Editing BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 2 Chapter 11 (section)

===Part 2===

The sky was painted in hues of dusk and night. 

With the sun in the west and the moon in the east, Naoto raced through the dimly lit backstreets, where the pale streetlights began to flicker on, without a moment to spare to look up at the transforming sky.

Running beside him was Raquel, her long hair fluttering like a golden ribbon. Her golden eyes, unlike any he had seen before, were fixed sternly ahead, guiding Naoto towards their destination.

That destination, of course, was where Spinner was.

After Spinner's darkness had taken Saya away and Naoto had chased it to the rooftop but lost sight of it, Raquel, who had come up to the rooftop later, immediately drew a magic circle and began to track Spinner.

Her concern wasn’t solely for Saya’s safety—though in a way, it could be said that it was. While quickly arranging the strange red symbols that Naoto couldn’t understand, Raquel murmured with a tone of urgency.

“Spinner’s target is probably Soul Eater. I don’t know his purpose, but…” It was unlikely that the man’s goals would align with Naoto or Raquel’s interests.

Hurriedly completing the magic circle, Raquel stood at its center, gathering the wind for a moment. She firmly engraved the sensed presence of the Azure into her senses, pulling it closer as she pursued Spinner.

Feeling rushed, Naoto stumbled occasionally, struggling to breathe not from fatigue, but from a different kind of tightness in his chest.

Why had things become so complicated? Nothing was going his way. Everything seemed to be going downhill. Naoto groaned in frustration.

(It’s all because of that stupid sister of mine!)

He just wanted to hunt Apostles with Raquel, get stronger, defeat Spinner, and become human again within a year. It was already complicated enough at this point, but now his suddenly appearing sister was getting involved.

(She should have just stayed at the Amanohokosaka Castle.) 

Why did she always have to meddle in things?

Unconsciously, his tongue clicked again in annoyance.

As if to silence him, Raquel spoke sharply.

“Over there, Naoto.” As if awakened by Raquel's voice, Naoto's eyes and consciousness awakened to reality.

They had reached a construction site near the edge of the downtown area. The base of the building was surrounded by a white makeshift wall, behind which a greenish, thin covering draped over tall construction scaffolding. The building under construction was apparently quite tall, and the scaffold continued for a long distance.

Naoto looked up, his gaze wandering.

"Is it in there...?"

Fortunately, whether it was because of a holiday or some sort of trouble, there was no one at the site. Even though it was gradually getting dark, the surroundings were still faintly lit. But the inside of the scaffold was so dark that he couldn't see how far it extended. Naturally, there were no lights since no one was there. Searching inside would be quite difficult.

Just as Naoto was about to slip inside the white enclosure, Raquel's hand grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back. 

"Naoto. Up there."

Up. Hearing that, Naoto looked up at the building. It was probably about eight stories high. It was taller than the apartment building where Naoto lived.

Raquel's eyes were fixed on the very top, the roof.

Naoto squinted. But from here, he couldn't even tell if there was anyone on the rooftop. However, a shiver ran down his spine. 

"Ugh..." Naoto involuntarily gasped. It felt so… empty.

(Is it my imagination? Because Raquel feels that way, I'm being influenced by her… Or maybe...is it because of the vampire blood mixed in me?)

He had a feeling that something was there. And now, his intuition couldn't be easily ignored by his common sense and rationality.

"Raquel!" Looking up at the building under construction, Naoto called out quickly. Raquel immediately understood his intention and slid her arms around his. 

The soft sensation of her body pressed closely against his made Naoto tense up involuntarily. The presence of a girl, clearly different from the boys around him, was sweetly colorful and right next to him, so close that he could feel her breath. It was only natural for him to feel a bit nervous.

"Be very careful." Raquel lifted her face from where it had been resting against his chest. In her serious gaze, Naoto's slightly flustered expression was reflected.

"I feel a great power swelling. Spinner is very strong. You can't handle him alone. Don't forget that. Understood?"

"Y-yeah." Raquel’s words, spoken in a warning tone, sent a chill down Naoto’s spine.

Ahead of him was Spinner. He had been so focused on getting Saya back, but he realized that he had to stand before that man, fight, and get her back. That realization filled Naoto with fear. But it wasn't a bad fear. It was a necessary fear. He wasn't someone to be faced without fear.

"Hold on tight." With that, Raquel pressed her lips together and concentrated. His senses began to sharpen. 

A whirlwind swirled at Raquel's feet. Then, in an instant, it turned into a violent gust of wind, blowing her and Naoto high into the air. 

With the wind surrounding them, they soared upward and landed on the rooftop of the building, which was solidly built despite being under construction. The gray concrete, likely to be painted or treated later, was beautifully smoothed out. Steel scaffolding surrounded it, resembling a small arena.

There was no need to look for their target. Amidst the cooler wind that blew stronger than on the ground, the man was leisurely standing in the center of the rooftop.

Dressed in a black, high-quality suit, with slicked-back gray hair and a large, menacing tattoo carved deeply into his cheek, Spinner Superior appeared. His sharply elongated, cold eyes were accompanied by a narrow, icy smile. Without showing any surprise at the arrival of Naoto and Raquel, he gracefully moved his long limbs into a deep bow.

"Good evening, Raquel Alucard. Even on this day, your beauty is blinding... the moon tonight might be too ashamed to emerge from behind the clouds." While keeping his body bowed, he lifted only his face, and Naoto caught a glimpse of a serpent-like tongue flickering from Spinner's mouth. 

Behind him, something large was stirring. 

Though the dusk was not particularly different from usual, the rooftop felt much darker than the ground below. Perhaps it was due to the faint residual light in the sky. The figure appeared like a shadow puppet backlit by the setting sun... but as Naoto squinted, its true nature became clearer.

"Ugh..." A sound of disgust involuntarily escaped Naoto’s lips.

It was an insect. And it was on a completely different scale from Spinner’s Apostles that Naoto had encountered before. It was enormous. 

Its head, with dull reddish-black eyes, stood much higher than the tall Spinner. The smooth, round head had large, arched jaws protruding forward, and it was clear at a glance that they were its pride and joy.

It had a black, beetle-like skin, but its body was rather long, and it was standing up as if lifting its upper body. Twelve strong, crustacean-like legs were attached to its body, and the second pair from the top was firmly holding a small girl in its arms.

"Saya!" Naoto shouted instinctively.

The captured girl—Saya—was unconscious. Her thin arms, draped in a kimono the color of blossoms, hung limply. Yet, Naoto couldn't believe his eyes.

The number above Saya's head was rising at an astonishing rate.

"What the hell is that... why is Saya's life force skyrocketing?" It was like a broken counter. The number would occasionally slow down, then speed up again, increasing at an unstable pace. He had never seen anything like this before... No.

Recently, when Saya had come to Naoto's house, she had tried to suck out Naoto's life force and kill him. At that time, the number above Saya's head had also risen. 

Of course, it wasn't at such an absurd pace as it was now.

"Is it... absorbing life force? From that insect?"

"No."

As Naoto muttered, thinking that couldn’t possibly be the case, Raquel threw a harsh denial at him.

"Your sister... the Soul Eater that resides within her is absorbing the life force of all the humans around this building."

"What... what the hell is that!?" For a moment, Naoto couldn’t grasp the meaning, his voice trembling with frustration. "Wasn't it supposed to be that Saya could only absorb the life force of the people she touched!?" He was sure Raquel had said that before. Turning sharply, he saw Raquel’s expression twisted as if she had bitten into something bitter.

"That's only if your sister is controlling Soul Eater. As I said, the original Soul Eater indiscriminately takes people's life force. Saya is unconscious. So, the one controlling Soul Eater now is..." There was only one person here who could do that, and who would do so.

That man Raquel was glaring at—Spinner.

"...Raquel Alucard. I am somewhat disappointed." While receiving hostility and caution from both Naoto and Raquel, Spinner pressed his hand to his chest with a sorrowful expression. His spread thin fingers were like spider legs. "It is an immense honor that you have chosen to chase after me yourself. However, this Spinner Superior had asked that next time we meet, you bring along the 'real Naoto Kurogane.' And yet..."

Dropping his angular, thin shoulders exaggeratedly, Spinner moved his gaze from Raquel to Naoto. In the meantime, his gaze turned cold and filled with disgust.

"To think you would bring this trash again." His eyes seemed to say that he couldn't stand it physiologically. 

Naoto met Spinner’s condescending gaze with one of deep contempt. He had no intention of accepting being treated as trash, but that cheap disdain meant nothing to him.

"I don’t know what you were expecting, but I’m the real Kurogane Naoto! More importantly, you better let my sister go right now!" Naoto shouted, his anger surging as he carefully gauged the distance and his opponent's movements.

Spinner looked at him with a twisted expression, his large cheek tattoo distorting his features. He appeared utterly exasperated, as if he found Naoto's presence deeply repulsive and grotesque.

“I have no ears to waste on garbage… With all due respect, you should reconsider your pet. It will tarnish your dignity. It's a pity..."

"You bastard..." The words of detached disdain, which didn’t even acknowledge his dignity, were almost painfully obvious. The attitude toward Raquel was equally blatant. Naoto felt a deep resentment, wondering just how worthless he was seen.

Beside Naoto, Raquel stepped forward a few paces, lifting her chin without a hint of fear. Her posture straightened, and she locked her sparkling eyes onto Spinner’s figure, embodying a strength that matched her youthful appearance.

"Spinner Superior. I demand the same of you as Naoto. Release that girl immediately and stop Soul Eater." Her commanding tone had a strength that demanded no argument. Feeling that natural intimidation, Spinner smiled deeply, almost gleefully.

“I’m sorry, but even if it’s a request from 'Slave Red,' I cannot comply. This is a very important time... I need a great deal of human souls.”

“Important time? What exactly do you intend to do?” Raquel furrowed her brow. The man spoke in a strange way. There was no malice or ill will in his words, but rather a gentle tone and expression as if he were caressing something.

"It's all for my beloved Raquel Alucard." As if there were passion hidden there, Spinner clapped his hands together at his chest. With a pained expression, his dark eyes looked at Raquel. 

The gaze that Spinner directed at Raquel was perverted and morbid, and even though he wasn't the one receiving it, Naoto felt a sense of discomfort creeping up from his feet. Raquel, who was directly receiving it, looked back at Spinner without changing her expression much.

Spinner continued to speak in a melodic tone. "My desire is to have you... all of you, the noble and beautiful maiden who is closest to the Azure’s wisdom... I want to have all of you..." 

Mid-sentence, Spinner lightly licked his lips as if to quench his thirst. The tongue he revealed was long and had a black tattoo on it as well.

"Your hair, your eyes, your breath, your heartbeat, everything! I want to make it all mine, and reach the depths of the Azure that I yearn for so much. To do that, I have to capture you. But just an insect won't do. I need to prepare a special insect worthy of welcoming Raquel Alucard."

"I don't remember asking for such a thing." 

"Isn't it disappointing to be a man who can only prepare what he is asked for?" Spinner replied calmly, but as he continued, his expression softened just a little, as if in concern. “But... to complete this special insect, a great many human souls are necessary. I had the insects create nests in places where people gather so that I could collect them in bulk…” 

“I see, so that’s why it was Isa.” Naoto lowered his voice heavily, not wanting to understand.

Isa frequented a school, a place where many people gathered every day. It meant that Shinkawahama First High School was almost going to become Spinner’s feeding ground.

"Not only was I unable to gather resources, but before I could even finish building my nest, many of my Apostles were destroyed by you and those annoying people. I was at my wit's end. It was at that time..." Spinner slowly turned his head and looked at the massive insect quietly resting beside him. He narrowed his already slim eyes with a satisfied smile.

"I found this girl... this Soul Eater! As rumored, it is a wonderful power. With this, I can gather people's souls as I please. I no longer need to scatter Apostles and collect them slowly. Everything I need will be gathered tonight. On this glorious night of the full moon..."

As if blowing out a candle, the surroundings grew darker. The moon turned golden in the eastern sky. Spinner spread his arms wide and took a deep breath. The cold air was now completely night. He exhaled with pleasure, and his eyes fixed on Raquel like a snake.

“Do you understand, Raquel Alucard?” He asked. Raquel took a half-step back, as if startled. Spinner reached out his long hand to follow her. "This is fate. It cannot be resisted... You will be mine." As soon as he declared that, the quality of the air around him changed.

It was heavy. It felt heavy, as if a gravity had begun pulling in a different direction. The pull was coming from Spinner... no, from the insect beside him, from deep inside its legs, from Saya.

Naoto realized. He was being drained. His life force was vanishing at a speed far beyond what it had been moments ago.

It wasn’t just Naoto who was being robbed. Raquel, standing next to him, stumbled as if she were about to faint. Above her golden hair, tied with a black ribbon, a countdown of diminishing life force was visible only to Naoto’s eyes.

“Damn it... you’ve gotta be kidding me!” Struggling not to stumble, Naoto braced his weakening legs and shouted angrily, supporting Raquel next to him. Raquel clung to his supporting arm, her expression stern.

"This is bad... we have to stop Soul Eater. If we don't, it will suck the life out of everyone in this area, and Spinner will..."

"That's not the point! It's not about the insect..." Naoto grabbed Raquel's shoulders with both hands and pulled her close, gently shaking her to encourage her to stand strong. Raquel’s face was pale. The numbers above her head continued to decrease without stopping.If it continued to decrease like this, the number would eventually become '0'.

“If this goes on, everyone will die!” 

Even random people who just happened to be around this building, or anyone he might have crossed paths with. Or even Raquel, whose life force was draining twice as fast as Naoto’s.

"I won't let that happen. Absolutely not." Naoto glared at Spinner and kicked the cold ground hard. His feet moved faster than he thought possible. His body felt light, and his limbs moved more smoothly than he expected.

He could reach it.

In a matter of seconds, Naoto was right in front of Spinner, and he raised his fist without hesitation… 
"You bastard, don't think you can just do whatever you want!"

He struck with all his might.