Kazuki vs Kuroka

"A blind spot. I'll have to be more careful from now on." Kuroka murmured.

BAM!

With a sharp sound, the black cat vanished, replaced by a stunning, voluptuous woman with long ebony hair and feline ears.

In the same instant, a barrier snapped into place around them. Its speed and strength surpassed even Akeno's, a flawless technique.

'That face matches the photo. No mistake.'

"The SS-Class Stray Devil, Kuroka. The Demon King has issued a warrant for your capture. Don't resist, come quietly."

As Kazuki spoke, Kuroka's wariness deepened.

"Hmm~? So you're an assassin, nya~? Who are you, nya?"

"Rias Gremory's Pawn, Kazuki Fuwa."

"! ...So you're the rumored [Guyver], nya~."

The moment she realized she was facing the man who had defeated Vali, Kuroka shifted into full combat mode.

A purple aura erupted around her, suffusing her body with battle-ready energy. Kazuki mirrored her stance, his muscles coiling like a predator's.

"SHAAAA!!"

Kuroka lunged with feline grace, her razor-sharp claws slashing toward Kazuki's throat. He dodged by a hair's breadth—strands of his hair fluttered in the air—but her speed forced a frustrated tsk from his lips.

"Too slow!"

He retaliated with a sweeping low kick, aiming to take her legs out. But Kuroka effortlessly flipped backward, landing with a dancer's poise.

'As expected of a Nekomata—her agility's insane.'

"...You really beat Vali, nya~? Not as impressive as I expected, nya."

Her smirk was downright taunting. Kazuki exhaled sharply—then erupted.

"You asked for it. Now!"

A torrent of battle aura ignited around him, blazing like hellfire. Kuroka's eyes widened.

'This guy can manipulate battle aura?!'

Channeling aura to enhance combat prowess was an advanced technique even among Senjutsu masters—yet here he was, wielding it at a level beyond hers. A shiver ran down Kuroka's spine.

Then, Kazuki vanished…

"!!?"

A spinning kick detonated against Kuroka's guard before she could react.

"Guh—!?"

Even blocking with both arms, the impact sent her skidding back.

"Tch...! You monster! Eat this, nya!!"

She condensed aura into her palm and fired a blast straight at him. Kazuki didn't dodge—he dug in and punched through it.

"HAAH!"

His [Tiger Cannon] met the projectile head-on, obliterating it in a shockwave.

"Nya—WHAT!?"

Kuroka's shock was palpable. Kazuki stepped forward to press the attack—

—And collapsed to his knees.

"Ghh...! What the—?"

"Fufu~ Looks like it finally kicked in. This mist's a special poison—works only on Devils and Yokai, nya~."

The fog had crept in unnoticed. Kazuki's limbs grew heavy, his breath ragged as toxins invaded his system.

"Can't risk leaving you alive after beating Vali. Sorry, but I'll finish you here~!!"

She thrust her claws toward his throat—but Kazuki caught her wrist at the last second, barely halting the killing strike.

"Still got fight left? Too bad—game over, nya!"

Her nails inched closer, drawing blood as they pressed against his chest. Yet even in this dire moment, Kazuki smirked.

"SS-Class for a reason... Can't take you lightly."

His grip on her wrist tightened. A sickening creak of bone made Kuroka's ears flatten as she struggled to pull free.

"───You bastard!? L-Let go!"

"Like hell I will───GUYYYYYYVEEEEEEER!!"

Pressed flush against her, Kazuki roared the activation command…

"Nngh───!?"

The moment the Guyver armor began its bio-boosted transformation, a violent barrier erupted around him, repelling all foreign objects with enough force to obliterate low-tier devils and fallen angels outright. And Kuroka──who took the full brunt of it──

"───Guhhaaah…!"

Was sent hurtling backward, her body smashing through trees like a broken doll.

Though her battle aura had reinforced her enough to survive, Kuroka was a wizard-type fighter, her physical endurance was far from exceptional. Every bone screamed in protest, her consciousness flickering as she clung to it by sheer will.

'───Shit… Gotta run… But I can't move…!'

Struggling to rise while weaving healing Senjutsu into her battered flesh, she heard it—the heavy, methodical footsteps of the Guyver approaching.

The armor's impervious defenses left Kazuki completely unfazed by her poison mist, his stride unbroken.

"Tch… Fine, ya leave me no choice!"

With a snarl, Kuroka pooled demonic energy into her right hand and Senjutsu into her left, merging them into a single, lethal strike—her ultimate curse bullet, a spiraling vortex of death that even high-class beings feared. It surged toward the Guyver like a ravenous specter…

Only for Kazuki to raise his left palm—and absorb the attack without a trace.

"The hell!? That's impossible!"

Her trump card, nullified in an instant. Kuroka's breath hitched, her mind blank with disbelief.

"Y-You monster…"

Collapsing to her knees, she could only watch as the Guyver loomed over her, the high-frequency blade extending from his right arm with a lethal hum. To her, it was the scythe of death itself.

'Ah… So this is it, huh…?'

Resignation washed over her. Her heart finally admitted it—she couldn't win against Kazuki, the Guyver.

'Lookin' back… my life's been one big mess~!!'

Memories flickered through her mind like a dying lantern—her parents, her former master, Vali, and his group… But the brightest, the most painful, was her beloved little sister, Koneko.

'The Gremory household… This guy Kazuki… He'll protect Shirone, right? …Sorry, Koneko-chan… Your big sis only ever made things worse for ya… Just forget about me, and…'

"Be happy, Shirone───"

The high-frequency blade descended…

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