Chapter 61: Fierce Battle
The shopkeeper stood still, as if contemplating something.
In truth, he was considering whether to retreat. The shopkeeper’s goal was clear: to cover the rescue of Kaneki by Hōsuke and the others.
“Boom.”
A loud crash echoed nearby. The shopkeeper turned his head and vaguely saw someone fighting.
“That kagune... is it Kaneki?”
A smile appeared on the shopkeeper’s face beneath his kakuja shell. Kaneki had successfully escaped—his objective was achieved.
“An opening.”
Su Xiao’s figure flickered as he charged in front of the shopkeeper. The latter’s momentary lapse in concentration allowed Su Xiao to exploit the flaw.
The long blade slashed at high speed, forcing the shopkeeper back step by step.
“Not good.”
Su Xiao’s sharp slashes made the shopkeeper extremely wary. That instant of distraction had put him at a slight disadvantage.
A flash of cold light thrust straight toward the shopkeeper’s brow. Before the blade even reached him, the shopkeeper felt a stinging sensation in his eyes.
He absolutely could not let this strike land—otherwise, it was over. The shopkeeper raised both arms to block.
“Pfft.”
The kagune encasing the shopkeeper’s arms was already riddled with wounds and could no longer withstand Dragon-Slaying Flash. Su Xiao’s blade pierced through one of the shopkeeper’s forearms.
The blade tip not only penetrated the outer kagune layer but also pierced the shopkeeper’s arm bone.
With one hand gripping the sword and the other pressing against the pommel, Su Xiao drove Dragon-Slaying Flash downward toward the ground.
“Clang.”
Most of the blade sank into the ground, pinning the shopkeeper’s arm to the floor.
Su Xiao launched a flying kick, his leg striking the shopkeeper’s face in a side thrust.
A crisp cracking sound rang out as the kagune mask on the shopkeeper’s face shattered, forming fine cracks.
In battle, Su Xiao used not only Dragon-Slaying Flash as a weapon but his entire body. The long blade was for heavy assaults—his primary combat method—while his limbs could kill enemies at critical moments.
The shopkeeper took heavy damage from this kick. With his hand pinned to the ground by Dragon-Slaying Flash, the force caused his face to absorb immense impact.
Moreover, a long crack appeared in the shopkeeper’s arm bone, rendering one arm temporarily unusable.
After the kick, Su Xiao didn’t stop his assault. He pulled out Dragon-Slaying Flash and slashed at the shopkeeper’s throat.
This startled the shopkeeper badly. If his throat were cut, even if he didn’t die, he would lose combat effectiveness.
Freeing his arm, the shopkeeper hurriedly retreated, but his steps were clearly slower than Su Xiao’s blade.
Just as the blade reached his throat, the shopkeeper tilted his head back and leaped upward. The long sword, originally aimed at his neck, struck his collarbone instead.
Dragon-Slaying Flash tore through the shopkeeper’s defenses with unstoppable force. Clearly, the kagune armor covering his body was far less durable than the kagune on his arms.
Blood gushed out as the shopkeeper’s brow furrowed deeply.
A veteran of countless battles, the shopkeeper struck back with his arm even as he was wounded.
This blow was immensely heavy, driven by killing intent—the shopkeeper aimed to split Su Xiao in two.
Su Xiao quickly raised Dragon-Slaying Flash to block, one hand on the hilt and the other pressing against the blade’s back.
“Clang!”
A tremendous force transmitted through Dragon-Slaying Flash. Su Xiao’s body arched as the concrete beneath him shattered, forming spiderweb-like cracks radiating from his feet.
Using the powerful momentum, Su Xiao retreated several steps before stabilizing himself. His hand gripping the sword trembled slightly.
This strike was far too heavy. Su Xiao conservatively estimated the shopkeeper’s strength attribute to be at least 15 points or higher.
Since the battle began, less than five minutes had passed, and both sides had sustained injuries.
The shopkeeper’s kakuja shell was covered in large gashes, and his main body had wounds on one arm and collarbone.
Given the shopkeeper’s ghoul constitution, these injuries weren’t severe.
Su Xiao had expended considerable stamina, and both arms were numb, requiring time to recover.
He had no external wounds, but as a human, any injury to vital areas would impact his combat ability.
The shopkeeper silently stared at Su Xiao as blood gradually seeped back into his body, wounds healing rapidly.
“Ssss~.”
A sound of metal corrosion came from Dragon-Slaying Flash, a wisp of smoke rising from its surface.
Su Xiao immediately tore off a strip of cloth and wiped the blood from the blade.
In less than two seconds, Dragon-Slaying Flash had lost 4 points of durability. The shopkeeper’s blood was problematic.
The exact reason was unclear, but the shopkeeper’s blood indeed corroded his weapon.
After his arms recovered somewhat, Su Xiao clashed with the shopkeeper once more.
Blade light flashed repeatedly, forming almost a net of slashes in front of Su Xiao. He not only attacked the shopkeeper continuously but also remained vigilant against counterattacks.
Nearby, Amon became a mere spectator, watching the entire fight unfold.
...
On a steel suspension bridge far from the Aogiri Tree base, Takatsuki Sen was wrapped in bandages, sitting at the bridge’s edge, her calves swinging.
“About time, isn’t it?”
Takatsuki Sen looked toward the distant Aogiri Tree stronghold, her deliberately altered voice carrying a hollow tone.
“Yeah.”
Tatara stood behind Takatsuki Sen, pulling out a detonation device.
“The retreat is almost complete. Begin.”
With that, Tatara pressed the detonator without hesitation.
“Boom.”
A muffled explosion echoed from within the Aogiri Tree base. Smoke billowed as the main building tilted slightly.
After the blast, the base fell into dead silence, save for a flock of crows startled into frantic flight.
“The base wasn’t destroyed. Was the explosive charge insufficient?”
Takatsuki Sen stood up, her strange tone gone, reverting to her original voice.
“Click, click...”
Tatara pressed the detonator several times, but nothing happened.
“The explosives have been dismantled. Only the two most concealed detonation points on the lower level remain.”
Murderous intent flared in Tatara’s eyes. This was his plan, and it had clearly failed.
“Those suspicious guys earlier said the plan might fail. Is it their fault?”
Takatsuki Sen began to suspect the contractors on the ghoul faction.
The contractors on the ghoul side had been slow in completing their tasks, earning them a low status within Aogiri Tree and failing to gain Takatsuki Sen’s trust.
Su Xiao was different. As a temporary member of Zero Squad and a powerful combatant invited by Marude, his words carried weight with Marude.
This was the benefit of “strength + status.”
“No. Those guys kill CCG members even more eagerly than we do. They hunt down isolated CCG agents every night.
Besides, I’ve had people watching them constantly. They had no chance to tip anyone off.”
Hearing Tatara’s explanation, Takatsuki Sen remained silent, though a hint of unwillingness flickered in her eyes.
“That damn guy. What I want most is to crush him to death. I’ll have to find another opportunity later.”
Takatsuki Sen turned and left, with Tatara following behind.
...
On the rooftop of the Aogiri Tree base.
Su Xiao sat on the roof, a long gash across his abdomen and a thumb-sized hole in his shoulder.
The shopkeeper had escaped—after severely wounding him, he fled.
The entire building had suddenly tilted earlier, breaking Su Xiao’s fierce offensive and allowing the shopkeeper to inflict heavy damage.
Su Xiao fought with blade techniques, relying on skill, while the shopkeeper fought with overwhelming defense and attack power. After the drastic terrain change, Su Xiao suffered a significant disadvantage.
Though the shopkeeper escaped, he had “left” something behind. Beside Su Xiao lay a half-meter-long kagune, which he had severed from the shopkeeper’s back.
This was an independent kagune sac—the shopkeeper’s ukaku.
PS: (Ahem, it’s time to ask for some recommendation tickets and collections.)