Mother of Truth

Whoosh—

As Ken Kaneki's ghostlike figure surged forward, the four organs known as "Kagune" danced wildly through the air, tearing through the wind with shrill whistles.

The leftmost eagle was halfway through its dive when the bloodstained blade of the Twinblade severed both its legs. Amid the spray of beast blood and the Stormhawk's piercing cry, its body was cleaved cleanly in two.

Crimson tentacles tangled around the Stormhawk swooping in from the right. The moment the scale Kagune pierced it, Ken Kaneki flung its mangled remains, barrel and all, toward the pile of black powder barrels on the ground.

The roar of the explosion and the eagles' shrieks rang out at once. Accompanied by a scorching blast wave, the third eagle was reduced to nothing, while the white-haired youth used his four powerful Kagune to leap into the air and evade the blast.

He landed lightly, shaking the dust and blood from his blade. Smoke had yet to disperse behind him.

"Lu."

He turned to Lu Mingfei, who stood there dumbfounded. His crimson left eye looked especially eerie through the smoke and dust.

"Let's keep moving."

Lu Mingfei silently lowered his greatsword, abandoning his original intention to rush in and help. He could not help but observe three seconds of silence for the three Stormhawks that had been thoroughly turned to mush.

Sure enough, he really is Emiya's friend.

Lu Mingfei could not help sighing. It was truly wonderful that he had latched onto such thick, sturdy thighs.

Completely unlike Lu Mingfei and Emiya Shirou's fighting styles, Ken Kaneki seemed to follow an extreme path of agility and Curseblood. His lightweight robes had almost completely abandoned defense, serving only to facilitate his Kagune and movement techniques.

Moreover, his body naturally gave him this advantage. His four tentacle-like Kagune moved as freely as his limbs, incomparably nimble, allowing him to perform all manner of astonishing dodges and maneuvers.

Those three Stormhawks, swift and agile in the air, left armored greatsword warriors like Lu Mingfei—with high attack, middling defense, and low agility—utterly helpless. Yet before the even faster Ken Kaneki, they were as slow as snails. One slash each, easy as breathing.

It had to be said... even Tarnished could differ as vastly as heaven and earth in style.

"Come to think of it..."

Lu Mingfei scratched his head.

"Ken, your path is Curseblood, right? But why do I always sense a source within you that feels familiar, yet completely different?"

"This..."

As the robes behind him fluttered, Ken Kaneki slowly withdrew his Kagune.

"The source of your power, Lu, should be Dragon Communion, right?"

Lu Mingfei nodded.

Ken Kaneki pondered for a moment, then explained.

"Dragon Communion and Curseblood are actually very similar. Both are dangerous powers derived from powerful beings. They require strong 'attunement' to sense their source, touch that power, and make it one's own. The slightest mistake can cause you to lose control.

"So, our primary attribute for growth should both be Attunement."

"Powerful beings?"

Lu Mingfei thought about it. Flying Dragons certainly counted as powerful beings, and Dragon Communion Power seemed to surge and gather within the church. But Curseblood... he did not know much about that.

After all, he was still a rookie who had not even obtained a single Great Rune. Although he had progressed rapidly and the gap between him and the pioneers was no longer an uncrossable chasm, there was still much he knew nothing about.

"Yes. The source of Curseblood is a god."

Ken Kaneki nodded.

"A god?"

Lu Mingfei was somewhat surprised. Having learned many things from the old knight, he knew there were many gods in the Lands Between: the dragon god worshipped by the Ancient Dragons, Marika, the sole god of the Golden Order, and a whole host of demigods...

But what the hell was the god of Curseblood?

Seeing the confusion written all over Lu Mingfei's face, Ken Kaneki smiled helplessly.

"By Earth's concepts, it would probably count as an 'evil god,' because Curseblood grants the soul the essence of 'madness'..."

"An evil god?"

Lu Mingfei suddenly understood. Still, that made sense. It did not sound like anything good in the first place.

Sigh, now that he thought about it, Dragon Communion did not seem much better.

"But," Lu Mingfei scratched his head, "Ken, don't paths like yours, which gain power from 'gods,' require you to offer faith? You said it's an evil god, so wouldn't that...?"

Ken Kaneki shook his head.

"Mother of Truth is not the kind of deity that needs faith. The only things that can please It are probably blood and slaughter."

After hearing Ken Kaneki's account, Lu Mingfei could only feel that this guy had really had it rough. It was practically like some pure, innocent little flower being tricked into a brainwashing cult, then finally escaping through every effort of his own and with the help of his friends...

Compared to him, Lu Mingfei really was blessed without realizing it.

The moment he entered Coastal Cave, he met Emiya Shirou. When he arrived at the Church of Dragon Communion, the old knight took him in as a disciple, teaching him the powers of Dragon Communion and Storm. Though Dragon Communion Power was both dangerous and beautiful, he, Lu Mingfei, happened to be immune to its side effects.

I'd better not tell Ken about this...

Thinking that, Lu Mingfei could not help patting Ken Kaneki on the shoulder.

"Ken, you really had it rough. You actually managed to free yourself from that state."

"No."

Ken Kaneki denied it.

"By my will alone, I would have been far from capable of breaking free from Mother of Truth's restraints."

He raised his head, his eyes gazing blankly at the sky.

"During that time, my soul was filled with madness and slaughter. I completely lost myself, and the RC Cells in my body became so active that they were nearly impossible to suppress..."

His breathing grew rapid. Deep within his crimson left eye, something beyond comprehension seemed to be reflected.

"At the peak of that corruption, I approached It and saw a fragment of It... What a twisted yet perfect form... Wings woven from flesh, blood, and cursed markings, every inch writhing and reforming... like life itself in its most primal revelry..."

Whoosh—

Four scarlet Kagune suddenly erupted and stabbed into the ground.

Ken Kaneki dropped to one knee, trying to steady himself. Cold sweat dripped down from his white hair.

"Every cell in my body was screaming and yearning. Though the depths of my marrow trembled with fear, though every moment I wanted to run, It... reached out Its hand to me."

Lu Mingfei hurriedly supported his shoulder, afraid that this guy would suddenly collapse. Then again, on second thought, it seemed more likely that Ken Kaneki would go mad and knock him down.

Yet Ken Kaneki quickly steadied his emotions. His Kagune withdrew once more, and the Curseblood surging through his body gradually calmed.

"I resonated with Curseblood beyond anything I could imagine, and I could barely stay conscious. Fortunately, Emiya and the others found me. Mr. Jonathan Joestar found something called a Purifying Crystal Tear and purified me with Ripple Hamon. Emiya and Tatsumi worked together to cut off my Bloody Finger. Only then was I finally able to break free..."

"Lu."

Ken Kaneki looked into his eyes and spoke with deliberate seriousness.

"We are all people dancing on a blade's edge. Perhaps we may be lucky enough to find a shortcut for a time, but there are no shortcuts to power. Once you take it lightly and begin to slack off, the backlash will come."