By the time most of the ghouls had fled onto the deck, all they saw were charred corpses strewn everywhere.
The stench of burnt flesh filled the air.
"The... White... Reaper!!!"
Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Narukami in Arima Kishou's hand crackled once more with pale yellow lightning.
The moment the first ghoul's pupils reflected that aurora of death,
his body was already torn to pieces by the swarm of attacks that followed.
A fat ghoul hiding behind the crowd froze when he spotted Suzuya Juuzou.
He thought to himself, "Juuzou..."
Suzuya Juuzou held Guren Requiem in his hands, his face brimming with excitement.
Blue flames erupted from the opening at the tail.
Like burning garbage, the ghouls before him were reduced to ash.
The blue flames clung to their corpses, burning straight through the deck and connecting it to the first-class cabins below.
A series of miserable screams rang out. Electricity, flames, shockwaves, and missiles took turns tearing through the battlefield.
"Boy, at this rate, this cruise ship is going to be blasted apart."
Mougan Tanakamaru could not help but sigh.
Though his mouth said one thing, the Quinque in his hands never stopped firing.
"Let this ship be buried together with these pieces of trash! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Mado Kureo laughed wildly, his face twisted with madness.
T-human in his hands targeted several ghouls that had suddenly burst up from beneath the deck.
Crackling electricity gathered at the tip of the Quinque.
Mougan Tanakamaru was no slower, shouting loudly.
"Higher Mind!"
Houji Kousuke wore an expression of amazement.
The dazzling colors of blue, yellow, and countless other energy hues reflected on his face like brilliant fireworks.
He had only ever fought such wealthy battles over there.
Carpet bombing and overwhelming firepower were standard practice there.
Unless absolutely necessary, nobody bothered with close combat.
The 'Chi She' in his hands had been acquired there as well.
The laughter of Suzuya Juuzou and Mado Kureo echoed across the deck like the whispers of demons.
The spiraling crystals fired by Houji Kousuke tore through the thick smoke.
This luxurious cruise ship was already on the verge of collapse.
More than one-third of the hull had sunk into the icy sea.
With nowhere left to run, Big Madam was utterly terrified.
With the infamous White Reaper before him, escape was impossible.
He shouted toward Suzuya Juuzou,
"Juuzou, it's Mama! Don't kill me!"
Suzuya Juuzou had been immersed in the pleasure of slaughter and had not noticed Big Madam hiding among the ghouls.
He turned toward the voice with a puzzled expression.
When he saw that familiar figure, a sweet smile curved his lips.
"Long time no see, Mama."
Aura Kiyoko and Arima Kishou simultaneously raised their Quinques and aimed at Big Madam.
But Suzuya Juuzou did not hesitate for even a moment.
"Arima-san, Aura-san, let me handle this."
Arima Kishou gently adjusted his glasses and turned away to deal with the ghouls in the first-class cabin.
Aura Kiyoko did not leave immediately, merely relaxing the finger poised on the trigger.
She turned to Suzuya Juuzou and asked softly,
"Are you sure?"
Suzuya Juuzou answered her with action.
Inside the cramped cabin, there was nowhere to hide.
Big Madam had nowhere to run.
"Juuzou-chan, you..."
Before the curse could leave his mouth, blue flames had already engulfed his bloated body.
The foul odor of burning fat quickly vanished into the cold sea breeze.
.......
"Damn it. That was close. So this is what Tsukiyama-sama meant by 'not so simple'?"
Kanae stood at the stern of the speedboat, staring at the towering flames rising from the cruise ship.
Cold sweat covered his face.
Three minutes later, and they would never have escaped.
Karren held the unconscious Tsukiyama Shuu in the cramped cabin.
Feeling his body tremble slightly, she asked with concern,
"Young Master, are you alright?"
Most of the space inside the speedboat was filled with fuel, food, and fresh water.
Naturally, there was no room for comfort.
Tsukiyama Shuu clutched his head and slowly opened his eyes. The cold, damp wind made him shiver.
"Karren, what happened? Where's Father?"
Karren did not answer immediately.
She could not bring herself to lie to Tsukiyama Shuu.
Tsukiyama Shuu turned his head to look outside.
The bright flames reflected in his purple eyes.
"Isn't that... the cruise ship... we were on?"
Yomo knelt beside Tsukiyama Shuu, lowering his head as he spoke solemnly.
"Young Master, the Tsukiyama Family is finished. Right now, we're escaping to..."
Before he could finish, the furious roar of an engine sounded ahead.
A silver-gray speedboat gleaming with metallic luster emerged from the darkness.
Its bow was fitted with a specialized ram.
Takizawa Seidou was piloting the speedboat directly toward the Tsukiyama Family.
His face was filled with excitement.
Uesugi Ryu stood at the bow, his black coat whipping violently in the wind.
He waved his hand.
"Accelerate. Ram them."
Takizawa Seidou's expression stiffened.
"Wait, you're kidding, right?!"
Uesugi Ryu shot him an impatient glance.
"Quit whining. Stand up and floor it, you idiot!"
Takizawa Seidou gritted his teeth and obeyed.
The speedboat instantly surged forward.
Flames burst from the rear, and a piercing shriek filled the air.
Kanae noticed and turned pale.
She desperately jerked the wheel.
"Hard starboard! Everyone, get to the stern!"
But it was too late.
With a deafening crash, the two speedboats collided head-on.
The savage ram smashed straight through the keel of the Tsukiyama Family's boat.
Jagged alloy tore through the hull as metal screeched and twisted.
The entire boat shook violently.
The Tsukiyama Family members nearly lost their footing.
Fortunately, as ghouls, they quickly anchored themselves to the deck with their kagune.
Karren instinctively released her Rinkaku to shield Tsukiyama Shuu.
"Young Master, be careful!"
Her Rinkaku formed a shield against the explosion's shockwave.
But it could not block the gaze that cut through the smoke.
Fragments embedded themselves into the cabin walls, one slicing a bloody line across Tsukiyama Shuu's pale cheek.
Uesugi Ryu stepped onto the slanted deck.
Despite the violent rocking beneath him, his footing remained perfectly steady.
"Young Master Tsukiyama, we meet again."
Only then did Tsukiyama Shuu fully come to his senses.
His purple eyes finally focused.
The burning sea formed a crimson backdrop behind Uesugi Ryu.
His coat billowed wildly, and tucked into his shirt pocket was a shattered pair of orange glasses.
"You bastard! How dare you!"
Tsukiyama Shuu instantly went mad.
He shoved Karren aside.
A massive Koukaku shot toward Uesugi Ryu, while Yomo and Kanae charged at him simultaneously.
Uesugi Ryu grabbed the incoming Koukaku with one hand.
With a slight squeeze, the heavy kagune shattered instantly.
The immense force yanked Tsukiyama Shuu helplessly toward him.
"Young Master!"
Karren made the best possible decision in an instant.
Her Rinkaku gathered and severed Tsukiyama Shuu's Koukaku in one strike.
Then she grabbed him and leaped toward the sea behind them.
Facing the charging Yomo and Kanae, Uesugi Ryu did not even bother looking at them.
He casually raised his hand and lightly slapped both of them on the head.
Crack.
Their necks twisted like wrung towels.
Uesugi Ryu grabbed Kanae's corpse.
The remaining kagune still twitched instinctively.
With a casual toss, Kanae's body hurtled toward the fleeing Tsukiyama Shuu.
Seeing disaster, Yomo moved to shield Tsukiyama Shuu.
A terrifying gust struck.
Before his companion's corpse could even reach him, Uesugi Ryu had already passed him.
A flash of steel.
The next moment, he and the corpse slammed together onto the blue sea below.
"What?"
Just as Karren turned to look back, Uesugi Ryu was already before her.
His knee slammed intimately into her abdomen.
The next instant, Karren coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Her body shot backward like a meteor and smashed into the military speedboat.
Her body embedded itself into the steel plating, the impact pushing the entire boat back nearly a meter.
At this moment, half of Tsukiyama Shuu's body had already sunk beneath the waves.
Uesugi Ryu grabbed his leg and hauled him up like a chicken.
Tsukiyama Shuu struggled frantically.
He lunged at Uesugi Ryu, mouth wide open, trying to tear a piece of flesh from his mortal enemy.
Uesugi Ryu could not help but sigh.
Even now, he still wanted a bite.
"The Gourmet really lives up to his name."
With his left hand, he slammed Tsukiyama Shuu onto the deck.
Pfft!
Before Tsukiyama Shuu could spit out the blood in his mouth, a cold blade pierced straight into his oral cavity.
The blade twisted violently, crushing every single one of his teeth into fragments.
Tsukiyama Shuu groaned miserably.
The unbearable pain filled his crimson Kakugan with bloodshot veins.
He glared at Uesugi Ryu with pure hatred, mumbling curses through his ruined mouth.
Uesugi Ryu raised an eyebrow.
Then, with a single strike, he ended his life.
Takizawa Seidou stood there holding his Quinque, staring at the scene as if it were a movie.
"Are you kidding me? This has to be a dream."