"Then how about this, leave your kagune behind. Consider it a return gift for me?"
The moment those words were spoken, Tsukiyama Shuu's expression changed drastically.
"Damn it… I knew it. This guy really is a nightmare. There's no way this ends peacefully."
Everyone knew how important a ghoul's kagune was.
Without it, a ghoul's strength would be reduced to almost nothing.
And growing it back? That was unimaginably difficult.
By saying this, Fushimi Kyo had completely torn away any pretense.
He wasn't letting Tsukiyama leave alive or otherwise.
"Young master, go now. I'll hold him off."
The old man spoke calmly, yet resolutely.
Behind him, a Ukaku kagune shot out at terrifying speed, and his eyes flared crimson as his Kakugan activated.
Whoosh!
With a piercing sonic boom, the tail-like kagune lashed out viciously toward Fushimi Kyo.
"Oh?"
Kyo raised an eyebrow. "This old man's pretty strong. He's already surpassed S-rank."
"And judging by this momentum, he's even stronger than Tsukiyama Shuu. As expected of a direct bloodline retainer of the Tsukiyama family this kind of treatment really is something."
Unfortunately, no matter how fierce the old man's assault was, it posed absolutely no threat to Fushimi Kyo.
After three rounds of system reinforcement, Kyo's physical strength already exceeded that of an ordinary S-rank ghoul.
On top of that, his swordsmanship was downright terrifying.
Seeing the Ukaku kagune descend with the force of a collapsing mountain, Kyo swung his blade.
Bang!
The kagune collided with the long katana, releasing a dull, heavy impact.
Kyo didn't move an inch.
Instead, the old man's kagune split open with a massive gash.
"So strong…" the old man exclaimed in shock.
At that moment, Tsukiyama Shuu seized the opportunity. With a light leap, he jumped onto the second floor, clearly intending to smash through the wall and escape.
"Trying to run?"
Kyo's gaze turned icy.
"Nether Flash."
In the blink of an eye, as if he had teleported, Kyo appeared on the second floor, blocking Tsukiyama's path.
Tsukiyama's face twisted in panic.
"Die!"
The Koukaku on his shoulder surged violently, condensing into a sharp spike over a meter long, which he thrust forward with all his strength.
"Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki!"
Kyo gripped the katana with both hands and slashed downward.
Against a bottom-tier S-rank like Tsukiyama, even without charging the full iaijutsu technique, the power of this strike was still something he could never withstand.
BOOM!
The railing on the second floor shattered instantly.
Tsukiyama was sent flying, smashed violently back onto the ground floor.
Crash!
The floor caved in, leaving behind a massive crater.
"So weak," Kyo added coldly, killing both body and spirit.
"Young master!"
The old man flashed forward, appearing beside Tsukiyama and pulling him up from the ground.
"Are you alright?!"
"Pff !"
Tsukiyama spat out another mouthful of blood.
A horrifying wound nearly forty centimeters long tore across his body, flesh rolled outward, and writhing internal organs were faintly visible.
"Wouldn't it have been better to stay a gourmet?"
"To live comfortably as the Tsukiyama family's young master?"
"Why did you insist on courting death?"
"Since that's the case… I'll grant your wish."
Upstairs, Fushimi Kyo flicked his wrist sharply, sending the blood on his blade splattering across the floor.
His eyes were utterly indifferent as they locked onto Tsukiyama.
"Let me show you the new technique I've just comprehended."
"Nine-Headed Heaven-Rending Slash!"
Kyo leapt into the air.
While still airborne, he slashed nine times in rapid succession.
Nine arcs of blade light streaked through the air, seeming almost alive as they converged into one before crashing downward toward the two below.
"Young master run!"
The old man's expression changed completely.
From this strike, he sensed an overwhelming aura of death.
He knew it instantly neither he nor Tsukiyama could block this attack.
His Ukaku kagune extended frantically, twisting and coiling in front of him, completely filling the space between them and the incoming blade light.
At that exact moment, the slash arrived.
Hiss.
A soft sound.
The kagune offered no resistance at all.
Kyo's figure tore straight through.
"Young master… I'm sorry. I've done all I could."
Bang!
The old man's body exploded into a cloud of blood and flesh.
"AAAAAH !"
Behind him, Tsukiyama Shuu was drenched head to toe in blood. His teeth clattered uncontrollably.
He was terrified.
Truly terrified.
Who was he?
The heir of the Tsukiyama family possessing status, wealth, and privilege beyond measure.
As a ghoul, his only joy had been turning humans into exquisite cuisine.
Yet today… today he was actually going to die here.
"No… no… I don't want to die…"
"I haven't tasted all the delicacies of this world yet…"
"I still haven't killed that sow, Rize Kamishiro…"
"No. I can't die. I must not die."
Under the weight of absolute fear, Tsukiyama couldn't even stand.
With a dull thud, he collapsed onto the floor, clawing desperately at the ground as he tried to crawl away.
"Tch. How pathetic."
Kyo shook his head.
He had thought Tsukiyama was fearless but faced with true despair, he turned out to be this unsightly.
Without hesitation, Kyo raised his katana and brought it down.
Splurt!
The so-called "Gourmet," the notorious dangerous figure of the 20th Ward, finally brought his short, blood-soaked life to an end.
"Hng…"
At last, silence fell over the hall.
That intoxicatingly rich scent once again flooded Kyo's nostrils.
His stomach growled incessantly.
"With this many kagune… I wonder how many evolution points I'll get?"
...
20th Ward: Anteiku Café
By the window, Kaneki Ken and Nagachika Hideyoshi sat sipping coffee.
"Kaneki, didn't you say there was a girl you've been paying attention to?" Hide asked.
"Where is she?"
"You didn't just say that to save face, did you?"
Hide leaned back with his hands behind his head, grinning mischievously.
"Idiot, Hide. How could I lie to you?"
"It's just… I don't know why, but I haven't seen her for days now."
As he spoke, Kaneki's face was filled with disappointment.
"Hey, hey, Kaneki don't make that heartbroken face, alright?"
"Why don't you go after that girl instead?"
"She's pretty cute, you know."
As he spoke, Hide secretly pointed toward the counter, where Kirishima Touka was busy working.
Kaneki shook his head, clearly uninterested in the suggestion.
"Hey, Kaneki… you said you ran into a ghoul a few days ago, right?"
Hide's expression turned unusually serious.
"Yeah. I thought I was going to die," Kaneki replied.
"But someone saved me."
As a ghoul, Touka's hearing was extremely sharp. From this distance, she heard every word of their conversation.
"Saved you?" Hide asked. "By the CCG?"
In his mind, the only humans capable of fighting ghouls were investigators wielding quinque weapons.
"Probably not," Kaneki said.
"He looked about our age."
"And when he dealt with that ghoul… he didn't use any weapon at all."
"Not a suitcase carrier?" Hide fell silent.
A young figure suddenly surfaced in his mind
That day, hadn't someone like that been sitting behind them, drinking coffee?
Not far away, Touka's body stiffened.
"Was it him…?" she murmured.
Just then
Ding-ling-ling.
The small golden bell hanging on the café door rang out crisply.
Touka looked up
And froze.
The person who entered was completely unexpected.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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