Chapter 26: Support from the Ghouls
"If he can't go, then what about me? I'm applying to join the team to subjugate the monster!"
Behind Kaneki Ken, Kirishima Touka, whose head had been bowed the whole time, looked up and spoke in a cold voice.
Furuta Nimura and Kaneki Ken turned around at the same time and saw Kirishima Touka exuding a gloomy aura. Her eyes, filled with hatred and anger, made everyone who met her gaze tremble.
The two of them reacted differently.
Furuta Nimura looked her up and down, his eyes devoid of warmth, as if scanning an object or a tool.
"Fine! I hope you haven't let hatred cloud your judgment, and I hope your skills haven't grown dull from all that housework!"
"No!"
Kaneki Ken stepped forward and grabbed his wife's arm, pleading anxiously:
"Whether it's you or anyone else, even if more people go, the hope of killing that monster is slim!
I'll go find Lady Rize and explain the situation to her in person. She is so merciful; she will surely understand us..."
"It's too late, Kaneki! It's too late!"
Kirishima Touka shook her head and gently patted Kaneki Ken's forearm, her tone soft yet resolute:
"Even if Lady Kamishiro Rize is willing to let you leave, it's too late! Ayato, Shit-Nishiki (Nishio Nishiki), as well as Mr. Koma and Ms. Irimi, everyone from The Knights... their deaths must be avenged. That monster must die. I am also a member of The Knights, and I can join the fight. I can... avenge them!"
"Your wife is right, Grand Knight Commander Kaneki Ken!"
Someone else nearby chimed in:
"And you needn't worry too much! That monster has been under siege for so long; even if it's not injured, it has consumed a lot of energy. It might already be at its wit's end!
If you're still uneasy, our people will accompany your wife to help her kill the monster!"
The speaker was dressed quite strangely, with graying hair and an aged face, but wearing leather armor and a longbow slung over his shoulder—looking like an archer from an RPG.
Notably, this old man was also a Ghoul, a One-Eyed Ghoul.
Seeing that his wife's mind was made up, Kaneki Ken didn't know how else to persuade her. He could only turn to the old man and request:
"Then, I'll have to trouble you, Elder Kumu, to take good care of Touka!"
Receiving the notification "Kaneki Ken's favorability has increased," the Contractor Kumu's smile became even more amicable as he said repeatedly:
"Of course, of course! After all, we are also members of the Bronze Tree!"
---
On the other side, the battlefield between Roland and the group of Ghouls.
After consuming nearly a hundred Monstrosities and an equal number of Clones, Orlando finally reached his second stage of growth.
The Symbiote gradually covered his body, merging bit by bit into the pillar-level swordsman set Roland was wearing. The basic design didn't change much, but the overall color turned pitch black.
"At this stage, the Symbiote just uses the set as a vessel to attach to. The equipment effects and even the set bonuses are retained, and it additionally provides a bonus of 3 Strength, 5 Agility, and 3 Stamina."
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"Furthermore..."
With a thought from Roland, the Haori on his back opened to both sides, transforming once again into the "black-red asphalt" form. After three or four seconds of transformation, it turned into two Ukaku wings.
The Ukaku wings spread, firing a dense cloud of black-red "flying feathers" forward. In just a few breaths, the reinforced concrete wall in front was riddled with holes.
"The attack power is slightly underwhelming; for now, it can only achieve a fire suppression effect against Monstrosities or Clones."
"Eat... eat more... Orlando... get stronger!"
Fragmented words appeared in Roland's ear; the meaning conveyed by the Symbiote was very clear.
He needed to devour more Ghouls to achieve further growth!
At that time, it would not only possess all four Kagune types but also master the even more powerful "Kakuja" mode!
"Good! I've had enough snacks; it's time for the main course!"
The first Ghoul Roland chose as prey for Orlando was Tatara, who had mastered the Kakuja form.
In the original plot, this character was a Ghoul from Huaguo. After his organization was destroyed by Ghoul Investigators and his brother was killed, he fled to the Island Country and became the public leader of the Bronze Tree.
In the anime, there was a fair amount of screen time showing his excellent tactical skills and outstanding combat power. His track record was quite impressive, but his ending was a bit rushed. Despite having a "heavy tank" style Kakuja form, he was killed in a sneak attack.
Roland once again intentionally exposed his location. After attracting a group of Ghouls to pursue him, he quickly used hit-and-run tactics to disperse their tight formation and pull them apart.
Finding an opening, he circled behind Tatara and used Frost Breathing, Seventh Form: Snow Owl Droplet Wave Thrust as an opener, heavily wounding this SS-Rank Ghoul from the original story with a single strike.
Without giving the opponent even a second, Roland immediately launched a follow-up attack after seizing the initiative with the sneak attack. In just over ten seconds, he brought Tatara to the brink of death.
At the critical moment, if it weren't for Kuzen's sharp perception and timely reinforcement, combined with a group of Monstrosities and Clones throwing themselves forward to block the attacks for Tatara, Orlando might have already started his meal.
But even so, under Roland's full-throttle offensive, the two Ghouls could only barely hold on, with no room to fight back.
Although the two were the strongest in this Ghoul Knight squad, they could still feel the massive gap between them and Roland, whose strength had been further enhanced by Orlando's buffs.
"How can this monster be so strong! I'm afraid among us, only Grand Knight Commander Kaneki Ken could be a match for it!"
Simultaneously, the same thought occurred to both Ghoul Knights.
Just then, Tatara, who had been ambushed and severely injured, accumulated a large amount of "torso damage" under Roland's series of targeted attacks and was forced into a "stance collapse" state.
Roland held his blade in a reverse grip and thrust the tip toward the red dot on his chest, intending to use a "Execution" to end him once and for all.
Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, a flurry of flying feathers struck, interrupting his offensive.
At the same time, three wooden arrows, sharpened like tree branches, were fired from behind him.
Roland hastily used Zanshin to cancel his attack. After recovering his stance, he quickly dodged, but a mental shock followed immediately, slowing his movements by two beats, and he was hit by two arrows.
One arrow pierced his left shoulder, while the other landed in his right thigh.
The enemy's attack didn't stop there. A green glow appeared on the shafts of the wooden arrows, and in the next second, over a dozen thorns sprouted, binding Roland tightly.
The situation reversed in an instant!