"You really will die at the hands of a human!"
Hearing that unfamiliar, ice-cold voice, the yellow-haired man snapped his head toward the alley entrance.
In an instant, every muscle in his body tightened. A red Bikaku extended from his lower back, swaying violently as he entered full combat readiness.
He knew this very well
Anyone who dared to interrupt him while he was feeding was either one of his own kind, or a White Dove.
No matter which it was, dealing with them would be extremely troublesome.
"Tap… tap… tap…"
With the sound of approaching footsteps, under the dim glow of a streetlamp, a high school boy in uniform came into view.
"A normal human?"
"Not a White Dove?"
The punk ghoul exclaimed in surprise.
If it were another ghoul, he would have smelled them already at this distance.
And White Doves always had obvious identifiers most notably, the briefcases they carried, earning them the nickname Suitcase Bearers among ghouls.
Thus, the ghoul quickly judged Fushimi Kyo's identity.
Yet no matter how hard he tried to imagine it, he could never have guessed
This boy was far more terrifying.
A so-called cheat user.
Seeing the blood-soaked scene ahead, Kyo's pupils shrank.
As his gaze landed on the ghoul, the killing intent in his heart surged violently.
Because the woman lying in the pool of blood Was pregnant.
Her heavily swollen belly clearly showed she was at least seven or eight months along.
Now, there was a gaping hole torn through her abdomen, blood continuously pouring out.
"One corpse… two lives."
"You deserve to die."
Kyo's voice was icy calm.
At this moment, his killing intent forcibly suppressed the soul-deep hunger gnawing at him.
"Die?"
The ghoul let out a low, mocking laugh.
"Heh. But can you kill me?"
"You won't even survive the next moment. What do you think you can do to me?"
"Enough talk. Since you like playing the hero, I'll send you on your way."
As the words fell, a bloodthirsty grin flashed across the ghoul's face.
He lunged forward.
The Bikaku behind him lashed wildly, carving deep grooves into the alley walls on both sides.
With a thought, Kyo summoned his weapon.
The Japanese Katana, Bloodsong, appeared out of thin air in his hands.
Left hand gripping the scabbard.
Right hand on the hilt.
One leg slid back as he lowered his stance, assuming the classic iaijutsu posture.
"Where the hell did that kid get a sword?"
A flicker of confusion crossed the ghoul's eyes.
But in his view, Kyo was nothing more than a toddler who had just learned how to walk.
Weapon or not, what threat could he possibly pose?
The distance between them closed rapidly.
Ten meters.
"Die!"
The ghoul's Bikaku suddenly extended, growing far longer in an instant.
With all his strength, he swung it downward
The Kagune descended from above, smashing toward Kyo with lethal force.
He intended to crush this ignorant brat into minced meat with sheer brute strength.
At the moment the Kagune struck
Kyo's aura sank.
He drew his blade in a flash
And just as quickly, sheathed it.
"Ryūmeisen!"
An eerie ultrasonic shockwave burst forth from the scabbard, sweeping across the ghoul's body in an instant.
The ghoul's vision spun violently.
His body staggered, balance shattered.
The Kagune lost its accuracy and slammed into the ground a meter away from Kyo.
"Strike while he's down, finish him!"
Kyo knew this principle all too well.
"Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki!"
He burst forward at full speed.
At the instant he closed the distance, Kyo drew his blade again
Both hands gripping the hilt as he unleashed a decisive slash.
Shk!
A soft slicing sound rang out as the two figures crossed paths.
Kyo slowly sheathed his sword.
"To die beneath the ultimate technique of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu…"
"…that's an honor you don't deserve."
"Psychological damage +100."
For some reason, Kyo found this moment absurdly satisfying.
"Who… who the hell… are you…?"
The ghoul struggled to speak, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
He couldn't believe it.
How could a mere human possess such overwhelming power?
He hadn't even seen Kyo move before his throat was cut.
Trying to turn his head to look at the human who killed him
Thud.
His head separated cleanly from his neck.
A pillar of blood shot more than two meters into the air.
Moments later, the ghoul's body crashed heavily to the ground.
"Haaah…"
Kyo let out a long breath, finally relaxing.
Despite his domineering words earlier, his nerves had been stretched to the limit.
This was his first time fighting a ghoul, a monster straight out of nightmares.
Ending it in just two moves was no small feat.
He walked over to the woman's body and crouched down.
Gently, he brushed a hand over her wide-open eyes.
"I've avenged you."
"Rest in peace."
As if her final wish had been fulfilled, her eyes slowly closed.
Then
"Grrrrr~"
Kyo's stomach growled again, loudly protesting.
That rich, intoxicating scent flooded his senses once more.
"Damn it… screw it!"
"I've already eaten one before anyway!"
Gritting his teeth, Kyo used Bloodsong to cut into the ghoul's corpse.
He extracted the Kakuhou.
Closing his eyes, he took a savage bite.
"Ding. Devoured A-rank Ghoul Kakuhou. Evolution Points +3."
"Ding. Devoured A-rank Ghoul Kakuhou. Evolution Points +5."
"Ding…"
After consuming the entire Kakuhou, Kyo had gained a total of 35 Evolution Points.
Yesterday, the B-rank ghoul had only given him 15 points.
"So higher-ranked ghouls really do give more Evolution Points…"
As for hunting down groups of B-rank ghouls and slaughtering them en masse
That was pure fantasy.
Ghouls didn't gather in large numbers unless they had absolute power and feared neither exposure nor the CCG
Like the Aogiri Tree organization.
After finishing the Kakuhou, Kyo didn't linger.
He quickly left the scene.
He knew it wouldn't be long before the White Doves arrived to investigate.