I am a female swordsman.

If he is a doctor.

This also means that if a ghoul is injured, and it's a wound that its own healing ability can't heal, it will definitely need a doctor to help treat the injury.

Dr. Fueguchi was definitely faking it!

If you need to suture or cut open a ghoul's body, ordinary medical instruments simply won't work properly; you'll need medical instruments made of quinque steel. Dr. Fueguchi was far too flustered just now. The only plausible explanation is that he has something to hide; while he's colluding with the CCG, he definitely has some shady dealings with ghouls!

The sound of running footsteps was drowned out by the loud sound of rain.

Folding up his umbrella, Huang Quan turned a corner, his aura completely concealed and subdued, and quietly slipped back into the vicinity of Dr. Fueguchi's clinic. Letting the cold rain trickle down his hair, Huang Quan squinted his eyes and began to wait patiently.

Mado no Uesugi and Amon no Ichi also went out today.

Their job is fishing.

Fish for some fish driven out by the [Ghouls]. If all goes well, some severely injured ghouls will appear in Area 20. Since Yomi is in charge of this area around Fueguchi, the two partners won't interfere unnecessarily.

For Huang Quan, this is definitely a rare opportunity.

Her mission, "Staining Steel with Blood," was already nearing its end. As long as she kept watch on Dr. Fueguchi, many wounded ghouls would inevitably walk into her trap in the near future. This was practically a godsend. Once the mission was completed, Yomi was certain that her strength would experience a qualitative leap.

They can at least rival S-class ghouls!

………………

"Crows? They're said to be investigators that are completely different from doves. I've heard about that too."

Antique Cafe

A mature female waitress with long, straight black hair carefully wiped the cups. When she heard Touka mention the unusually active crows, she frowned with concern. She wasn't on duty that day and hadn't seen Yomi come to Antiques. She was also startled when she later learned from other staff that an investigator had come to Antiques for coffee.

When Touka saw the long-haired, black-haired waiter, Irimi Kaname, frowning, she couldn't help but become curious.

"Yes, because I've only heard about it and haven't looked into it, I wanted to ask Irimi-nee about it."

"Touka, you'd better not approach the crows. It's said that those three crows have an unusually sensitive intuition about ghouls. Especially the sword demon, no matter what method the opponent uses to disguise themselves, she can always find the flaws." Irimi Kaname understands the terror of crows even better than ordinary ghouls.

Senior Investigator Mado Kureo, First-Class Investigator Amon Kotaro, and Trainee Investigator Yomi.

The combined achievements of these three individuals are enough to completely eliminate ghouls in a certain district for a long time. In particular, their successful expulsion of the S-rank ghoul Rize Kamishiro and subsequent arrival in the 20th district have put the members of the Antiques organization who are aware of the situation on high alert.

It's possible that the usually peaceful District 20 might see a new, fierce battle erupt, just like the one that happened 10 years ago.

"Is she really that good? She didn't even notice all those ghouls in the shop that day. She's probably just all talk and no action." Touka pouted, unconvinced. She still couldn't forget the sword demon who had left such a deep impression on her standing at the door.

"That makes sense, after all, she's just a trainee investigator."

"No, that woman is more dangerous than you say." Suddenly, a man in a coat who had been sitting silently at the counter spoke up.

Author's Note:

P.S.: Thank you for all the readers' support, and thank you to "Night Wanderer" for the long review and the reward. I will continue to work hard!

Chapter Twenty: Whispers Within Antiques

"Lotus Revelation...?"

Touka stopped what she was doing and looked at the man.

Renji Yomo is a ghoul who frequently goes out to gather food for the Antiques Cafe. He has short, bright silver hair, and his unkempt stubble makes him appear even more mature and composed. Touka has always believed that Yomo is the strongest member of Antiques, and that she herself is no match for him in combat!

For the taciturn Yomo Renji to say that the sword demon Yomi was more dangerous than imagined is naturally highly credible.

"I'll answer your questions about the crow and the sword demon Huang Quan." The kind old man who came down from the second floor of the antique café took over the conversation. He was none other than Yoshimura, the manager of the antique café.

"The crow became famous after successfully driving out Rize Kamishiro in Area 11. The previously unknown crow suddenly became known to all its kind. However, the crow sword demon Yomi had actually already shown its talent two months ago. At that time, that matter caused quite a stir among us."

Store manager Yoshimura's story quickly evoked their memories.

Indeed, two months ago, news spread among the ghouls in the 20th ward about a female college student named Yomi, who was said to be half-human and half-ghoul. It was also said that not only did she taste as delicious as a human, but that taking her kagune would make the ghoul even stronger.

The rumors spread to the Antique Cafe, and some ghouls from outside the 20th ward seemed to become restless as a result.

"But wasn't that proven to be just a rumor?"

Irimi Kaname was aware of what happened next. The female college student, Yomi, had made contact with the CCG and used herself as bait to lure and kill unsuspecting ghouls in the 20th ward for a period of time. After discovering that there were no more ghouls attacking her in the 20th ward, she immediately left.

Now that I think about it carefully, I truly admire this girl who possesses the indomitable will of a swordsman.

"That's right, it has indeed been confirmed as a rumor. However, during the subsequent search for food, it was discovered that Sword Demon Yomi does indeed possess swordsmanship capable of killing ghouls. Moreover, this confirmed swordsmanship can be used freely without Quinque as a weapon, so at present, Sword Demon Yomi is an extremely dangerous investigator."

Manager Yoshimura's words struck Touka with a tremendous impact in an instant!

You can kill ghouls without Quinque.

This is simply a fantasy. Because ghouls have a much higher concentration of RC cells in every part of their body than ordinary people, their physical strength is so great that they can ignore ordinary melee weapons.

If an ordinary person were to slash a ghoul with a non-Quink blade, it would only be like scratching an itch.

This is why even ghouls that are hunting humans for the first time can easily kill a human.

"How is this possible? It's too far-fetched that her sword isn't Quinque..." Touka suddenly remembered that when Crow came to the coffee shop that day, she didn't have the usual briefcase that White Doves carry with her; she only had a black sword pouch on her back.

"I wouldn't dare say she's reached the level of slaying ghosts and gods with her sword, but she's not far off. A sword wielded purely for killing is a sin for such a young girl."

Store manager Yoshimura remained calm, seemingly unaware of the threat that Yomi posed to the ghouls.

Unlike the expensive and luxurious Kunk, which costs 90 yen per ton, the Sword Demon Yomi relies on swordsmanship, a skill that can be learned by more humans. If more people learn Yomi's swordsmanship, they can join the battlefield without Kunk, and they don't even need to be able to defeat A-rank ghouls like Yomi; they only need to be able to deal with B-rank ghouls. This would be an absolute nightmare for ghouls in various districts.

"You've seen her fight in Area 11, right? What did you think?"

The quiet and silent Shifang Renji nodded. That scene must be unforgettable.

Standing proudly amidst the ghouls, sword in hand, his calm expression betrayed no fear. The unsheathed sword was like a rainbow tearing through the night sky; in the blink of an eye, the swarming ghouls were all dead.

A sword faster than a feathered ghoul, a sword capable of tearing through a kaku, a sword surpassing the lethality of a rinkaku, and a sword whose overall technique completely overwhelms a feathered ghoul—it moved freely among the ghouls, its snow-white blade seemingly painted with blood. Yomi was the first human Renji had ever seen who could push swordsmanship to such an extreme. If there truly were sword saints in historical legends, they probably wouldn't be any more than this.

"She looks a lot like that guy who came to District 4 back then."

"Such high praise! She's another rising star after that genius investigator. If she had been born 10 years earlier, that battle might have been a foregone conclusion." Manager Yoshimura couldn't help but sigh.

Touka finally couldn't hold back anymore!

"Manager, if she's as strong as she says, and if she teaches swordsmanship to more White Doves..."

"No, Touka."

"what?"

"Because her sword is not a killing sword that ordinary people can touch. Sword Demon Huang Quan must have paid a great price for this. To learn such swordsmanship, one would have to kill one's own emotions or one would collapse. Even a sword demon might be troubled by this."

Yoshimura had also observed Huang Quan's battle from afar, and finding another human as strong as Huang Quan to the point of being almost transcendent was virtually impossible.

"Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, Dong Xiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and gradually calmed down, no longer scaring herself unnecessarily. She also roughly understood what the store manager meant.

"However, more than that, I hope everyone will be careful when they are open for business recently. After all, many new faces have come to the 20th arrondissement, and it would be troublesome if customers started fighting in the antique shop."

"Understood." X3

"Then let's all keep up the good work!"

The crow came to the 20th ward in pursuit of the ghoul Rize Kamishiro, but unfortunately, many of the customers at this café run by ghouls are also ghouls, including Rize Kamishiro. In recent days, Rize Kamishiro has been scouting for prey at the "Antiques" café in addition to hunting.

What if Yomi and Rize Kamishiro bump into each other in [Antiques] someday...

That scene must have been amazing.

As the light drizzle outside the store turned into a downpour, the store manager's mood, like the increasingly severe weather, gradually became gloomy.

Sword Demon Huang Quan.

Compared to the genius boy who injured him and took his hands away ten years ago, she was still immature and inexperienced, and her strength was far inferior. However, Yoshimura felt an unprecedented and strange sensation from her, not danger or fear, but as if he were watching a bewildered monster grieving.

Yoshimura Kozen seemed to see his past self in him.

If the Underworld Investigator really does come back to [Antique] to enjoy coffee, the manager really hopes to have a good chat with her.

Author's Note:

P.S.: I suddenly have a strong urge to find an artist to draw Huang Quan...

Chapter Twenty-One: Mission Completed

"What a good rain."

Mado Kureo loved rainy days. During their fishing expedition to wipe out the ghouls of the 20th ward, he and Amon finally tracked down Jason. Unexpectedly, Jason found the ghoul even before the crows.

It happened right here in the building where ghouls hunt for food, right beneath their feet.

[Oogiri] seemed to be disturbed by [Jason] while eating, and the two appeared to have broken out in a fight. Although both S-class ghouls had disappeared by the time Mado Kureo and Amon arrived after receiving the news, Mado Kureo, who had a terrifying intuition for ghouls, seemed to have sensed something and began wandering around the building.

"Heavy rain can dull their senses, making it a good time for us to work."

Mado Kureo let the cold rain wash over his face, which reduced the strange smile on his face considerably.

"According to the report from the 20th Ward, a ghoul predation incident occurred in this building a week ago. It is believed to be the 'Big Ghoul,' and witnesses even saw a figure resembling 'Jason.'" Kotaro Amon accompanied Kaname Mado and others to investigate the scene.

Because Huang Quan has been specifically hunting ghouls recently, he is temporarily unable to participate in this investigation.

"【Big Eater】and【Jason】."

“S-rank ghouls are making contact with each other, Mr. Mado, could it be…” Amon had some bad thoughts. Yomi had been hunting ghouls like a demon lately, causing considerable damage to them. Seven B-rank and above ghouls had died, but she still didn’t stop.

If the ghouls feel threatened by this, they will unite.

Without a doubt, Yomi, who has been wandering alone in District 20, will be responsible for the area where Dr. Fueguchi is in charge, which will be full of danger and murder!

"Who knows? The habits of these two ghouls mean they can't share food peacefully. If we're talking about Yomi and you and me..."

Mado Kureo suddenly realized something!

His eyes widened, and he grinned excitedly, looking around. He'd found it! He'd found something he knew all too well, something that shouldn't be in this building! Kunk! With an agility completely at odds with his hunched figure, he leaped over railings, rushed to the outer edge of the danger zone, and excitedly grabbed something!

"Mr. Mado!"

"Haha! Amon-kun, see, I knew it!"

Startled, Amon watched as Mado Kureo brandished the metal pliers in his hand. They were made by Quink and were torture devices that Jason liked to 'play' with.

Jason's torture instruments couldn't have fallen here for no reason!

"If I had to point out a flaw in this downpour, it would be that the sound of the rain prevents me from hearing the agonizing screams of those bastards before they die, hahahaha!" Mado Kureo smelled the rich, bloody scent emanating from the rain, and the impending battle filled him with a sense of elation.