With a look full of confidence, the hooded person licked his lips. He eyed the trio like a predator ready to strike. Wataru relaxed himself for a moment, before going into battle stance, anticipating any sudden attacks. Akemi meanwhile, was having a turmoil inside her head. With her hands ready on the sword handle, he could fight the enemy alongside Wataru and beat him together. The problem was that whether she needed ‘relic’ or not. If she went on rampage, Wataru and Shouko would be in danger.

“I thought you three would be an easy prey, turns out I was wrong.” The hooded person walked towards them slowly. The liquid from his arms fell freely to the ground, creating a pattern. Taking a notice, Wataru’s right hand glowed. He clenched it to a fist, and swung right to the hooded person’s face. He dodged, but quickly jumped after seeing Akemi tried to cut him in half. He took a step away from them, before chanting a murmur.

Snakes came out from the holes on the ground, caught the Akemi and Wataru off guard. Akemi cut them again like last time, but their blood sprayed on her body.

“Marufuji!”

“Don’t worry, I’m f-” Before she could finish her response, her body felt heavy. Her skin was like on fire. Her sights were fading and she fell on her knees.

“Marufuji!”

“What have you done to her?!” Worry and anger sprung on Shouko and Wataru’s faces. Meanwhile, the hooded person was enjoying the sight.

“Oh nothing, just a small price for slashing my babies. Feel their suffering now!”

“BASTARD!” Wataru’s arms and legs were glowing brighter. With a speed of light, he landed finishing blows on other snakes, before charging for a quick uppercut on the hooded person. This time however, the hooded person saw it coming and landed an uppercut of his own. Wataru’s eyes went wide as he got flown by the force of the punch.

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“Pathetic. You really too much on your power, kid. And your moves are as clear as day.” He let out a bored sigh, then turned his attention towards a frightened Shouko. She started to cry and about to run, but her legs were trembling so much.

“Scared? Fear not dear.” He put his cold hand to Shouko’s cheek, pulling her face closer to him. Shouko shut her eyes tightly, desperately screaming help on her mind. But the coldness vanished.

“What?” Akemi Marufuji managed to get back up and fought the hooded person back. Shouko was relieved to see her friend came to her aid, but she didn’t know how she recovered.

The hooded person could see it. A faint, red aura emitting from Akemi. Her eyes changed to red. She looked perfectly fine and definitely ready to cut him down. Sending a barrage of slashes from multiple directions in such a short time made the hooded person wonder.

“How come this girl is okay now? My poison should’ve work!” Frustrated by his prey comeback, he tried to use his own power as well. He vomitted a purplish liquid towards Akemi, which she easily slashed off. Once it cleared, he stabbed Akemi’s torso with his claws.

“Hahaha! You’re done, girl!”

“NO!”

Shouko screamed in horror at the sight. However, Akemi was still standing.

“Huh?” Before he could react, their eyes met. Blood-colored iris stared directly into a void of light, but little did they knew, a small light came up.

“You...” He murmured, but quickly snapped back to reality and backed away. Blood came out from Akemi’s side and her body collapsed. Shoukou immediately came to her side, tried to stop her bleeding. Wataru slowly regained his consciousness. Suddenly, the hooded person left before anyone noticing. Wataru and Shouko decided to take Akemi to the hospital while trying to digest what just happened.

The hooded person meanwhile, arrived at a small home. He took off his jacket, revealing his appearance. His skin was pale, his hair was a mess, and his body was full of his liquid poison. He cleaned all of them for about half an hour. His mind wandered to the eyes of the sword-wielding girl he just faced. He looked towards his finger, to the ring he wore precisely. A nostalgic feeling washed over him as he lost in thought. Closing his eyes, his mouth spelled a name in silent. He opened his eyes, stared at the moon hidden by the clouds.

“I found you, Aka.”