Thanks to the power of his golden finger, Rokou could improve his strength not only through daily training but also by engaging in combat with enemies.
Because of this, he never shied away from unexpected incidents—in fact, he welcomed them, eager to step in when trouble arose.
Even though a thousand thoughts had raced through his mind just moments ago, in reality, everything unfolded in less than three seconds.
The woman, watching Rokou stand completely still, had assumed he'd only been bluffing earlier. Now that she realized he was unafraid, she froze in place, momentarily stunned.
Her prey couldn't escape, yet she wasn't in a hurry. She was instead contemplating where to begin her feast.
Her tongue flicked across her lips.
Looking at the handsome figure and perfect build of the man before her…
"Maybe… I should have some fun with him before I devour him?" she mused.
Indeed, he was a fine specimen…
Hiss!
Suddenly, a faint light flickered in the darkness. A longsword appeared in Rokou's hand, glowing softly in the dim night.
Though not bright, it stood out strikingly against the shadows. Half of the blade was exposed, yet it seemed to repel the rain, as if a protective membrane covered it.
From the sword, the woman sensed an extraordinary aura.
Or rather, any sane human witnessing a sword materialize from thin air would immediately start overthinking.
"Who… are you?"
The female ghoul's composure wavered as confusion and fear began to settle in.
What was happening here?!
Rokou, however, didn't answer her question.
He had no intention of showing mercy to this man-eating monster. His earlier kindness—helping her—had merely been a test.
Unfortunately for her, she had failed that test. The only thing waiting for her now was death.
Seeing that Rokou did not respond, the ghoul's eyes darted, and she launched a sneak attack.
Her Doctor-Octopus-like kagune extended violently from her back, striking like a venomous whip.
These steel-hard kagune could pierce even thin sheets of metal with ease.
Yet Rokou sidestepped casually, barely moving his feet. His left hand, holding the umbrella, remained unaffected.
If this had been the Rokou who first crossed into this world, he would have been chilled to the bone by the sudden attack.
But months of study in the magic club, combined with countless hunts of cursed spirits, ghouls, and other monsters, had left him far stronger than before.
To him, the ghoul's strike looked like a hundred-times-slow-motion attack—slow enough for even a grandmother to dodge.
"What the…?!"
The woman couldn't comprehend it. The man in front of her hadn't even made a move and had effortlessly avoided her sneak attack.
Rokou said nothing. He stepped forward, closing the distance. Without waiting for another attack, he swung his sword and cut through both of her hands in a single strike.
"Ahhh!"
The ghoul screamed in pain, her eyes wide with terror as she stared at the man before her.
Damn it!
What was going on? She was supposed to be the hunter. Humans were supposed to be her prey. How had she encountered such a terrifying human?
A deliberately stealthy exorcist? Or something else entirely?
Whatever he was, the female ghoul had already decided she needed to escape.
Her kagune shot out to support her on the ground, propelling her like a grasshopper. She leapt seven or eight meters high onto a nearby rooftop, bounced again, and continued to flee desperately into the distance.
She paid no attention to what—or who—might be behind her. All that mattered was putting as much distance as possible between herself and Rokou.
After running four or five kilometers into a forest far from the suburbs, she finally stopped, glancing back with a pale face. No one was behind her; she had apparently shaken him off.
Exhausted, she collapsed to the ground. Her arms, though bleeding earlier, had stopped, and even with a ghoul's regenerative abilities, recovery would take time she didn't have.
Worse still, she was desperately low on energy, without which she couldn't heal.
"Damn that man! Damn him! Damn him!"
Her fear had transformed into pure hatred.
If it weren't for him, she could have picked anyone on the street for a full meal.
Now, not only had she failed to feed, but she had also lost both hands.
"You run fast… but can you really escape?"
A calm voice drifted through the forest.
The female ghoul looked back, only to see Rokou had somehow appeared behind her, walking leisurely.
Moonlight filtered through the trees, casting shifting shadows as he advanced.
Her soul nearly left her body at the sight.
She tried to flee again—but her vision shot uncontrollably upward, spinning and flipping. Then she saw a bleeding figure.
What… is that?
It wasn't until the last moment that she realized the truth—it was her own body.
Her head rolled to the edge of a small pool.
Rokou looked down at her lifeless form with disgust.
In this world, ghouls were different from their original counterparts. Through a fusion of various elements, ghouls could now consume normal food like ordinary humans—but some aberrant individuals were still dissatisfied, seeking the thrill of devouring humans.
To Rokou, such aberrants deserved complete annihilation.
Silently, he raised his sword and struck, severing her kagune and crushing the kagune's internal organs. The body, which had still been writhing, finally went cold and still.