Furuta Nimura frowned deeply, his expression dark. This strange giant crow had appeared out of nowhere.
With so many people in the way now, his plan had failed. There was no way he could injure Mado Akira anymore.
Looking at the two figures dressed in black and white, Furuta Nimura recognized them instantly.
Only the Yasuhisa sisters dressed like that.
As two of the very few successful artificial ghoul subjects, Furuta Nimura had a deep impression of them.
Kanou Akihiro had previously told him clearly that Yasuhisa Kurona would definitely die, and Yasuhisa Nashiro was missing.
"Classmates... the lab... subordinates? Damn it!"
Furuta Nimura stopped thinking. If he kept overthinking, he might actually die here. Gripping the katana Quinque, he turned and fled.
The Yasuhisa sisters exchanged a glance, then quickly left as well.
This was not a suitable place to fight, and they did not try to stop Furuta Nimura from escaping.
Their task was to protect Mado Akira. Without Mephisto giving orders, they would not act rashly.
Mephisto stood in the shadows, one wing held before its body, its head slightly lowered.
It gave a graceful, gentlemanly bow in Mado Akira's direction, then disappeared back into the shadows.
Watching everything unfold, Mado Akira's mood grew heavier.
She stared blankly at the place where Mephisto vanished and murmured,
"So it really is like that... In the end, I've become a burden to you..."
Her fingers tightened around the Quinque, the joints turning pale from the force.
Takizawa Seidou was momentarily stunned by everything that had just happened.
He scratched his head and thought, "Are there really crows that big in this world? And it even talks?"
"And those two just now... why do they feel familiar?"
Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts aside and walked over to Mado Akira.
"Mado, you alright?"
Mado Akira shook her head.
"I'm fine."
.......
After hearing Uesugi Ryu's words, Hoito Roma sensed the shift in his mood.
Her words had backfired and angered him instead, but she felt no fear at all.
As if she had just seen something amusing, she suddenly grinned and burst into laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha. You're mad. That little girl really matters to you, huh?"
Uesugi Ryu could not be bothered with a dead woman anymore.
Blood-colored steam burst out from the gaps in his armor, and the falling snow around him instantly vaporized from the heat.
The writhing spikes across the armor looked especially ferocious, as the crimson energy merged with the dark red armor.
Explosions rang out as Uesugi Ryu's blurred figure tore through the curtain of snow.
A crimson blade light split the night.
The several-ton heavy kakuja shell was pierced through the head and nailed firmly into the asphalt by the greatsword.
Fragments of asphalt froze mid-air along with her laughter.
Uesugi Ryu drew the twin Jason blades. The two deep purple longswords flipped in his hands.
"Buzz. Buzz."
A vibrating hum rang out.
The Jason blades cut through the kakuja shell as smoothly as a knife slicing mousse cake.
Like a master butcher, Uesugi Ryu instantly dismembered the kakuja shell.
The grotesque, severed shell lay embedded in the crater.
Bright blood sprayed out, quickly pooling into a puddle within the pit.
Uesugi Ryu's gaze shifted slightly as he looked toward the back of the kakuja shell.
Inside, Hoito Roma was moving, ready to break out and escape at any moment.
Uesugi Ryu stomped the ground. The solid asphalt shattered instantly, debris scattering.
In the next moment, his figure appeared atop the kakuja shell.
His eyes locked onto the creature's back, and a faint smile formed at the corner of his lips.
"Found you."
Before his words even settled, his left arm shot forward.
His clawed gauntlet pierced into the kakuja shell, sinking into the soft, sticky interior.
The dark red armored arm entered Hoito Roma's view, then seized her left arm.
Cracking sounds echoed.
A terrifying pain struck as her slender arm was crushed flat, fragments of pale bone piercing through flesh.
Uesugi Ryu pulled slightly.
A tearing sound followed as he ripped his arm back out, a mangled severed limb in his hand.
He paused briefly, looking at the arm.
He had originally planned to drag Hoito Roma out along with it.
But it did not matter.
He grabbed the torn opening with both hands and pulled hard.
The thick flesh of the monstrous body tore apart like rotten cloth, opening a massive gap.
Moonlight poured into the kakuja shell, illuminating the dark interior.
Crimson blood flowed down the sleek contours of the armor.
This brutal, aesthetic armor, combined with the falling snow, reflected in Hoito Roma's eyes.
She lay at the bottom, the monstrous shadow cast over her small body.
There was no fear. Instead, a hint of admiration appeared on her face as she giggled.
"So scary~ But kind of cool."
Before she finished speaking, the flesh at the side split open again, forming an opening. Hoito Roma darted out.
"Too slow."
In Uesugi Ryu's eyes, her movements were painfully slow.
A Blood Shadow flashed.
His dark red armored boot came crashing down toward her.
Hoito Roma's kakugan shrank sharply. In her bloodshot black sclera, Uesugi Ryu's figure was finally reflected.
Eight thick rinkaku burst from her body, rapidly converging in front of her.
They intertwined into a dense cage, shielding her completely.
But Uesugi Ryu ignored it.
Close combat, the impact of flesh against flesh, was far more exhilarating than any weapon.
His golden eyes burned with excitement.
He did not need weapons now. In the face of absolute strength, anything else was unnecessary.
The muscles in his leg tensed violently, releasing terrifying power.
His armored boot slammed down onto the rinkaku defense.
A loud explosion rang out.
The seemingly unbreakable barrier caved inward.
Hoito Roma let out a frenzied laugh, but it quickly turned into a strained screech as her kagune overloaded.
The eight rinkaku creaked under the immense force.
At the breaking point, the entire defense shattered.
Brilliant RC crystal fragments scattered into the air alongside the falling snow.