Under the cold moonlight it was all especially bleakruinous.
And right now this wasteland was a battlefield.
BOOM!!!
A thunderous blast! Dust geysered skyward!
At the center, a monstrous, hulking figure was attacking in a frenzy its body armored in dark red kagune plates like a bloated demon, with countless writhing, tentacle-like kagune whipping from its back. Each blow shook the earth with terrifying force.
It was Yoshimura Kuzen in kakujaSSS-rated ghoul "Owl"!
His opponent looked small by comparison: a man in a white CCG coat and glassesKishou Arima!
Facing Owl's tidal onslaught, Arima remained uncannily calm and composed.
In his hands was a silver quinque shaped like a massive crossIXA. In Arima's grip, IXA seemed alive: at times an indestructible shield, meeting Owl's heavy strikes with precise blocks; at times a peerless spear, darting in at vicious angles to stab joints and thin spots in the armor.
His movements were spare, efficientprecision itself, like a machine born for combat. Every dodge came at the perfect instant; every counter targeted a vital point.
Though he was far smaller than Owl's kakuja, sheer skill and IXA's protean forms let Arima suppress Owl completely.
Owl's roars carried furyand a trace of agitation. His attacks were savage, but Arima neutralized most of them with ease. Instead, IXA kept tearing into Owl's armor, spraying dark red fluid.
Anyone could see Owl was at an absolute disadvantage.
And yet to Yoshimura, one thing felt off: Arima didn't seem to be going for the kill. His strikes leaned toward attrition and control, as if he were waitingfor something.
Just then, one of Yoshimura's hammer-blows hit empty air. Arima sprang lightly back, opening distanceand actually stopped attacking.
"Hm?"
A flicker of doubt glinted in Owl's giant single eye.
Tap tap
Soft footsteps came from the shadows of the ruins to one side.
A figure emerged, a humanoid shape wrapped head to toe in filthy bandages. The face was hidden; only a pair of crimson kakugan peered through the gaps, glinting coldly.
A ghoul?
Yoshimura tensed. Reinforcements for the enemy? Or
What happened next made his pupil contract.
The bandaged ghoul walked straight to Arima's side and came to a halt and Arima showed no intent to attack her; if anything, he seemed to have expected her.
He pushed up his glasses; the lenses flashed with cold light. In a flat voice, he said to the bandaged figure, "He's yours. No problem?"
The bandaged one answered in a warped, husky voice that somehow still carried a girlish lilt: "Of course~"
"But I'm really curiouswhy did the CCG make such a big move today? That wasn't in the plan~"
Arima shook his head. "The order came from abovesudden. As for the reason, I'm not informed."
There was the faintest hint of doubt in his tone.
Yoshimura's massive body shuddered; his growl rumbled low: "You you're together?"
"Who are you?"
He demanded of the bandaged ghoul.
"Hee-hee~" She let out a delighted laugh, savoring the moment without actually revealing anything.
"You can call me Takatsuki Senor, by the better-known name: the leader of Aogiri Tree."
Aogiri Tree!
Shock slammed through Yoshimura. That ghoul organization that had risen so fast in recent years, infamous for its extreme, violent methods
And its leader was this bandaged creature before him! What's more, she knew Kishou Arima? They even looked cooperative?!
What truly chilled him was the pressure rolling off this self-styled "Eto." From her, he sensed a danger at least rivaling his own prime.
This was absolutely an SSS-rated ghoul.
Chapter 919: One Hand to Calm the Crowd
"Enough chit-chat~"
Takatsuki Sen seemed to lose patience with small talk. Beneath the bandages, her body began to twist and swell in a grotesque way.
"Non-Killing Owl, your kagune looks delicious."
Riiip!
The bandages were blown apart and torn to shreds. An even larger, more warped, more horrifying kagune surged out in a frenzy.
In an instant, a gigantic kakuja no less fearsome than "Owl," a stitched-together abomination, loomed over the ruins four enormous kakugan blazing with feral light.
An SSS-class kakujathe One-Eyed Owl.
Yoshimura Kuzen's single huge eye tightened to a pinprick. Alarm bells screamed in his heart.
As expectedanother SSS-class.
"I suggest you surrender quietly."
Eto's One-Eyed Owl form let out a shrill roar; that massive body lunged at Yoshimura with annihilating force
When
"Manager!!!"
A familiar, urgent female voice split the dead battlefield.
Yoshimura, braced to fight to the death, jolted. Eto halted as well. Arima Kishou's sharp gaze snapped toward the source.
On a broken wall at the edge of the field, two figures had appeared without a sound: one was Kirishima Toukawho should have escaped with her life the other, a casually dressed young man, outrageously handsome, carrying a cool, ethereal air: a stranger.
"Touka?!"
Shock and worry flooded Yoshimura's huge eye. "What are you doing here?! Get out, now!"
He'd bought them a chance to flee with his own lifewas it going to be thrown away like this?
"It's okay, Manager!"
Touka shouted back. Even under the crushing stares of two SSS-class kakuja and the CCG's grim reaper, she pointed firmly at Rei Ao beside her.
"I brought help! He's really stronghe can definitely help us!"
"Help?"
All four of the One-Eyed Owl's pupils fixed on Rei Ao. The torn bandages revealed a face twisting into an intrigued expression.
"A ghoul? Nono ghoul scent. Human? Looks tender probably tastes good~"
She licked kagune-formed lips, deliberately speaking in a way to horrify.
But Arima's face had never looked more grave. He pushed up his glasses, eyes locked on the man who radiated no detectable power at all, and said in a low voice:
"Careful. He isn't a ghoul. But"
"He's terrifyingly strong."
Arima's grip on IXA tightened of its own accord. His body leaned forward a fraction, entering maximum alert. Not even facing SSS-class ghouls did he feel this kind of mortal peril.
A battle-honed instinct, born of countless brushes with death, screamed at him this suddenly appeared man was beyond understanding.
An extreme danger.
Bathed in moonlight, Rei Ao seemed oblivious to the suffocating killing intent that would make any creature crack. He simply glanced over the two hulking kakuja below and the bristling Arima, the corner of his mouth curving in a half-smile.
The real show was only just starting.
On the field, the air congealed like iron. Eto's One-Eyed Owl radiated savage violence. The SSS-class ghoul OwlYoshimura Kuzenstood grimly ready. The CCG's grim reaper, Arima Kishou, clenched IXA.
Three apex forces, frozen in a weird standoff by the arrival of two uninvited guests.
Feeling the crushing pressure that seemed to grind the very air, Touka's palms went clammy but she still mustered her courage and pleaded to the unruffled Rei Ao at her side: "Group Owner! I'll leave it to you!"
Rei Ao turned and gave her a faint smile a composure that blew away every shadow in her heart.
"Leaving it to me is no problem."
His tone was easy as his gaze swept the three taut factions below.
"But I think what you're missing is a calm conversation. All this fightingso uncivilized."
Conversation?
Yoshimura, Eto, and Arima all felt the same absurd thought. Ghouls and investigators, opposing factions soaked in blood feudswhat is there to "talk" about?
Before any of them could move, Rei Ao casually lifted a hand, pointed at the kakuja forms of Yoshimura and Eto, and tapped lightly at the air.
No earth-shaking blast. No dazzling light. Just that offhand tap
"What?!" "Impossible?!"
Two disbelieving cries rang out at once.
Yoshimura's massive, armored kakujaand Eto's twisted One-Eyed Owlboth began to melt and crumble like ice under the sun. The vast kagune that made up their kakuja forms collapsed and scattered beyond control, becoming motes of red light that winked out into the air.
In the blink of an eye, both dreaded "Owls" were gone.
Left where they'd stood were only two people
an old man in tattered clothes, face lined and world-weary, eyes full of shock and confusion: Yoshimura Kuzen;
and a small-framed woman swathed in bandages, one crimson kakugan showing, her expression just as aghast and disbelieving: Takatsuki Sen (Eto).
They tried to rouse their RC cells, to summon kagune only to find, horrified, that the power that once obeyed like an arm at their command was utterly sealed, silent, without the slightest response.
W-what is this power?!
Stripping away a kagune with a single touch?
It was beyond anything they could comprehend. Even the figure of legend could never have done it so lightly.
The way Yoshimura and Takatsuki looked at Rei Ao changed completely now filled with a fear and disbelief they had never known.
~~~
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Chapter 920: Everything is back to Normal...
Kishou Arima still looked calm on the surface, but the knuckles gripping IXA had gone white from strain.
He couldn't make sense of what had just happened either. It wasn't a quinque effect, nor any known technology or power.
"Mm. That's much easier on the eyes."
Rei Ao nodded, satisfied to him it was nothing more than a trivial errand.
"Since we're going to talk, we should pick a proper place."
He snapped his fingers.
Snap!
A crisp soundand Yoshimura Kuzen, Takatsuki Sen, and Kishou Arima were all hit by a violent rush of vertigo. The world twisted like a kaleidoscope: the abandoned site, the cold moonlight, the broken walls
Everything peeled away at speed and vanished.
When the dizziness ebbed, they realizedstunnedthat they were no longer on the ruined battlefield.
A familiar coffee aroma curled under their noses. Warm, gentle light replaced the icy moon. Soft music drifted in their ears.
This was Anteiku.
Yoshimura recognized his caf at a glance. They had been whisked from that distant construction site straight into the 20th Ward's Anteiku and inside, everything was intact, as if the CCG raid had never happened.
"W-What?"
Yoshimura stared, dumbfounded.
More shock awaited him. Behind the counter, three figures who should have been on the run materialized as if sleepwalkingYomo Renji, Irimi Kaya, and Koma Enji. Their faces were the same mix of confusion and disbelief.
"How are we here?" "
Manager?! Kishou Arima?!"
"And that woman is?!"
The three immediately clocked the anomalies in the room. The moment they saw Arima and Takatsuki, they shifted into combat mode, lunging to shield Yoshimura, eyes locked on the enemy.
They had no idea why their kagune wouldn't answer their call, and the whole scene felt chaotic and surreal.
Yoshimura, seasoned by storms, drew a long breath and forced down the turmoil inside. His gaze settled for a beat on Rei Ao, who was now lounging on a sofa as if at leisure.
This man possessed godlike power.
After a moment's silence, a familiar, kindly smile slowly returned to Yoshimura's face the look of an ordinary caf owner.
"All right, Renji, Kaya, Enji."
His voice was gentle. "Relax. This is a caf, and we are the owner and staff."
He paused, let his eyes pass over Arima and Takatsuki, and finally rest on Rei Ao. His tone stayed even:
"And anyone who walks into the shop is a guest. Our job is to serve our guests."
Yomo, Irimi, and Koma: "???"
They couldn't make sense of the manager's words, but years of trust and obedience made their bodies relax despite themselves though the caution and doubt in their eyes didn't fade.
"Well then"
Yoshimura glanced toward the bar.
"Let's make coffee for our guests first."
Cut to: Anteiku really did seem to slip back into a normal day of business. Soft music flowed. The machine thrummed. The air filled with the rich fragrance of freshly ground beans.
Yomo, Irimi, and Koma traded looks, movements stiff as they started up the machine. Their minds were a tangled mess, but their hands carried out the manager's orders on instinct.
Soon, several steaming, fragrant cups were ready.
Kirishima Touka took a breath and lifted the tray. Her feelings were a knot of complications, but one look at Rei Ao's calm profile steadied her for no reason she could name.
She carried the coffee to the lounge.
On the sofa, Rei Ao sat alone on one side, while Yoshimura, Arima, and Takatsuki sat opposite in a row, faces solemn, backs straight like defendants awaiting judgment.
The tableau was bizarre.
"Your coffee."
Touka carefully set the cups on the low table before the three. Last, she brought Rei Ao's cup over to him.
He looked up and smiled then suddenly reached out and caught her wrist.
"Ah!"
Caught off-guard, Touka lost her balance and tumbled onto the cushion beside him, half her body ending up against his chest.
"!!!"
Her face went scarlet in a flash. Her heart hammered. She tried to sit up, but the arm he'd drapedso casuallyaround her waist held her fast. She couldn't move at all.
Frozen in place, she could only feel the warmth radiating from him, mortified enough to want to bury her face.
The sight set certain people off at once.
"Touka!"
Yomo Renji's eyes chilled. He stepped forward without thinking, fists clenching, killing intent barely leashed. This punk dared lay hands on his niece?!
He had no idea who Rei Ao was.
A sharp light flickered in Yoshimura's clouded eyes. The kindly smile on his face thinned, the hands on his knees tightening. Touka, that child
Left to the side, Arima and Takatsuki only watchedcool or amused as if weighing what exactly lay between Rei Ao and Kirishima Touka.
Rei Ao acted as if he didn't notice the murderous stares. One arm rested naturally around the rigid Touka, while his other hand lifted the cup with an easy grace for a small sip.
"Mm. Nicely done."
He offered the compliment looking for all the world like a customer here purely to enjoy the coffee.
Chapter 921: Every Mask is Undone
A stifling silence spread through the Anteiku caf.
In the end, it was Takatsuki Senthe most impulsive and curious of themwho couldn't hold back first.
She tilted her head, the single eye beneath her bandages studying Rei Ao with open curiosity, and in that trademark hoarse voice with a teasing lilt, asked:
"Hey, mister with the miraculous powers who looks like he can do anything~ who exactly are you?"
