- Y/n Tsugikuni -

Chapter 13 - Where tf is he? -

"With Y/n gone, I was told to train more. Every day feels the same now—wake up, sweat, bleed, repeat."
Silvy tightened the cloak around her shoulders and stepped into the crisp night air. Her blade sat heavy at her side, but the heavier weight was the silence in her chest.

"Of course they send me alone now," she muttered. "Figures."

She walked along the dim forest trail, eyes scanning the treeline. It was her first time on a solo mission at night. She hated it.

"Screw you, Y/n," she grumbled, brushing a branch out of her face. "You could've at least said goodbye."

"Caw! Northwest! Demon hiding in a mountain temple! Caw!" her crow squawked above.

She groaned. “Why is it always some creepy-ass temple?”

After climbing a steep path through overgrown roots and crumbling stone, she reached a moss-covered staircase leading up the mountain. At the top, a worn-down temple stood in eerie silence. Its wooden frame creaked in the wind, half-swallowed by ivy.

She stepped inside, the musty air thick with dust and something… sour.

Silvy lowered her hood. Her breathing slowed as she closed her eyes, letting her senses stretch out. Something wasn’t right.

Then she heard it—skittering. Too quick. Too sharp.

She opened her eyes just in time to see it drop from the ceiling. A demon—pale-skinned with four jagged spider legs sprouting from its back. Its smile was crooked. Wrong.

“Oh hell no.”

Without hesitation, she vanished and reappeared behind it, slicing horizontally across its neck. But her blade didn’t cut deep enough.

“Kukuku… fast, but not enough.” The demon grinned.

Before she could react, one of its sharp legs shot toward her ribs—crack. The force knocked her sideways. Her body slammed into the wall with a loud thud, and she dropped to her knees, gasping.

Pain bloomed in her ribs. She tasted blood. “Damn it…”

The demon pounced, legs whipping out again—but she grabbed one mid-air, fingers tightening around the hard limb.

“What the—!?”

With a twist and a sickening crunch, she snapped it in half.

Enraged, the demon stabbed one of its remaining legs downward—and it pierced her. Deep.

The limb punched just below her ribcage, sliding into her stomach just under her right side.

Silvy froze. Her breath hitched.

Blood seeped down her waist, soaking into her uniform.

The demon pulled back, smirking. “Got you.”

But she didn’t fall.

She gritted her teeth and grabbed another leg. Snap. Then a third.

“You’re not… even flinching,” the demon muttered, backing away.

Silvy staggered to her feet. Her breath was uneven, her legs trembling. She left her sword behind and walked forward, fists clenched.

“You know what really pisses me off?” she muttered, voice raw. “You talk too damn much.”

The demon lunged again, its final leg aimed straight at her chest. She stepped aside, caught it mid-air, and sliced it clean off with her bare hand.

It shrieked and stumbled back.