ITB Chapter 10 A Chase

For what felt like an eternity, the sound of slaughter filled the yellow halls. The clash of steel, the crunch of bone, and the heavy rhythm of Guts’s breathing drowned out even the omnipresent hum of the fluorescent lights above. 

Dragonslayer, the massive slab of iron, tore through rotting torsos, cleaving skulls, and smashing through ribs like glass. Each swing left the air trembling and painted the floor with more decay. The blade, blackened with blood, glistened anew with the flesh of the undead.

Beside him, Nezuko was a crimson blur. Her claws flashed in arcs, ripping through necks, piercing chests, kicking heads off shoulders with frightening precision. Each movement was fluid, almost elegant despite its brutality. Her growls echoed with feral determination, a rhythmic counterpart to Guts’s labored grunts.

Bodies fell faster than the fluorescent lights could flicker. Every strike, every kick, every guttural snarl filled the endless halls with dismembered limbs.

And then—finally—it was over. The battlefield—or what passed for one in this hellish place—was silent at last.

Guts stood amidst the carnage, his chest rising and falling like a forge bellows, his single eye scanning the sea of corpses sprawled across the red-stained floor. The once monotone carpet was now black and red, soaked through with blood and rot. The stench was vile, a foul mixture of decay and iron, thick enough that it coated the back of his throat.

He grunted under his breath, spitting to the side. “Tch… disgusting.”

Nezuko, standing beside him, looked just as worn yet oddly calm. Her pink eyes glowed faintly, scanning the piles of mangled flesh with a predator’s vigilance. Her nails, still long and sharp, dripped with dark blood that sizzled faintly where it touched the floor. Slowly, she let out a low growl before shrinking back to her normal size, the demonic aura around her dimming until only her human silhouette remained.

Together, they stood like two survivors on a battlefield.

All around them, the bodies of the undead lay strewn about — dismembered limbs tangled with torsos, skulls cracked open, ribcages split apart. Some twitched faintly as the last traces of energy sputtered out, but within moments, even those went still. The endless groaning that had filled the air for what felt like hours was finally gone.

Guts’s grip on Dragonslayer loosened. The massive blade, once singing with slaughter, was now still, its edge caked in gore and shreds of flesh. With a heavy motion, he swung it once more to flick off the excess blood, then slid it back into place on his back. 

He took one last look around, scanning the yellow corridors, the buzzing lights flickering faintly overhead. Every sound echoed too loudly now — the drip of blood, the creak of his armor, the quiet hiss of Nezuko’s breathing.

“Looks like that’s all of ’em,” He muttered.

Nezuko tilted her head slightly, her pink eyes softening as she nodded once in agreement. She released a faint small hum that almost sounded like relief.

Guts huffed a laugh, low and rough. “Hmph. You’re right. Not that it was much of a challenge… just a damn mess.”

He glanced down at himself. His coat was caked in dried blood, bits of viscera clinging to the torn fabric. Even his hair was streaked with crimson, the iron tang of it mixing with the ever-present smell of mold from the Backrooms.

“Hell, I reek worse than a battlefield.”

Nezuko made a sound that might’ve been a giggle or as close to one as she could manage. She pointed to him, then to herself, her expression amused despite the exhaustion in her eyes.

Guts smirked faintly. “Yeah, yeah. You don’t look much better, kid.”

She puffed her cheeks slightly, pretending to pout before giving a soft grunt of acknowledgment. Despite the gore, despite the endless yellow maze around them, there was something oddly grounding in the exchange. For a brief moment, they weren’t two warriors trapped in hell, just two tired souls catching their breath.

Guts rolled his shoulders, his joints cracking. “No point hangin’ around. This place stinks worse by the minute.”

Nezuko nodded, her gaze flicking down one of the many branching corridors. She sniffed the air, a faint, instinctive habit, before pointing toward the left path.

“Hmph. Fine by me,” Guts said, wiping his brow with a gloved hand. “Lead the way.”

The two of them stepped forward, their boots squelching against the soaked carpet. Behind them, the battlefield of broken bodies began to sink into silence once again — the smell of blood thick, the lights buzzing faintly as if afraid to flicker too loudly.

As they vanished down another endless hallway, their shadows stretched long behind them, swallowed slowly by the dim yellow glow.

They didn’t know where they were heading. They only knew that stopping here, in this graveyard of their own making, wasn’t an option. And so, they walked on.

—-----------------------------

Sakura ran. She ran as fast as she could.

Her brown loafers slapped wetly against the soaked carpet, the fluorescent lights blurring above as she sprinted down the endless yellow halls. The faint hum of the lights mixed with the pounding of her heartbeat—or at least what she thought was her heartbeat. It was hard to tell. She wasn’t even sure if her heart still worked.

Her breath came in sharp, uneven gasps that felt hollow in her chest, like air moving through an empty room. The smell of rot clung to her hair, to her uniform, to everything. She didn’t dare look back.

All she could think about were the two figures she’d just seen.

Two monsters and not the kind that moaned or shuffled like the rest.

They had appeared out of nowhere, tearing through the horde that had imprisoned her for what felt like hours. The man had been a giant, encased in dark, armor, his single eye glinting like a shard of cold steel. The sword he carried wasn’t a weapon—it was a wall of iron. Every swing split the air and crushed dozens of corpses into pulp. The noise had been deafening, the shockwaves rattling through the floor.

And the girl…

The girl was something else entirely.

She looked human at first, a small figure with soft features, dressed in a pink kimono. But the way she moved, the way her eyes glowed as she leapt into the undead like a hurricane, her hands ripping, tearing, crushing anything that got in her way, no normal person could do that. Her strength, her speed, her monstrous grace...

Sakura could still hear the sound of it. The splintering bones. The wet tearing of flesh. The echo of their combined fury shaking the walls.

She had seen what they did to the horde and knew she wouldn’t stand a chance. Even if she tried to speak, to explain that she wasn’t like the others, who would believe her? She was one of the dead. Her skin was blue, her eyes too dull, her body cold.

If they saw her, they’d probably cut her down without hesitation.

Her panic only deepened that thought.

She turned a sharp corner, stumbling against the wall. Her shoulder slammed into the peeling wallpaper, leaving a faint smear of decay. “Come on, come on, keep moving…” She whispered to herself, trying to will her legs to keep going. “Don’t let them see you.”

Her body didn’t tire, but her mind did. Every corridor looked the same. Every flickering light felt like a spotlight tracking her movements.

She slowed for just a moment, pressing her back to a wall, trying to steady her breathing. ‘Maybe they didn’t see me. Maybe they’ll take another path.’

That fragile hope shattered as a heavy metallic clang echoed in the distance.

Footsteps. Heavy, deliberate, and far too loud to belong to anything else.

Her head snapped up, and she froze.

Around the far corner, the sound of boots meeting the soggy floor drew closer, each step slow and sure. Alongside it came the soft pat-pat of lighter feet, almost graceful, in sync with the heavier tread.

Her blood or whatever passed for it now, ran cold.

‘No, no, no—why this way?’

Sakura turned to run again, but the hallway ahead of her stretched into the same monotonous maze. No doors, no side paths—only more endless yellow.

She glanced back once, her nerves trembling. And there they were.

The man in black armor, towering over everything else. His massive sword rested against his shoulder, gleaming dully under the flickering light. His expression was unreadable, but his single eye caught her in its gaze.

Beside him, the small girl with pink eyes stared as well. Her head tilted curiously.

For a heartbeat, none of them moved.

Sakura’s entire body went rigid, fear gripping her like ice. She didn’t breathe, didn’t blink, didn’t dare twitch.

Then Guts’ low, gravelly voice rumbled through the air. “…The hell?”

Sakura’s thoughts scattered. ‘He saw me—he saw me—he’s going to—’

But before she could move, Nezuko took a small, cautious step forward, her pink eyes softening slightly.

Sakura’s feet slipped as she turned to bolt, panic taking over. She didn’t know if she was running from them, or from what they might think she was.

Behind her, Guts shifted his grip on Dragonslayer, his voice flat but wary. “Kid,” he muttered, glancing at Nezuko, “Guess we missed one. But it acted differently didn’t it?”

Nezuko nodded slowly, her eyes narrowing with curiosity.

“Still,” Guts growled, his gaze following the fleeing figure, “different or not… it’s one of them.”

The sound of Sakura’s footsteps faded down the hall, swallowed by the endless hum of the Backrooms.

For now, Guts didn’t give chase. But both he and Nezuko could tell—this was no ordinary undead. Something about it looked weird.

—--------------------------------

The yellow halls went on forever. The same humming lights, the same mildew-soaked carpet, the same faint smell of dust and dampness that clung to their clothes. After a while, even the silence started to feel loud.

So Yuuka, Weiss, Azula and Issei started talking about anything to fill the void.

Issei walked at the front, his hands folded behind his head as he carefully observed every corner for any surprises. He spoke animatedly, his tone full of embarrassed nostalgia. “Yeah, so there were these two idiots I used to hang out with back home—Matsuda and Motohama. The students at our school called us the Perverted Trio.”

Yuuka blinked. “They called you what?”

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. “Why am I not surprised…”

Issei laughed nervously. “Hey, hey, don’t judge! It wasn’t all bad! I mean, sure, we might’ve gotten caught trying to sneak a peek at the girls’ kendo club while they were changing once—”

“Once?” Weiss cut in, her icy glare sharp enough to cut glass.

“Okay, more than once,” He admitted quickly, rubbing the back of his neck. “But we always got caught! Every time! It was practically a tradition by the end. They’d chase us halfway across the courtyard and beat the hell out of us. You could say it was… a humbling experience.”

Yuuka stared at him in disbelief, then burst into laughter, covering her mouth. “That’s what you get for being such a creep!”

Even Weiss couldn’t hold back a faint smirk, though she folded her arms tightly to hide it. “Honestly, you got exactly what you deserved. If you ever tried that around me, Issei, I promise the results would be far worse than a few bruises.”

Issei gulped, giving a weak laugh. “Y-yeah, noted. Definitely not planning on that. Ever.”

Azula, walking slightly behind the group, glanced at him with an arched brow. “So you willingly let yourself get beaten up? That’s… impressive, in a very stupid way.”

“I call it dedication!” Issei said proudly, puffing out his chest.

Weiss sighed. “I call it brain damage.”

Yuuka giggled again, shaking her head. “You really are hopeless.”

Their laughter echoed faintly down the yellow corridors, strange and almost comforting amid the emptiness.

When it died down, Yuuka looked thoughtful. “I never really had friends like that,” She admitted softly. “I was too busy studying, and helping my mom with her work. She usually enters a lot of odd jobs back home, so most of my time was spent around working, and books.”

Issei glanced at her over his shoulder. “It must have been hard to study and work at the same time.”

“It was,” Yuuka said, smiling faintly. “Even if I didn’t get to do much outside of it.”

Weiss nodded slightly. “I can understand that. I didn’t have much of a social life either. Between being groomed to become the next heiress of the Schnee Dust Company and training to be a huntress, I barely had time for anything else.” Her expression softened. “Though I did have an amazing, perfect older sister, Winter. She joined the military. And a younger brother, Whitley. We don’t get along very well.”

Yuuka tilted her head. “You don’t get along with him?”

Weiss’s sigh was small but telling. “Not particularly. He’s… difficult.”

Before anyone could respond, Azula spoke up, her tone carrying that familiar mix of pride and faint irritation. “I can relate. I have a brother too. He’s dramatic, moody, constantly conflicted with himself.” Her lips curled in mild disdain. “Always trying to prove something.”

“Sounds like a handful,” Yuuka said sympathetically.

Azula crossed her arms, smirking slightly. “You have no idea.”

Issei laughed under his breath. “Man, you two are lucky. Having siblings sounds awesome. I always wondered what that’d be like.”

Yuuka nodded. “Yeah, same. Must’ve been nice… sometimes.”

Azula and Weiss exchanged a glance, identical frowns forming on both their faces.

“You’re not missing much,” Weiss said bluntly.

Azula nodded in agreement, her voice dry. “Indeed. Consider yourselves fortunate.”

Issei blinked, looking between them, then chuckled awkwardly. “Okay, okay, message received. No sibling envy then.”

Yuuka giggled softly again. “You probably wouldn’t last a week with one anyway.”

Weiss actually let out a quiet chuckle at that, and even Azula’s lips twitched, though she quickly hid it behind her usual composed expression.

For a brief moment, the four of them just walked together through the endless yellow labyrinth—laughing, sharing, teasing.

But their laughter and teasing slowly faded as their footsteps echoed deeper into the maze. The monotony of the yellow halls continued, but something had changed. The lights overhead hummed lower, their flicker slower, the air heavier and tinged with something that didn’t quite smell like mold.

Issei was the first to notice. “Hey… you guys feel that?”

Weiss stopped mid-step, her blue eyes narrowing. “Yes. The air feels… different.”

Yuuka glanced around uneasily. “Maybe it’s just me, but it’s getting colder too.”

They continued walking cautiously, and soon the corridor opened into a new space—a large rectangular room. The carpet here was darker, stained not with water but with something faintly brownish-red. The buzzing of the lights above seemed distant, muffled. And at the far end, almost like an illusion, stood a door.

Not a yellow wall panel. Not an opening to another corridor. A proper wooden door that caused the four to freeze.

It looked strangely out of place against the sickly wallpaper—a door made of worn oak, its surface scratched but intact, a brass handle gleaming faintly under the flickering light.

Yuuka tilted her head, whispering, “A… door? I didn’t think this place would even have doors.”

Weiss approached a few cautious steps, her rapier ready. “That’s because this is the first time we met one.”

Issei looked between the three of them, his brow furrowed. “So what do you think? A way out… or another trap?”

No one answered immediately.

Azula, however, crossed her arms, her amber eyes glinting with curiosity and something else. “What are you all waiting for?” She said sharply. “We’ve been wandering aimlessly through these halls for who knows how long. That door could lead us home.”

Weiss shot her a glare. “And it could also lead us into something far worse.”

Yuuka nodded quickly, her voice nervous. “Yeah, last time we went through something that looked ‘different,’ we ended up being chased by those… things.” She shuddered, gripping her pipe tighter. “Those yellow humanoids with the party hats.”

Azula frowned, tilting her head. “Yellow humanoids? Party hats?”

Weiss’s expression darkened slightly. “They continued to relentlessly chase us around. Always laughing, not even caring of how many we kill and tearing through walls like paper.”

The princess blinked once, digesting that. “…That’s disturbing.”

“It was,” Yuuka muttered.

Issei rubbed his neck, his usual grin replaced by thought. “Yeah, I don’t blame you guys for hesitating. Last time was a nightmare.”

Azula sighed, shaking her head. “So what? You’re just going to stay here? We’ll never escape if we don’t take risks.”

Her tone carried that familiar arrogance, but underneath it, there was conviction—something Weiss could almost respect.

Weiss frowned, but didn’t retort this time. Azula had a point. They couldn’t wander forever.

Yuuka looked between them all, unsure. “Maybe she’s right. If there’s even a small chance that’s a way out…”

Issei looked at the door again. The oak surface looked harmless, yet ominous. A trick of the light made it seem as though the brass handle moved slightly. He took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders, and then summoned the Boosted Gear, just in case of any attack, that glinted faintly on his arm.

“Alright,” he said finally. “I’ll open it and check it out first.”

Yuuka’s eyes widened. “W-wait! You sure?”

“Yeah,” Issei said with a grin that was equal parts bravado and reassurance. “If it’s dangerous, better me than you guys.”

Weiss’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t stop him. “At least let us be ready. If something comes out, we strike together.”

Azula smirked faintly, her arms still crossed. “A reasonable plan, for once.”

“Hey, I can be reasonable sometimes,” Issei shot back with a smirk of his own.

He approached the door slowly, every step echoing in the silence. His fingers hovered just above the brass handle for a moment. The air seemed to grow thicker, the hum of the lights fading into near silence. Even his breathing felt louder now.

He glanced back. Yuuka was clutching her pipe tightly, Weiss’s rapier shimmered faintly in the light, and Azula stood tall, her eyes sharp but unreadable.

“Alright…” he murmured. “Here goes nothing.”

He wrapped his hand around the handle and turned it.

The latch clicked.

For a moment, nothing happened. The door didn’t creak, it didn't move. The silence stretched. Then, slowly, it began to open with a long, echoing screeeech that made Yuuka flinch.

The moment the door was opened, a massive white light burst forth and then the light consumed them and when the flash was gone, so were the group of four and then the door closed by itself.

—-------------------------------------

Sakura’s panicked footsteps echoed endlessly through the maze. Her loafers slapped against the wet carpet as she stumbled through corridor after corridor, the flickering lights turning her frantic shadow into a warped specter dancing on the walls.

She didn’t look back—she couldn’t. Every time she dared to glance behind, she saw that small, terrifying girl in the pink kimono sprinting after her with inhuman speed, those glowing pink eyes burning like lanterns in the dark. And further back, she could hear the heavy, metallic clank of boots, steady and relentless. The sound of something that didn’t stop for anything.

“Stay away! Please—stay away from me!” Sakura cried, her voice breaking as she darted around another corner. Her lungs didn’t even hurt. That terrified her most of all.

She pressed herself against the wall, trembling. Her mind raced. ‘What do I do? What do I do? I can’t fight her, I can’t fight him…’

She could hear Nezuko’s soft, almost playful hum from around the corner. The sound sent a shiver up Sakura’s spine. It wasn’t a predator’s roar—it was the sound of someone enjoying the chase.

Nezuko’s small footsteps grew louder as she turned into view, her expression curious rather than bloodthirsty. Her pink eyes glowed faintly. She tilted her head, studying Sakura the way a cat would study a frightened bird.

Guts’s heavy steps followed soon after, his massive form filling the corridor behind her. Dragonslayer hung casually over his shoulder, his single eye focused on the trembling girl in the blue uniform.

Sakura let out another terrified shriek and bolted again, sprinting past another turn. “Go away! Don’t come any closer!”

Nezuko giggled as she was having fun. She took off after her again, faster this time, bounding effortlessly on the walls for a moment before landing ahead of Sakura with a loud thud.

Sakura froze mid-step, her crystal-blue eyes widening as Nezuko crouched low, claws digging into the carpet. The demon girl didn’t attack. She just… watched.

Then Guts appeared behind Sakura, his towering shadow stretching over her small frame. He stopped a few feet away, his sword resting loosely in his hand.

“Kid,” He said, his voice low and gravelly, “you done playin’?”

Nezuko blinked at him and made a short grunt, her head tilting to one side as if she didn’t quite understand what he meant.

Sakura turned around, trembling uncontrollably, her back pressed to the wall. “Please… don’t… don’t kill me,” She whispered, her voice quivering. Her hands shook as she raised them slightly, though whether in surrender or panic, even she didn’t know.

Guts frowned. He’d seen all kinds of creatures in his life—ghouls, apostles, demons—but this one was… different.

She wasn’t attacking. She wasn’t snarling or reaching for flesh. She was scared. Terrified, even. Her voice cracked like a living girl’s, not a mindless corpse. And the way she moved… there was something too human about it.

He narrowed his eye, studying her more closely. “Tch… this doesn’t make sense,” he muttered. “Usually by now, they’d have jumped me.”

Sakura pressed herself tighter against the wall, shaking her head rapidly. “I’m not one of them! Please, I’m not! I don’t know how I got here—I don’t even know why I look like this!” Her voice broke on the last word, tears—gray and faintly luminescent—rolling down her cheeks.

Nezuko blinked, her pink eyes softening slightly at the sight. She lowered her stance, claws retracting, the playful glint in her gaze fading into something gentler.

Guts rested Dragonslayer’s tip against the floor with a dull thunk. “You’re… not like the others, huh?” He muttered.

Sakura looked up at him, desperate. “I’m not! I swear! I was— I was just walking to an audition one day, and then… I woke up here. With those other monsters behind me.” Her hands trembled as she gestured vaguely behind her. “They kept pushing me, and I couldn’t stop. I tried to talk, but they didn’t—”

Her words dissolved into sobs.

Nezuko stepped closer, slowly this time, and crouched in front of her. Her pink eyes met Sakura’s frightened blue ones. The demon girl tilted her head and let out a soft, inquisitive hum, almost like she was asking a question without words.

Sakura froze, uncertain. But Nezuko’s expression wasn’t hostile—it was curious.

Guts sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. “Damn it. Guess we were chasin’ the wrong kind of monster.” He glanced at Nezuko. “You can stop now, kid. She ain’t one of ’em.”

Nezuko looked at him, then back at Sakura, then gave a small nod.

The tension in Sakura’s shoulders finally broke. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the damp, stained carpet, clutching at her chest even though her heart no longer beat. 

Finally as Sakura calmed down, she looked back at the strange pair. Her trembling fingers pressed against the fabric of her uniform as her voice cracked weakly. “You… you’re not going to kill me?”

For a moment, neither of them answered. The only sound was the steady hum of the lights above and the faint drip of water from somewhere down the hall.

Then Guts exhaled, a low, gruff huff that was equal parts exhaustion and reluctant patience. “Not unless you give me a reason.”

His tone wasn’t gentle, but it wasn’t cruel either. It was simply honest, the voice of a man who’d long ago stopped pretending to understand the world around him.

Nezuko, who had been crouching a few feet away, tilted her head. Her pink eyes softened, she stepped closer and placed a small, careful hand on top of Sakura’s head.

Sakura froze, eyes wide. The gesture was… comforting, tender even, and completely unexpected.

She blinked, unsure whether to laugh or cry. After everything—the endless running, the constant fear, the monstrous faces, this simple act of kindness shattered her remaining composure. Tears welled up and spilled down her pale cheeks, glimmering faintly in the yellow light. For the first time since waking up in this nightmare, she didn’t feel completely alone.

But the moment of peace didn’t last.

The lights above them flickered again, longer this time. The shadows stretched along the walls, writhing as though alive. A faint draft blew through the corridor, carrying a chill that made Sakura’s already cold skin prickle.

Guts’s expression darkened, his hand resting on the hilt of Dragonslayer. His instincts never slept. “Let’s just keep moving,” He said quietly, his deep voice rumbling through the silence. “We’re stayin’ in one place too long.”

Nezuko nodded and extended her hand toward Sakura, helping her up. Her touch was surprisingly warm. Sakura stared at her for a moment before nodding gratefully. But then a question entered her mind

“W-wait,” Sakura stammered as Guts started to walk. “Can I… come with you?”

Guts didn’t stop or turn around. His voice came out flat, matter-of-fact. “Do whatever you want. I don’t actually care.”

He rested Dragonslayer against his shoulder and added with a grunt, “The kid seems to like you for some reason though.”

Nezuko glanced back, her pink eyes gleaming faintly as she gave a small nod in confirmation.

Sakura hesitated, her mind racing. Every instinct told her to keep her distance, to hide, but the alternative—wandering this maze alone—was unbearable. She took a deep breath and hurried to catch up.

“Um…” she began, her voice still shaky. “Who are you? And… do you know where we are?”

Guts didn’t slow his pace, his boots squelching against the wet carpet. “Name’s Guts,” He said simply. “And no. I’ve got no damn clue. One minute I was somewhere else, next I was standing here.” He cast her a sidelong glance, his single eye sharp but not unkind. “Don’t bother askin’ the kid. She’s mostly mute. But I’m guessin’ her story’s the same as ours.”

Sakura nodded slowly, processing his words. “Right…”

For a while, none of them spoke. Their footsteps echoed down the endless corridor, fading into the steady drone of the lights above.

Guts walked ahead, silent and imposing, his massive blade resting on his shoulder. Nezuko followed close behind, her movements light, every now and then glancing back to make sure Sakura was keeping up. And Sakura trailed a few steps behind, her mind still spinning with disbelief and confusion.

Three souls—each from different worlds, each broken in their own way—wandering together through the endless yellow labyrinth.

Sakura looked down at her bandaged hands, then at the two figures ahead of her. Despite everything, despite the fear that still clung to her, she felt a small flicker of warmth in her chest. ‘Maybe… just maybe, I’ll be okay,’ She thought.

Together, the three of them disappeared into the endless yellow maze—three survivors who shouldn’t have met, walking side by side into the unknown.

—------------------------------------

Elsewhere in the endless labyrinth, the ground trembled.

Heavy, rhythmic thuds echoed through the yellow halls, each one making the flickering lights above tremble in protest. The damp carpet squelched beneath massive boots, leaving deep, dark imprints in its moldy surface. The walls, smeared with faint streaks of black ichor and rust, seemed to shrink back from the sheer force of his presence.

The monster known as Nemesis moved through the Backrooms like a walking cataclysm.

The bio-organic weapon’s towering frame was an unholy blend of decayed flesh and reinforced muscle, bound together by thick, sinewy cables that pulsed faintly beneath his torn black trench coat. His distorted face was hidden behind a mask of scar tissue and steel, the single glowing red eye at its center burning like a furnace through the darkness.

Every breath he took came out as a guttural hiss through gritted, uneven teeth. Every step shook the floor.

He had been defeated once—by the black-armored man and his inhuman companion. But death meant nothing to him. Not anymore. His body had torn itself apart and rebuilt, each rupture birthing new tissue, stronger and more resilient than before. The mechanical tendrils embedded in his back twitched restlessly, stitching and reinforcing as they worked to maintain the perfection of his evolving form.

Nemesis paused at an intersection, his head tilting slightly as the faint scent of something alive brushed his senses. A low growl rumbled from deep within his chest—a sound not of hunger, but of anticipation.

He wanted to find them again. The man with the sword. The girl with the claws. The prey who made him bleed.

But for now, something else had found him.

From the darkness of another corridor came a series of guttural roars, deep and resonant enough to shake the stained ceiling tiles. The sound reverberated through the halls like an earthquake.

Nemesis turned, the red glow of his single eye illuminating the room ahead. From the shadows emerged towering beasts—each one a massive, jet-black bear encased in bony armor that gleamed white under the flickering lights. Their eyes burned crimson, filled with primal hatred.

Ursa Majors.

The Grimm snarled in unison, their claws gouging the carpet and walls as they advanced, muscles rippling beneath bone plating. They were predators born of darkness and fear, creatures that thrived on the scent of blood and conflict.

Nemesis stared at them, silent. Then, his mouth split into a twisted, jagged grin.

“...PPRRRAaah,” He rasped, the word warped and broken, his voice a deep metallic snarl echoing through the hall.

The Grimm roared, charging forward.

The first Ursa Major reached him in seconds, slamming a claw the size of a man’s torso toward his chest. The blow landed with enough force to shatter concrete—yet Nemesis didn’t even flinch. His hand shot up, catching the creature’s paw mid-swipe. With a bone-crunching SNAP, he twisted, ripping the limb free in a single motion.

The Grimm howled in agony, but its cry was cut short as Nemesis’s fist came down like a hammer, crushing its skull into the carpet with an explosion of black ichor.

The others roared and lunged.

Nemesis’s mechanical tendrils shot outward from his back, slicing through the air like whips. One impaled an Ursa through the chest, hoisting it off the ground before flinging it into another, the impact sending both crashing through a wall.

Another Grimm lunged at his side, jaws snapping shut around his arm—but Nemesis simply turned and slammed his free hand into its chest, punching through the bone plating and tearing out its heart. Black mist hissed from the wound as the creature collapsed.

He moved with terrifying precision—every attack brutal, efficient, final.

The remaining Grimm hesitated for the briefest moment, their instincts screaming that they faced something even darker than themselves.

Nemesis took a single step forward, the floorboards cracking beneath his weight. The red glow of his eye brightened, reflecting in their terrified gazes.

Then he lunged.

The room erupted into chaos.

Roars and screams blended together as Nemesis ripped through them one after another. Bones shattered, claws snapped, black blood splattered across the yellow walls in heavy arcs. The fluorescent lights above flickered wildly, shorting out one by one as the monster’s rampage consumed the space.

When the last Ursa Major fell—its armored skull crushed under his boot—Nemesis stood amidst the carnage, breathing heavily. His coat hung in tatters, his flesh steaming from the heat of his exertion. The mechanical tentacles slowly retracted, dripping with Grimm blood that started to vanish into black mist.

He looked down at the heap of corpses around him.Then, without hesitation, he reached out and pressed his hand into the nearest one.

Unfortunately nothing happened as the corpses disappeared into mist. With a grumble, Nemesis turned toward the corridor ahead, his heavy boots squelching through the wet floor.

“Rrrhghh” He growled, his voice a guttural distortion that made the walls tremble. He began to walk again, each step shaking the floor.

The hunt had resumed.

-------------------------------------

Guts, Nezuko and Sakura walked through the endless yellow maze in uneasy silence. Their footsteps echoed softly on the damp carpet, mixing with the steady hum of the flickering fluorescent lights above. The air smelled faintly of mildew and dust—stale and unchanging, like the world itself had forgotten how to breathe.

Guts led the way, his massive blade slung across his back, each step of his heavy boots leaving a faint squelch behind. Nezuko walked a few paces beside him, quiet and alert, her pink eyes flicking between the branching corridors. Behind them trailed Sakura, her hands clasped nervously in front of her, trying to keep pace without making too much noise.

For several minutes, nothing happened.

Then Guts felt it—the weight of someone’s stare boring into the back of his head. He ignored it at first, assuming it was just nerves. But after a while, it didn’t stop.

He exhaled through his nose, irritation flickering across his scarred face. “You gonna keep starin’ at me, or you got somethin’ to say?”

Sakura jumped, startled that he’d noticed. “Ah! S-sorry!” She squeaked, her voice cracking slightly. “I just… um… I was wondering—well, actually, a lot of things—like who you really are, and how you fight like that, and where you got that huge sword, and—”

“Girl.” Guts interrupted, glancing back over his shoulder with a deadpan look, “one at a time.”

Sakura’s eyes widened. “O-oh. Right.” She fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve, visibly flustered. “Sorry, I just… I’ve never met anyone like you before. You don’t look like the other humans I’ve seen… and that sword—it’s bigger than you are!”

Guts huffed, adjusting Dragonslayer slightly on his back. “Yeah, it’s heavy too. You get used to it.”

Nezuko let out a muffled hum, glancing at Sakura with an amused glint in her eye. She seemed to find the exchange entertaining.

Sakura blinked at Nezuko, curiosity sparking anew. “And you—um—are not human, are you?”

Nezuko tilted her head and made a soft sound that was somewhere between a grunt and a giggle.

Guts grunted. “She’s a demon. And stronger than she looks.”

“A… demon?” Sakura echoed, her eyes widening. “Then… she’s not going to eat me, right?”

Nezuko blinked and pouted at her, clearly offended.

Guts smirked faintly. “Not unless you annoy her too much.”

“Guts!” Sakura squeaked, horrified.

He chuckled under his breath. “Relax, I’m kiddin’.”

Nezuko shot him a playful glare and gave his arm a light smack, a muffled “mmph!” escaping her as if to scold him.

Sakura let out a small, nervous laugh, half-relieved, half-unsure. “You two are… really different from what I expected. You don’t seem scared of this place at all.”

Guts’s expression hardened again as he looked ahead, scanning the corridor. “Fear doesn’t do much good here. You fight, or you die. Simple as that.”

Sakura’s smile faltered. She looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers together. “Right… I guess that makes sense.”

For a few moments, they walked in silence again. But soon enough, Sakura’s curiosity got the better of her once more.

“So… where do you think this place even is? I mean, I don’t remember how I got here, and I don’t think this is the afterlife, but—”

“Sakura,” Guts interrupted, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a gloved hand, “one question. Remember?”

“Oh! Right, right, sorry!” she said quickly, her words tumbling over themselves. “I just… I talk a lot when I’m nervous.”

“Yeah,” Guts muttered, glancing sideways at her, “I noticed.”

Nezuko snickered softly beside him, her laugh echoing down the corridor.

Sakura frowned, puffing her cheeks slightly. “I’m not that bad…”

Guts gave a low hum, neither agreeing nor denying it, as he continued forward. “Just keep close. If anything jumps out, you’ll wanna be behind me.”

Despite his gruff tone, Sakura couldn’t help but feel a bit safer. There was something about his presence—steady, unshakable, even when surrounded by madness—that made her believe they might actually survive this place.

And even though Nezuko said nothing, the way she glanced back every few seconds, making sure Sakura was still there, spoke volumes.

Sakura smiled faintly to herself. Maybe she was annoying them. But for now, being with them was better than being alone in the dark.

Done. Tell me what you think and if I made any mistakes. What do you think was behind the door that took Issei and the others.