Shinji Matou at Your Service

The killer who called himself Shiki's Sin assessed the situation aptly. He and the purple-haired girl were indeed like two spiders, hunting each other within the same domain.

The boy with the short knife moved in ways that far exceeded human limitations. He was a wolf spider, traversing up and down the ground, walls, and even the rooftops. To him, this wasn't a narrow alley but a vast hunting ground.

Not only did he move effortlessly along the walls and eaves, but what was even more terrifying was that his entire movement process was completely silent. Apart from the snake-like shadow he left on the ground, there was almost no trace of him, fully demonstrating the eerie agility of a spider.

However, such eerily swift movements did not gain him much advantage in front of the purple-haired girl. She too was a spider in the act of weaving a web.

It's worth noting that while the spider analogy is a metaphor, the web-weaving is a literal description. The girl's combat style involved weaving a web, using threads finer than human hair to create a crisscrossing net in the surrounding space.

Do not underestimate this web. Although the threads comprising it are thin, they are as sharp as blades. Given the killer's speed of movement, even a slight misstep could result in cuts.

The girl in purple positioned herself at the center of this web, patiently waiting for her prey to fall into her trap. If the prey did not take the bait immediately, she would slowly expand her web until it ensnared the target.

One moved with speed almost beyond the reach of the naked eye, while the other wove her web with astonishing rapidity. The two humanoid spiders prepared themselves, cautiously probing each other.

The first wave of formal confrontation arrived quickly. The instant the web of threads extended to where the killer had been standing, his dagger cut a stunning arc under the moonlight. At the same time, his mysterious movement style turned suddenly aggressive, wielding the dagger with sparks flying.

The wolf spider, known for its ferocity, finally bared its fangs, swiftly cutting through the web of threads and aiming directly at the center, where the purple-haired girl's vital point was.

In just a few seconds, he had found the weakest point of the web and launched a fierce attack.

With a "clang," the short knife collided with the girl's left hand.

Yes, her left hand.

Clang!

The short knife aimed at the girl's head was blocked by her hand—a hand with a faint, almost imperceptible silver glow in the palm, formed by the convergence of fine threads. Relying on this, the girl dared to block the boy's short knife with her hand.

For a moment, like their weapons, their gazes clashed.

The killer's eyes were filled with dark, bloodthirsty desires, while the girl's eyes were cold and devoid of any warmth.

The killer smiled with a "heh" and leaped far back in one breath.

The girl moved even faster. Her left hand clenched suddenly, and the web that the killer had broken through instantly tightened, firmly sealing his retreat. At the same time, she adjusted her gun-holding right hand, aiming the muzzle at the killer's head.

That's right.

Everything up to this point had been within the girl's calculations. The seemingly weak breakthrough point was intentionally left by her. Although she couldn't keep up with the killer's movements, she could manipulate his actions through her setup.

The killer, adept at exploiting gaps, indeed fell for the trap, rushing in. After blocking his knife, it was time to close the net.

More than ten interwoven threads transformed, resembling a cutting machine sharp enough to slice through steel. This was the method she had used to shatter the ground earlier. Yet, this cutting machine was not her final method; its purpose was merely to slow down the killer's movements. As soon as the killer's movements slowed, the girl's bullet would shatter his skull.

However, the slender killer did not get slowed down by her threads as she had anticipated, nor was he cut. In the critical moment, he swung his dagger repeatedly, slicing over ten times in a second, tearing a gap in the enclosing web and breaking through.

Of course, he paid a hefty price for breaking through. His left side was covered with various cuts, and the arm he used to protect his head and face was in a terrible state, with even the bones showing cracks.

The killer landed silently on the wall. Though his pale face revealed pain, it also showed more joy. His blood-red tongue swept across the blood on his lips, forming a grin more ferocious than a beast's.

"Ha ha, ha ha ha ha, excellent! This is how it should be. Without this, it's no fun. Killing, bloodshed, this is the stage befitting the night, the script Tatari wants to see! Woman, you and I are essentially the same. I crave killing, and you crave bloodshed, just like..."

"Shut up!"

For the first time, anger appeared on the face of the purple-haired girl, and the gun in her hand roared.

Naturally, it was missed. The moment she pulled the trigger, the killer pushed off with his legs, almost brushing against the bullet's trajectory as he charged once again into the web the girl had woven—from the very spot he had just escaped from.

The earlier gap was left intentionally by the girl, but the opening he used to escape was torn by the killer himself. This was the only real gap in the hunting net, a flaw beyond the girl's calculations.

"Not good!!!"

By the time the girl realized something was wrong, it was too late. The killer's fangs were already inches away.

In a hurry, the girl used her handgun to block, but it was easily bypassed. Her left hand, wrapped in threads, was similarly ineffective.

Fast, too fast. Not only did the injuries not hinder the killer's movements, but they seemed to have triggered his ferocity.

In that instant, the girl didn't even know how the enemy bypassed her defenses and got behind her.

All she could sense was the sudden smell of blood from behind, and the sound of the dagger slicing through the air.

It's over.

Just as despair began to rise, the purple-haired girl felt something embrace her body, knocking her to the ground and saving her from the tragic fate of having her heart pierced by the dagger.

Quickly shaking off the dizziness from the impact, the girl saw who had hugged her—it was the student who was initially targeted, the girl related to the killer's true identity, named Satsuki Yumizuka.

"Are you alright?"

Satsuki asked with concern.

"I'm fine, but only for now," the purple-haired girl replied with a wry smile. "Why didn't you run?"

"I... I don't know," Satsuki's voice weakened.

Indeed, why didn't she run? Was it because this killer was related to Shiki, and she wanted to uncover the truth about him? Or had the extraordinary battle shattered her previous worldview? Or perhaps some other reason?

In any case, Satsuki had lost the chance to escape. She could only lie on the ground with the purple-haired girl, awaiting the killer's next move.

"How foolish."