Although this world was extremely dangerous where ghoul hunts happened with alarming frequency, the nightlife of B-City, this sprawling metropolis, remained as vibrant as ever.
Neon lights flooded the streets.
Cars streamed endlessly through the roads.
Men and women poured out after work, indulging themselves in the pleasures of the night.
Seventh Ward.
Already changed into clean clothes, Fushimi Kyo walked alone through the bustling streets.
Yet despite having just massacred over a hundred ghouls, his body still radiated an icy, oppressive aura what people often called killing intent.
The streets were packed with people, shoulder to shoulder, yet wherever he passed, a two-meter radius around him remained strangely empty.
Anyone who got close would instinctively veer away, unconsciously keeping their distance.
"Hm?"
Kyo frowned slightly, finally noticing something was off.
"So this is what happens when killing intent accumulates… 'living beings keep away,' huh?"
"Looks like I need to deal with this somehow."
If even ordinary people could sense something abnormal about him, then encountering CCG investigators would definitely spell trouble.
"Boss, one milk tea!"
Kyo stopped by a street-side milk tea shop, bought a cup, and sat down on a public bench. He took several deep gulps.
"Mmm… that's better."
Back at the Ghoul Restaurant, he had nearly thrown up.
After consuming over a hundred kagune, even his burps still carried the nauseating taste of ghoul flesh.
What dissatisfied him even more was the realization that his body had developed resistance to low-level kagune.
Based on past experience, devouring a hundred ghouls should have earned him at least 1,300 evolution points.
But this time?
He'd gained only 700.
Consuming Tsukiyama Shuu's kagune and that old retainer's together yielded 220 points, while nearly a hundred other ghouls combined gave him just over 480 points.
That was absurdly low.
In the past, even a single B-rank ghoul would give him at least ten evolution points.
And among those hundred, there were plenty of A-rank ghouls.
When he questioned it, the system's explanation was simple:
His body had developed resistance.
From now on, S-rank and below ghouls would barely provide any evolution points.
If he wanted to continue evolving, he'd have to hunt S-rank or higher ghouls exclusively.
"Evolution points are getting harder and harder to earn…"
Still, with 745 evolution points on hand, he had more than enough to upgrade both his body and swordsmanship to Lv4.
"Open the virtual panel," Kyo commanded silently.
His vision blurred briefly as a translucent interface appeared before his eyes visible to him alone:
[Host: Fushimi Kyo
Age: 17
Skills: Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Swordsmanship (Lv3+)
Body: Third-stage enhancement completed (Lv3+)
Inventory: Katana (1)
Evolution Points: 745
Upgradeable Paths:
Body Enhancement:
→ Cost: 100 Evolution Points
→ Upgrade to Lv4?
→ Yes / No
Skill Enhancement:
→ Cost: 200 Evolution Points
→ Upgrade Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Swordsmanship to Lv4?
→ Yes / No]
"Upgrade Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Swordsmanship immediately."
In a world this dangerous, only turning evolution points into real strength could give him peace of mind.
Unlike body enhancement, upgrading sword skills didn't cause any major disturbance.
Moments later, the panel updated:
Swordsmanship: Lv4
Evolution Points remaining: 545
In Kyo's mind, his understanding of the sword deepened dramatically.
All techniques of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu he'd mastered fused together seamlessly.
From now on, executing them would be smoother, more natural and far deadlier.
After this upgrade, the power of his sword techniques had nearly doubled.
"Hah… this feeling of getting stronger never gets old."
"Now then… I really need to solve this killing-intent problem."
Kyo recalled books he'd read in the past.
The most effective method was entering the mortal world tempering oneself amid crowds and everyday life to gradually wear away killing intent.
But he already lived in a bustling metropolis.
For him, a better solution was to focus intensely on something else, using different emotions to neutralize the killing intent.
"Seems like that place might be a good choice."
His eyes lit up as a sudden idea struck him.
Gulp, gulp.
He finished his milk tea and sprinted toward a nearby arcade.
...
"Um… Miss Rize."
At their destination, Kaneki asked nervously,
"If you don't mind… could we meet again sometime?"
He'd fulfilled her request and safely walked her home.
Rize's cheeks flushed faintly as she replied softly,
"We like the same books, we're the same age… we have so much in common."
"Kaneki-kun."
"…Yes?"
She stepped forward and gently rested her head against his chest.
Kaneki's heart pounded wildly; he'd never been this close to a girl before.
"I actually know you've been paying attention to me all this time."
"Eh?! Then… then what about you, Miss Rize?"
Kaneki asked nervously, terrified she'd hand him a good guy card next.
"Mm… I also… like you…"
As she spoke, Rize slowly lifted her head, her vivid red lips moving toward Kaneki's neck.
Kaneki felt as though he'd been struck by lightning.
The happiness had arrived far too suddenly.
The same old tactic.
The same irresistible temptation.
If Fushimi Kyo were here, he would definitely label her a seasoned manipulator who knew exactly how to play people's emotions.
Her man-hunting techniques were perfected to an art no wonder she'd managed to successfully hunt three or four adult men per week in the past.
In that regard, Rize Kamishiro truly deserved her title as an LSP killer.
Perhaps this was Kaneki Ken's fate.
Kyo had only left the 20th Ward for one day and Kaneki had already walked straight into Rize's trap.
Holding Kaneki close, Rize activated her Kakugan, opened her mouth wide, and bit down viciously on his shoulder ripping off a chunk of flesh.
Only then did Kaneki realize what he'd run into.
"A ghoul…?! Again… a ghoul?!"
Waves of terror flooded him, nearly drowning his consciousness.
"Oh~ so delicious."
Rize casually shoved him to the ground and licked the blood from the corner of her lips.
Step by step, she approached him.
"Kaneki-kun, let me tell you something."
"Compared to reading… there's something I like even more."
"That's tearing out the organs of people who run away in panic."
Kaneki knelt on the ground, clutching his shoulder.
His pupils shrank to pinpoints as he stared at her in horror.
"Mm~ ahahaha! Yes, that expression!"
"It's perfect."
"Come on… make me even more excited."
As she spoke, four kagune burst out from her back.
After all this time recovering, Rize's strength had returned to its peak.
Crimson eyes.
Terrifying tentacles.
Blood-soaked lips and face.
Seeing this, Kaneki turned and fled in terror.
"Lies… lies… lies… how could this be?! She can't be a ghoul!"
He hadn't run more than a few steps before a kagune wrapped around his leg, lifting him up and slamming him into a nearby abandoned construction site.
"Pff !"
Kaneki spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered to his feet.
"Wahahaha! Kaneki-kun!"
Rize leapt down after him.
One kagune pierced straight through his abdomen, lifting him high into the air, while the others stabbed him repeatedly, leaving horrifying wounds across his body.
"AAAAAAAH !"
Kaneki's screams echoed through the construction site.
But it was remote.
No one heard him.
And even if they did, no one could save him.
"I'll gently grind your intestines to pieces," Rize said tenderly, her words dripping with cruelty.
By then, Kaneki was completely motionless.
"Huh? Already dead?"
"What a shame~ I really liked you."
"Just the right amount of fat, nice and soft. You'd have been delicious."
At that moment
Above them, several steel cables snapped.
A massive steel beam fell from the rooftop, crashing straight down onto Rize.
"How… how is this possible…?"
She never imagined she'd meet such an end.
On the rooftop, a masked figure glanced down and muttered coldly:
"I let you roam free for so long… and this is the result."
"It's time to collect what's mine."
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