chapter 45: The Predator's Shadow
Chapter 44: The Predator's Shadow
The Underground Coliseum still vibrated with energy from Rin's hard-fought victory. The walls trembled under the weight of a thousand voices—some roaring in triumph, others cursing lost bets. The sharp scent of blood, sweat, and alcohol hung in the air, blending with the heavy smoke that curled from scattered torches.
Coins clattered as gamblers settled their wagers, the metallic chime lost in the cacophony of voices debating the unexpected outcome. Some swore they had known all along, while others accused the house of rigging the fight.
But Rin didn't care.
He stood at the center of the sand-stained pit, chest rising and falling with measured breaths. The ache in his ribs reminded him that he had been one step from losing, yet here he stood—victorious.
Boris, the former champion, lay unconscious behind him, his hulking frame sprawled out like a broken marionette. A deep gash decorated his cheek, and his right arm twisted unnaturally—a sign of Rin's last, calculated strike.
As the dust settled, Valdo pushed through the crowd, his slow applause cutting through the noise.
"Well, Ryukai," he said, voice dripping with amusement. "I'll admit—I wasn't expecting that. Thought you were just a businessman. But if I claimed I hadn't noticed something strange about you, I'd be a liar."
He grinned, showing his sharp, predatory teeth.
"You fight dirty. I respect that."
Rin rolled his shoulder, feeling the soreness creeping in. "You fight to win. That's all that matters."
Valdo let out a sharp laugh. "Damn right. But you've made yourself a spectacle. A lot of eyes are on you now." His grin faded slightly. "Some… less friendly than others."
Rin already knew that.
He could feel it.
A pair of unseen eyes—cold, patient, unblinking—watching from somewhere in the shadows.
Edmund Verrain was here.
Rin didn't know from where, or from what angle, but he knew.
The man was like a ghost—silent, precise, never seen until the moment of execution.
But Rin had baited him into this place for a reason.
The Coliseum was not a battlefield of shadows. It was loud, chaotic, full of moving bodies and shifting lights. The perfect place to force a hunter like Edmund out of his element.
Now, he just had to survive long enough to make use of it.
Rin moved toward the exit of the fighting pit, Valdo trailing behind. But before he could step past the archway leading into the back halls, he felt it.
A shift in the air.
The subtlest change in pressure, like the moment before a storm breaks.
A whisper of metal cutting through space.
Instinct took over.
Rin twisted sharply to the left, his movements fueled by nothing but gut instinct. A split second later, a metallic whip slashed through the air where his neck had been moments ago.
It wasn't just any whip.
It was thorned.
A long, coiling strand of serrated metal, gleaming under the dim torchlight, its deadly edges curling like the fangs of a viper.
Rin landed in a crouch, heart hammering in his chest. His eyes snapped to the source of the attack.
A figure stood atop the Coliseum's archways, perched like a bird of prey—watching, calculating.
His dark, close-fitting attire blended with the shadows, but the flowing edges of his coat revealed how effortlessly he controlled even the smallest movement.
In his grip—three thorned whips.
Two were visible, reflecting the flickering light. The third? Hidden.
Rin's mind clicked into place.
The hidden whip—it attacks from the shadow.
From his own blind spot.
A slow clap echoed from the arena floor.
Valdo, grinning like a man enjoying a bloody show, chuckled. "Oh-ho. Looks like your little trap worked, Ryukai."
But Rin didn't celebrate.
He remained low, his muscles coiled like a spring, ready to react.
"Edmund Verrain," Rin said calmly, never breaking eye contact. "I was wondering when you'd show yourself."
Edmund's head tilted slightly, his expression unreadable. "You made such a mess of things," he murmured, his voice silky smooth. "I couldn't resist."
Then he moved.
The Dance of Death
The whips lashed out.
Three strikes—each coming from a different direction.
One from above.
One from the side.
And the third—
From his own shadow.
Rin felt it before he saw it.
His instincts screamed.
He twisted sharply, dodging the first two strikes by a hair's breadth. But the third—the hidden one—came from below, slashing upward, aiming for his ribs.
Rin didn't have time to think.
He kicked off the ground, flipping backward.
The whip barely grazed him, cutting a thin line through the fabric of his coat.
Edmund landed smoothly, watching Rin's movements with sharp, intelligent eyes.
"Your reaction speed is… better than I expected."
Rin landed, steadying himself. He smirked.
"You're slower than I expected."
A lie.
Edmund was fast.
But Rin needed to get in his head.
Edmund's smirk remained, but his fingers curled slightly around his whips.
Valdo let out a low whistle. "Damn. I almost feel bad for you, Ryukai."
Rin ignored him. His mind was racing.
How do you fight a man who attacks from your own blind spots?
Answer?
You don't dodge.
You predict.
Edmund moved again, his whips dancing through the air like living serpents.
Instead of retreating, Rin moved forward.
Edmund's eyes flashed with brief surprise, but he adjusted instantly. His whips shifted, re-aiming for Rin's new trajectory.
Rin tracked his movements—not dodging everything, but reading the pattern.
A shift of the shoulder.
A flick of the wrist.
A change in breathing.
Then—there it was.
The hidden whip struck again—emerging from below.
Rin didn't jump.
He didn't dodge.
He grabbed it.
The crowd gasped.
Edmund's eyes widened.
For the first time, his composure broke.
Rin's lips curled. "Found it."
Then—he yanked.
Edmund's balance shifted.
In that instant, Rin struck forward.
His fist collided with Edmund's face.
A solid hit.
Edmund stumbled back, his boots skidding against the sand.
The Coliseum erupted.
Valdo roared with laughter. "Holy shit!"
Edmund wiped a thin line of blood from his lip. His smirk was gone.
He twirled his whips, resetting his stance.
His eyes now burned with a different intensity.
The look of a hunter who had just found an opponent worth killing.
Rin cracked his knuckles.
"Round two?" he asked.
Edmund's lips curled into a slow, predatory grin.
"Oh, Ryukai. We're just getting started."