On top of the tall ceiling of a subway service hall stood a boy with his hands in his pockets. Obviously, it was our protagonist, Amano Hiro.
Since he had never taken the subway before and had no idea how it worked, one look at the complicated route map made his scalp tingle. So he decisively chose to hitch a ride instead.
"Finally."
The train had already entered the station, taken on passengers, and was now slowly starting up and heading out of the platform.
Amano Hiro leapt forward in one bound, rushing toward the departing train. With a whoosh, a pair of dark red wings spread out behind him, carrying him gliding toward the subway. The wings folded in at just the right moment, and he landed on top of the train.
He lay down smoothly, hands tucked behind his head, looking up at the blue sky and white clouds, unable to help sighing.
"This feels so damn good."
These inhuman abilities of running along walls and soaring over rooftops were truly addictive.
This trip had no destination. He would go wherever the train went. The main purpose was to practice with Carnage in real combat, gain experience, and devour a wave of prey to strengthen it.
After lying there for a while, he got a little sleepy and dozed off. When he opened his eyes, he had no idea where he was anymore. Seeing no one around, he jumped off the train.
After that, he deliberately chose remote areas, places like abandoned buildings and warehouses, planning to find a few kind passersby to ask where this was.
Not long after walking, he found a stretch of ruins. As soon as he reached a dilapidated abandoned building, he felt several gazes sweep over him.
Amano Hiro paid no attention to those looks. He simply smiled at the run-down building in front of him and stepped inside.
It looked like a building bombed in Syria. One side had collapsed halfway. It had three floors, but the third floor had no ceiling. Only the first and second floors barely sheltered from wind and rain.
Amano Hiro could sense six presences inside the building. One of them was clearly much stronger than the others.
The feeling was quite strange. Even though he could not see them, he could clearly sense them.
"Boss! That kid came in."
A ghoul with yellow hair and the look of a street punk, who had been watching from the window, turned his head toward the room.
A burly man sat on a sofa with his legs stretched out and crossed on the coffee table. In his hand, he held a slender arm, turning it over and occasionally taking a bite. He did not speak.
"Is he a Dove?"
"Doesn't look like it. He's not carrying a suitcase, and he doesn't look like he could be hiding a weapon."
"..."
"Enough. Matsuda, go bring that kid up."
"Whether he's a ghoul or a Dove, we'll cut off his limbs first and then slowly ask his purpose."
The burly man interrupted the two ghouls who were discussing.
Yamada Ryu, code name Rampage, an S-rated ghoul. He had committed multiple brutal murder cases and was especially fond of eating beautiful women. His mental state was obviously extremely unstable.
After being tracked by the CCG, he had fled all the way here to hide in this remote place.
...
"Our boss wants you upstairs for a talk."
As soon as Amano Hiro entered, the yellow-haired ghoul came down from the second floor and invited him.
"Sure. Lead the way."
Amano Hiro raised an eyebrow. So cooperative? With that attitude, I almost feel bad starting trouble.
When they reached the doorway of a room on the second floor, the yellow-haired ghoul made a gesture, signaling for Amano Hiro to open the door himself.
Just as Amano Hiro was about to open it, his movement suddenly halted. He bent backward sharply at the waist. At the same time, a crimson kagune pierced through the door panel and brushed past his face with a howl.
Using the momentum of the bend, he planted a hand on the ground, spun, and kicked the yellow-haired ghoul in the chest. The tremendous force embedded him directly into the wall. It was unclear whether he was dead or alive.
One of Amano Hiro's hands instantly transformed into a spike. He thrust it fiercely toward the yellow-haired ghoul's heart. The spike pierced through him and the wall behind, skewering another ghoul inside the room straight through the chest.
"Bastard!"
Seeing that the sneak attack had failed and his subordinate had been killed, Yamada Ryu's anger surged. Two rinkaku extended fully as he lunged toward Amano Hiro outside the door.
Looking at the opponent charging out, Amano Hiro transformed both hands into double-pronged forks and stabbed toward Yamada Ryu.
Bang. Bang. Slash.
The collision between kagune and Carnage produced a grating sound that set teeth on edge. Sparks flew everywhere.
"Ah. Die!"
Seeing that he had failed to take down his opponent, Yamada Ryu grew even more furious. His two kagune lashed out like machine guns, stabbing at Amano Hiro repeatedly.
Amano Hiro blocked with both arms, shifted his body to redirect the force, and covered his right leg with Carnage, transforming it into a massive iron hammer. Twisting his waist, he delivered a sweeping kick straight into Yamada Ryu's side.
"Ugh!"
A violent scream, accompanied by the thunderous crash of a breaking wall, rang out as Yamada Ryu was sent flying into the open ground outside the building.
"Hello. How are you all?"
"May I ask which ward this is?"
Amano Hiro turned around with a friendly expression and greeted the subordinates inside, who were already scared stiff.
"Gulp."
"Tw... Twelfth Ward."
"Spare us. It was all... Yamada Ryu's idea."
The remaining three subordinates swallowed hard and begged, trembling.
"Haha. Relax."
"I'm not some kind of devil. I'm very skilled. It won't hurt."
Before his words even finished, three tentacles pierced through the three subordinates' hearts. With a twist, they pulled out their Kakuhou. He did not spare the two he had just killed either.
"Ah. Hahaha. That feels great."
Devouring Kakuhou felt incredible. Every cell in his body trembled slightly. Even his soul felt light and floating, like he was high on drugs.
After absorbing the Kakuhou, Amano Hiro jumped down from the second floor. There was still a bigger fish downstairs. He could not let him escape.
"Ugh. Bastard."
"I'll kill you."
Looking at Yamada Ryu crawling on the ground and still shouting threats, Amano Hiro felt even more pleased.
It seemed that kick had broken his spine. He had not recovered yet.
Without any extra words, Amano Hiro walked straight up to him and crushed his head under his foot. A tentacle pulled out his Kakuhou.
"Mmm."
A surge of energy greater than that of the other five ghouls combined coursed through his body, bringing Amano Hiro immense satisfaction.
He could feel his strength increase significantly. With this, Carnage should have recovered quite a bit.
Just as he was about to head elsewhere for another all-you-can-eat buffet, Amano Hiro suddenly felt like something was missing.
He tore off one of Yamada Ryu's arms, found a conspicuous wall, and used the blood to write across it. In the end, a single word formed.
C A R N A G E..
The still-wet blood slowly trickled down the wall, slightly distorting the letters and adding an even more gruesome and terrifying feel.
Amano Hiro tossed the severed arm aside, stepped back a few paces, and examined the word on the wall, nodding repeatedly as if satisfied with his masterpiece.
Let this be the beginning of Carnage's rise to fame.
He had already planned his next move. He would have a feast in the Twelfth Ward and restore Carnage to its peak state.
It would also be a good chance to see whether, after fully recovering, Carnage could continue to grow stronger. Up to now, he did not even know what type his kagune was or what it looked like. It was probably devoured by Carnage.
"Hey. It's dangerous here. Leave immediately."
Amano Hiro turned his head. At the edge of the ruins stood two people wearing white coats and carrying white suitcases. CCG investigators.
The one who shouted looked to be in his twenties.
"Second-Class Investigator Haibara, stay alert."
"Look over there."
Haibara followed his gaze and saw the mutilated corpses on the ground and the word written in blood on the wall.
"First-Class Sato, is he a ghoul?"
"Very likely. Don't lower your guard."
In such a remote and bloody place, no ordinary person would stand there so calmly. Nine times out of ten, he was a ghoul.