His heart no longer beat, his lungs no longer breathed. His tissues would lose their original functions, turning him into something even his present self would find unfamiliar.
As more and more of his body became inhuman, this loss of emotion occurred ever more frequently, even though his brain had yet to undergo Elementalization.
He seemed to have pushed Elementalization to its limit again out of anger, but now, if he recalled what Nico had just said...
At some point, his mindset had gradually changed. Was the cause psychological, or physiological...?
When Louis raised his head again, the constantly twitching tail kagune fell still. The light flowing over the kagune gradually faded. An SS-Rank Ghoul had fallen.
"The lighthouse..." Louis narrowed his eyes. The weakness he had forced back despite the excruciating pain surged over him again like a tide, heavier and harder to resist than before. This was a signal from his body: he needed ample rest.
A familiar warmth erupted, pouring in through his wounds and easing the surge of weakness to some extent.
"Banjō..." Louis felt his field of vision shrinking. As he undid the crystallization within his body, he said, "You handle things from here. Retreat..."
"If you have to... you can take a bite out of me..."
Louis lost all his strength. His body tilted, and Kurona Yasuhisa, following close behind, caught him.
"Don't..." There was more blood on Kurona Yasuhisa's face than before. Watching Louis gradually lose consciousness, she could not help casting a pleading look at Banjō, who possessed healing abilities.
But Banjō was already drenched in sweat. He had stayed close all along, yet Louis's body was like a bottomless pit. No matter how much life energy he channeled through his kagune, it produced no immediate effect. All he could do was