God?
The moment those words left his mouth, every Ghoul aristocrat froze. Under normal circumstances, they would have scoffed, mocked, maybe even laughed out loud.
After all, in their worldview, ghouls were far superior to humans. Humans were the inferior species. If gods existed, they believed such beings could only be ghouls.
But now… The suffocating pressure washing over them crushed even the faintest thought of refuting him.
"What's wrong?"
"Did I say something incorrect?"
Hayashi smiled gently and took a single step forward.
Instantly, everyone felt their lungs seize. The white-haired boy's expression was warm, almost soft — yet the air was thick with the stench of death.
One thought flashed through the minds of every Ghoul present:
If I speak now… I'll die.
Fear wrapped its claws around their throats. They swallowed hard and instinctively retreated.
But after a few steps —
Another wave of killing intent washed over them from behind.
They turned, trembling.
Suzuya was crouched on a chair, smiling sweetly at them. But beneath that adorable expression was a clear hunger for slaughter.
Gulp.
One glance was enough to freeze all of them in place.Forward was death.Backward was death.
They were trapped.
"W-wait! We're red-eyed ghouls, and you're red-eyed too… maybe we could—"
A richly dressed Ghoul stepped forward, forcing courage into his voice.
He never finished his sentence.
His head slid cleanly off his neck, hitting the ground with a dull thud, rolling across the blood-stained floor. A fountain of hot crimson splashed after it.
Every Ghoul in the room gasped.
No one had seen the motion.No one even knew what Hayashi had done.
"Time's about up. We should finish this."
Hayashi glanced at his watch and sighed, almost regretful.
The next moment — A flash of steel. A wet crunch of bones shattering.
Before the others could even react, several Ghoul nobles were already bisected.
Blood soaked the air. The pressure of impending death coiled around the survivors' throats.
They were used to deciding the lives of others. Tonight, it was their turn.
Perhaps it was the desperation of facing annihilation, or the instinctive thrashing of cornered beasts. Instead of running, every Ghoul activated their kagune at once.
Eyes ignited crimson. Carnage bloomed across their bodies.
With shrill roars, the Ghoul aristocrats charged—determined to tear the two intruders apart and salvage their pride.
At the very same moment—
Hayashi and Suzuya vanished.
"Fun! Fun! This is so much fun!"
Suzuya danced among the crowd, twin blades singing through flesh. Every leap, every delighted swing of her arms, filled the room with heavier and heavier waves of blood.
On the other side, Hayashi moved with the same destructive power — but with elegance to match royalty.
His twin blades were too fast for human — or ghoul — eyes to follow. Limbs flew. Bodies split. Screams cut short.
In the darkness, his white hair fluttered wildly.His crimson eyes flickered with a chilling hunger.
His jade-like face, smeared with fresh blood, held an expression cold enough to freeze bone.
A demon blade in hand. A heavenly face above it.
In a single instant, the auction hall became hell. Blood sprayed the walls.Limbs piled atop each other.
The screams didn't last.
"Finally… peace and quiet."
Bathed in red, Hayashi lifted his head and surveyed the silence. His clothes had turned completely scarlet. The pressure around him had only grown thicker.
"Hey… my toys are all broken now…"
Suzuya tugged lightly at Hayashi's blood-soaked shirt, her face marked with splatters, eyes holding a trace of disappointment.
"It's fine. When we get back, I'll buy you new ones."
Hayashi ruffled her hair gently, smiling softly.
"Mm! You're the best!"
Suzuya beamed, looking completely sweet and harmless — a stark contrast to the reaper who had slaughtered a hall moments earlier.
Humanity's strongest. Seeing her in action with his own eyes made Hayashi nod in genuine approval.
Even in the anime, Suzuya had been portrayed as terrifyingly strong… but witnessing it in person was something else entirely.
That title — Strongest Human — wasn't an exaggeration.
"Go inform headquarters. Tell them the entire auction hall has been cleared."
Hayashi pointed toward the door.
"And you?"
"I still have something to take care of. Go on ahead."
He patted her head again.
"Okay! I'll go!"
Hopping over corpses like stepping stones, Suzuya disappeared into the hallway.
"…Alright. Time to handle the real business."
Hayashi stepped onto the stage, eyes settling on a familiar figure lying motionless.
"Aren't you getting up?"
The man wearing a clown mask — Uta — twitched, then slowly stood.
"You didn't notice me? How boring."
Removing the mask, his red eyes held a spark of disappointment.
Hayashi regarded him calmly.
"You're alive, so don't waste time lying around."
"I'm guessing you didn't call me out just to chat."
Uta's expression remained as empty as a dead fish.
"You're right. There's something I've been curious about."
"Oh? Curious?"
For the first time, a glimmer of interest flickered in his blank eyes.
"Yes. I want to know just how strong you really are."
Hayashi tightened his grip on his blades.
"And I want to see how many seconds you can survive."