Kaein's POV
We were moving in silence at first. Me, Takeshi, Shion, and Daichi the whole team, walking toward the village where the Shattered Ones were reported. I don't know why I expected anything less than chaos. That's never how it works.
"Looks quiet," Daichi muttered, breaking the silence. He's the strong, blunt guy who always says the obvious, like the world hasn't already beaten it into our heads.
"Quiet usually means trouble," Takeshi replied, calm as ever. That man doesn't raise his voice. Doesn't need to. You hear it in his tone.
Shion smirked, eyes scanning the horizon. "Trouble seems to like quiet," she said.
I rolled my eyes but stayed alert. "Yeah, well, I hope this trouble is at least photogenic. I'm tired of ugly fights."
They all ignored me, as usual, but I didn't care. Sarcasm is my coping mechanism. Besides, when you're walking into a potential death trap disguised as a village, humor is about the only thing that keeps your stomach from twisting.
The first sign that something was off wasn't the silence. It wasn't even the people. It was the way the villagers smiled at us. Perfect smiles. Warm, inviting, almost… too perfect.
"They don't look human," I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. Takeshi glanced at me sharply.
"They look like humans," he said, voice flat. "But we've seen this before. These demons, if they can imitate people, don't trust appearances."
Shion tilted her head. "They're upgrades, aren't they? These Shattered Ones… they look real enough to fool anyone. Too real."
Daichi grunted. "Great. So, they're beautiful and deadly. Fantastic. Just what I wanted."
I ignored him, focusing on the nearest villager, a young woman approaching another local. She smiled, too sweetly. Then she leaned in and kissed him.
My stomach dropped. That's when I realized. These demons feed by kissing humans. Not biting, not tearing kissing. That's new. That's… gross. And clever.
"Everyone see that?" I hissed. "She's feeding."
Takeshi's eyes narrowed. "Get ready. They're hiding in plain sight."
Shion's smirk disappeared. "We can't let them finish their meal. Move."
Daichi didn't need to be told twice. He barreled forward, fists ready, and I ran alongside him, sword in hand.
The woman turned toward us, smile never faltering, like she knew we were coming. "Oh, guests," she cooed. "I was just… saying hello."
"Yeah, not happening," I said, swinging my sword toward her.
She dodged. Takeshi and Shion intercepted another pair, moving like synchronized predators. I had to give it to them. Everyone was a perfect team. No wasted moves. Just four of us, moving as one, covering each other's blind spots.
The woman who had kissed the villager, she lunged again. I barely had time to react, sliding under her arm, swinging my blade. She ducked at the last second.
"Damn it," I muttered. "They're faster than I thought."
Shion called from across the street. "Kaien! That one's about to hit another human. Step it up!"
I sprinted, heart pounding, and just as she leaned in, I shoved my sword forward. She twisted away, the edge barely grazing her cheek. She hissed, sharp and venomous. "Pick a demon will you? You're every where."
This demon better not be acting funny with me, dafuq.
That's when it happened. Their forms started changing. The elegant, human disguises melted, stretching and twisting into… spiders. Giant spiders. Legs like spears, fangs dripping with black ichor. The kind of monsters you see in nightmares, except this was real, and they were fast.
Daichi roared, smashing one with a heavy punch, the sound echoing through the village. Takeshi was slicing through legs, while Shion's movements were a blur, darting in and out, striking weak points I didn't even know existed.
I lunged at one, cutting into its abdomen. It shrieked, something between a human scream and a spider's screech, and collapsed. But others were everywhere. Some disappeared into the shadows, climbing walls, hiding in alleys.
"Focus!" Takeshi shouted. "Cover each other!"
"Got it!" Shion yelled, flipping onto a roof to gain height advantage. "Kaien, this side!"
I nodded, moving as fast as I could. Another spider lunged at a villager. I caught it just in time, swinging my sword in a wide arc. The blade met its legs, cracking them like twigs.
Daichi was laughing through it all, the lunatic. "These things don't know who they're messing with! C'mon, bring it!" He swung at a spider that was bigger than a cart, knocking it off balance and into a wall.
I dodged a venomous swipe from another one, heart hammering. "They're… fast," I muttered, but also ugly as they were, there was something elegant about the way they moved. Terrifying, but precise.
Shion's voice cut through my thoughts. "We can't kill them all at once. Some will escape. Focus on feeding threats first."
I nodded again, taking a deep breath, trying to steady my movements. The adrenaline was doing its job, but I needed my head clear. Needed precision.
The first one I'd saved from feeding had gotten back up, shaking its new spider legs like it was laughing at me. I cursed under my breath and charged. Swinging my sword, I cut through one leg, then another, until it toppled. But the moment I glanced around, I saw a few more slipping into the shadows.
Takeshi was methodical, removing the monsters one by one, his calm voice guiding us. "Cover your angles, move in pairs." but they kept sooting webs at us while we cut through them. "Stand at one position motherfucker."
"Hahahaha did a demons just swear at us.? Yaaaaa" shion said from behind.
I caught my breath, slashing another spider, and muttered, "Somehow, this is worse than the usual demons."
"They're evolving," Shion said, striking from above, slicing through a fanged leg. "Shattered Ones. Not random chaos anymore they're smart, coordinated. Don't underestimate them."
Daichi laughed again. "Smart, beautiful, deadly. Can they get any better? Maybe they'll serve drinks too while killing us."
I smirked despite myself. "Yeah, keep it up, Daichi. Your humor might save your life."
One spider lunged at me from behind. I barely twisted out of the way, feeling its fangs brush my shoulder. "Ugh, these things are gross," I muttered.
"You said that already," Shion called, slicing through another approaching one.
"Fine! They're gross AND terrifying!" I yelled back.
The fight was chaotic, brutal, and somehow… perfect. We were in sync, anticipating each other's moves, covering weaknesses, exploiting strengths. I realized then that I trusted these three more than anyone else alive.
We were killing them one by one, but the cost was clear. A few spiders had escaped, crawling into the forests beyond the village. Shion spotted them first. "They're retreating," she said, voice sharp with frustration. "Not all of them are dead."
Takeshi nodded. "Good. That means we've disrupted their feeding. But they'll regroup. This isn't over."
I wiped sweat from my forehead, chest heaving. "Ugh… spiders. Giant, ugly spiders."
Daichi laughed again. "That's what you get for complaining, kid."
I shot him a glare, but it was meaningless. We were alive. The villagers were safe, at least for now. And I had to admit I felt… exhilarated. Terrified, exhausted, but alive.
We regrouped in the village square, "This is bad," Shion said. "They're learning.
Takeshi's eyes were serious. "We'll need to track the survivors. If they feed and grow stronger, they'll be a bigger threat next time."
Daichi punched his fist into his palm. Let's hunt them. Simple as that."
I nodded, sword still in hand.