Kuro's POV
The theatre lights cut through the dust like blades.
I was trapped—that much was certain—but it didn't matter. She'd made things easier for me; at least I wouldn't have to chase her down.
"Hey, are you just going to stand there holding that stance, or are we actually going to fight?" she called, hanging lazily from her web.
I watched her silhouette sway in the half-light.
"I get it—you think I won't strike a woman," I said, voice low. "I'm going to slice you down that I promise."
She lunged from the darkness like a viper. I met her strike, the impact echoing through the empty theatre. She vanished again, retreating into the shadows, darting along silken threads that shimmered whenever the spotlights caught them.
Each strike was a question. Each retreat, a taunt.
"Well, technically, I killed him because both of you were tailing us," she purred from the dark. "Can't have you invading my personal space. Too bad—it was such a waste of nourishment. I don't like wasting food, but I'm… picky with the Ruh essence I feed on. I prefer young males—so full of life."
Her tone dripped with mockery, equal parts playful and predatory. "Look what you've done… you've made me all excited. I'm aching for a meal now."
Then, with a wet tearing sound, four long spider limbs burst from her back.
She smiled
And charged.
I gathered my Ruh essence, letting it surge through every limb, then drew in my Djinn energy.
Time to get serious.
She was behind me—instinct screamed it. I spun with blinding speed, my blade slicing through the air toward her silhouette. She blocked, her spider legs snapping forward in a blur. I stepped back fast, stance tight, and thrust my katana straight for her heart.
But she read it—jumped back, silk threads glinting.
"C'mon, Kurosawa! Is that all you've got?" she shouted, voice dripping with mockery.
"Shout all you want. Taunting me's useless."
Before she could land, I flash-stepped forward, blade gleaming. The edge caught one of her limbs—slice!—sending it spinning into the dark.
She shrieked, a raw, guttural sound that rattled the stage. But pain didn't slow her. She hurled a tanto—I dodged easily—only to realize it was a feint.
She was already there.
Her remaining limbs lashed out in a killing strike. I twisted and dodged most, but one pierced clean through my left shoulder. Pain exploded.
She yanked the limb free, then kicked me square in the chest.
I crashed into the wall, the breath torn from my lungs, and slumped to the floor.
A blow like that—and even a wound like this—was nothing compared to the damage I'd taken before.
But something was off. My body felt heavy, each breath like fire.
"Shit," I muttered. "I should've figured…"
"You're starting to feel the effects, aren't you?" she said, standing right in front of me, her tone dripping with satisfaction. "My poison isn't like anything you've ever faced. It's a hundred times deadlier than a black mamba's. A single drop could kill an elephant instantly. That's how potent it is."
I forced myself to stand, legs trembling, vision swimming. The venom was burning through my veins like acid.
"The only thing keeping you moving right now," she continued, eyes glinting, "is your Djinn energy. It's trying to fight the poison. But don't worry…"
Her smile widened, cruel and hungry.
"I've got plenty more—just for you."
She walked toward me slowly, blades glinting in the light.
Without hesitation, she drove them through my legs. Pain exploded—hot, sharp, and deep. My knees buckled as she forced me back down.
She crouched beside me, her face inches from mine. Then, with unsettling grace, she lifted me by the collar and pinned me against the wall—so close I could feel her breath against my skin.
She leaned in, her voice a whisper laced with malice.
"I'm gonna play with you a little bit," she murmured, lips brushing my ear. "Then I'll kill you afterward."
Her tongue trailed along my neck before she sank her fangs in. I hissed in pain as she injected more venom, the burn immediate and searing.
Before I could react, she spun a line of silk around me—tight and unyielding—and with monstrous strength, she hurled me clear across the room.
The impact shook the entire stage.
She laughed, clearly enjoying herself.
"C'mon, Kuro… c'mon," I muttered under my breath. "You're getting your ass handed to you."
The poison burned through me like wildfire. My limbs felt heavy, my chest tight. I can't move… I've got to slow it down.
Djinn energy could suppress the poison, but it came at a cost—it burned through my Ruh essence fast. And if that dropped below the threshold… that would be it. I'd lose. I'd burn out, body and soul.
I'll channel a large chunk of Djinn energy to stop the poison, I thought, but keep just enough Ruh essence for my technique—to end this.
"Hey, Kurosawa!" she called, her voice echoing through the empty theatre. "I'm waiting! Come on, fight for your life!"
She twirled through the air, weaving silk across the entire stage—threads glimmering under the spotlights. Her movements were graceful, almost mesmerizing, like a dancer performing on strings of death.
"I love it when bugs get caught in my web," she purred, laughing softly. "They keep fighting… like they actually think it's not over."
She laughed again. "C'mon—swing your blade once more. Weren't you going to cut me down, as you said earlier? Or was that just big talk?"
I lay where I'd crashed, poison and Djinn energy a wildfire under my skin. Every breath felt like iron. I focused, felt the two forces battling inside me—the venom eating at my nerves, the Djinn trying to hold it back. Slowly, I pushed myself up. Legs shaking, vision blurred. Round two. Ready.
She watched me stand and clapped once, slow and deliberate. "Wish there was a crowd here to applaud you, Kurosawa. Too bad, so sad—nobody's going to witness your resolve."
Her smile widened. "Tell you what. After I've killed you, I'm gonna hang your head right in the middle of the stage where everyone will see it. I'll use your blood to write your name all over this stage, too." you are about to be all over the news.
She was starting to piss me off — talking like it was already over. She had no idea.
Ruhbinders rush in without knowing an enemy's tricks. Just thinking about that makes most people turn back. Every opponent has bizarre abilities, but the best Ruhbinders? They focus on their own power and have absolute confidence. You charge in ready to die. Rule one: die only when you know your enemy is dead. If you die before that, you failed.
I wasn't about to tell her that. She's scum, after all.
"Hey, what's got you smiling like that, huh?" she asked.
The thought of killing her crossed my mind like a blade — it felt good, picturing that moment. "But you know what makes it even better?" I answered. "The fact that it's guaranteed you die by my blade."
"Go on," she taunted.
"I'm gonna tell you what my technique is," I said. "Doesn't matter if you know it or not. You're dead anyway. My Djinn is… somewhat of a spectre. Since we're connected and I can draw on its energy stream, I can become a spectre too. Witness my technique, you scum."
Cold, blue spectral smoke gathered around me like winter fog. The air tasted like metal. My body thrummed; Djinn energy crawled beneath my skin.
"Cocky bastard — bring it!" she shouted, ready to fight.
I was nearly at my limit. I had to finish this fast. I slid my blade back into its saya and waited.
She took the bait. She charged.
"Don't mock me, Kurosawa. I'm gonna slash you into pieces!" she screamed, brandishing her dual blades.
Like a spectre, I can make my body intangible — she didn't understand that part well enough. Too late for her to figure it out.
The fight was over.
Her body split cleanly in two, symmetrical — blood sprayed across the stage.
Atrax lunged at the unarmed Kuro, eyes wild with bloodlust — her intent clear: end the fight in one final strike.
Her blades cut the air, fast and precise, carving the path to his death.
And she hit her mark — or so she thought.
Because Kuro was no longer there.
For a heartbeat, his form flickered like smoke. Intangible. Untouchable.
In that same instant, his hand moved — faster than sight. The flash of steel was the only sound before silence fell.
A single, perfect draw.
Her body split cleanly in two, the motion so sharp it almost looked gentle.
Atrax's eyes widened, her mind failing to comprehend what had happened — what she had faced.
Even if she had known… there was nothing she could've done.
You can't escape a spectre.
The technique Kuro used that night would later be whispered about in fear and awe—
Twin Hand Shadow.
"Damn… I can't move."
My body felt like it was sinking into the stage itself. The poison was spreading fast now—my limbs heavy, my vision fading. I lay on my back, staring up at the shattered lights above, the floor slick with blood. My own breathing sounded distant.
So this is it, I thought. Guess I'm done.
A weak laugh escaped my throat. "I forgot to ask her name… oh well. Not like that matters. She's gone anyway."
"Well done, Kuro. Way to handle that situation."
Kenta's voice echoed inside my head.
"Get out of my head, Kenta," I muttered.
A shadow moved across my fading vision—someone standing over me.
Am I hallucinating?
"Hey, Kuro. It's me, Kenta," the voice said again, closer now. He leaned down, his grin the same as always. "You're improving on your technique—I'll give you that much."
He grabbed my arm, helping me sit up.
"How… how did you get here?" I asked.
"Same way you did," he said with that usual jolly tone. "I'm your house master, remember? I know when you're lying to me." He chuckled softly. "I saw the whole fight too—you did good."
"I'll get you to Kamilah — she'll see what she can do about that poison. After that, get ready for a punishment for engaging the enemy alone without your house members or my order. Get ready to wash the academy sparkling clean— I'm talking about a lot of chores," he said, laughing.
"Yeah, fair enough, you bastard," I replied, weakly laughing back.
"All right, the clean-up crew should be on their way, so our job here is done. Let's go back."
MEANWHILE… in an unknown location
A cold room lit only by a flickering monitor. Two figures argued; a third stood silent, watching.
"The hell do you mean you were supposed to control her?" the first snapped, voice low and lethal. He stepped forward until the shadow of his hand fell over the other. "You failed. That failure cost us. Maybe I should end your miserable existence right here and now."
The second swallowed, voice trembling. "I felt it — Atrax is dead. She ran off and got herself killed. I tried—"
"You tried?" the first cut him off. "Don't lie to me. You failed. That failure cost us."
The second pleaded, "Please—don't. I can fix it. I can make another one."
The first's smile was a razor. "Make another, then. Make her like she never existed. But learn control this time, or next time it won't be replaceable."
A third voice—calm, cold, absolute—cut through the tension. "Silence. Stop arguing."
They fell quiet. The third's tone turned almost amused. "This incident favors US. We learned one of theirs."
"I saw everything through Atrax," the second said, eyes wide and shaken. "That Ruhbinder with the katana—he's dangerous. I want him."
"You will," the third promised, voice flat as a blade. "But not yet. Finish the preparations. Strengthen the experiments. Expand the network. When we move, it will not be a skirmish—it will be an unmaking."
The monitor's light swallowed their faces. In the dark, the word US felt less like a name and more like a warning: they weren't merely enemies. They were a force waiting to be unleashed.
And that's how Chapter 8 wraps up — Kuro's battle finally ends, but the shadows just got deeper. The Hyoitai have officially entered the stage, and they're not the kind of enemies that stay in the dark for long.
Let me know your thoughts — what did you think of Kuro's fight and the reveal at the end? Things are only going to get more twisted from here.