watching him with curiosity in his eyes.

For the first time, Miles felt truly afraid.

Because he had almost said yes.

The words that escaped his lips, though, surprised even him.

"Sarissa... Would you mind lending me a hand?"