The not-so-short distance vanished in a blink as Kamishiro Matasaka's Kagune slammed viciously toward Uesugi Ryu.
Faced with the overwhelming assault, Uesugi Ryu merely curled his lips into a sneer of contempt.
The deep violet blade in his hand swept horizontally through the air and a blinding arc of light flashed.
Crack!
Kamishiro Matasaka's broad and heavy Kagune was cleanly severed at the base.
Agonizing pain surged through him as a flicker of madness flashed in his eyes. Without hesitation, he channeled all his strength into a powerful kick aimed straight at Uesugi Ryu's midsection.
But Uesugi Ryu sidestepped with effortless grace, dodging the blow with ease.
At the same time, his blade drew a strange arc through the air,
Thud.
Kamishiro Matasaka's half of a thigh dropped to the ground with a dull sound. Crimson blood gushed wildly from the wound, splattering in all directions.
Despite this crushing blow, Kamishiro Matasaka refused to yield. With a roar, he launched himself forward with his remaining leg, ferociously leaping at Uesugi Ryu like a beast driven mad.
His head reared high,
He delivered a savage headbutt, aiming to inflict even the tiniest bit of damage in this final charge.
But if he couldn't touch Uesugi Ryu at full strength, what chance did he stand now?
Uesugi Ryu narrowed his eyes at the madman rushing toward him and sighed faintly.
With his left hand tightly gripping the blade, he flicked his wrist, a chilling flash appeared within Kamishiro Matasaka's pupils.
A faint bloodline traced itself across his torso.
In a blink, Uesugi Ryu and Kamishiro Matasaka passed one another, switching places. Uesugi Ryu had already pulled away by several meters.
Splurt!
A muffled tearing sound rang out.
That faint bloodline on Kamishiro Matasaka's waist suddenly split open. His upper body and lower body slowly separated, blood and entrails spilling out in a gory cascade. The floor was instantly covered in red flesh and ruptured organs.
He had been cut clean in half at the waist.
Kamishiro Matasaka's lips trembled. He seemed to want to say something, but no sound came.
The SS-rated ghoul and martial artist Kamishiro Matasaka was defeated.
No time was wasted mourning him, for the very next to arrive on the battlefield was none other than the strongest modern ghoul, the One-Eyed Owl, Yoshimura Eto!
She shot in from the side, in her humanoid form, her speed was not one bit inferior to Uesugi Ryu's.
Countless grotesque arms with mouths burst from her back. Two sharp, whip-like tentacles lunged toward Uesugi Ryu's vital points.
Uesugi Ryu stood still, back turned to Eto, as if unaware of her presence.
But through her thermal visor, his heat signature was clearly visible.
Yoshimura Eto's face lit up with savage joy, her eyes glinting dangerously. She had long been craving the pleasure of tearing this irritating man to pieces.
Uesugi Ryu didn't even look back.
Yet just as the attack was about to strike, he moved sideways with uncanny timing, dodging flawlessly.
"What...?!"
Yoshimura Eto was stunned.
Her meticulously planned sneak attack had been nullified in an instant.
From the mouths on her tentacles came a cacophony of eerie voices:
"Eto-chan... kekekekeke!!"
"Yare yare yare yare yare~~"
"Failure! Hahahahaha, %\&!"
Though momentarily surprised, Eto quickly regained composure.
But by that time, Uesugi Ryu had already made his move, with blinding speed, he twisted his torso and hurled his blade through the air.
A streak of violet light tore across the room.
Startled, Eto hastily raised one of her giant tentacles to block, and simultaneously began rapidly evolving her Kagune, preparing to fully transform into her Koukaku form.
But it was too late.
The violet blade struck before her transformation could complete.
Slice-
Blood splattered.
Four slender fingers were severed mid-air.
The blade had cut clean through Eto's left hand, severing all but her thumb.
The crimson energy riding along the blade seeped into the wound. This time, Eto quickly severed the rest of the infected hand before the energy could spread.
The blade still had momentum.
It flew straight past her and embedded itself into the metal wall behind, letting out a sharp metallic clang.
"Nice seeing you again, little gremlin!"
Uesugi Ryu smiled brightly, waving like he was greeting an old friend.
Eto merely snorted coldly and ignored the jab.
Her Kagune continued to expand rapidly, now crackling with electric sparks.
...
Inside the control room, Kanou Akihiro saw Eto's failed sneak attack, and his expression darkened.
Without delay, he pressed a red button.
A horde of malformed experimental ghouls was released into the facility.
Driven by primal hunger for flesh, they stormed toward Uesugi Ryu.
Kanou didn't stay to watch. He immediately fled with Ayato Kirishima, leaving the lab behind.
Uesugi Ryu frowned.
He had intended to interrupt Eto's transformation, this was the perfect opportunity. But now with all these freaks rushing in, things were getting messy.
And they would be a pain to clean up later.
He made a decision, clear the field first, then deal with Eto.
To be honest, Uesugi Ryu was unsure if fighting Eto here was worth it.
This battle served little purpose.
In the next instant, the SSS-rated Quinque "Elegy" appeared in Uesugi Ryu's hand.
Elegy was a massive, pale-white long-handled blade.
Its color and jagged form exactly matched the spikes on the One-Eyed Owl's body, it was, after all, made from her Kakuhou.
The blade and hilt were covered in interlocking scales like those of a white serpent, exuding a chilling yet mesmerizing beauty.
Despite his strength, Uesugi Ryu could still feel the weight of the weapon.
From both sides, dozens of grotesque ghouls charged in, tall and short, fat and thin, all malformed and horrifying.
Just looking at them could rattle the average person's mind.
Their sheer numbers alone revealed the horrifying scale of Kanou Akihiro's human experimentation.
These weren't just a handful of failed specimens, they filled the entire facility.