Rival

"Too bad. I thought that was another treasure chest."

Su Xiao tapped the ground with his long blade. His bare upper body was already splattered with blood.

That was the blood of the beautiful Rize. Earlier, he had slashed open her abdomen, spraying a fair amount of blood.

"Eto, hold him off."

Tatara's voice was low. Among Aogiri Tree, he was one of the few who knew Takatsuki Sen's true identity.

"Take Rize Kamishiro and go first."

Takatsuki Sen fixed her gaze on Su Xiao, her expression extremely serious.

Tatara frowned.

"Is it necessary?"

"It is. This human is a complete monster."

Takatsuki Sen removed her jacket. Her entire body was wrapped in bandages, clearly preparing for a fierce battle with Su Xiao.

"Understood. Let's go, Ayato, Noro."

Tatara hesitated no longer. With Ayato Kirishima present, Takatsuki Sen couldn't reveal her true form conveniently.

As for Noro, he also knew Takatsuki Sen's identity—he was her foster father.

"Hey, are we just slinking off like this? This bastard killed Gecko."

Ayato Kirishima, still in pain, was extremely displeased. Su Xiao had nearly killed him earlier.

Tatara said nothing, merely staring silently at Ayato Kirishima. Ayato felt uncomfortable under the gaze and finally snorted, turning his head away.

"Crash."

The sound of breaking glass came. Everyone's eyes turned toward the source. It was Rize, who had recovered somewhat from her injuries and chosen to escape through the window.

The drop to the ground was over ten meters. Rize had no choice but to jump.

Being caught by Aogiri Tree wouldn't kill her, but the outcome wouldn't be good. Being caught by Su Xiao, however, meant certain death. So Rize chose to jump.

"Bang."

A loud crash came from below, followed by the frantic blare of a car alarm.

Su Xiao ignored the others in the room and quickly ran to the window, just catching sight of the limping Rize Kamishiro.

Rize was badly hurt from the fall but forced herself to flee far away, soon disappearing into a dark alley.

Escaped. The prey in hand had escaped.

The smile on Su Xiao's face gradually faded. He gripped the hilt of Dragon Slayer Flash so tightly it creaked.

"Looks like~ we've pissed this guy off."

For some reason, a chill surged in Ayato Kirishima's heart. He instinctively stepped back, but the sharp pain in his calf made cold sweat pour down his forehead.

Su Xiao stared coldly at the few people present, veins bulging on his forehead.

Even if he couldn't kill Rize Kamishiro, capturing her Kagune would still yield a generous reward.

But after Aogiri Tree interfered, the benefit in hand had "jumped out the window."

"She escaped. Then you'll take her place, Eto Yoshimura!"

The moment Su Xiao spoke Eto Yoshimura's name, the expressions of the three present shifted. Only Ayato Kirishima looked confused—he was hearing that name for the first time.

"Take him away."

Takatsuki Sen's voice turned cold, no longer the childish tone from before.

Noro's Kagune erupted behind him. The fangs at its tip clamped onto Ayato Kirishima.

"Noro, what are you doing? Let me go."

Ayato Kirishima struggled a few times, but the gap in strength was too great. He couldn't break free.

Noro leaped, jumping out through the shattered French window Rize had broken earlier. It seemed he was going after Rize.

"Need help?"

Tatara was wary of Su Xiao's strength. After all, this was the first time he had seen such a powerful pure human.

Ghouls had extremely keen senses of smell, even surpassing most animals.

From the scent on Su Xiao, Tatara deduced he was a pure human—so purely that it shocked him.

Ordinary humans in the ghoul world also carried trace amounts of Rc Cells. Ghouls used the concentration of Rc Cells to determine whether someone was human or ghoul.

But Su Xiao had no trace of Rc Cell scent. None at all.

"No need. Go after Rize Kamishiro. She's important to me. Among the targets I've chosen, she's the most 'excellent.'"

Now that Ayato Kirishima had been forcibly taken away, Takatsuki Sen no longer bothered to hide her true voice.

"CCG is almost here. My men can't hold them off much longer. Finish this quickly."

Tatara jumped out the window. Only Su Xiao and Takatsuki Sen remained in the room.

"Who exactly are you, and how do you know my real name?"

Though Takatsuki Sen was already 25, she had a petite frame, standing only about a meter and a half tall.

The kakuhou on Takatsuki Sen's body began to stir. As the One-Eyed King, she possessed ten kakuhou within her.

As the Kagune emerged, the bandages wrapped tightly around Takatsuki Sen's body loosened slightly.

"Byakuya."

Su Xiao's terse reply left Takatsuki Sen stunned.

"What?"

Su Xiao said nothing more. His muscles bulged faintly as he prepared for battle.

A mass of Kagune erupted from Takatsuki Sen, enveloping her. The blood-red Kagune churned, and soon Su Xiao could no longer see her original form.

Before Su Xiao stood a monster at least two and a half meters tall. Two pale, ghastly hands clawed at the ground, and from its back, like a blooming flower, sprouted a cluster of sharp spikes—converged Kagune that offered both formidable defense and offensive capability.

Takatsuki Sen's current form was no longer that of an ordinary Ghoul; she had become a Kakuja.

A Kakuja differed from a regular Ghoul. Its creation was brutal, requiring the consumption of numerous other Ghouls to achieve this state.

Takatsuki Sen had devoured countless powerful Ghouls to attain her current form.

"Haah~"

The Kakuja-form Takatsuki Sen opened her gaping maw, exhaling a puff of red mist.

"Hahaha, a human as pure as you—I've never seen one. You must be delicious."

Takatsuki Sen's personality shifted drastically, her tone tinged with madness.

Kakuja generally had unstable mental states. When their bodies were flooded with massive amounts of Rc Cells, those inherently violent cells affected the Ghoul's brain.

Though Takatsuki Sen could control her emotions well, her temperament had become far more unrestrained.

Su Xiao grew wary. If the pressure Takatsuki Sen had exerted on him earlier was a 5, it was now at least a 13.

Letting out a long breath, Su Xiao calmed himself. In battle, anger could not cloud his judgment.

"Her strength has increased significantly, and her personality has shifted quite a bit."

Instead of charging straight in, Su Xiao sidestepped, circling around Takatsuki Sen.

Every time Su Xiao moved to a new angle, Takatsuki Sen turned her body to keep facing him.

Su Xiao feigned a lunge, and Takatsuki Sen raised her claws, ready to strike.

But Su Xiao didn't advance. His forward momentum halted abruptly, and after the feint, he continued waiting for an opening.

Takatsuki Sen grew impatient. With a roar from her massive maw, she lunged at Su Xiao on all fours.

In her Kakuja form, Takatsuki Sen wasn't fast, but her presence was overwhelming, like an armored vehicle.

A gust of wind rushed toward him.

As she closed in, Takatsuki Sen rose up, one pale claw swiping at his head.

Su Xiao tilted his body, the claw grazing past his ear, the accompanying wind lifting his black hair.

No sooner had Su Xiao dodged her claw than the sword-like Kagune on her shoulder slashed toward him.

With no room to evade, Su Xiao chose to meet the attack.

Gripping his blade with both hands, he struck the Kagune.

"Boom."

A thunderous crash rang out. The tiles beneath their feet shattered into large fragments as dust surged.

The immense force transmitted through his blade made Su Xiao's expression shift, but what followed surprised him.

A blue shimmer flickered across Dragon Slayer Flash's surface as the special energy converted by Blue Steel Shadow surged into Takatsuki Sen's body.

Takatsuki Sen let out a shriek and instinctively retreated.

Such an opportunity was not to be wasted. With a swift slash, Su Xiao severed one of her claws.

With the claw supporting her body cut off, Takatsuki Sen toppled to the side.

Su Xiao struck again, this time cleaving into her back. Large chunks of Kagune shattered, scattering into countless fragments.

The glowing red shards of Kagune drifted through the air, eerily beautiful.

Enraged by the severe injury, Takatsuki Sen endured the burning pain of her Rc Cells and thrust her remaining claw toward Su Xiao's abdomen.

Su Xiao leaped back immediately, but he was a moment too slow. Deep claw marks raked across his lower abdomen, blood dripping to the ground.

His reaction had been swift; if he had been slower, that claw would have ripped out his intestines.

"Hah, haah~"

Takatsuki Sen propped herself up with one hand. The man before her, named Byakuya, gave her a sharp, agile impression.

She couldn't continue fighting. The sudden pain that had erupted inside her had put her at a disadvantage.

Takatsuki Sen sprinted toward the window. Su Xiao had no intention of letting her go. Clutching the wound on his abdomen with his left hand and gripping his blade with his right, he gave chase.

Takatsuki Sen leaped into the air, vaulting out of the building.

Su Xiao halted, blade in hand, standing by the window as he coldly watched Takatsuki Sen.

Midair, Takatsuki Sen turned her head. The kagune on her skull split open, revealing the pale lower half of her face.

For some reason, she actually smiled at Su Xiao.

Su Xiao didn't jump. His Strength and Agility were high, but his Endurance wasn't. Dropping from over ten meters wouldn't kill him, but leg injuries would be unavoidable.

Too many ghouls from Aogiri Tree had shown up today, and the terrain worked against him. He couldn't keep Takatsuki Sen here.

Just as Su Xiao temporarily gave up and prepared to leave, he spotted a man in a suit, carrying a metal case, standing not far away.

The suited man's mouth hung open, staring blankly at him.

"Amon Koutarou?"

Amon Koutarou had just witnessed Su Xiao's pursuit and assault on the One-Eyed King.

It left him stunned, unable to process what he'd seen.