It was an open clearing. Louis had barely arrived wearing the Ice Mask when seven people blocked his path-or, more precisely, seven S-Rank Ghouls.
The system's scan confirmed that all seven were genuine S-Rank Ghouls.
"Viper's territory respects the strong. Please forgive us, Lord Ice Mask." A Ghoul who looked to be in his teens bowed politely to Louis, though the contempt in his eyes remained obvious.
As the newly appointed third-in-command, he needed to accept challenges from the captains of the guard before they would acknowledge him.
Louis wasn't supposed to hold any real authority, so this step should have been waived, but...
Louis glanced at Sakuragi Aoi, who sat on a nearby rooftop with a mischievous grin. This was probably her doing again. Ever since the order forbidding anyone from attacking Ice Mask, she had been finding roundabout ways to cause him trouble.
"Understood..." Louis shrugged indifferently. Crystals spread from his right shoulder to his fingertips, rapidly completing his Crystallization, and he took a fighting stance before the seven.
"Who's first?"
"Me. Aoki, captain of the first squad." The tall, thin man who had spoken earlier stepped forward. His eyes had already become blood-red Kakugan, and three strands of kagune slowly extended behind him, pointing at Louis like spikes.
Rinkaku: flexible and highly offensive, but weak in defense.
Louis formed a Level Four Ice Blade in his left hand. Against a Ghoul with this type of kagune, he needed to seize the initiative and force his opponent onto the defensive.
"Pardon me." Seeing that Louis was ready, Aoki said no more. He kicked off the ground and charged.
The strength of rinkaku lay in its considerable destructive power and flexibility. Its main attacks were thrusts and blows, and even the hardest koukaku would struggle to withstand a solid