Apex Predator
At 1:10 a.m., less than ten minutes after Lou Shisui crossed the river, the mayor of Yin City arrived at the bank of the Spirit Resonance River.
Behind him were the West District chief and the North District chief, who had joined them on the way.
The banks of the Spirit Resonance River were already brightly lit, and nearly all of Yin City's city defense forces had been mobilized.
A pursuit squad made up of soldiers below the Fifth Realm had already crossed the river. The remaining soldiers would have to wait for the Beastfolk's permission before crossing in batches.
After confirming the situation, the West District chief let out a long sigh. "I thought it was another foolish attempt by an aristocratic family to test our defenses. I never expected someone was taking advantage of the chaos."
"The other party didn't trigger the river boundary alarm, so their strength is below the Fifth Realm. Since they were able to deal with the patrol quickly, they're at least at the Mid Fourth Realm."
The North District chief's expression was grave. "Their strength is just low enough to let them cross the river. The pursuit squad we sent might not be able to capture them, but we can't send anyone stronger. What a clever plan!"
"I intend to personally lead a team across the river to pursue them," the mayor of Yin City suddenly announced in a deep voice, startling the two district chiefs into a cold sweat.
The West District chief immediately stepped forward to dissuade him. "Mayor, you mustn't! Crossing the river in force without permission would be no different from declaring war!"
The North District chief also stepped forward to stop him, his heart filled with alarm. He had only come along to watch because his district was closest to the river and he had noticed the mayor's arrival.
If things escalated into a war between the two races, his presence would undoubtedly make him one of the chief culprits who had started it.
"Mayor, this happened in my district. Why not let me handle it?" the West District chief suggested. "You can stay here and take charge. What do you say?"
The West District chief voluntarily took responsibility for the theft of the Awakening Stones and the unauthorized river crossing. After this, his prospects for promotion were all but finished.
But compared to being forced to take the fall and put on trial afterward, taking the blame now and giving up his share of the Lin Family's assets to curry favor with the mayor would protect the family behind him.
The theft of the Awakening Stones could be treated as either a major or a minor matter.
If they were recovered, they could take the opportunity to squeeze a few more aristocratic families and downplay the incident. If they were truly lost, everyone in the know would have to be eliminated and the blame pushed onto the Beastfolk.
Although the North District chief did not know what the two were hinting at, his years in officialdom had taught him that some things were better left unknown.
Seeing that the mayor was no longer crossing the river, he simply withdrew to one side and made himself inconspicuous.
The mayor of Yin City took the opportunity to drop his pretense of crossing the river. He nodded and said, "Mm. Go and return quickly."
"Yes!" The West District chief turned and left.
The Spirit Resonance River raced through the darkness, hidden currents surging in the lightless night.
"Rustle, rustle—"
A dark figure swept over the treetops, the faint air currents he stirred making the branches and leaves sway gently.
Lou Shisui stopped halfway up a towering banyan tree.
Trees so wide that a person could barely wrap their arms around them might have been rare in the Human Race's territory, but in the ancient, freely growing rainforest, they were everywhere, even on the forest's outskirts.
Shisui did not plunge straight into the depths of the rainforest. There were too many Beastfolk powerhouses there, and with so many Awakening Stones on him, it would be hard not to attract their attention.
He planned to harvest the underlings pursuing him on the outskirts of the rainforest. The Human Race could not send a large number of pursuers in a short time. Once he dealt with this group, he would have plenty of time to grow stronger.
Besides, he still needed to stockpile some flesh for his next evolution!
"Crunch, crunch—gulp—"
The sounds of biting and swallowing rang out again. A strong smell of blood began to spread through the rainforest, drawing carnivorous animals living nearby toward the towering banyan tree.
The pursuit squad noticed the unusual movement among the animals in the forest, and the squad leader immediately gave the order. "Stay alert. Let's go take a look over there."
The target had left too few traces, and the pursuit squad had never managed to catch up. Instead, they had been led into the outskirts of the Spirit Resonance Rainforest.
The hazy night and the tangled, dense forest dulled the humans' senses, making combat even more difficult.
When the squad was less than a kilometer from the banyan tree, a powerful, bloody stench hit them.
They saw the animals that had been lured there by the smell of flesh and blood begin to scatter and flee, their chaotic footsteps echoing through the shadows beneath the canopy.
The pursuit squad slowed their advance and tightened their grips on their weapons. In a few swift movements, they formed a five-person battle formation.
The animals fled one after another, leaving only silence and the smell of iron in the air.
The moonless night was unnervingly dark. The layers of canopy overhead were like a hunter's net, silently watching the prey walk toward death.
"Squish, squish."
The damp earth clung to their moving feet, making their footsteps impossible to muffle.
They gradually approached the foot of the banyan tree. The earth beneath them began to turn muddy, its soft, sticky texture spreading through the soles of their shoes.
From his perch in the tree, Lou Shisui looked down at his wary prey.
Having eaten and drunk his fill, the Predator was brimming with vigor. A great quantity of flesh rich in Psychic Energy nourished his fully transformed body.
In the nearly two days since he had transmigrated, this body had been transforming into a Kakuja, one of the very strongest among Ghouls.
His human cells had been devoured and digested, and new tissues and organs had formed inside him. This originally lengthy transformation had been swiftly completed with the support of Psychic Energy, and had even gone a step further!
The Rc Cells combined with Psychic Energy were more active and more powerful.
Even the Rinkaku Scorpion Tail Kakuhou at his waist produced a greatly increased amount of toxin, which had spread to every Rc Cell in his body.
It has been so long since I felt this familiar power.
Under cover of night, the Kakuhou in Shisui's body rapidly formed ferocious predatory organs. Owl Wing Ukaku spread from his shoulders, and eight Bikaku whips extended from his tailbone.
His usually idle Kakuhou also became active, and another pair of thick, pitch-black steel wings grew above his Owl Wings.
An exoskeleton spread from the lower edges of his shoulder blades across his entire body, covering Shisui like armor. A scorpion tail shot out from his waist, concentrated toxin ready to be unleashed from its stinger.
Five sets of Kakuhou. With this many predatory organs, he was unique even among Kakuja!
This not only meant he was exceptionally gifted and overwhelmingly strong, but also showed that this Ghoul had cannibalized extensively, devouring the Kakuhou of many of his own kind.
"Boom!"
The shock wave produced by his extreme speed erupted in a sonic boom.
Before the members of the pursuit squad could dodge, the predator's attack was already upon them.
"Crack!"
The tail whips struck together with crushing force!
The squad member directly in their path felt the webbing between his thumb and forefinger tear, and the arm holding his saber crosswise to block broke instantly.
Then the Rinkaku scorpion tail darted out of the darkness, stabbing straight at his neck!
"Clang!"
The injured man's teammate swung his saber just in time, barely blocking the incoming stinger.
The tremendous force that traveled through the blade told everyone that the attacker meant business.
The squad leader immediately judged that the enemy was far stronger than expected. He changed position at once, signaling everyone to switch from offense to defense and prepare to retreat.
Only now, after withstanding the first wave of attacks, did the squad get a clear look at their enemy.
Dark red flames burned on his mutated limbs. The enemy was encased in pitch-black exoskeletal armor, with blood-red patterns flowing across it and a metallic sheen reflecting from it in the flames.
Scarlet pupils and black sclera formed an eerie pair of eyes above the half-mask made of exoskeleton. Below the mask, stark white teeth were bared in a ferocious grin.
The hunter before them ignored the curved sabers attacking him at once and spun, sweeping his eight tail whips and Steel Feathers horizontally.
"Clang!"
The tremendous force swept aside the squad members' sabers, even chipping the edges of the standard-issue curved blades.
The next attack followed close behind!
Feather projectiles shot out in rapid succession, accompanied by tail whips lashing at them from the front, forcing them to keep their heads down.
We miscalculated.
The members of the pursuit squad knew they were certain to die. Their opponent was not in the Fourth Realm at all, but a powerhouse with Fifth Realm strength!
But why? Why didn't the enemy trigger the river boundary alarm?
Their curved sabers shattered and their limbs broken, the squad was routed in short order.
Before he died, the squad leader looked at the Psychic Energy flames blazing on the enemy's body and understood everything.
Their opponent was not an awakened one, or even human, but a monster that had reached Fifth Realm strength through crude instinct alone, relying on burning Psychic Energy to strengthen its body.
This was a pure predator, a hunter that stood at the top of the food chain.