I am a female swordsman.

A few days later, in Ward 20, near Kamii University.

Wearing sunglasses and carrying a sword pouch, Yomi stood calmly at the agreed-upon location. Yesterday, Mado Kureo had sent her a message asking her to prepare to be bait. The details weren't clear, but judging from her tone, she seemed to be just an ordinary ghoul.

We're about to truly face ghouls.

Just thinking about it made her heart race, and Huang Quan's hand unconsciously went to her sword sheath. Inside was the weapon she had been working with for the past month, having asked a reliable swordsmith to forge it for her through her high reputation in the Uesugi University Swordsmanship Club. It was her greatest asset in this mission.

They didn't keep Huang Quan waiting too long; Mado Kureo and Amon Kotaro, being very punctual, arrived at the agreed location on time.

“Miss Yomi…” Kotaro Amon looked at Yomi’s face, which was noticeably more haggard than a few days ago, and a hint of worry appeared on his resolute face.

However, remembering what his mentor Mado had said, Amon no longer dared to underestimate Yomi. Any other investigator, facing Yomi who was now highly focused and like a sharp blade, would have abandoned any laughable worries about her, for that would be an insult to a warrior.

"Huang Quan, may I see your weapon?"

Mado Kureo became curious about the weapons in the Yomi no Ken pouch. Against ghouls, it would be difficult to inflict fatal wounds on their bodies and kagune unless the weapons were made of quinque steel.

Huang Quan untied the sword sheath, revealing a straight and slender single-edged sword.

The scabbard is simple and white, without any frills. White silk thread is wrapped around the hilt, and with a push of the finger, the beautifully patterned blade emerges from the scabbard. In the sunlight, the cold gleam reflected by this single-edged sword clearly indicates that it was not created to be displayed on a shelf in a collector's room for people to admire.

“Great! Let’s get going, we can’t keep those bastards waiting too long, hahahahaha!” Mado Kureo’s smile was as strange as ever as he hunched over, gesturing for the two to follow him.

He couldn't wait to see Huang Quan's performance, even without weapons made of Kunk steel.

"..."

Huang Quan remained calm and composed, carrying her sword pouch and following Mado Kureo with remarkable ease, a step behind Amon. Amon looked at Huang Quan and Mado, and inexplicably felt that the two seemed to share a strange, unspoken understanding that others lacked.

Author's Note:

P.S.: Second update~~

Chapter Four: Facing Ghouls, Filled with Fear

Because of the existence of ghouls, even cities have abandoned areas, whether naturally occurring or man-made, which often become hunting grounds for ghouls. CCG investigators rarely dare to venture alone into such dangerous ghoul-infested areas.

This time, the target is a Class B ghoul wandering in the abandoned area of ​​Ward 20.

Based on intelligence, the type of kagune is tail kagune.

The tail kagune is the most well-rounded type of kagune, with good defense, offense, and materials, but this also means that the tail kagune does not have any particularly outstanding features.

In this complex, abandoned alleyway, encountering a ghoul skilled in using a kagune would be something Yomi would absolutely need to be extremely cautious about. In fact, shortly after venturing into this area, Yomi had already adjusted her five senses to their optimal state.

In order to lure out the ghoul, the two investigators deliberately lagged behind by a considerable distance.

It's a distance from which rescue is absolutely impossible in a short time!

"Miss Yomi, this job as bait is extremely dangerous, but my intuition tells me you can definitely handle it. So, please don't let me down, lure out that bastard~~!" These were the last words spoken by Mado Kureo, whose smile gradually turned dangerous, before the mission officially began.

This senior investigator possesses an astonishing aura once he gets into work mode.

It's fair to say he was the most memorable and distinctive psychopath in the original story. If he hadn't left the stage so early, he probably would have had a significant impact on the direction of the subsequent plot.

Of course, this kind of impact is definitely not a good thing for the ghouls.

Wandering aimlessly, while paying attention to every rustle of wind and movement detected by his five senses, Huang Quan had been roaming this area for about an hour since becoming bait. Perhaps it was due to exceptionally good luck, but despite what should have been a dangerous abandoned area, he hadn't encountered a single ghoul.

After a long period of fruitless work, Huang Quan's body, which had been tense throughout, began to relax somewhat.

Thanks to the blessing of the [Meditation] LVMAX, she was not anxious or agitated because of her lack of gains. On the contrary, after adapting to the environment of this area, she began to develop in a natural and peaceful direction.

at last!

At one turn, Huang Quan's instincts warned her that a violent sense of danger swept across her neck like a howling wind.

She stopped immediately!

Almost the instant Huang Quan stopped, a shimmering, dark blue kagune pierced through the wall in front of her. Had she not stopped in time, she would have been pierced through along with the wall.

It's a ghoul!

With his right hand gripping the sword hilt with all his might, Huang Quan took two steps back and lowered his body, focusing intently on the figure that emerged from around the corner. Crimson eyes, a tail-like organ extending from his buttocks, waving and swirling in the air—the very air around him seemed to grow dangerous because of his presence.

"I thought he was a CCG investigator, but it turns out he's just an ordinary person." The ghoul kept swinging his kagune. He clearly recognized the red-eyed Yomi, and his whole body was exuding a strong hunting aura.

"Then let me have a delicious meal!"

Like a strange ape, its tail suddenly plunged into the wall on one side, and with incredible speed, it nimbly climbed up the side wall and rushed straight towards the underworld!

The momentum from their side charge was indeed strong, and their speed was incredibly fast...

Behind her sunglasses, which were drawn low to her sides, Huang Quan's crimson eyes were unusually calm at this moment. She seemed to be seriously considering something, or perhaps not thinking about anything at all, serene and composed. Just as the ghoul suddenly swooped down from the wall, the single-edged sword, sheathed, slashed out with overwhelming force!

Clang!

"drink!!"

The cold glint of the snow-white blade made the ghoul instinctively raise his hand and squint. In that brief moment, he felt the icy steel slice through his wrist. By the time the ghoul landed and stood up, Yomi had already regained his stance, holding the single-edged sword horizontally to his shoulder, ready to thrust forward.

The ghoul stared in disbelief at his right hand; he had actually been injured during the attack. A deep cut gushed blood, and the torn flesh on his wrist showed just how vicious the sword strike had been!

'It didn't feel like cutting flesh at all; it felt more like cutting very resilient rubber!'

On the other side, Huang Quan was also somewhat incredulous. Taking advantage of the opponent's downward charge and her own charged sword, she thought she could at least cut off one of the ghoul's hands.

However, the truth is that the wound didn't even reach the bone!

What a monster...

A few traces of blood remained on Huang Quan's blade. The ghoul's relaxed expression, now replaced by murderous rage, vanished upon realizing he'd been injured by food. He probably felt ashamed; to be wounded by someone outside the CCG was a huge disgrace.

I'm going to tear you to pieces!

The restless tail slammed into the ground, creating large cracks. The ghoul, whose lower body strength was clearly far beyond that of an ordinary person, leaped back and forth in the alley and arrived above and to the side of Yomi in the blink of an eye.

The speed at which it fully explodes is incredible!

The ghoul, its tail already poised for attack, completed its bow-like motion in mid-air before suddenly snapping open! The sharp tail pierced straight towards Yomi's head, which she had just raised! It seemed as if Yomi's beautiful head could already be seen exploding under the piercing tail, and the ghoul revealed a ferocious grin!

My lack of combat experience has led to this current disadvantage.

The sharp whistling sound was already close to her forehead. Huang Quan didn't have time to think. The instinct formed by the paintball shooting training she received in the Kendo Club made her choice.

[Parry] LV2!

clang!!

The shattered sunglasses were flung into the air, spinning and tumbling before finally crashing to the ground and shattering into pieces. Without the sunglasses' cover, the crimson eyes were completely exposed to the sunlight, and streaks of blood seeped from Huang Quan's silver hair, slowly trickling down her cheeks.

She successfully parried the tail thrust.

The straight single-edged sword bent and struck under the thrust of the tail hilt. Most of the force was deflected and diverted into the ground, while some of it hit her head.

Huang Quan's crimson eyes seemed to become even more vibrant and captivating due to the intense surge of her emotions. An indescribable, unfamiliar feeling was gradually being awakened within her—the exhilaration of being a hunter! No longer cautiously assessing her opponent's movements, she lowered her body and chose to charge forward aggressively!

Being able to be wounded by a sword means being able to be killed!

He trained day and night to survive, precisely so that he could unleash this life-saving sword at this very moment!

Chapter 5: Fighting is still possible!

He stepped forward and slashed, the blade like a ring!

Holding his sword in one hand, Huang Quan's crimson eyes were terrifyingly focused. The blade he wielded whistled rapidly through the alleyway, like an enraged monster driven to the brink of destruction, fiercely swinging its claws in the wind! Huang Quan's calm, seemingly impervious to danger instilled an indescribable fear in the ghouls!

He had seen his fellow human beings, starving to the point of death, driven to madness by the desire for a bite of human flesh; the sight sent chills down his spine.

The woman in front of me...!

There was something similar in her eyes! She tried to knock the sword from her hand with her guillotine, but failed every time. Even when she attacked with all her might using her guillotine, this woman's reaction speed was almost prophetic; she always managed to parry and block successfully.

How did they manage to do that?

The ghouls couldn't understand how Yomi could react so inexplicably.

Of course, if the ghoul knew that Yomi had been deliberately shot at with paintballs to train her "parry" skill, she would understand where this terrifying reaction came from. She was able to block two paintballs within two meters, and then, at the last second, desperately knock the paintball gun from her opponent's hand.

The mediocre performance of the tail kaku is no match for the feather kaku, which has such an exaggerated burst speed!

Even a Yuhe (a type of weapon) might not be able to match the speed of a human firearm. Moreover, Huang Quan only needs to predict the trajectory of the opponent's powerful attack to parry, which is much simpler than blocking a paintball gun.

The sword blade is like a ring, and the more it strikes, the fiercer the blows become!

Suppress! Suppress! Suppress!

The relentless slashes of the single-edged sword seemed to whip up the wind itself; the snow-white blades emerging from the whistling air were almost mistaken for being carried by the wind. As if venting all the unease and fear she had endured these past few days, Huang Quan, with sheer willpower, managed to suppress the ghoul beneath her blade.

Huang Quan temporarily forgot that he had appeared here as bait.

She also forgot that there should be two CCG investigators behind her who could provide support, and she devoted herself wholeheartedly to one fierce slash after another.

On his personal panel, which he had no time to attend to, the skill levels of [Parry] and [Basic Swordsmanship], which had previously stagnated, were rapidly increasing. In particular, the [Parry] skill was becoming as effortless for Huang Quan as [Meditation], almost instinctive.

clang!!

Another perfect parry, almost 80% of the power was completely deflected, and Huang Quan only retreated slightly before launching a fierce and ruthless thrust into the ghoul's vulnerable eyes!

The tip of the thrusting sword was wreathed in barely perceptible ripples.

The ghoul, hastily using his kagune for defense, retreated in a disheveled state. Whether it was his imagination or not, the wound inflicted on his kagune by the red-eyed woman's single-edged sword seemed to be deepening. If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he would have absolutely dismissed the statement, "A swordsman without a quinquesteel weapon is actually suppressing a B-rank ghoul," as a joke.

"I've had enough of this!"

The ghoul's tail pierced the wall beside it, and its agile body climbed up as quickly as a monkey.

This woman possesses terrifying swordsmanship, capable of both offense and defense, but her weapon has a fatal flaw: unless a vital point is struck, the injuries inflicted on him are mostly superficial. Just one minor injury, followed by piercing her with his kagune, and the battle will be decided instantly!

The weakness of the Yellow Springs is its weapons!

Seeing the ghoul rapidly climb up and move back and forth like a monkey, glaring at him menacingly, Huang Quan immediately realized that the other party might be planning to launch a fatal attack at the cost of injury.

Can't stay here, gotta run!

Huang Quan, who had initially been intent on dragging the ghoul down and chopping it into pieces with a ferocious gaze, revealed her true nature and unhesitatingly turned tail and ran. She might be able to wear down the ghoul, but she would never engage in a do-or-die battle—a battle she was destined to lose!

Huang Quan's escape was so decisive that the ghouls, who were already intimidated by her powerful aura, were stunned.

She just ran away like that...

The humiliation of being suppressed by food and the feeling of being toyed with caused the ghoul to react with extreme rage and roar as he chased after his fleeing prey with all his might.

Hearing the angry roar and a series of crashes from above, Huang Quan realized she had completely enraged the ghoul. In this complex alleyway area, her escape speed was definitely no match for the ghoul's ability to move nimbly and freely in the air.