I am a female swordsman.

Her silver hair danced and flew in the howling wind!

A sharp gaze, almost tangible, locked onto the rabbit. A chilling aura, along with a fierce wind, swept towards her, and the piercing sword intent of the underworld emanated from all directions.

The two charged forward simultaneously!

With a sudden leap forward, Huang Quan drew his sword the instant the distance of a few dozen meters was reduced to mere seconds for the two equally swift individuals. The surging, turbulent feathers and the chillingly sharp sword tore through the air with a sharp, piercing sound!

A series of crisp clanging sounds rang out from Huang Quan's sword!

After rushing into effective attack range, in a close-quarters confrontation, Touka couldn't help but unleash a barrage of kagune. However, as if she had seen through her opponent's attack pattern, Yomi deftly conjured one after another ring of sword light, deflecting and sending all the kagune that could reach her flying!

They aggressively pressed their advantage!

A barely perceptible hissing sound echoed through the air. Kirishima Touka glimpsed a cold light, seemingly slow but actually incredibly fast, slicing towards her throat. She forcefully twisted her body and kicked at the tip of the light—that should be where the [Sword Demon] gripped his sword!

Snapped! !

A powerful impact rang in her ears, and Huang Quan gracefully retreated to absorb the force. At the same time, [Rabbit] also took several steps back, and her hoodie silently ripped open at the chest and abdomen.

It only cut through the clothes; it didn't damage the skin or flesh.

Huang Quan gently wiped away the dust clinging to the sword with his left thumb, then casually raised the blade to his shoulder. Against such agile ghouls, a burst of thrusting power was indeed necessary to pierce them in one strike; otherwise, it would be difficult to injure them. Besides, Huang Quan's most prized basic swordsmanship was the thrust!

"prick!!"

She sprinted forward like a spring, her feet landing heavily on the ground, the force she drew from the ground flowing through her slender waist and into the thrusting blade.

The girl charged forward and arrived in front of the rabbit in the blink of an eye!

Feeling the deadly sharpness of the piercing gale rushing towards her, Touka Kirishima's expression beneath her mask turned deathly pale. She even had the illusion that she had already been pierced and killed. Her kagune eyes contracted sharply, and Touka's swirling kagune suddenly flashed forward, dozens of fleeting lights blocking the path of the sword demon's advance.

To dodge? Or to parry?

Huang Quan's answer was: Neither!

All that could be seen was the sword energy rising from the snow-white blade of the tooth-like protrusion, which immediately took the lead! The sudden surge of the sword energy blew away the trajectory of all the shooting kagune, and the kagune that lost its original trajectory immediately lost its power and fell limply in all directions.

A sudden, cold light pierced straight at the rabbit's head!

puff! !

A spray of blood splattered from the sword, and the hair on her forehead snapped off. With all her might, she turned her head to dodge the sword that pierced her head, but Dong Xiang lost her balance and fell to the ground.

However, as if preordained, the sword, which had been thrusting forward, suddenly reversed course, perfectly halting its force. The gleaming, deadly sword in Huang Quan's hands moved like an obedient fish, its blunt side striking [Rabbit]'s hand with deadly force. As if hearing the bones crack under the blow, [Rabbit] endured the excruciating pain in her arm, bracing herself with one hand as she was thrown back.

too horrible!

In just those two close-quarters exchanges, Kirishima Touka felt as if she were facing a killing machine, with deadly attacks constantly looming over her and stripping away her will to fight!

Chapter Seventy-Seven Death

It's so easy...

If the follow-up slash hadn't been delivered with the unsharpened side, [Rabbit]'s injury wouldn't have been as simple as just a hand injury. [Sword Demon's] exquisite swordsmanship was an incomprehensible skill for Kirishima Touka, who knew almost nothing about melee combat, and she had no effective way to counter it.

Ghouls mostly rely on instinct and brute force.

Their physical abilities, several times greater than those of humans, give them the confidence to disregard most combat techniques; however, if these advantages are offset, their shortcomings will become glaringly obvious.

How can I defeat the [Sword Demon]?

Completely focused on the gleaming sword in Huang Quan's hand, Dong Xiang slowly dripped cold sweat from her forehead. The effect of the Feathered Kagune Barrage was minimal, and she was actually at a disadvantage in close combat. Even when she tried to cut through her opponent with her Kagune, she couldn't withstand the gusts of wind and sword light that were being generated.

Damn it! How am I supposed to win?!

Without giving Touka much time to think, Huang Quan adjusted her wrist slightly, flipped the sword back to its original position, and lightly touched the ground with her toes to pounce on her again.

As if weightless, Huang Quan's exceptionally agile figure approached like a ghost. The gleaming sword blade unleashed a powerful sword aura that slashed straight at the "rabbit's" head, displaying a killing technique specifically tailored for humanoid monsters like ghouls.

This swordsmanship has become part of Yomi's personal habits and style. Because she has made it a habit to cut down ghouls, and in addition, according to the rules of the ghoul countermeasures, unless it is for the purpose of capturing them alive or fighting them hard, the wounds that Yomi inflicts on ghouls are basically the type that directly kills or cripples them and makes them unable to fight!

In combat, this translates to the enemy constantly experiencing the immense fear of dancing on the edge of a sword!

'Disarm with your bare hands!'

A resolute glint flashed in the eyes of the masked Touka. Facing the broken steel blade that was slashing straight at her from the underworld, Touka chose to grab the sword with her hand.

[Sword Demon] is famous for her sword; destroying or taking the sword should suffice.

The yakara seemed to swell by nearly double due to the master's inner panic. From a distance, the scene looked as if the Yellow Springs were a white arrow plunging directly into the surging black and red yakara.

A sharp, piercing pain shot through her! Touka felt as if she were holding not some easily broken piece of metal, but some sharp incarnation capable of cutting through any obstacle in her path! Gritting her teeth, Touka tightened her grip with all her might, letting out a fierce roar as she tried to seize the sword!

"Ughhh!!!"

The next moment, the sword shattered, and with it, the Yellow Springs, which were so close at hand, also crumbled...

"Innocent."

Accompanied by Yomi's flat, cold voice, Kirishima Touka felt a large area below her left shoulder go numb. The ghoul's tough muscles had been forcibly torn apart, and the blade had precisely pierced through her kagune from the front!

[Rabbit] The single-winged kagune, which seemed to be burning fiercely, was like fuel that had completely disappeared, unable to continue any longer. The black and red leaping kagune gradually retracted and went out. The pierced Touka suppressed a painful groan. She struggled to lift her head but only saw an endless, solemn and sharp black shadow with its back to the sunlight.

what is the problem?

Swordsman's Sword Skill: [Illusion Sword Technique]

By rapidly integrating the transferred energy residing within her body with her own will, she can create fleeting afterimages for attacks. The power of these afterimages depends on Yomi's control over the transfer of energy. She previously used this sword technique to toy with and mislead [Rabbit], successfully exploiting an opening to injure its kagune!

"You're not the first ghoul to try and defeat me by taking my sword. If you want to beat me, don't even think about these ridiculous tricks. The only way is to fight fair and square."

Maintaining his piercing stance, Huang Quan coldly looked down at the rabbit impaled on the sword.

She's killed countless ghouls; the silver osmanthus badge on her collar was earned through real battles. Yomi's extensive experience in deadly combat far surpasses that of Kirishima Touka, who rarely clashes with investigators.

The rabbit gripped the sword tightly and kicked out with all its might!

To continue in this pierced position is like walking on a tightrope over a death abyss, teetering on the brink of collapse and risking losing one's life at any moment!

Once again seeing through her intentions, Huang Quan slammed the scabbard of his left hand downwards with a fierce thud, the heavy scabbard landing squarely on the rabbit's shin joint. The excruciating pain brought tears to Dong Xiang's narrowed eyes, but she managed to use the recoil to forcefully escape the sword demon's piercing blade.

There are injuries on his hands, feet, and shoulders.

The only kagune was severely damaged, and after Kirishima Touka gradually calmed down, she realized that she could not defeat the sword-wielding demon in front of her with just passion!

That day, even in the pouring rain, he was able to fight two opponents without being defeated, a feat so powerful it inspired despair.

"Are they trying to escape?"

The bright blade spun lightly in Huang Quan's hand, creating a circle and flicking the blood off the blade. Huang Quan easily saw that the rabbit was trying to escape under the pressure of his aura.

The terrain around here is surrounded by many high, layered slopes. Even if he can't release his kagune in a short time, it shouldn't be difficult for him to escape given his physical abilities.

If they pursue the matter further, the situation will actually be unfavorable to Huang Quan.

So she planned to kill the rabbit right here!

Yomi didn't want to be attacked frequently in the future, so she made up her mind to keep the ghoul that dared to attack her. Not only that, the [Rabbit]'s attack also stirred Yomi's murderous intent. Originally, she didn't have time to deal with the ghouls and mutual aid organizations related to the [Rabbit], and keeping Hinami Fueguchi around would keep Ryoko Fueguchi obediently cooperating. Now it seemed better to get rid of them completely as soon as possible to avoid future troubles!

"【Sword Demon】..."

Noticing that the crimson eyes behind Huang Quan's sunglasses had become extremely cold and cruel, Dong Xiang felt her consciousness being frozen bit by bit by the sharp killing intent that was gathering!

I'll die! I'll die! An endless aura of death emanated from that energy, death, death, death, death! Death, death!!!

Just before the incredibly concentrated aura was about to be drawn, as if a divine weapon was about to be unsheathed, Kirishima Touka's biological instincts began to tremble. She seemed to see her own death imminent!

There is no way to avoid it, no way to escape it.

"Senior Sister Huang Quan!"

Just before Huang Quan was about to unleash this terrifying sword technique, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind her, causing her momentum to falter. This interruption exposed a large number of flaws in the already locked-down killing aura of [Rabbit]. Huang Quan couldn't help but sigh slightly in her heart. What a fatal coincidence!

'Kaneki, you actually showed up at this time...'

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Rigorous Training

coincidence?

No, it was inevitable. Ever since what happened with Mrs. Ryoko, Kaneki could sense a brewing impulse emanating from Touka while working at [Antiques]. Kaneki had a premonition that sooner or later, driven by this intense emotion, Touka would recklessly seek revenge on Yomi!

His hunch was right.

Kaneki discovers Touka, who has secretly put on the "Rabbit" mask and slipped out of the "Antiques" alone.

This behavior is undoubtedly suicidal; Touka has absolutely no way of defeating Yomi!

Kaneki trained with two people: Touka, from whom he learned ghoul fighting techniques, and Yomi, from whom he learned swordsmanship and fighting spirit. While Kaneki was mostly on the defensive against both Touka and Yomi, the feeling was completely different!

Kaneki could vaguely sense Touka's limits from her words, but Yomi... no matter how hard he tried, he could never force her to take things seriously.

If you rashly intervene in this thrilling battle, you will be mercilessly killed.

Kaneki had long been aware that Yomi's sword would not hesitate.

What is there that I can do? What is it that someone like me is capable of? Images flashed through my mind: Hinami Fueguchi's mournful cry when she lost her mother, Touka's pain as she suppressed her anger, and the chaotic images finally settled on my own weak self.

Are we just supposed to watch like this?!

By the time Kaneki realized what was happening, he had already called out Yomi's name, which disrupted Yomi's highly concentrated aura.

Taking advantage of the moment when the sword demon's aura was scattered, Touka immediately turned and fled. In just a few blinks of an eye, the figure of the [Rabbit] had already traversed multiple terrain obstacles and disappeared directly from Yomi's sight.

Although he gripped the sword tightly, he never managed to strike.

Having committed murderous intent, Huang Quan had reached a new peak in his state, gaining new insights into his swordsmanship, which had been stagnant since his class change to [Sword Master]. Unfortunately, he was interrupted midway; what was initially a sure-fire attack crumbled as his momentum became disordered, plummeting to a level that even Huang Quan himself could not accept!

Rather than accepting an imperfect strike, it's better to remember the state of that moment and wait for the next one.

"Kaneki, why are you here?"

The sword, gleaming coldly in the sunlight, was slowly sheathed. Huang Quan's flat, emotionless voice revealed no obvious emotion.

Feeling guilty, Kaneki hesitated to meet Yomi's clear and innocent gaze.

"I just happened to be passing by..."

Kaneki just happened to be passing by, just happened to discover Huang Quan, and just happened to speak up at the crucial moment. Kaneki himself felt that his clumsy lie was somewhat unbearable to look at.

The lingering terrifying sharpness on Huang Quan's body shifted and landed on Jin Mu.

Instantly, Kaneki felt a dense stinging sensation all over his body, as if invisible blades were surrounding him, ready to cut in at any moment. But this feeling quickly disappeared as Yomi completely calmed his astonishingly sharp intent.

"Oh."