"Dual Blades: Starburst Stream!"
Hayashi gripped both blades tightly, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. The Thousand Demon Daggers trembled, releasing a surge of violet light. Asuramaru shuddered as well, wreathed in a swirling aura of crimson blood.
A crushing pressure erupted from him—so intense it felt suffocating—flooding the entire area. Even the CCG Investigators surrounding the mansion instinctively took a step back.
"Hm?"
Eto's single crimson eye flickered with curiosity as she watched. She had no idea what technique he was performing, but the oppressive danger rolling off him was unmistakable. Her heartbeat quickened; an inexplicable sense of crisis spread through her chest.
Under normal circumstances, she would have already slaughtered the Investigators in front of her and eaten them without a thought. But this wasn't a normal situation. And the person standing before her… was Hayashi. That alone made everything different.
"This pressure… looks like this attack is going to pack quite the punch."
The thought made Eto lick her teeth, excitement glimmering in her red eye. She was simply too bored—everything in her life had become dull, predictable, colorless.
Her favorite pastime had always been hunting down human Investigators and massacring them. But eventually, even that began to feel meaningless. They were all too weak. Only Arima had been able to spark even a shred of her interest.
Over time, even her bloodlust had cooled.
But now… Hayashi's presence reignited that desire to fight deep within her.
"Come on! Come on—let's tear each other apart!"
Eto let out a mad, exhilarated laugh as her massive kagune arms slammed down with full force. The pressure of her attack swept toward him like a wave of death—choking, suffocating, inevitable.
"Decapitation Technique!"
At that critical moment, Hayashi snapped his eyes open. A brilliant flash of gold erupted across his pupils.
A heartbeat later, two deep gashes split Eto's seemingly indestructible kagune arms.
Shlrrk—
The sound of tearing flesh rang out as the wounds deepened.Her overwhelming offensive momentum was forcefully stopped.
Under the moonlight, Hayashi's silhouette blurred as he shot forward, blades crossing in a storm of silver flashes. The sky itself seemed to shimmer with intersecting sword trails.
In just a blink, countless wounds carved themselves across Eto's massive, towering frame.Her kagune continued to tear apart, her huge body starting to collapse piece by piece.
"This is wonderful—absolutely wonderful!"
Feeling her body breaking down, Eto's crazed grin only sharpened, her excitement swelling. Hayashi's movements were fast—far too fast for her to follow. But the suffocating pressure in her chest only grew heavier, more intoxicating.
The unprecedented danger consumed her mind, drowning out everything but the thrill.
She lashed out wildly with her enormous arms, her speed increasing with each strike. Blood mist sprayed through the air; the spikes behind her shot out in rapid succession.
But Hayashi's reaction speed kept up with everything—dodging again and again, and cutting her each time an opening appeared.
The sight of flesh flying and blood spraying around him only made him more exhilarated.His speed increased further—so fast he could no longer see his own movements. His dodges became instinctive, his footwork leaving afterimages behind him.
Ghoul regeneration was fast — sometimes healing the moment a wound appeared. But even the strongest ghouls were nothing compared to Eto.
Her regeneration bordered on infinite, paired with her overwhelming offensive power. That was why she had become the nightmare of all CCG Investigators.
Yet even a monster like her was reaching her limit.
Her regeneration wasn't slowing… but Hayashi's attacks were simply too fast, too numerous. The wounds accumulated, deeper and heavier.
Eventually, even Eto's monstrous regeneration began to falter.
The ground shattered beneath her as her gigantic frame collapsed inward. Chunks of kagune fell off her in sheets, blood staining the earth red.
Finally, her once unbreakable outer body fully disintegrated—revealing the small, slender figure hidden inside.
"I've never felt this satisfied… this excited—ever."
Eto spread her arms as her true body leapt free of the collapsing mass.
Crack—
A crisp sound rang out as Hayashi's final strike cut her slender torso clean in half.
Yet her upper body still lunged forward, wrapping around his neck. And in that instant, her soft lips pressed against his.
"As expected… you're the only one in this world who can make me feel something this exhilarating…"
"I really do like you, boy."
Eto cupped his cheeks with both hands, her delicate, bewitching face flushed pink.Her beauty shimmered under the moonlight, intoxicating and unreal.
Hayashi let out a quiet laugh and wrapped an arm around her light, trembling body.
"I feel the same… Sen Takatsuki ."