288. Chapter 288: The Dying Kuzen Yoshimura!
Kuzen Yoshimura took a step back and pulled out the blade from his chest. His wound recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye. Within moments, the bloody wound was restored to its original state.
"I can't drag this out for too long, hurry and leave."
After a painful struggle, Renji Yomo's heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife, but he wasn't reckless by nature; instead, he could still maintain his sanity. He knew deeply that even if he risked his life, he couldn't save Store Manager Yoshimura. Helpless, he could only suppress his sorrow and sprinted backward.
With the One-Eyed Owl present, Kishou Arima and Iwao Kuroiwa naturally weren't willing to pull away to chase a minor character.
The two sides were entangled in a fight for a moment.
Kishou Arima's attack became faster and faster, the air was filled with flashing blades. Kuzen Yoshimura used all his strength but could only barely parry.
Ten years ago, at his peak, he couldn't defeat Kishou Arima and had both his arms torn off by the opponent. Not to mention he was now old and frail; whether it was strength or stamina, it was far less than his younger self ten years ago. Furthermore, he was currently fighting two Special Class Investigators alone, making it even more incredibly difficult.
"You weren't this weak in the video."
In Kishou Arima's hand, a long saber-type Quinque, with extremely high-frequency slashes, continuously cut towards Kuzen Yoshimura.
Kuzen Yoshimura couldn't fight back at all and could only continuously swing his Kagune to defend against the incoming attack.
At first, his defense was quite impenetrable, but as time went on, his movements began to slow down.
Kishou Arima seized the opportunity. His legs erupted with astonishing strength, instantly arriving in front of Kuzen Yoshimura, and he swung his saber upwards! Pfft! Kuzen Yoshimura's right arm, like tofu, was cut off by it, then flew into the air, landing on the ground with a soft thud.
Losing his right arm, for Kuzen Yoshimura, was like a bird having its wings broken. The blood that was originally surging and boiling within him instantly became deathly still. He lightly sighed, "Ah, although I really don't want to admit it, I truly am old."
Seeing the One-Eyed Owl stop its operation, Kishou Arima and Iwao Kuroiwa also stopped their movements.
If they could capture the One-Eyed Owl alive, it would be absolutely perfect.
If this news were to spread, it would not only boost the morale of the CCG investigators but also deter other ghouls.
"Before you die, can you answer a few questions for me?" asked Kishou Arima.
"Ask."
Kuzen Yoshimura's idea was very simple: to buy time for Touka and the others to evacuate.
"Who is the King of Dark Mist? Why did he abduct Rize Kamishiro?"
The secret regarding Rize Kamishiro was known only to a very few people. Like Sen Takatsuki and the others, they had only glimpsed a shred of the truth.
"To be honest, I don't know." Kuzen Yoshimura shook his head.
"Swallow this." Iwao Kuroiwa took out a gas grenade containing Rc suppressant and threw it onto the open ground in front of Kuzen Yoshimura.
"You seem to have misunderstood something."
Kuzen Yoshimura would rather be killed than become a CCG captive, because he understood that many people were involved because of him. If he were captured, then those people would definitely risk their lives to save him.
"It's enough for just me to die." Although his tone was slow, it was very firm.
"In that case, please leave this world." Kishou Arima's expression was indifferent. He coldly placed his hands on the sword hilt, then pushed off with the balls of his feet and shot towards Kuzen Yoshimura.
Just as his blade was about to hit Yoshimura's head.
A pair of claws swooped down from high in the air!
Kishou Arima rolled, avoiding the incoming attack.
Bang! The hard and sharp hand claws suddenly smashed a large pit into the ground, sending debris flying everywhere for a moment and raising dust.
When the dust settled, a massive figure suddenly appeared in Iwao Kuroiwa's field of vision. "Another Owl?!" Iwao Kuroiwa said in surprise.
"How can there be two Owls?"
Before he could think further, Sen Takatsuki hooked Kuzen Yoshimura's shoulder with her hand claws. In an instant, she flew towards the high sky with the dying Yoshimura.
Iwao Kuroiwa wanted to step forward to stop them, but was stopped by Kishou Arima's outstretched right arm.
"Give up, you can't catch them. There's no need to waste your effort."
After all, he was only a Half-human, unable to use Kagune for flight like Sen Takatsuki, so he could only let the other party take Kuzen Yoshimura away.
"Please immediately proceed to the battlefield where the first and second squads are located. Aogiri Tree members have suddenly launched a sneak attack against us. Both squads have suffered heavy casualties. Upon receiving this information, please immediately go to provide support." In Kishou Arima and Iwao Kuroiwa's earpieces, the voice of the CCG Director, Yoshitoki Washuu, rang out.
But by the time they arrived, Aogiri Tree and the other ghouls had already withdrawn.
Leaving behind only the investigators wailing in the ruins.
...
Late at night.
In Kano's Lab.
It was also a mess. A black figure in heavy armor was tightly gripping a man's neck, pinning him against the wall.
"Akihiro Kanou, are you sure he's just a clone of the King of Dark Mist?! Tell him to let me down quickly." Nimura Furuta, with blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, was starting to panic.
"I warned you, don't come here, don't come here, but you wouldn't listen."
Akihiro Kanou spread his hands towards Nimura Furuta, indicating he was also helpless.
At this time, Nimura Furuta, unlike in the source material, had not transplanted Rize Kamishiro's Kakuhou. So he could at most be considered a ghoul with powerful strength. Although his strength could easily overwhelm most ghouls, in front of Xia Shang's clone, he could only be considered a grasshopper that jumped relatively high.
"This is completely different from my plan." Nimura Furuta originally wanted to secretly manipulate Ken Kaneki, making him slowly grow and eventually go berserk into a Dragon.
But his plan had just begun when Rize Kamishiro was snatched away by a guy called the King of Dark Mist. Then Gecko was killed, and he had just received information that the guy had also raided Cochlea.
He had originally thought that since that guy's true body wasn't in Kano's Lab, then a mere clone he could easily deal with.
However, the fact was, after a round of fighting, he was pinned against the wall by the opponent and brutally beaten.
"Can you contact him? Since he dared to snatch Rize Kamishiro from my hands, he must know about Rize Kamishiro's special nature. And I heard your description, he seems to want to cultivate Rize Kamishiro. I guess our purposes should be the same."
After a brief psychological breakdown, Nimura Furuta immediately began to analyze Xia Shang's true purpose.
In his opinion, the King of Dark Mist wasn't necessarily his enemy. Perhaps he could even reach cooperation with the other party.
"I don't know, that guy doesn't seem to have a mobile phone." Akihiro Kanou shook his head.
"However, if you have an idea, you can tell his clone. His clone is very special."
"What?"
For a moment, Nimura Furuta didn't understand what Akihiro Kanou meant.
"His clone possesses independent consciousness."
(End of Chapter)