”This guy looks even stronger than a partial Kakuja!
He’s almost reached a full Kakuja state.”
Looking at Washuu Tokimoki, whose form had changed drastically, Kenji knew he couldn’t afford to be careless.
The system panel popped up right on time, showing a few changes compared to before.
[Washuu Tokimoki]
[Strength]: 43?
[Agility]: 130
[Constitution]: 131
[Intelligence]: 21”The difference between our strength stats has already gone over ten points?”
Staring at the question mark in the strength column, Kenji took a deep breath and pointed his long blade straight at Washuu Tokimoki.
Whoosh!
Kenji’s figure vanished from his spot, marking the official start of their fierce battle.
In the darkness, the sounds of clashing metal rang out continuously, sending sparks flying through the air.
The surrounding buildings were smashed apart as the two traded blows, with houses collapsing one after another.
Only after clashing with the fully transformed Tokimoki did Kenji realize just how troublesome this opponent really was.
Clang!
Kenji raised his blade to slash aside a Bikaku rushing at his front, but two more Bikaku immediately whipped toward him right after.
Tokimoki was using three of his tail-like tentacles to attack Kenji, keeping the fourth one coiled around his body for defense.
Deeply analytical, cautious, and incredibly powerful.
That was Kenji’s assessment of Washuu Tokimoki.
From this man, Kenji finally truly understood just how Ghouls fought at their absolute limit.
Swish!
The three Bikaku surrounded Kenji, constantly looking for a gap to strike.
Furthermore, the tentacles were covered in thick armor plates after the transformation, making them very difficult to cut through.
This brought a massive amount of trouble to Kenji.
The unpredictable movements of the Bikaku were put on full display here.
A single mistake from Kenji would lead to a severe wound.
Fortunately, Kenji had a wealth of combat experience.
His long blade formed an airtight defense around his body, and Tokimoki couldn’t break through it for the time being.
”No, I have to find a chance to break this deadlock.”
Both of them had the exact same thought at the very same time.
Tokimoki didn’t want to drag this fight out for too long.
First, maintaining a full transformation consumed an immense amount of energy.
He had only managed to trigger it by eating the Kakuhou of two S-rate Ghouls just now.
Second, the underground world was total chaos.
Fighting Kenji for too long would inevitably attract other Ghouls, and if he got injured, the others would treat him as food.
A heavily wounded SS-rate Ghoul was far more attractive than a human, especially in this underground world where cannibalism was the norm.
With these two points in mind, Tokimoki accelerated his attacks even further, wanting to end the fight quickly.
Feeling the surrounding tentacles suddenly speed up, Kenji’s long blade also danced at an extreme speed.
”This guy wants to wrap things up quickly too?
Maybe I can use this opportunity…”
Pfft!
While blocking the onslaught of the tentacles, Kenji suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left arm.
Looking down, he saw that one of the armored Bikaku had actually grown sharp, insect-like legs on both sides, looking exactly like a giant centipede.
His left arm had been sliced by it.
Fortunately, his tactical suit offered some protection, so the wound on his arm wasn’t too deep, with only a small amount of blood flowing out.
Seeing his attack succeed, Tokimoki intensified his offense.
At the same time, Kenji’s wound made him realize the human’s weakness.
”A human is just a human.
Even if a half-human gains physical capabilities beyond normal people, so what?
Right at this moment, Kenji reached to the pouch on his lower back with his left hand, pulled out two smoke grenades, yanked the pins out with one hand, and threw them straight forward.
”Using this kind of trick now?
Are you trying to run?
Do you really think you can escape?” Tokimoki let out a cold laugh, sending his three tentacles plunging into the smoke to smash everything apart.
His Kakuhou produced a Bikaku, and the best part about a Bikaku was that it could shape-shift into various weapons to extend its reach.
Except for an Ukaku, it had the longest attack range and the widest striking area.
If this human thought two simple smoke grenades could hide him, he was sorely mistaken.
Now, all three of Tokimoki’s active tentacles were fully boosted, growing sharp blades on both sides as they whipped wildly through the smoke.
But was Kenji’s goal to run?
Of course not.
He threw the smoke grenades solely to blind Tokimoki’s vision.
Sizzle—
Inside the smoke, a small flame sparked to life.
Seeing the fuse ignite, Kenji threw the explosive straight toward Tokimoki’s tentacles without a second thought.
Boom!
Along with a heavy explosion, Kenji rolled out of the smoke, looking slightly disheveled.
”You bastard!”
But Tokimoki’s furious roar from the distance proved that the explosive had done its job.
As the smoke cleared, Kenji got a clear view of the situation.
All three of Tokimoki’s active tentacles were blasted into a bloody mess, and one of them was completely blown off.
Although red light was surging over the wounds, showing they would heal sooner or later, this was the exact opening Kenji had created for himself.
Whoosh!
Pulling his long blade from the ground, Kenji kicked off hard with both feet.
He moved like a shooting star, charging straight for Washuu Tokimoki.
Seeing this, the rage on Tokimoki’s face suddenly turned into a cold smirk.
”Foolish!”
The biggest flaw of humans was their weak recovery.
A single heavy blow would make them collapse on the spot.
But Ghouls were born with incredible healing factors, meaning they never feared close-quarters combat!
This human actually dared to challenge him in a melee; he was simply asking for death!
Swinging his last intact tentacle, Tokimoki rushed toward Kenji as well.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The tentacle and the long blade collided in the air, and the two men crashed right into each other’s personal space.
Even though Tokimoki wore a mask, Kenji could still see the crazed look in his eyes underneath it.
Kenji’s face remained grim.
While holding his blade with his right hand to clash with the tentacle, his left hand flipped open a dagger.
Bang!
Slash!
As they traded blows, Kenji used offense as his defense.
The dagger in his left hand seemed to come alive, dancing across his fingers and instantly leaving three deep cuts on Tokimoki’s body.
Tokimoki ignored the wounds and kept striking back.
But in Kenji’s eyes, his attacks lacked any real form, resembling the messy brawling of ordinary people.
Kenji dodged them with ease.
While dodging, Kenji used his dagger to open up several more gashes on Tokimoki.
Seeing this, Tokimoki realized something was wrong.
He immediately used his tentacle to swat Kenji’s blade away, wanting to pull back.
His close-combat experience was far inferior to Kenji’s.
But Kenji didn’t give him a single moment to breathe and charged right back in.
The tentacle and the long blade clashed repeatedly. Get faster updates on g.com.
Only now did Tokimoki realize just how immense the pressure was when facing Kenji up close.
Fortunately, his other three tentacles were almost fully healed.
Once they were back, he could suppress Kenji once more.
But would Kenji give him that chance?
From the moment Kenji started suppressing him, the entire flow of the battle was completely in Kenji’s hands.
Tokimoki’s stats were indeed high, but that was heavily backed by his tentacles.
Without them, his combat strength dropped drastically.
Furthermore, Tokimoki’s personality guaranteed that he would choose the safest route.
He would definitely wait until his tentacles were fully healed before fighting for real, rather than choosing to trade wound for wound right now.
This was the information Kenji had quickly gathered during the fight; he had figured out Tokimoki’s cautious nature the moment the man kept one tentacle back for defense.
Therefore, Kenji chose a completely reckless, life-threatening fighting style.
The more aggressive he was, the more cautious Tokimoki would become, and the more the Ghoul would worry about when his other three tentacles would finish healing.
And losing focus in a battle was always fatal.
Finally, a look of joy flashed across Tokimoki’s face.
His three tentacles were fully healed; it was time to counterattack!
But right at this exact moment, after Kenji had repeatedly slashed at one specific spot, he delivered a massive strike that cut off Tokimoki’s last remaining intact tentacle.
Pfft!
The severed tentacle flew high into the air.
The instant the blade severed the tentacle, the RC cell suppressant coated on the blade took effect.
A massive wave of weakness instantly washed over Tokimoki’s entire body.
Seeing this, Tokimoki’s heart leaped into his throat.
But in the next second, when he saw that Kenji didn’t follow up with a blade strike but instead raised his leg to kick him, Tokimoki put his heart right back into his chest.
”It’s just a human’s kick, this time I will definitely—”
Bang!
Kenji’s foot hit Tokimoki square in the stomach.
The terrifying force tore straight through his torso, blowing a hole through the clothes on his back.
A massive shockwave blasted outward, and Tokimoki’s mind instantly went completely blank.
”Too much talking.”
Slash!
Slash!
Kenji raised his blade and cleanly sliced off his Kakuhou in a single motion.
The intense pain caused Tokimoki’s mind to snap back to reality.
When he realized his Kakuhou had been forcefully cut out, he fell into a state of total shock.
He had only taken a single kick, and the battle was already over?
But the agonizing, tearing sensation in his stomach told him this was reality.
Clang!
The cold steel of the blade pressed against his neck, causing Tokimoki’s pupils to shrink.
This was no longer the time for shock; it was a matter of whether he could stay alive.
”Wait a minute!
I belong to the Washuu clan!
You might not understand, but if you kill me, the CCG will never let you go!
Do you want to be hunted by the entire CCG?!”
Hearing this, a mocking smile appeared on the corner of Kenji’s mouth.
”The Washuu clan is exactly who I’m hunting.
Besides, you belong to the V organization, don’t you?
The hidden tool the Washuu clan uses to eliminate their enemies in the dark.”
Hearing Kenji’s words, Tokimoki’s eyes went wide.
”How do you know that!—”
Flash!
The head flew into the air.
Washuu Tokimoki died just like that, filled with complete confusion and regret.