The venom didn't explode. It rose. Slow at first, then violently, like something being born from the ground itself. shhhhhhh— Black liquid climbed upward in thick folds, stretching, collapsing, reshaping, never stable for more than a second. The earth beneath cracked open, unable to hold the pressure. Kaito stepped back, eyes locked on it. "…That's not just power." Jenres didn't smirk this time. "…That's something else." Daigo clenched his fists. "…Stay sharp." Arai tightened her grip on Rabubaga, her eyes calm but alert. Shizuma stood still. Watching. Not reacting yet.
The mass thickened, layers of venom stacking like muscle but without structure, compressing and expanding at the same time. A torso formed—too wide, too heavy, like it would collapse under its own weight. Arms followed, long and dripping, constantly melting and reforming. The head came last, incomplete, hollow, a void where a face should be. Then—THUMP. A pulse from inside. Something moved within it. Another pulse. THUUUUMMMP. The hollow space shifted—and eyes opened. Not human. Not alive. Just pressure given shape.
The creature inhaled. The air around it burned instantly. ssssssss— Corjaudo took a step back, not out of panic but calculation. "…She fused everything…" Kaito muttered. "…That's not fusion. That's suicide."
A voice echoed from inside the mass, layered, distorted, breaking in and out of existence. "…Final…correction…" It was Naosu. But stretched. Torn apart.
Her chest pulsed violently. THUUUUMMMP. Venom spread outward in waves, cracking the ground again, melting debris, dissolving anything it touched. The battlefield returned to chaos, worse than before. Faster. Denser. Uncontrolled. Jenres exhaled slowly. "…She removed her limits." Arai shook her head slightly. "…No. She destroyed them."
The creature moved. One step. The ground shattered beneath it. Venom splashed outward like blood. The pressure alone forced everyone to shift back. Corjaudo's eyes didn't leave her chest. "…No…" A pause. "…She didn't remove the limit…" Another pulse hit. THUMP. Stronger than before. "…She shortened it."
Kaito glanced at him. "…What are you saying?" Corjaudo pointed. "…Look at the rhythm. It's not stable. It's collapsing." Another pulse. THUUUUMMMP. The sound was heavier now, uneven. "…She fused the venom completely. That means it's not just outside anymore." His voice dropped. "…It's inside her lungs too."
Silence.
Arai's eyes sharpened. "…So every time she releases venom…" "…She's flooding herself," Corjaudo finished. "…She's killing herself while trying to kill us."
The creature roared. GGRRRRAAAAAHHHH— Venom exploded outward wildly, not controlled like before, but chaotic, violent, excessive. Daigo stepped forward, blocking one surge, forcing it aside. "…Then she'll go all out." Corjaudo nodded. "…Because she has no time."
The monster charged. Sudden. Brutal.
"MOVE!" Kaito shouted.
They scattered as a massive arm slammed down. BOOOOM— The ground shattered completely, venom splashing in every direction like a storm. Jenres flipped back, barely escaping. "Yeah, she's desperate!" Arai cut through a rising stream, keeping her balance. "…Speed increased." Daigo pushed through another wave, forcing space. "…We don't have time to play this slow."
Corjaudo's eyes moved rapidly, tracking everything—the direction of attacks, the pulse timing, the density of venom around specific areas. "…Front…" he whispered. "…Everything's focused forward…"
Another pulse. THUUUUMMMP. The creature lashed out again, multiple streams erupting toward them, all concentrated in one direction.
"…Yeah…" Corjaudo said. "…That's it."
Shizuma spoke for the first time. "…Explain."
"…She's pouring everything forward—vision, attacks, pressure. That's where her control is strongest." A pause. "…Which means…"
Arai completed it instantly. "…Her back is weaker."
Corjaudo nodded. "…And the fragment is protected there. But right now—" his eyes narrowed, "…that protection is unstable."
The monster roared again, louder this time, as if reacting to the pressure building inside itself. Venom leaked from its chest uncontrollably.
Corjaudo stepped back and raised his voice. "Everyone—front pressure!"
Kaito smirked slightly. "…You're serious?" "…Push her harder," Corjaudo said. "…Force her to focus completely forward."
Jenres grinned again. "Now that's more like it."
They moved together.
Daigo charged first, slamming into its arm, forcing it to react physically. Jenres followed instantly, striking from angles, fast and unpredictable, keeping its focus shifting. Kaito cut through incoming venom, opening safe paths, maintaining pressure without stopping.
Everything shifted forward.
The creature reacted violently, all its attacks directed at them, every movement aggressive, every pulse pushing outward in front.
Exactly as planned.
Corjaudo whispered, "…Good…keep her there…"
Shizuma stepped forward slightly, locking its attention completely. "…Look at me."
The creature paused for half a second. Its gaze shifted. Focus locked.
That was enough.
Arai moved.
Silent.
Clean.
She circled behind the creature, staying just outside the unstable venom flow. The back of its neck flickered, the protective layer thinning, struggling to maintain form. She saw it. The fragment's position. The weak point.
Another pulse hit. THUUUUMMMP. Stronger. Heavier. The creature staggered slightly.
Corjaudo whispered. "…She's running out…"
The monster roared again, unleashing everything forward in one final violent surge. A desperate attack. A last attempt to end it all.
Shizuma didn't move. He held its focus.
"…Now," Corjaudo said quietly.
Arai stepped in.
Rabubaga aligned perfectly. Both edges ready. No wasted motion. No hesitation.
One step.
One breath.
One strike.
SHHHHHK—
The blade cut clean through the back of the neck.
Silence.
Everything stopped.
The venom froze mid-motion. The creature's body locked in place. Even the air felt still.
Then—CRACK.
The entire structure began to collapse.
Venom lost shape, falling apart, dissolving back into nothing. The massive body crumbled, unable to hold itself together anymore.
At the center—
Naosu's body dropped.
Human again.
Broken.
Still.
A weak cough escaped her lips. …cough… Blood spilled onto the ground.
Her eyes opened slightly. Fading.
"…Did I…" she whispered. "…fix it…?"
No one answered immediately.
Shizuma stepped forward.
"…No."
A pause.
"…But you stopped."
Her eyes trembled. A weak smile formed.
"…That's…fine…"
Her breathing slowed.
"…I'm…tired…"
Her eyes closed.
And this time—
they didn't open.
Silence filled the battlefield.
No venom. No movement. No chaos.
Just the end.
Corjaudo exhaled slowly. "…Called it…"
Kaito looked at him. "…Yeah…you did."
Jenres stretched her arms slightly. "…That was something."
Daigo stepped back, breathing steady again. "…It's over."
Arai pulled Rabubaga free quietly, cleaning the blade without a word.
Shizuma didn't move.
He just stood there.
Watching.
Because this time—
they didn't just win.
They understood.