Finally, the water slurs were gone. Dead. Or....as dead as you could get when you weren't sure what the hell this place actually was. The team staggered out of the tunnels, drenched, panting, and cursing like sailors.
"Holy fuck… what the actual shit just happened?" Jin wiped slop off his knuckles, glaring at the tunnel's shadows. "I think I left half my soul in there!"
"Where's Kaizen?!" Yui's voice cracked, tears rushing down her dirt-smeared face. "He… he was trying to hide from that fucking snake! I swear, if he's—if he's dead…"
"Relax, Yui," Ren said, though his jaw was tight. "Dead or not, he's the guy who dives headfirst into death for shits and giggles. He survives… mostly."
"Mostly my ass!" Daichi kicked a rock, sending it banging into the shadows. "We split up because of him, and now he's probably getting chewed in half by some water demon snake. Awesome. Fucking brilliant plan!"
Mika snorted, brushing slop off her phone. "Yeah, genius move, Ren. Total top-tier 'we're gonna die tonight' strategy."
"Fuck you, Mika," Yui barked, her hands trembling. "This isn't a strategy! He could be—he was my friend! My—" She swallowed a sob, glaring at them all. "And you're acting like treasure-hungry assholes!"
Ren groaned. "Okay, okay, enough. Let's—figure this out. Shit. He's gone, he's probably—fuck, where's the exit?!"
Meanwhile, Kaizen's eyes split open. He wasn't in the tunnels anymore. The air was thick with incense, damp stone, and something… otherworldly. He squinted and froze.
In front of him hovered a succubus' spirit, her body shifting between smoke and flesh, chest glowing with a relic that pulsed like it had a heartbeat of its own. The temperature dropped, but her aura… it swallowed him, heat and seduction tangled like chains.
Kaizen raised a twig, pointing it shakily. "Uh… hi? What the—"
She leaned in, close enough for him to feel the cold brush of her lips. And then she kissed him. Long, possessive, like she had been waiting lifetimes to taste him. When she vanished, his eyes sparked neon violet, a color that screamed "system unlocked, harem potential, dangerously sexy."
He screamed, half in shock, half in… something else.
"Kaizen?! That's him!" Yui yelled, gripping her dagger like a lifeline. "I knew he wasn't dead!"
"Where the fuck is he?!" Jin barked, racing through the tunnels.
"Shut the hell up! You're just gonna get yourself killed too!" Yui snapped.
Then she saw it: a faint trail of blood leading behind a cracked stone. Heart in her throat, she ran.
There he was—unconscious, prostrate against the cold stone. She shook him gently. "Kaizen… wake the fuck up! I—fuck—I was so worried, idiot!"
Kaizen gasped, struggling to move. "Too… tight…"
Yui cried silently, letting go of his shoulder. "Don't you dare pull that 'I'm fine' bullshit on me…"
In his head, Kaizen's thoughts raced: I could swear my leg's broken, ribs snapped… nothing. Not even a scratch that counts. What the hell is going on…
Before he could finish, Ren, Jin, Mika, and Daichi arrived, voices frantic.
"Let's get the hell out!" Ren yelled, dragging Kaizen upright.
They sprinted for the exit—but the entrance was blocked by officers, lined up like cold, judgmental statues.
Jail—or worse—loomed.
Kaizen gritted his teeth. "There's another way. Trust me."
"Uh-huh. And I suppose this 'other way' isn't a death trap too?" Jin muttered.
Yui grabbed Kaizen's arm. "I'm following him. All of you can suck it if you want to get caught."
Through a narrow alley they ran, moonlight hitting their wet faces, rain hammering down. Behind them, the rest of the crew shouted and cursed.
"Where the hell are Kaizen and Yui now?" Ren yelled.
"Probably on a honeymoon!" Daichi smirked, earning a collective groan.
The officers were closing in, sniffing for the escapees. Every shadow could be their last. Rain blurred the lines between life and death. Kaizen and Yui stepped fully into the moonlight, soaked, tense, hearts hammering—and the story hung on the edge of a blade.