Kouhei's head snapped upward—
A man stood tall in the air, silhouetted against the bleeding sky.
Towering wings unfurled from his back. From his forehead jutted a pair of curved horns, sharp and menacing like a devil stepping out from a nightmare.
But what made the entire image bizarrely surreal was his attire.
He was wearing a pristine black suit.
A sleek, tailored thing that looked like it belonged in a boardroom or a red carpet.
Not in the middle of an encroaching battlefield soaked in magic and chaos.
Hina's eyes narrowed, burning with quiet fury as she glared up at him.
"Oh-ho?" the man sneered, voice dripping with intrigue. "You're really interesting… you, Primordial Succubus."
His voice echoed unnaturally in the air, deep and full of mocking amusement, as if he were watching a play and not a battle about to erupt.
"Someone from the Souichiro Faction?!" Kouhei shouted, eyes widening in recognition, fists clenching by his sides.
The attack was starting.
Right here, right now.
"Oh? Looks like something's trying to go in," the man said, his tone sharpening. "Yuuna, huh? I can't allow that."
Without warning, he raised both hands.
Darkness bled from his palms like ink poured into water, thick and fast, spilling and spreading with terrifying speed.
It slithered across the sky and ground, twisting unnaturally, engulfing everything it touched.
A huge dome formed instantly. Within seconds, the world around them had been swallowed in pitch-black.
This was blacker than night. It was an oppressive void, like being trapped inside a living shadow.
"O-Okumura-kun… what's happening?" Hiyori's voice broke through, barely above a whisper. Her lips trembled, and her eyes stared blankly at the world around her, wide with raw fear.
Completely paralyzed.
And who could blame her?
Anyone—especially a human—would be horrified at witnessing such a grotesque, supernatural phenomenon. Darkness was no longer just around them. It was inside the air. Inside their skin. It felt alive.
Kouhei's chest tightened. He wanted to explain and to say something that could ground her, but there was no time. And the truth was far too much to unload in a moment .
"Kouhei," Hina called, her voice calm but commanding.
She stood firm, her palm held out, a concentrated sphere of black magic pulsating violently in her hand like a beating heart of raw mana.
The air around her shimmered with the intensity of her power.
Kouhei didn't need to ask what she was about to do.
Without hesitation, Hina hurled the orb at the man.
It tore through the air like a comet, glowing with a deadly aura. The moment it made contact, it exploded in a deep, guttural blast, sucking all the surrounding air into a vacuum-like implosion. The shockwave rippled through the dome, causing the darkness to tremble.
Kouhei took the chance.
He darted forward, sprinting toward Hiyori.
She was still standing there, dazed with her body stiff and unresponsive.
"Ichinose-san!" he called out as he reached her.
Without a second thought, he scooped her into a princess carry, cradling her frame tightly against his chest.
Then, with his heart pounding and adrenaline flooding his veins, he turned and bolted, running as fast and as far away as he could from the impending clash.
Behind him, Hina conjured another orb of darkness and hurled it at their enemy.
"You think that'll work on me?!" the man shouted, scoffing loudly. "That's nothing!"
With a lazy flick of his wrist, he swatted the orb aside, sending it flying off like an insect.
"Do you really think you have a chance?" he mocked, grinning as if amused. "Maybe you think so. After all, you haven't really had a proper fight with me yet, have you?"
"But I can't believe you did this to me. Look at my fucking clothes! They're ruined! Torn! Can't you see they're tattered now?! Do you even understand how much this cost? This suit—this fucking suit—is made from the finest hell silk! Hah?! You got the money to pay for this, you little bitch?!"
"Shut up," Hina muttered with ice in her tone.
And launched another sphere at him without hesitation.
"You're starting to seriously piss me off," he snapped, batting the dark orb away like swatting a gnat.
But then… something changed.
Darkness was crawling across his arm—the very one he'd just used to swat her spell. It slithered over his skin like ink, digging into his pores, and it was spreading fast.
"What is this…? What is this?! WHAT IS THIS?! WHAT THE FUCK IS THISSS?!" he screeched, his voice devolving into unhinged madness.
"What the fuck do you think you've done to me?! HUH?!"
His breathing grew erratic, his pupils dilated, and he began pulling at his hair.
"You destroyed it…!! You destroyed my PRECIOUS SUIT!!"
His once-composed demeanor shattered like glass, leaving behind a man possessed. By rage, by vanity, and by madness all at once.
His eyes now looked hollow and crazed, like someone who'd lost all grip on reality.
"You...!!" he roared.
"You're so noisy…" Hina murmured, brows furrowing in disgust.
With a furious roar, he dove down toward her like a missile, one arm pulled back in a full-force punch aimed straight at her.
Hina barely managed to evade, her feet skidding across the cracked ground as she leapt backward.
The moment he landed, the earth exploded beneath him, a massive crater bursting outward from the impact of his strike.
He immediately lunged again.
Hina raised her hand and conjured another ball of darkness, launching it at him mid-dodge.
"Stop throwing those fucking things at me!" he snarled, swiping the orb away midair.
"Persistent…" Hina muttered through clenched teeth, conjuring another spell while dodging.
But this wasn't sustainable.
She was an artillery-type fighter. She was designed to attack from a distance, not handle relentless pressure up close.
Every step backward took a little more out of her.
Every dodge chipped away at her stamina.
"I need to help her…" Kouhei muttered under his breath.
He glanced at Hiyori, still in a daze and still clinging to disbelief.
"Ichinose-san," he said. "Please stay here, just for a bit."
"I'll be back soon. I just need to help Hina-san," he said, voice resolute.
Without waiting for her response, he turned and sprinted back toward the chaos.
"Hina-san!" he shouted.
She turned, eyes locking onto him, just as he ran headfirst back into the storm.
She gave him a small nod. And then...
Kouhei activated his power—an incredible ability that allowed him to harness the techniques and strength of those he shared a strong bond with.
He had already tapped into it before, managing to use Crimson Dance, a special ability that originally belonged to Yuuna.
And since then, he had been practicing it seriously.
The power to wield the skills and powers of people he was deeply connected with.
"You fucking trash! You're nothing but a mortal! Who the fuck do you think you are?!" the man roared, unleashing an attack aimed straight at him.
A projectile burst forward, screaming through the air, hurtling toward Kouhei with deadly speed—
The very moment the projectile was about to strike him, Kouhei reached out, grabbing something from seemingly out of thin air.
In one swift motion, he cleaved the attack clean in half.
He was suddenly behind the man.
The man barely had time to turn his head.
The blade was already there.
Just inches from his face.
It was poised to slash him.
It was fast, precise, and merciless.
But at the very last second…
The man brought up his arm to block.
The blade didn't slice through completely, but it tore deep enough to pierce bone. Only a thin piece of flesh kept his arm from falling off entirely.
"AGHHHHH!!! AAGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
He let out a blood-curdling scream as he stumbled back, retreating instinctively.
Kouhei landed beside Hina.
They stood together, shoulder to shoulder, gazing at the man.
He was panting heavily, his breath ragged.
Kouhei's strike had done real damage. His arm was mangled, barely hanging on, with most of the flesh ripped apart all the way to the shoulder. It dangled loosely, connected only by a small strip of torn tissue.
The man stared at it in horror.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!" he screamed again.
And then, as if his fury couldn't be contained, an explosion of mana burst out with his next cry.
A furious wave of chaotic energy.
"Look at what you've done…" he growled, his voice trembling with rage. "My suit… It's fucking ruined…"
That's what he was mad about?
But then he noticed something.
The man brought his half-severed arm to the rest of the flesh, aligning it like broken puzzle pieces.
And just like that, the torn muscles began fusing again.
The skin and bone reconnected, knitting back together until the arm was whole once more.
"I'm going to fucking kill the both of you…" he growled, venom in his voice, his eyes burning with murderous intent.