-----
-----
In the middle of the vast clearing, Venom and the monster-fied Koichi Fujido locked eyes, the tension between them sharp enough to snap.
Koichi was the first to move. He raised his massive arm and slammed it down at Venom with crushing force.
Venom watched the shadow of the attack descend. The liquid covering his body instantly shifted into armor as he raised both hands above his head, catching the blow head-on.
The sheer weight of the strike drove Venom a step into the ground, the earth beneath his feet spiderwebbing with cracks.
But he didn't stay pinned. In one swift motion, Venom grabbed Koichi's arm, twisted his weight, and hurled the hulking figure over his shoulder.
Koichi hit the ground with a bone-shaking crash, tumbling several times before finally grinding to a stop.
Venom didn't waste a second. He charged forward.
Dragging his heavy body upright, Koichi staggered to his feet. Seeing Venom closing in, he lashed out, sending a mass of tentacles whipping toward him.
Venom calmly raised his arms. The black liquid coiled and sharpened into twin blades, which he swung in a blur. The first strike cleaved the tentacle clean in two.
He kept slashing, his movements relentless. In the blink of an eye, several more writhing appendages were lying severed on the ground.
"Raaagh!"
Koichi roared, and his monstrous body suddenly split open. From the gash, a hideous, tooth-lined worm burst out, snapping its maw as it lunged straight for Venom.
Venom shifted aside at the last second, letting the fleshy horror rush past him. His eyes narrowed. He lifted his blade and brought it down in a clean, merciless strike.
"Graaagh!"
With a scream of agony, the blood-colored worm split in two, its halves twitching as they hit the dirt.
Koichi, enraged, raised both arms and slammed them down in a desperate attack.
Venom leapt upward, blades flashing as he carved through the air. A moment later, he landed behind Koichi, the liquid blades dissolving back into his arms.
"AAARGH!"
Koichi shrieked as his massive arms suddenly exploded, bursting apart into chunks of flesh that rained down across the clearing.
Venom turned slowly, calm and deliberate, until he stood face-to-face with Koichi's broken form. His chest heaved, his monstrous body splitting wider and wider.
Venom stepped forward, seized the jagged tear with both hands, and with a sickening rip, tore his enemy's body apart.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
The scream that ripped from Koichi's throat was inhuman, shattering the air.
Venom let the mangled corpse fall from his grip. Then, with a single bound, he rose high into the air. His arm elongated, reshaping into a massive blade several meters long.
Koichi's wailing barely filled the silence before Venom brought the weapon down.
The strike cut everything short. A blinding slash of light ripped down Koichi's body, splitting the monster from head to waist. Blood sprayed in a scarlet wave as the enormous form collapsed in two halves.
Venom landed softly on the ground. The blade melted away, shrinking rapidly until it reformed into his arm once more.
His body began to ripple and dissolve, the liquid skin retreating. Piece by piece, Saeko Busujima's figure emerged, her clothes settling back into place as if nothing had happened.
----
Venom's body slowly began to melt away, turning liquid as it peeled back to reveal Saeko Busujima. Bit by bit, her form returned, her clothes reforming as if nothing had happened.
Saeko opened her eyes slowly. Without a word, she glanced at the scene around her, then turned and walked away.
…
A few days later, one quiet morning outside the massive castle, the whir of helicopter blades filled the air as a chopper descended onto the landing pad. The moment it touched down, Saeko stepped forward.
When the cabin door opened, a man slowly emerged.
"Father… it's been a long time."
Saeko bowed respectfully in greeting.
"Mm."
The middle-aged man gave only a small nod. It seemed he didn't quite know what to say.
She led him into the castle without another word.
Venom, still bonded with Shizuka Marikawa, watched quietly from a nearby balcony. He said nothing. This was Saeko's moment—to fulfill her final duty as a daughter, leaving behind no regrets.
By afternoon, Saeko sought Venom out. She came straight to him and said plainly:
"My father wishes to speak with you."
Venom considered it for a moment, then agreed.
The two men went into a room together. What they discussed inside was unknown. All that anyone saw was the middle-aged man leaving later, laughing heartily as if a great weight had lifted.
Not long after, Saeko gathered the squad captains for a meeting. After giving a few final instructions, she handed over the antidote to them.
Then Venom's voice stirred quietly from within her.
"System, I've got a question."
"Please ask. The system will answer truthfully."
"If I stay bonded with Saeko Busujima and move on to the next world like this, there won't be a problem, right?"
He didn't want a repeat of last time—arriving in a new world only to end up locked in some iron crate for no reason.
"This won't be a problem," the system replied.
"When the host fuses with another person, the process is called symbiosis. That means she has already become part of you."
"I see. Got it."
Venom nodded thoughtfully, finally understanding.
"....."