"Thump—thump—thump—"
It was the sound of a heartbeat.
A tremendously strong, powerful heartbeat.
The moment Tenbatsu Mima drove the pitch-black syringe into his heart and injected all of its plasma, that rhythmic heartbeat began ringing out across the entire roof of the Hayajiro, echoing with startling clarity.
Then, Fang Li saw it.
He saw the glowing heart within Tenbatsu Mima's chest begin to change.
Whether Kabane or Kabaneri, the light of their hearts shone as brilliantly as a golden fruit.
But in that instant, the radiance of Tenbatsu Mima's brilliant heart changed, gradually turning blue.
"Clang..."
The empty syringe fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
Tenbatsu Mima slowly lowered his head, his body sagging as though he were a puppet pulled by invisible strings. Then his entire body suddenly convulsed.
"Pfft—!"
Like a balloon being pierced.
Countless iron-like spikes suddenly burst from Tenbatsu Mima's body, stretching endlessly in every direction like spider legs.
In the directions those Iron Stakes extended, Kabane were climbing onto the roof, catching up to the last living people aboard this Hayajiro.
"Squish—!"
An Iron Stake plunged deeply into a Kabane's body, skewering it.
"Squish, squish, squish—!"
Amid the sounds of sharp weapons piercing flesh, one Kabane after another was impaled by the Iron Stakes, strung upon them like slabs of meat.
Then, each of those Iron Stakes retracted, dragging the Kabane back toward Tenbatsu Mima.
Under those circumstances, countless Kabane gathered around Tenbatsu Mima's body. Like building blocks haphazardly pieced together, they gradually swelled and transformed.
Before long, Tenbatsu Mima's blue-glowing figure vanished.
In its place stood a monster piled together from countless Kabane.
Irregular arms.
Irregular legs.
An irregular body.
An irregular shape.
Like a vicious ghost crawling out of hell, like Black Smoke that might disperse at any moment—a monster that