"The second round… starts now."
Uta slowly lifted his head.
In his blood-red eyes, a violent glint flickered—raw, unfiltered, murderous.
On the surface, he always looked cold and calm, like nothing in the world could move him.But anyone who truly knew him understood that this was nothing more than a mask.
All his emotions—fury, hunger, madness—were always buried deep inside.
But now, those emotions surged to the surface, spilling out in a wave of killing intent.A crushing pressure erupted from him, filling the entire auction hall like a suffocating fog.
"That's more like it. Now we're talking."
Hayashi's lips curled into an excited smile.
Yes.
This was exactly what he wanted.
Instantly killing someone was cool, sure—but it lacked flavor.
No thrill.
No tension.
Hack down small fry all day long, and the novelty wears off quickly.
But facing an S-rated or even SS-rated ghoul?
That was enough to stir something inside him—something primal, restless.
And now, basking in the overwhelming pressure radiating from Uta…
Hayashi felt nothing but pure, unfiltered excitement.
Nothing else.
He raised his twin blades, exhaled a hot breath—and at that moment, the bloodlust inside him surged outward, coating the floor in a rolling red mist.
"You're looking even more delicious than before," Uta growled.
"And I'm getting hungrier by the second."
"From the first moment I saw you—before I even knew who you were—I wanted to kill you."
"I wanted to devour you."
"I barely held myself back."
"But now… now I don't have to restrain myself anymore!"
Uta's crazed laughter echoed as his massive kagune-twisted limbs writhed behind him.
The very next instant — he shot forward like a launched projectile.
Hayashi sidestepped, just barely avoiding the initial strike.
BOOM!
Uta slammed into the wall, shattering it completely.
The luxurious decorative paneling cracked, splintered, and collapsed.
"You dodged that too?"
Perched on the wall, Uta tilted his grotesque, kagune-enveloped head.A mix of surprise, mockery, and excitement shone in his red eyes.
"Your speed is too slow," Hayashi said calmly.
"Too slow. It's practically standing still."
He lifted his blades lazily.
"If that's your top speed, you won't last even one second against me."
"One second?"
Uta let out a beastlike laugh, deeper and more deranged than earlier.
The pressure around him spiked.
BOOM!
The weakened wall finally collapsed completely, falling apart with a roar.
Dust rose in a choking cloud.
Within that haze—a streak of red light shot toward Hayashi.
"How about now?!"
Uta appeared behind him, his smile twisted like a demon's.
Before Hayashi could fully turn, Uta's massive arms clamped down on his wrists.
In the next heartbeat — a storm of kagune-enhanced punches rained down on him.
BOOM!BOOM!BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The blows were monstrous—fast enough to blur, powerful enough to split stone.The ground cracked under the repeated impact.The entire hall trembled.
Only when the dust finally settled did Mr. Bile stop.
A crater several meters wide gaped beneath them.
"Eat… eat… eat you!"
Uta swayed drunkenly, drool dripping from his mouth.
But just as he leaned down to tear into Hayashi—
SHING!
Both of his arms dropped to the floor.
He instinctively leapt backward, landing on a nearby wall, kagune flaring in panic.
"You really do make this fun," Hayashi said as he emerged from the dust cloud—completely unharmed.
Not a scratch.
He rolled his neck casually.
He had only wanted to provoke Uta.
He hadn't expected the ghoul's speed to actually improve this much—fast enough to almost catch him off guard.
And the strength behind those blows?
Impressive.
But against his immortal body?
Meaningless.
Uta stared, stunned.
He was certain every punch had landed.
Any human—any normal human—would've been turned into paste.
But Hayashi stood there unharmed. Untouched.
"What… how is this possible…?! You aren't human!"
"You must be nearing your limit, right?"
Hayashi brushed aside his hair with a faint smile.
"But time's up. Take your bow."
A flash—dark purple mixed with blood red—split the air.
Uta's entire body trembled.
For the first time, true fear filled his eyes.
Every cell in his body screamed danger.
If he didn't dodge, he would die.
He threw himself aside.
He avoided death — but half his body was severed, falling apart as his kagune dissolved into mist.
"H-how… can a human… possibly be this strong…?"
His kagune faded entirely, revealing his real face beneath—cold, melancholy, and twisted with despair.
He vomited blood, vision blurring.
"Goodbye."
Hayashi lifted his blade.
Just as he was about to strike — something massive dropped from above.
DUANG!
The impact forced Hayashi back a step.
By the time he steadied himself — Uta had vanished.
"Sorry," a small, masked girl said apologetically from atop the rafters.
"He's one of ours. You're not allowed to kill him yet."
By her side stood a fat masked clown cradling the half-dead Uta.
"Oh?"
Hayashi raised an eyebrow.
Even with the mask, he recognized her instantly — Roma.
The clumsy, harmless part-timer from the coffee shop.
But in reality?
A member of the Clowns.
An SSS-rated ghoul.
The Dodgy Mother.
Anyone who'd seen the anime knew her sweet, cutesy appearance was nothing more than a façade.
Underneath was a deeply twisted, deranged personality.
"Pretty please?" Roma said, clasping her hands."We'll make it up to you next time. I'll even give you a gift!"
She waved cheerfully and hopped away.
The fat clown followed, leaping from the rooftop with Mr. Bile in his arms.
"Gone already?"
Hayashi watched them leave, then lowered his blades.
He hadn't planned to kill Uta here anyway. Toying with him had been enough.
Still, running into Roma by chance was surprising.
She didn't have the best battle feats, but she was an SSS-rated ghoul.
That had to count for something.
Hayashi smiled faintly.
Maybe someday he'd get the chance to fight her.Test out his new abilities.
But for now… there were more important things to handle.
He stabbed his blade into the floor, breaking through and revealing the empty hidden chamber beneath.
By now, Akira and the Yasuhira sisters should still be down there.
Time to check.
He had a feeling he'd find a rather interesting surprise waiting for him.
With that thought, Hayashi smiled lightly—and jumped into the darkness below.