Crossing the River (Minor Revision)

The one o'clock bell slowly tolled. Only an hour had passed, yet West District No. 1 Middle School had become hell on earth.

Rampaging Psychic Energy and flesh and blood were scattered across the campus. After the number of people going berserk abruptly soared, the battlefield had rapidly expanded to cover the entire school.

The chaos was even spreading beyond it.

The escort team captain held off two Fourth Realm awakened, including the principal, all by himself.

But even with his Fifth Realm strength, his injuries left him no choice but to fight as he retreated.

"Captain, the message has been sent!"

After the captain held off the attackers, an escort team member found a moment to quickly contact the mayor of Yin City and the head of the West District, informing his superiors of the situation at West District No. 1 Middle School and the theft of the Awakening Stones.

As soon as the two officials learned that something had happened, they had dispatched reinforcements and personally headed to the Lin Family residence to capture the remaining members of the family.

The West District city defense forces had joined the battle some time ago, since they were stationed nearby, and some of their members had consequently gone berserk as well.

The Central District city defense forces, stationed farther away in central Yin City, and the Yin City defense forces guarding the city's outskirts had yet to arrive.

The message just sent was to inform the two officials to dispatch men to intercept the thief who had stolen the Awakening Stones.

The one who stole the Awakening Stones couldn't stay in a human settlement.

The human authorities were very familiar with the Psychic Energy fluctuations emitted by Awakening Stones and even had instruments specifically designed to detect them.

Even if he had spatial equipment, as soon as he took out an Awakening Stone to use it, the energy it released would inevitably expose his location.

So his best choice was to get away from the Human Race and go to the territory of another race unfamiliar with the fluctuations of Awakening Stones.

"All Yin City defense forces, listen up! Seal off the banks of the Spirit Resonance River immediately!"

The mayor of Yin City had evidently also deduced the thief's most likely escape route.

The only other race living near Yin City was the Beastfolk, who dwelled in the rainforest across the Spirit Resonance River!

Under the Spirit-Rhyme River Peaceful Coexistence Agreement signed by both sides, awakened above the Fifth Realm were forbidden to cross the Spirit Resonance River, which served as the boundary.

This was a guarantee of peaceful coexistence between the two races and the safety of their people.

After all, Fifth Realm experts had already transcended the mundane. Their strength was a qualitative leap above the Fourth Realm, making them a core force that neither race could afford to overlook.

But back to the matter at hand. Once the thief crossed the river, the pursuit would go from a "family matter" to something of a diplomatic incident.

And the Beastfolk would never let resources right on their doorstep slip away. They would surely step in and snatch the Awakening Stones.

At that thought, the mayor of Yin City and the head of the West District exchanged a glance. They immediately gave up the paltry gains to be had from confiscating the Lin Family's property and rushed toward the Spirit Resonance River.

"Ugh, I knew that no matter how much I muddied the waters, I'd still have to fight at the Spirit Resonance River."

By now, Lou Shisui had put away his sharp Steel Feathers and was crouched atop a distant hillside. He sighed as he watched the Yin City defense troops patrol the riverbank in teams of five.

Judging by the time and the city defense deployment chart and map of Yin City provided by the Lou Family, he estimated that the troops sent as reinforcements had already reached the West District.

They probably wouldn't be able to get back anytime soon, so at least some of the fighting force had been drawn away.

But the mayor of Yin City would never transfer all his troops away. Even if Shisui hadn't been exposed, encountering enemies by the river was only to be expected.

There was still too little time. But he didn't want to miss this opportunity. Compared with living cautiously in human territory, getting the Awakening Stones was a far better deal.

From a mountaintop quite some distance from the riverbank, Lou Shisui sensed the strength of the distant patrol.

A Fourth Realm leader, with the members generally at the middle stage of the Third Realm. He had to kill them instantly and give them no chance to send word.

The troops left on guard reported their status every five minutes, so after killing them, he had to cross the river and disappear into the rainforest within five minutes.

So little time and so much to do. Once I've pulled this off, I'll have to find somewhere comfortable to sleep for two days!

He stood up straight and stretched languidly. The next moment, the Kakuhou that stored his Rc Cells abruptly released them, and enormous, mutated appendages instantly emerged.

His Kakugan appeared, his crimson pupil betraying a boiling desire to hunt. Gorgeous blood-red cracks began spreading from the corner of his eye, a sign of the Rc Cells boiling within a Ghoul.

With a beat of the ink-black owl feathers extending from his shoulders, Shisui shot into the air, heading straight for the unsuspecting prey by the river.

"Whoosh!"

Although Shisui's Owl Wing Ukaku could absorb shock and muffle sound, the terrifying speed of his dive from the mountaintop still produced a faint noise.

The patrol captain was the first to sense the strange sound in the air. He quickly drew his blade and went on guard. The members beside him also instantly drew their blades and gathered around him, intending to form a battle formation with their captain at its center.

Clang!

A metallic collision rang out!

Before the battle formation could take shape, the attack descended under cover of night.

Five dark-red attacks struck the patrol members at once. The tremendous force sent pain shooting through the arms they had raised to block with their blades.

Two of the members failed to keep their balance and stumbled.

Bang! Bang!

In an instant, two living people became corpses.

With Shisui fighting at full strength, his power was clearly beyond the Fourth Realm!

One Bikaku plunged into the ground, bringing Shisui's forward charge to an abrupt halt. His remaining free Bikaku seized the opening and instantly smashed the two men's heads apart.

The five Bikaku he had sent out had already retracted. Giving his prey no time to breathe, Shisui drove his Ukaku forward and lunged at a nearby man.

Before the enemy could react, hardened Ukaku instantly grew from his shoulders. With a beat of his Ukaku, he leaped high into the air, the Bikaku behind him gathering into a bundle.

He spun and smashed them down!

His eight Bikaku made up for the Ghoul Bikaku's shortcoming in attack power.

The fierce blow landed on the patrol member's head in an instant, melting flesh and bone into the damp earth by the river.

Shisui's Bikaku plowed through the soft soil, carving out a jagged furrow.

The battle had barely lasted ten seconds, yet three patrol members were already dead and two injured—a testament to the speed of an Ukaku Ghoul!

Faint panting came and went in the darkness. His fiercely burning Rc Cells gave off a dim glow, making the dark-red Bikaku look like flowing magma.

After the long journey and the full-power outburst sustained by more than one kind of Kagune, the Psychic Energy that had filled Shisui's body was rapidly being consumed.

The familiar hunger swept over him again. The riverside wind carried a sweet scent, causing the red marks at the corners of Shisui's eyes to spread once more, etched across his face like shattered glass.

The desire to hunt stirred his Rc Cells into greater activity. The two pairs of Ukaku behind him spread farther, no longer concealing themselves at all.

The Rc Cells on his wings ignited in an instant. The crystal feathers on his Owl Wings stood ready to rain down on the enemy, while his hardened wings glinted with sharp killing intent.

The next moment, dark purple flames erupted from his Ukaku. The terrifying thrust made Shisui vanish into the air!

Shisui swept past the fresh red flesh and tore off a large chunk in the blink of an eye. The next instant, he charged up to the humans still alive nearby.

Clink, clink, clink, clink, clink, clink, clink!

One pair of Ukaku slashed at the enemies like blades, while crystals flung from the other pair shot out like bullets!

Shisui maneuvered his Bikaku through the dense barrage of feather projectiles, stabbing at the two men from tricky angles as they struggled to defend themselves.

Meanwhile, he devoured the crimson flesh in his hand to ease the burning in his stomach.

The two patrol members stood back-to-back. The attacks raining down on them gave them no chance to call for help.

Fine wounds appeared all over their bodies, steadily accumulating.

Shisui swallowed the last bite and decided not to waste any more time. With a thought, he set off the latent toxin.

Sshk!

A faint, sharp sound rang out as a neck was cut.

Crack!

The sound of a head shattering followed close behind.

Two more warm, motionless bodies now lay in the open space by the river.

Shisui gathered up the shattered remains from the ground and put them into his mouth with elegant but swift movements.

The flow of Rc Cells in his body began to slow, and the burning Kagune behind him grew still.

Lou Shisui had exhausted all the Psychic Energy in his body. Before crossing the river, he needed to replenish his energy. Otherwise, the hellish hunger would drive him into a mindless frenzy.

The Ghoul's hard, sharp teeth crunched as Psychic Energy flowed down his esophagus and into his stomach, easing the pain of being sliced and scraped by knives. His limbs, which had been twitching from the agony of hunger, began to warm again.

The Fourth Realm captain had barely replenished some of his Psychic Energy. His body, now completely transformed into that of a Ghoul, had shown an excellent ability to absorb and store Psychic Energy.

Shisui was leisurely preparing to cross the river when a sharp sense of danger suddenly came over him!

He sensed no Psychic Energy fluctuations, but the keen instincts he had gained from years on the battlefield told him that the presence of death was approaching!

Lou Shisui swept up the leftovers on the ground. Both pairs of Ukaku ignited in an instant, and he abruptly vanished from the bank of the Spirit Resonance River.