"Tch, saying things like that… You're so scared your mind's gone," Sawatari Akane sneered, but she didn't have time to waste on a coward. Every second wasted increased the risk and variables that could ruin her plan.
"Die."
She kept one hand in her pocket, pulling the trigger with the other.
Bang, bang, bang.
Clang.
Something felt off.
There was no thud of bullets hitting flesh.
Kobeni swayed lightly, dodging two bullets effortlessly. Her dagger flew through the air, slicing a bullet in half before it could reach her. The movement was seamless, almost elegant, a deadly dance.
Slice.
Clang.
Sawatari Akane snapped back to reality. Her gun had fallen to the floor. Blood blossomed across her palm. Her right index finger had been sliced off mid-air by the dagger, the rest of her hand nearly grazed. The dagger pinned itself several centimeters into the wall.
"What?!"
Cold sweat ran down Akane's back. The physical pain didn't matter; the fear of what just happened hit harder. This wasn't just dodging—Kobeni had disarmed her, cut off a finger, and performed a maneuver no one thought possible from a girl she had called a coward.
Even worse, just like Himeno, Akane couldn't track Kobeni's movements. Only blurred afterimages betrayed her position.
"This isn't good. I can't let her grab the gun," Akane thought, her arrogance melting into panic. She bent down quickly, fingers reaching for the gun.
Thud.
"Ah—!"
Pain shot through her arm. Kobeni's kick had dislocated her hand.
"Tch, damn it!" Akane staggered backward. She tried again, but her movements were clumsy now. Kobeni picked up the gun, pointed it coolly, and fired.
Bang, bang, bang, bang.
Akane twisted and dodged, but a bullet grazed her calf, tearing through flesh. She hissed.
Click, click.
Empty.
Kobeni tossed the gun aside, drawing her dagger from the wall in one fluid motion. She charged again.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
Alarm bells rang in Akane's mind. She couldn't keep up with Kobeni. Her calf hurt. Every step was slower than before. If she didn't use her trump card, she would die.
Damn it. What is this coward playing at? Is she… playing the pig to eat the tiger?
Akane extended her broken right hand and sacrificed half her pinky finger.
"Snake! Tail!"
Boom.
The Snake Devil's massive tail slashed through the narrow passage toward Kobeni. Calmly, Kobeni stepped onto the wall to avoid the impact. Dust and chunks of plaster flew as the snake tail hit, creating a crater in the wall.
Did it work? Akane watched the smoke clear, expecting victory. But Kobeni used the tail as a springboard, dagger in hand, expressionless, and launched herself straight at her.
"What?!"
Kobeni moved like the Grim Reaper. Akane faltered, almost falling in fear.
"How can she be this fast? This strong?" she thought. Public Safety had never mentioned her. She had only been on the job three months, barely a regular. How could she be crushed by this… nobody?
The exit was less than a hundred meters away. Outside, she could use the Snake Devil to swallow herself and escape. But Kobeni was too fast. She would catch up instantly.
Like a gecko shedding its tail, Akane had to sacrifice something to survive. She retreated frantically.
"Snake, Full Body!"
She raised her useless right hand and sacrificed her middle, ring, and half of her pinky fingers. Boom. The building trembled. The narrow passage shrieked under the pressure. The Snake Devil, which had swallowed Aki and Himeno, appeared in full form, mouth wide, surging toward them.
Kobeni glanced back calmly. She slid the dagger outward and pressed it to her forearm. Her hair whipped around her as the Snake Devil's stench filled the air.
The attack came in an instant.
Instead of fleeing, Kobeni lowered her body and power-slid directly at the Snake Devil.
Shing!
Roar!
Her dagger slashed into its soft underbelly, carving a massive gash. Organs spilled out, creating a sea of blood and filth. Akane's mouth twitched. Fear paralyzed her.
"Holy crap, you've got to be kidding me…"
Kobeni wasn't done. She stood, grabbed a corner of the Snake Devil's skin, and ran in the opposite direction. She was skinning it alive. Its wails echoed down the passage, but the narrow space worked against it. The Snake Devil, too large to maneuver, became its own coffin. Slowly, its screams died. Disemboweled and skinned, it was dead.
Whew.
Kobeni, covered in blood and filth, stood before the teary, terrified Akane, dagger in hand.
Swish, swish, swish.
Like a master chef, she slashed tendons in Akane's hands and feet. "This way, you won't be able to move." The knife slid to the floor.
"You bastard…" Akane's mind reeled. She had prepared for threats like Makima or veteran hunters like Aki. But this? This unknown girl? Even the Snake Devil had been killed by her… Akane was paralyzed.
Kobeni wasn't finished. She produced handcuffs and secured Akane's hands.
"Why didn't you just kill me?" Akane whispered.
Kobeni wiped a bloody tear from her face. "Capturing you… alive… bonus should be higher."
"Bonus?" Akane blinked. A million curses raced through her mind. For this stupid reason, this girl risked her life?
Maybe… maybe there was a chance. She tried to negotiate.
"How much is your bonus? Let me go and I'll give you ten times—no, a hundred times the bonus."
"A hundred times? Really?" Kobeni's eyes widened.
"Half the shares of this skyscraper are mine!" Akane said, weakly roaring. She realized this might actually work. "With your strength, working for me, you'll earn more than this crappy Public Safety job!"
Kobeni hesitated. "But…" Her expression shifted, almost yandere. "You already have so much money… why do you still do bad things?"
"Huh?"
Kobeni laughed low and ambiguous. "If I did bad things, my credit would be ruined. No trains, no flights. Mama and Papa would scold me to death…"
Tears and snot streamed down her face. "I want money! But I cannot do bad things!"
Akane fell silent. She didn't know what to say. Psycho.
Ignoring her, Kobeni staggered to the Snake Devil's remains, pulling out Aki and Himeno, still alive. They were shaken but unharmed.
"Aki? What happened?" Aki's voice was weak, eyes barely open.
"Himeno-senpai… I caught the Snake Woman. Can I get a bigger bonus?" Kobeni said proudly.
"Great job, Kobeni. Bonus, recommendation to become a regular, and a big meal on me," Himeno replied.
Kobeni bowed deeply. "I… I'm truly grateful, Himeno-senpai!"
The fiends and devils arrived soon after. Princi had run off. Beam swam excitedly in the blood. "Wahoo! So much blood! All I can drink!"
Galgali clapped. "They handled it without us even stepping in."
The Angel Devil covered his nose with his wings. "As long as it's over. I'm going back to sleep. Snakes are just smelly and dirty."
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