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Under a starlit sky, a shadowy figure darted swiftly across the rooftops of the city.
"Charge! Hahaha!"
"Vroooom—!"
On the quiet street, a gang of delinquents roared through on their bikes, baseball bats in hand, smashing up food stalls and storefronts as they passed.
Wherever they went, chaos followed.
These punks were known as biker thugs, a group that got its kicks by tearing through the city at night, wrecking anything in sight.
Just as they were raising hell, the leader suddenly slowed his bike and frowned.
"Oi, who the hell are you? Got some nerve standing in my way."
Up ahead, a lone figure stood in the middle of the road.
She walked forward slowly, stepping into the streetlight. It was Venom.
"Boss, it's a chick. She's even wearing a mask," one of the underlings whispered, eyes lighting up as he tried to flatter him.
"What am I holding here?"
The boss tapped his own eyes with a finger.
"Uh… eyes?"
The thug blinked, confused why his boss was asking something so dumb.
"My eyes ain't blind, idiot. Don't need you telling me what I can see."
The leader snapped, clearly annoyed. He'd already noticed she was a girl—no need for his lackey to state the obvious.
"Y-yeah, boss, you're right. My bad."
The guy quickly slapped his own mouth as punishment.
"Try using your head next time," the boss grumbled, before climbing off his bike and swaggering toward Venom with a grin.
"Hey, little lady, not safe walking alone at night. How about big brother here gives you a ride?"
His eyes lingered shamelessly on her chest, tight under the black outfit.
Venom didn't answer. Instead, she slowly drew the wooden blade strapped to her back—and swung.
Crack!
The wooden blade slammed across his face. His features twisted in agony as blood sprayed out, his body flung through the air like a ragdoll.
Venom's feet shifted lightly. In a blink, she was already at the spot where he was flying, her blade whipping out again.
"Agh!"
This time the strike hit his waist, sending him tumbling off in another direction.
But before he could hit the ground, Venom was already there, appearing along his trajectory again and again, her strikes battering him midair like a ball being swatted back and forth.
The boss never even touched the ground—just kept ricocheting helplessly.
The rest of the gang, who'd been waiting behind to see their leader reel in some "prey," stood frozen, jaws slack as they watched him get smacked around in the air like a pinball.
Finally, Venom swung once more, launching him over the guardrail and straight into the river.
"Wet, huh?"
Venom stood still, eyes narrowing. She could feel Saeko Busujima's body inside her vessel—the honest reaction of her body even while unconscious.
Typical Saeko. Even passed out, her instincts betrayed her truest desires.
"Bastard! You hurt our boss!"
The remaining bikers finally snapped out of it. Revving their engines, they raised their bats and charged.
From Venom's body, a slick black tendril slithered out, curling up in front of her. Droplets of clear liquid gleamed on its surface.
She gave it a quick taste, then looked at the charging thugs. A chilling smile crept across her face.
"I can feel her body craving me… craving more. So go on—scream for me, bleed for me. Entertain me. Satisfy me."
She raised her blade and vanished.
The gang barely had time to blink before she was standing on the hood of the lead bike.
"Aaagh!"
With one strike, the rider went flying.
Two others swung their bats wildly, but Venom flipped over them, landed on another bike, spun, and lashed out—sending both men crashing through the air.
Like a shadow, Venom darted through the entire gang, her blade whirling, knocking them down one after another.
"My leg!"
"My back!"
"My handsome face!"
One by one, the bikers all ended up piled together in a heap, groaning in pain.
In the span of seconds, the whole gang had been wiped out.
Venom licked the blood from her cheek, slid the wooden blade back into place on her back, and turned to disappear into the darkness.
Inside, she could feel Saeko's hunger—her yearning for more violence, more blood, more chaos.
Locked away in that iron cage for so long, Venom had nearly gone mad from boredom. She needed this release just as much.
And so, together, they sought out stronger thrills.
Not by killing—no, the real pleasure came from their victims' screams and desperate cries.
That was the sweetest satisfaction.
"Saeko Busujima, don't be afraid of me. We need each other… because we both crave the same thing."
Don't be afraid of me—anyone would feel fear when facing the unknown.
We need each other—Saeko Busujima fears the darkness inside her, but isn't it clear she secretly longs for someone who can accept it?
For Venom, it's simple. He just needs her.
As for craving the same thing—what they both hunger for is killing.
"You need me, I need you. We both need each other!"
The meaning behind those words was clear: Saeko longed for someone who could embrace her darker self, and Venom could do exactly that.
Venom, on the other hand, needed her too.
That's why they needed each other.
"Your heart is already yearning. Don't deny it—you can't deny it!"
What that meant was simple: Saeko's heart was thirsting for bloodshed. She couldn't refuse it, couldn't deny it. All she could do was run from it.
"....."