Kakugan

"Is this hooded guy any good? How'd he get knocked flying?"

The gamblers who had bet on the blue side were starting to get anxious, but none of that had anything to do with Shisui.

Lou Shisui was none the worse for being knocked back. When he was attacked, his body had instinctively mobilized its Rc Cells to defend itself, easily blocking Malaka's heavy punch.

Now, because he had used his Rc Cells, his scarlet Kakugan had appeared beneath his hood, allowing him to observe the flow of energy within Malaka's body.

His scarlet pupils suddenly widened. Shisui was utterly stunned by his Kakugan's new ability.

The Kakugan had originally been nothing more than a sign that a Ghoul was mobilizing the Rc Cells in their body, one of the defining traits of their race.

The vast majority of Ghouls would never develop a special ability in their Kakugan, no matter how long they lived.

Shisui's Kakugan had only allowed him to see farther and in greater detail, and vaguely perceive a few things others couldn't.

After all, the Kakugan wasn't an organ used for hunting. Powerful vision was more than enough.

But his talent hadn't indicated that his Kakugan had gained a new ability—observing the flow of energy—which meant this was actually an ability Ghouls already possessed, one that gifted individuals simply had to develop for themselves.*

Lou Shisui's eyes widened in pleasant surprise. The paths of flowing energy moved across his retina, clearly revealing another side of the world to him.

With a Fourth Realm expert having demonstrated the flow of energy, he had already more or less learned that move from just now.

In other words, the fully developed Ghoul Kakugan had given him a new perspective, granting him insight and learning ability far beyond those of other races.

Just as I said, practice is the only way to test power!

Without using his new body in actual combat, he couldn't be said to have fully absorbed and mastered the physical upgrade brought about by awakening his talent.

His thoughts had taken only two seconds. The next moment, he came to his senses and rushed at Malaka.

He kept his Kakugan active, but had no intention of using his Rc Cells for anything else. He continued to fight using only Psychic Energy.

This time, however, he consciously began concentrating his dispersed Psychic Energy.

Malaka stared in astonishment at the black-clad figure before him. His opponent vanished from his sight like a phantom.

In an instant, his opponent's speed had surged to a staggering level, far beyond the limit of what he could track and perceive.

Malaka had no time to react further. In the next second, a fist came howling toward his face.

"Bang!"

A dull thud rang out. Malaka hurriedly concentrated Psychic Energy in his arm and barely blocked the punch.

He stumbled back several steps, dispersing the immense force of the blow.

The heavy strike was far more powerful than expected. Malaka's heart trembled, and he sensed a hint of trouble.

"Crack!"

It was the crisp, chilling sound of ribs breaking.

When Lou Shisui's first strike failed, he didn't hesitate. He immediately drew back his hand and, before his enemy could react, turned sideways and kicked diagonally.

The kick, infused with concentrated Psychic Energy, instantly broke Malaka's ribs.

Malaka, whose massive frame resembled a small hill, was badly hurt by the blow. His body flew back several meters like a kite with its string cut.

Shisui gave him no room to catch his breath. He pressed his advantage with a swift, torrential assault, further weakening his enemy.

Shisui was already an experienced hunter. Once he gradually adapted to his new abilities and fighting style, his terrifying close-combat prowess would erupt!

Malaka sensed his enemy's momentum surge and knew that if he didn't fight for his life now, his opponent would kill him.

His muscles began to swell, and the Psychic Energy beneath his skin churned wildly. As his footwork shifted, his fists counterattacked from every direction, striking at Shisui.

But Lou Shisui paid his attacks no mind. Unlike Malaka, he had most of his Psychic Energy defending the various parts of his body.

His reinforced flesh collided with fist bones with a deafening clang like steel striking steel, blocking the flurry of attacks.

Lou Shisui's reserves of Psychic Energy were not something a human who hadn't even reached the fifth tier could match.

He had no need to draw Psychic Energy from his entire body to attack.

"Boom!"

Lou Shisui seized his chance. Catching an instant's opening in his enemy's guard, he struck out with his palm!

His fingers curled into a claw and gripped Malaka's head, then he slammed it down. Blood burst out, gushing across the ground like a fountain.

The surroundings suddenly fell silent, then thunderous cheers immediately erupted.

The bloody scene was shocking and thrilling enough. The exhilarating fight had fully stirred the spectators' adrenaline, so naturally no one cared about the dead loser.

Lou Shisui bathed in the splattered blood, his tongue sweeping up the sweetness that had landed on his lips. He was ready to stay here for the next few months.

He walked down from the arena amid the frenzied cheers, only to be stopped by an attendant who eagerly came forward to greet him.

"Mr. Owl, congratulations on winning your first fight. May I ask whether you plan to participate in the next match?"

The attendant spoke quite respectfully, his earlier coldness from before the fight gone.

Lou Shisui couldn't be bothered wasting thought on these small fry, who barely had any Psychic Energy. He gave a perfunctory answer in a distant tone. "We'll see. Where's my trophy?"

"Sir, this way, please. We're already packing it for you."

The attendant heard the impatience in Shisui's voice. Without showing any displeasure, he simply answered Shisui's question and bowed as he calmly walked ahead to lead the way.

Shisui followed him to the backstage logistics area, passed numerous busy "worker ants," and collected a huge sealed bag containing his trophy.

Then he quickly left the underground arena, shook off the scouts curious about his identity, and ran out of Meifeng Town.

Beneath an ancient tree five kilometers outside Meifeng Town, Lou Shisui confirmed that there were no other living creatures nearby before releasing his Ukaku, Owl Wings.

The seemingly soft Owl Wings slashed at the ancient tree's trunk, and a spatial rift appeared in an instant.

That was [Soft Division], a skill the Owl Wings Ukaku had gained after absorbing spatial energy. It could cut open space without completely severing it, allowing him to enter the gap between spaces.

As Lou Shisui stepped into the spatial rift, the fissure healed on its own, and the space in front of the ancient tree's trunk returned to its undamaged state.

Shisui casually tossed down his trophy and sat cross-legged in the small extradimensional space, relaxing his tense body.

He had used Steel Feathers' absolute cutting ability to carve out this small extradimensional space, then used Koukaku that had gained spatial properties to hold it open.

This was a place that only he, who knew its spatial location and possessed the ability to cut space, could accurately reach.

The place was safe enough for the wary Shisui to relax, devour Psychic Energy, and shed his skin.

Kagune unfurled from behind him and reached around to slit open the black bag, revealing Malaka's mangled remains inside.

Lou Shisui hadn't collected the arena's sizable prize money. Instead, he had taken Malaka away on the pretext that he wanted to keep the loser as a trophy.

The arena's logistics staff had earned some extra money, and he had gotten a late-night snack. A win-win!

In a cheerful mood, Shisui began enjoying the fruits of his victory.

(*The Kakugan's ability to observe the flow of energy is an additional setting created by the author of this work.)