The crystal encasing his right arm grew larger and larger. Before long, it was several times bigger than Louis himself, and its mass had reached a terrifying several tons.
What he lacked in strength, he made up for in mass.
Many ghouls could lift something weighing several tons, but few dared take a direct hit from a blunt weapon of that weight once it had picked up speed.
The ice hammer did not fall particularly fast by an S-Rank Ghoul's standards, but its sheer momentum was immense, and the energy behind it could not be underestimated.
Any other ghoul would have immediately thought to dodge, or adjust their stance to absorb some of the impact. But Yamori, in his incomplete kakuja form, had no such intention. He showed no sign of trying to evade it.
"Lunatic!" Tsukiyama's eyes nearly popped out at the enormous block of ice overhead. He was no fool, and hurriedly retreated.
Great strength was frightening, but without reason, that strength could never be fully brought to bear. Taking advantage of the hammer's momentum, Louis swung his arm with all his might, maximizing its impact.
"Ice Mask!" Yamori roared, swinging his thick, kagune-wrapped right arm straight into the ice hammer.
With a thunderous crash, the ground beneath Yamori fractured over a wide area, throwing up clouds of dust as though an explosion had gone off.
The ice hammer shattered, scattering chunks of crystalline ice around Yamori.
"Ugh..." Yamori clutched his numb right arm, his breathing growing heavy and his head spinning from the shock. He had indeed taken the attack head-on, but the damage from its impact was plain to see.
Before he could catch his breath, however, he sensed killing intent descending from above. A crystalline blade pierced the veil of dust.
Startled, Yamori instinctively shielded