"Bang!"
At the critical moment, a purple tail kagune suddenly shot down diagonally like a cannonball, slamming into Ghoul Eater's chest with a bang. It smashed straight through the kagune covering him, its tip plunging into his chest.
Viper, who had been hiding in the shadows overhead and waiting for an opening, finally struck, saving Louis at the crucial moment. Ghoul Eater, who had been in free fall, was knocked off balance and sent flying sideways, thwarting the ambush he had been preparing.
"Roar!"
Ghoul Eater let out a furious roar after taking the heavy blow. Both his claws seized the tail kagune Viper had attacked with, and he heaved, trying to drag her down from above by force.
Louis was about to help when he suddenly saw Ghoul Eater's four rinkaku stabbing toward him.
There was plenty of room to dodge in midair, but nothing to push off against. Louis twisted his body, yet his flank and right leg were still grazed, and one rinkaku wrapped around his crystallized arm.
With a crack, the Ice Chain snapped. Ghoul Eater dragged Viper and Louis down toward the ground.
"What... the hell is going on...?"
The A-Rank and S-Rank Ghouls guarding the exit were utterly dumbfounded. Even they had never seen a battle like this.
The clash between their two leaders was one thing, but they had never even heard of an attack style like their Third-in-Command's.
But they were worried, too. If the Third-in-Command and Viper lost, none of them would be able to handle the rampaging Ghoul Eater. Until the other factions intervened, they would all be lambs to the slaughter.
Standing among the crowd, Hinami had already grown restless and anxious beneath her mask. Despite the cold filling the cavern, too much blood had been spilled, and