chapter 46: Whispers in the storm

Chapter 46: Whispers in the Storm

The underground coliseum roared with excitement, its walls trembling as Rin and Edmund faced off. The raw energy of the crowd surged around them like a storm, their cheers blending into a chaotic symphony of bloodlust and thrill. But for Rin, the noise faded into the background.

All that mattered was the man in front of him.

Edmund Verrain. The Phantom Fang.

A name whispered in the underworld with equal parts fear and respect. An assassin so precise, so methodical, that his targets rarely saw the blade before it was buried in their flesh.

And now, he was hunting Rin.

Edmund rolled his shoulders, letting his thorned whips slither around him like living things. The flickering torchlight glinted off the cruel, serrated edges, their metallic sheen promising pain.

Rin cracked his knuckles, shaking off the lingering sting from their last exchange. The moment he had seized Edmund's hidden whip had been a gamble, but it had worked. He had forced the hunter off balance, even landed a solid hit.

But he knew better than to let his guard down.

Edmund's expression had shifted.

Gone was the amusement, the casual superiority. Now, his eyes gleamed with something far more dangerous.

Interest.

"You're different from the usual prey," Edmund mused, absently twirling a whip around his fingers. His voice was smooth, controlled, as if they were merely discussing the weather. "Most men panic when they realize they can't see where the next strike will come from."

Rin smirked. "Most men don't bait assassins into fighting on their terms."

Edmund chuckled softly. "Clever. But you made a mistake."

A flick of his wrist—

The whips struck.

Rin moved.

He had already committed to closing the distance, but Edmund adapted instantly, adjusting his attack mid-strike. The first whip lashed toward Rin's face—a feint. The real threat came from below, the hidden whip aiming to coil around his ankle.

Rin saw it.

But he couldn't stop it.

The thorned wire wrapped around his leg in an instant, the serrated edges biting through fabric and into skin.

A burst of pain.

Then—a sharp yank.

Rin's balance snapped out from under him, the ground rushing toward his face.

Damn it—

But Rin wasn't done.

Mid-fall, he twisted his body, using the momentum to lash out with his free leg. His boot connected with Edmund's wrist, just enough force to disrupt the assassin's grip.

The whip loosened—

Rin wrenched himself free.

Blood trickled down his leg, but he ignored it, rolling smoothly to his feet just as another strike came for his throat.

He barely dodged.

A thin line of pain flared across his neck, warm liquid trailing down his skin. Had he been a fraction of a second slower, his carotid would be open.

Edmund clicked his tongue. "Fast reflexes."

Rin exhaled, steadying his breath. "You talk too much for a killer."

Edmund's smirk widened. "And you fight too well for a 'businessman.'"

They both knew the game was up.

This wasn't just about the coliseum.

This was a battle between two predators testing the limits of their hunt.

Predator's Instinct

Rin adjusted his stance.

If dodging was impossible, then he had to change the battlefield.

The sand beneath them was uneven, shifting underfoot. The torches flickered wildly, casting erratic shadows. The crowd, the noise, the chaos—

He could use it.

Edmund was a master of controlling space. His whips forced his opponents to react on his terms.

But Rin wasn't going to play by those rules.

He would take the fight to him.

Rin moved.

Not backward, not away from the whips—but forward.

Straight into Edmund's range.

The assassin's eyes flickered with amusement. "Brave."

Then, the whips lashed out again.

Rin didn't dodge.

He stepped into them.

Pain flared as the serrated metal kissed his arm, but Rin ignored it, closing the gap before Edmund could adjust.

A second later—

He was inside the assassin's guard.

Edmund's smirk faltered.

Rin struck.

A sharp, brutal elbow to the ribs.

Edmund exhaled sharply, the first real sign of discomfort. But Rin wasn't done. He followed up with a palm strike aimed at Edmund's throat—

Miss.

Edmund tilted his head just enough to avoid the blow, then retaliated with a sharp knee to Rin's stomach.

Rin barely caught it with his forearm, but the force sent him sliding back across the sand.

A thin chuckle.

Edmund exhaled, rubbing his ribs. "You're troublesome."

Rin wiped the blood from his arm. "And you're slower than I expected."

Another lie.

Edmund was fast. Faster than almost anyone Rin had fought before. But speed wasn't everything.

He was figuring out the rhythm.

The slight shifts in weight. The way Edmund's fingers twitched before a strike. The breath patterns.

This wasn't just a fight.

It was a hunt.

The Second Round

Edmund's stance shifted.

The playfulness was gone now.

Rin barely had time to register it before the whips snapped forward, faster than before.

One from the front.

One from the side.

One from his own shadow.

Rin moved.

Not to dodge—

To break the pattern.

Instead of retreating, he leapt into the attack, twisting his body mid-air.

The front whip slashed past his ribs.

The side whip cut through his sleeve.

And the hidden whip—

Rin caught it.

Pain erupted in his palm, but he gripped the metal tight, wrapping it around his forearm.

Edmund's eyes widened.

"Impossible—"

Rin pulled.

Hard.

Edmund staggered forward, thrown off balance.

That was all Rin needed.

He launched forward, driving his knee into Edmund's stomach.

The impact cracked like thunder.

Edmund's breath left him in a sharp gasp, his stance faltering.

Rin didn't give him time to recover.

A brutal uppercut.

Then—

A spinning elbow to the temple.

Edmund collapsed to one knee, his whips slack in his hands.

Silence.

For a moment, the entire coliseum was frozen.

Then—

The crowd exploded.

The sound of roaring voices, clapping, screaming. Coins were thrown into the air, gamblers shouting in disbelief.

Valdo let out a booming laugh. "Well, shit, Ryukai! You really don't play fair."

Rin stood over Edmund, his breath steady. His body ached, his arms bled, but he was still standing.

Edmund exhaled, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth. His smirk returned, slower this time.

"Alright," he murmured, rolling his shoulders. "I'll admit… you're more than I expected."

Then—

He grinned.

And vanished.

Rin's instincts screamed.

A trap—

A whip lashed out from the ground, aiming straight for Rin's neck.

But Rin was faster.

He ducked—

And struck forward.

His fist connected.

Another impact.

Edmund skidded across the sand, his body slamming against the coliseum wall.

Silence.

Then—

A slow chuckle.

Edmund looked up, his eyes gleaming. "Well played."

Then, he was gone.

Rin didn't chase.

This wasn't over.

But for now—

He had won.