Thump. Thump.
Fushimi Kyo's heartbeat grew faster and faster, driving his blood into a violent surge.
Muscles across his body awakened as if roused from a long slumber, the power he usually kept restrained now threatening to burst free.
Perhaps it had been too long since he last fought without holding back because at this moment, facing the encirclement of ghouls, Kyo felt nothing but exhilaration.
"Come on. Come on."
"Let me slaughter all of you trash."
His wrist flipped.
The katana, Ginetsu, manifested in his hand.
The ghouls were already within ten meters.
Kyo slowly lowered his head, his right hand settling on the hilt.
Shing
A blinding arc of steel flashed out, carving nine beautiful yet deadly trajectories through the air.
Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Sword Arts Nine-Headed Dragon Flash!
"Hahaha! I'm first!"
"Human, let me tear you apart!"
"I'll break your limbs, rip out your organs no matter how special you are, you're dying here today!"
"Mm so close now. This human's blood energy is overflowing. Delicious. Definitely top-tier!"
"Don't fight me for it faster, I need to be faster!"
More than a dozen ghouls surged forward in a frenzy, all desperate to be the first to kill Kyo.
Greed twisted their faces, scarlet kakugan, drool spilling from distorted mouths growing larger and larger in Kyo's vision.
Inside the Gourmet Restaurant, there was an unspoken rule:
Whoever tasted the "dish" first earned envy, admiration, and respect from all others.
The psychological satisfaction far surpassed the pleasure of eating itself.
But when the blade-light arrived
Fear finally bloomed.
Shhk.
Like a blade slicing through thin paper, the ghoul at the very front abruptly froze.
He stared down at his own body in disbelief.
Then his upper torso slid apart, severed diagonally into two halves.
"AAAAAH !"
His scream shook the hall.
The others hadn't even processed what happened before the sword-light reached them as well.
Limbs and bodies flew through the air.
In the blink of an eye, only four or five ghouls remained standing.
"T-This is impossible…"
"Just one slash… they're all dead?"
"What kind of monster are we facing?"
One of them trembled and turned to flee.
"That's all it takes to scare you?"
Kyo's voice came from behind him.
"AH DIE!"
The ghoul lashed out in desperation, a tail-type kagune stabbing straight toward Kyo.
"Hmph."
Steel flashed.
The kagune was severed in a single cut.
At the same time, pain bloomed at the ghoul's neck, the world spun and his head rolled across the floor.
Now, Fushimi Kyo was nothing less than a reaper from hell.
Phantom Nether Flash!
Each step he took left a trail of afterimages.
Each flicker of his blade claimed a life.
Within a few breaths, every ghoul that had rushed him lay dead.
Kyo stood alone.
Katana in one hand.
Eyes blazing as he looked up at the remaining ghouls above.
"Come down already."
"Let me kill all of you."
"Your kagune leave them all behind."
Blood drenched his body.
Bathed in the spotlight, he resembled a crimson higanbana, radiating pure death.
Above, the ghouls were utterly shaken.
Anyone who could sit in this restaurant held extraordinary status in the real world
including the restaurant's owner, the Tsukiyama Group, a power with massive influence across Tokyo's business and political spheres.
Yet now
For the first time, they felt true fear of death.
Below them stood a man who had annihilated over a dozen ghouls in mere moments.
"Provocation."
"Threat."
"Humiliation."
Those emotions shredded their nerves.
"Damn it human! You must die!" one ghoul roared, unable to bear the pressure.
"You slaughtered our kin. You're not leaving here alive!"
"Kill him, tear him to pieces!"
With someone taking the lead, the ghouls erupted once more.
A figure soared into the air, a pair of blue wings spreading wide.
"A Ukaku ghoul… A-rank?"
Kyo identified him instantly.
From above, countless kagune rained down.
Kyo spun his wrist Ginetsu became a whirling net of steel, blocking every strike.
The Ukaku ghoul was cunning, circling in the air, maintaining distance while bombarding him relentlessly.
"He's pinned down!"
"Now's our chance!"
"Together kill him!"
Countless figures leapt from the upper levels, closing in from all sides.
Kyo glanced around casually, bloodlust flooding his gaze.
"Now this is finally worth going all out."
He lifted his eyes to the airborne Ukaku ghoul.
The katana slid back into its scabbard.
Then
A lightning-fast draw.
Illusory Dragon Flash!
"ROAR !"
A soul-shaking dragon's cry erupted from the void.
An intangible, phantom dragon surged skyward, clamping down on the Ukaku ghoul in a single bite.
"AAAAAH !"
The ghoul screamed as if his soul itself were being devoured, agony tearing through him like he'd been cast into endless hell.
He lost all control, spiraling down from the sky.
Slash.
A cold arc of steel cut through him his body split cleanly in two.
With him dead, Kyo faced the charging horde, his expression growing increasingly frenzied.
One step forward
And he plunged straight into the mass of ghouls.
Dragon's Nest Flash!
Twin Dragon Flash!
Soaring Dragon Flash!
Sword techniques erupted in relentless succession.
Screams filled the air.
Limbs scattered like debris.
Kyo bathed in ghoul blood, carving through them again and again.
Twenty minutes later
Silence.
Kyo turned slowly, scanning his surroundings.
Not a single figure remained standing.
"…All dead?"
"So fragile."
Squish. Squish.
Footsteps echoed softly, as if stepping through a shallow stream.
Then
A hurried voice rang out.
"Y-Young master, wait! I'll open the door for you!"
"Wait for what, you idiot?! I'm not even here yet, and you dared start the banquet?"
"Later, turn those useless fools into dishes."
"Fushimi Kyo only I get the first bite."
"No one else is qualified."
As Tsukiyama Shuu's deranged voice echoed through the hall, a massive door on the upper level slowly opened.
A man stepped into view, blue suit, rose pinned to his chest, a white half-mask covering half his face.
A perfect gentleman.
But the moment his eyes took in the scene before him
His pupils shrank to pinpoints.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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