Kirishima Touka's fingers dug into Ryoma's arm, hesitant, trembling. She leaned in and took a small bite from his shoulder. Just a taste. But even that was enough.
The moment his flesh touched her tongue, something ignited within her. Strength, searing and primal, surged through her veins like wildfire. Her weakened body—starved of nourishment, dulled by abstinence—snapped back to life with terrifying speed. Stronger than before. Stronger than she had ever been.
She froze, breath caught in her throat.
This… this flavor…
She had always known Kanzaki Ryoma smelled good. Ghoul senses couldn't lie. But to taste him—truly taste him was something else entirely. Her kagune twitched involuntarily, her body flooded with restored power and instinctual hunger.
Now she understood. Now she could comprehend why Tsukiyama Shuu had been so obsessed. Why Kamishiro Rize clung to Ryoma like a shadow. His flavor was something beyond compare, maddeningly irresistible.
But there was no time to think.
"Tsukiyama, you bastard!"
Her voice cracked like a whip through the underground garage.
Tsukiyama barreled toward them, crazed and wide-eyed, completely unguarded. Touka exploded forward to meet him, knee slamming into his chin with devastating force. The impact crunched through bone, shattering his jaw and sending teeth flying.
"Master!" Kanae screamed.
Despite her injuries, she lunged to shield Tsukiyama, but Touka was faster.
Touka's kagune snapped open behind her in a brilliant flare of red light. Her tendrils whipped forward in rapid succession, slamming Tsukiyama in the chest. He hit the floor hard, blood spraying from his mouth.
As Tsukiyama writhed, the system pinged in Ryoma's head.
[Ding! Option 2 complete. Reward: 100 fusion points.]
But Matsumae wasn't finished yet.
Seeing Tsukiyama down, the SS-rated enforcer surged forward, kagune blooming around her like the blades of a fan. Though Touka's power had increased dramatically, she still hadn't reached her brother's level. And Matsumae fought like a storm—disciplined, fast, merciless.
She lunged with precision. Touka raised her kagune to defend, but it wasn't enough.
Matsumae struck with crushing force, knocking Touka back into the concrete wall.
Ryoma blurred into motion and caught her mid-flight, placing her gently to the side.
"Leave the rest to me."
"R-Right…"
Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. He had held her like that. In that position. Her heart stuttered wildly, but there was no time to dwell.
"The game's over," Ryoma muttered.
He didn't intend to entertain Tsukiyama's twisted entourage any longer.
Matsumae reacted instantly, calling out: "Kanae! Take the young master and run!"
Kanae didn't hesitate. She grabbed Tsukiyama, dragging him toward the exit.
But Ryoma wouldn't allow an escape.
He vanished from view, reappearing ahead of them with lightning speed. The blink-step left the air cracking behind him.
"13s Jason," now in sword form, slashed through the air. Kanae twisted, shielding Tsukiyama with her body. The blade carved a vicious gash across her back. She gasped, nearly buckling from the pain.
Still, she didn't falter.
Matsumae's expression darkened. She broke into a full sprint toward Ryoma, releasing her kagune into a defensive, net-like formation. She was one of the rare few ghouls who had mastered kagune separation—manipulating the rigid structure of her kagune into customized forms at will.
Unlike standard ghouls, who deployed kagune in fixed shapes—like Touka's winged Yukaku or Tsukiyama's bladed Koukaku—Matsumae's kagune flowed with intent. She wove it into a web-like barrier, aiming to trap Ryoma long enough for the others to flee.
Ryoma didn't flinch.
He recognized the tactic instantly.
"13s Jason," forged from a Rinkaku kagune, had a natural advantage. Among ghouls, there was a known chain of affinities:
Koukaku beats Ukaku
Ukaku beats Rinkaku
Rinkaku beats Bikaku
Bikaku beats Koukaku
In this balance, 13s Jason's Rinkaku edge cut directly through Matsumae's armored Koukaku.
With ruthless efficiency, Ryoma hacked through her barrier, tearing a hole in it within seconds.
Matsumae's eyes widened as she was forced into close combat. Her strikes were fast, lethal, but Ryoma moved like smoke. Every attack missed. Every slash failed.
It felt like fighting a phantom who knew every move before it was made.
Then, without warning, Ryoma whipped out a secondary weapon from inside his coat—a slender Quinque dagger.
He spun and drove it straight into Matsumae's eye with brutal precision.
She screamed as her vision went black on the left side, staggering back. Before she could react, Ryoma swept her off her feet with 13s Jason, the blade slamming into her waist. She crashed to the floor, blood seeping from the deep gash.
Her body went limp.
"No…"
Matsumae's first thought wasn't her pain. It was Kanae and Tsukiyama. They hadn't escaped yet.
Ryoma aimed 13s Jason, now transformed back into its gun form, at the retreating pair.
A flash.
A scream.
Jason's projectile kagune tore through Kanae's already injured back, striking her directly in the Bikaku sac near her waist. Her legs gave out. Tsukiyama, clutched in her arms, toppled with her.
Matsumae tried to rise, but Ryoma was already there, blade sliding into her Bikaku sac without hesitation.
She let out a broken breath and collapsed completely.
[Ding! The host defeated S-rated ghoul "Kanae" — Reward: 30 fusion points.]
[Ding! The host defeated SS-rated ghoul "Matsumae" — Reward: 80 fusion points.]
The garage was still.
Kirishima Touka, still flushed and catching her breath, looked up from the corner. Ryoma stood tall amidst the carnage, 13s Jason resting against his shoulder, eyes locked on the fallen Tsukiyama Shuu.
The predator had claimed his prey.
***
Drop your stones...
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