Bingya's smirk deepened as he circled around her slowly, his fingers laced behind his back. The mist curled at his ankles, and the silver webs above glistened like they were holding their breath.
"Now then, little one, Listen well, because your heart depends on it."His voice deepened as he recited,
"There was once a flower like-this in the forgotten past, more powerful than this, guarded by a phoenix spirit who burned every trespasser alive."
"The bloom you seek is bound by ancient curse. pluck one of its petals, and it withers before your next breath."
"There are two demons present in this very grove right now. myself, and…another."
Astra's throat dried. She froze, eyes darting to Daita. He had gone unnervingly still.
Her voice cracked. "Two demons? That's… that's not funny… it must be a lie, right?"
Daita's brow furrowed. "He's bluffing. I think it's a lie. I didn't sense any other demonic energy. Unless—" He stopped, his hand curling into a fist, thoughts racing too fast to finish the sentence.
Astra's eyes darted from shadow to shadow, scanning every twisted tree and web-covered branch. Her thoughts surged in desperation.
Yes—it must be the lie. I remember Master Old Spout saying it once in class: demons never share territory. They're too territorial, too proud. A second demon entering would mean a death match. Especially for one as powerful as Bingya—nine hundred years, tier seven. He'd never allow another creature like him to breathe near his domain.
Her breath steadied, and with sudden resolve, she called out, "The third one is a lie!"
The silence hit like a thunderclap.
Bingya didn't move.
But Daita's head snapped up, a spark of horror flashing in his eyes. "Wait—no!"
"Wrong," Bingya hissed.
The word slithered through the air, and before Astra could react, a harsh, guttural laugh burst from his mouth no longer playful, but twisted and bone-deep demonic. His body shimmered, glitched, then split in two—two identical Bingyas, stepping out of one another like reflections cracking free from a mirror.
Astra's eyes went wide. "Wha—what the… that's cheating!"
One of the Bingyas tilted his head, smirking with venomous grace. "Brother…" he said silkily, turning to the other. "Shall we finally give them a proper introduction?"
The second figure, his smile colder than frostbite, stepped forward. His voice was like snow falling over a grave.
"Of course. I am Baixue."
Astra's heart dropped. "That… that's cheating! You're two people!"
Baixue's eyes glinted with cruel amusement. "You made the same mistake every human before you did. Thinking the web belonged to one spider."
"We are twin demons, born from the same hatred, guardians of the bloom together as one.
"We share the grove, We share the hunt."
"And now," they said in eerie unison, "we will eat you together."
Venom dripped from their teeth. The webs trembled. Astra, hearing all that still tangled and hanging in the webs, watched with wide, dazed eyes until her head drooped forward, exhaustion overtaking her. With one last breath, she fainted.
But before they could pounce, Daita moved in a flash—a blur of motion faster than a blink. He leapt in front of Astra, planting himself between her and the two demons. His knife gleamed in his grip, and his eyes burned with fury.
"As I thought," he growled, "a demon never fights fair. Cheap tricks, twisted words, always a trap."
Bingya hissed.
Baixue's expression sharpened. "So the mortal still has fangs."
Baixue's expression sharpened. "So the mortal still has fangs."
Then he turned slightly, eyes glinting toward his brother. "What do you think? Shall we kill him first?"
Bingya licked his lips, a sly smirk curling up. "Might as well. He's still moving. Let's fix that."
Daita's stance didn't falter. "You think it's that easy?" His voice was calm, laced with a dark resolve. "You two think you can win a fight against me—let alone kill?"
The air pulsed once—cold and sharp.
In the next instant, the twins blurred. They lunged and in a blink, appeared on either side of him, their feet barely stirring the ground. One to his left, one to his right, their reflections in motion.
"So, human…" Bingya said, circling him like a vulture. "Tell us—what will you fight us with? This?" He pointed mockingly to the blade in Daita's grip. "The same knife that couldn't even cut the strings of our web?"
Baixue chuckled lowly, taking a step closer. "You still want to fight us? Even now?"
Daita stood still, eyes calm, then he stepped back once… and without hesitation, tossed the blade aside.
It clattered across the grove, swallowed by the mist.
Baixue's gaze narrowed. "Why did you throw that?" Bingya tilted his head. "Realized it was useless?"
Daita's fingers twitched.
Then—whhhhm—a gust of wind curled around his arm as he extended it. Energy surged, swirling like a storm funnel into his palm. In a blink, a weapon began to take shape. A long spear, sleek and jagged, materialized in his grasp—its shaft carved of silver-gray light, pulsing with a fierce blue aura that crackled like lightning in a storm.
Baixue raised an unimpressed brow. "Oh… at least you got something less useless than that toothpick of a knife."
He turned lazily to Bingya. "Shall we begin, Brother?"
Bingya grinned, lips stretching wide, fangs gleaming. "Yes, Brother."
The moment snapped.
In twin blurs of motion, they raised their hands and snapped forward threads of silver light. Webs, jagged and sharp like blades, hurled through the mist.
Daita spun his spear up just in time, deflecting one—but the second web slashed across his left arm, cutting deep. Blood splattered into the air.
He didn't flinch.
Daita surged forward, ignoring the pain, moving with wind-like speed. He ducked beneath Baixue's clawed swipe, twisted mid-air to block Bingya's backhanded strike, then slashed with his spear. Sparks flared on contact. The twins moved in perfect synchronization—every feint met, every blow returned. Their tier-seven strength turned the grove into a blur of blades and mist.
But Daita pushed back, unrelenting. He darted in, thrusting the spear.
The tip sliced across Baixue's pale cheek. A line of red bloomed.
Baixue hissed and staggered back. Bingya stopped instantly, eyes flaring in fury. But Daita noticed—a mirrored cut now formed on Bingya's cheek as well.
It healed almost immediately, the skin knitting back into place—but Daita's eyes narrowed, calculating.
They share a connection…
He backed up a step, breathing hard but focused. Then his grip tightened on the spear.
"I see," he muttered. "If I strike one… the other bleeds too."
With a shift in stance, he pivoted. One strategy. One target.
From that moment, his approach changed. He poured every ounce of strength into assaulting Baixue, flurries of strikes forcing the demon onto the defensive. Each blow faster, sharper. Baixue's parries grew sloppier, footwork faltering.
Meanwhile, Daita only dodged Bingya's attacks—his focus never leaving Baixue.
It worked.
Baixue's movements staggered, unbalanced from pressure. Bingya, despite his rage, couldn't land a solid blow. Daita weaved through each lunge and strike like wind over water effortless.
Baixue finally stumbled back, panting, aura flickering.
Daita's eyes glinted. "Got you."
He gripped the spear with both hands, gathering every ounce of spiritual power he could muster. Wind curled violently around him, surging into the tip of the weapon like a cyclone collapsing into a single point. With a roar, he lunged forward aiming the strike straight for Baixue's chest.
But then—he saw it.
A glowing mark had formed on Baixue's forehead.
Daita's eyes narrowed, just as the exact same mark appeared on Bingya's head too.
"What the—?"
Before he could finish the thought, the twins opened their mouths and screamed.
It wasn't a scream of pain. It was raw, inhuman. A piercing, agonizing shriek that hit like shattered crystal in the mind.
Daita staggered, the sound crashing through his skull. He clenched his jaw, trying to endure, but the pain forced his hands to his ears. He dropped to one knee, shaking.
The sound tore through the grove and Astra's eyes flew open.
"Wha—AHH!" she yelped, just as the webs around her snapped loose.
She dropped like a ragdoll, hitting the ground with a loud thud. "Ow—my head!"
But there was no time to groan. The scream hit her next.
Clutching her ears, she squeezed her eyes shut, rolling sideways into the shadows. "MAKE IT STOP!"
And then—silence.
The air fell into a vacuum. Daita slowly opened his eyes, breathing hard. In front of him, where the twin demons had stood… now stood only one.
The single demon's forehead glowed, the strange symbol searing with light. It pulsed slowly—once, twice.
Daita's heart dropped.
He stepped back. "Wait… this is—"
But before he could act, it was too late.
The demon's body jerked violently. its limbs twisting, bones snapping and rearranging with sickening cracks. Light surged from his chest and erupted upward in a pillar that lit the entire grove.
Astra shielded her eyes. "What the hell is that?!"
The scream returned but this time, it wasn't human.
The light collapsed.
And where the man once stood… loomed a colossal spider.
Its body gleamed with obsidian-black exoskeleton, barbed and ridged. Its legs spanned the width of the clearing—long, bladed, and bristling with fur. Purple venom dripped in thick globs from its fangs, hissing as it hit the ground, burning holes in the stone.
Its many eyes glowed like dying stars fixed on Daita.
Daita stared, eyes wide. "It… has transformed."