Fushimi Kyo wandered through the restaurant for a while, until he discovered a small, discreet mechanism embedded in the wall.
He reached out and pressed it lightly.
Ka-click!
A deep mechanical rumble echoed from underground.
Rooooom
At the very center of the restaurant, a circular section of the floor nearly eight meters in diameter began to rise slowly.
At the same time, the ceiling split apart to either side, revealing a massive opening of equal size.
"Hm? So this is the passage to the second floor?"
Kyo flickered forward and stood atop the rising platform.
A few breaths later, it lifted him all the way up to the second floor.
The space above was shrouded in darkness.
Kyo glanced around, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
Judging from the vague outlines, he seemed to be standing in the middle of a vast hall.
All around him, on higher tiers, countless shadowy figures stood in silence.
Then
Lights snapped on.
Beams swept chaotically across the arena before finally locking onto Kyo.
The sudden glare made him squint.
"Apologies for keeping everyone waiting," a voice rang out.
"This is today's main course a seventeen-year-old human male."
On the upper level, a host wearing a white mask and a tailcoat pointed theatrically at Kyo.
"This dish is extremely special. He is a human… who can consume ghoul kagune."
The moment those words fell, the crowd exploded.
"Are you joking?! A human can eat kagune?"
"I've only ever heard of ghouls eating humans, never the other way around!"
"This has to be a gimmick. That's absurd."
"Exactly, he's not even a ghoul. How could he digest kagune?"
"Still… that human looks pretty sturdy. The texture must be excellent."
"I love men like this, bring him to the peak of ecstasy, then eat him bit by bit."
Kyo stared coldly at the hundreds of figures above.
Drool slid uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth.
"So many ghouls…"
"Food… eat them… eat them all…"
His body trembled violently.
The fragrance filling the air was overwhelming.
Individually, these ghouls were weak, their scent faint.
But more than a hundred gathered together?
The combined aroma surpassed even that of an S-rated ghoul.
"Hahaha, look at him shaking."
"Tears are even dripping from his mouth."
"I never get tired of this scene especially when we carve them up piece by piece."
"Whether this is a stunt or not, I'm taking the first bite."
Sensing the rising frenzy, the host turned to a ghoul beside him.
"What's going on? Wasn't Master Tsukiyama supposed to be here today?"
"The ingredient is ready, where is he?"
"No idea," the ghoul replied uneasily.
"But if we delay any longer, this could turn into a riot."
The host nodded.
This had happened before some ghouls lost control the moment the "ingredient" appeared and rushed down early, turning the banquet into chaos.
"Now then," the host announced loudly,
"Please enjoy tonight's supreme delicacy."
"And now let us welcome the dissector responsible for today's main course."
Behind Kyo, an iron gate slowly rose.
He turned his head and vaguely made out a massive silhouette emerging from the darkness.
Above, a young ghoul leaned toward a woman with a bun hairstyle.
"Ms. M, may I ask who's today's dissector?"
"Oh? Mr. PG," she replied smugly.
"Today's dissector is my favorite Kotaro."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the passage.
A few breaths later, a hulking giant nearly three meters tall and weighing well over a thousand kilograms stepped out, dragging a massive cleaver behind him.
"What a huge guy," Kyo muttered in surprise.
The arena erupted.
"Kill him! Chop him into pieces!"
"Kotaro, show us your best knife work!"
Kotaro lumbered toward the "terrified, frozen" Kyo, raising the cleaver high and swinging it straight down at his head.
"Just a flashy but hollow weapon," Kyo scoffed.
He threw a punch.
BOOM!
The cleaver exploded into fragments.
The utterly unexpected sight left Kotaro completely stunned, his already limited brain power failing to process what had just happened.
Kyo took one step forward and casually swung another punch.
BANG!
Blood sprayed like rain.
Kotaro's enormous body shattered into pieces.
"M… Mama…"
The severed head rolled across the floor, facing Ms. M as it uttered the final words of his life.
The ghouls above could no longer sit still.
"What's going on? How can a human have that kind of strength?!"
"One punch he blew Kotaro apart with one punch!"
"He can't be human. Impossible. He must be a ghoul!"
"Kill him! Eat him!"
The arena erupted into chaos.
More than a dozen figures leapt down from above, charging straight at Kyo.
Midair, kagune burst forth from their backs.
Watching them rush toward him, Kyo spread his arms wide, his expression intoxicated.
"The slaughter… begins."
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