"..." Viper remained silent, her face expressionless beneath the half mask. She bent forward, arching her back as Ghoul Eater thundered toward her at tremendous speed, ready to counter at any moment.
Like a coolheaded assassin facing an enraged warrior, Viper leaped into the air the instant Ghoul Eater closed in, displaying astonishing speed.
"Why jump into the air...?" Louis frowned, ready to provide support. He had just been struck by Ghoul Eater's rinkaku precisely because he had no leverage in midair.
Power came from the ground. Jumping into the air right away would leave Viper without leverage and put her at a disadvantage.
But what happened next gave Louis a clearer understanding of ghouls.
"Roar!" Seeing Viper leap into the air, Ghoul Eater attacked without hesitation with his regenerated rinkaku, cutting off her escape from multiple angles.
Bang! Bang!
Two collisions rang out in succession as their kagune clashed. Viper actually used the force of the incoming rinkaku to hold her position in midair, easily neutralizing Ghoul Eater's seemingly airtight attack.
Viper's tail kagune was over thirty meters long, and both its tip and sides could be used for offense and defense. Although it had fewer appendages than the rinkaku, its defense was exceptionally solid. Viper had clearly still had strength to spare just now; she had only struck one rinkaku with its front and side to propel herself away.
A kakuja might not be frightening in itself. What's frightening is one that can stay lucid after transforming... Viper's stalemate seemed to accomplish little, but Louis could tell she was deliberately conserving her stamina.
A kakuja transformation greatly enhanced strength, speed, and defense alike, but its energy consumption was just as significant.
Compared with Viper, the enraged Ghoul Eater was controlling all three types of kagune across his body