Chapter 79: The Stab!
The passageway echoed with thunderous sounds as Su Xiao and Takatsuki Sen tangled together.
"I'll kill you, you bastard, and crush your head."
Takatsuki Sen's personality underwent a drastic change in her Kakuja state.
Takatsuki Sen's current appearance was similar to the manager's Kakuja shell, though hers was noticeably larger.
Compared to the manager, Takatsuki Sen had slightly less combat experience, but she was stronger and faster.
Su Xiao ducked to avoid the claw formed by kagune, holding Dragon-Slashing Flash horizontally in front of him to block Takatsuki Sen's biting maw. Just before that bloody mouth closed, Su Xiao angled the blade.
Crack.
Takatsuki Sen bit down on Dragon-Slashing Flash, the blade's edge pressing against her upper palate.
Gripping the hilt with both hands, Su Xiao exerted force from his waist. His entire body was like a fully drawn bow, power transmitting from his lower back into his arms as he lifted the longsword upward.
Pfft.
A wound was cut into Takatsuki Sen's upper palate, though the blade was stopped by the bone formed by kagune.
This strike was truly life-threatening. With her upper palate sliced open, combined with the pain of Azure Steel Shadow burning her energy, Takatsuki Sen's crimson eyes began to roll back.
"Mmm~."
After a muffled groan, Takatsuki Sen's claws flailed wildly. Su Xiao immediately withdrew his blade and leaped backward.
"Haah~, haah~."
Blood gushed from Takatsuki Sen's mouth. This strike had genuinely frightened her.
If Dragon-Slashing Flash had been sharper, even the head of Takatsuki Sen's Kakuja shell might have been split open.
Although that was just the Kakuja shell, not Takatsuki Sen's real head, under such injuries, she would have been helpless in the subsequent fight, left to be ground into the dirt by Su Xiao.
"It hurts so much. You bastard are definitely not a pure human. Are you an experiment from the White Day Court like that guy? That madman at CCG."
White Day Court? Su Xiao had never heard that term. Perhaps it was an organization within CCG that trained combatants.
Flicking the blood off Dragon-Slashing Flash, Su Xiao's eyes gleamed with cold light as he charged forward.
Rushing in quickly, Su Xiao changed his strategy.
As an SSS-rank Ghoul, Takatsuki Sen's endurance attribute was certainly high. In a prolonged fight, he might not be her match. He needed to find a way to land a fatal blow.
The battle was now deadlocked. Neither side could finish the other off quickly. Moreover, based on their previous encounter, Takatsuki Sen would wildly claw at the air in front of her face when enduring the pain of Azure Steel Shadow.
Though the posture was inelegant, it kept her from losing ground. This literary female ghoul had some clever ideas.
After reaching Takatsuki Sen, Su Xiao delivered a routine slash. He always aimed for the throat or heart, rarely considering other targets.
If he was going to strike, it had to be a killing blow.
The kagune on Takatsuki Sen's arms met his attack—two blade-like kagune resembling greatswords.
Clang.
The sharp sound of metal striking metal rang out. Takatsuki Sen raised her kagune, intending to push Su Xiao away.
After two exchanges, both sides had gained some understanding of each other. Su Xiao was slightly weaker in strength than Takatsuki Sen, but the gap wasn't significant.
Su Xiao took two steps back to absorb the force. Just as his second foot landed, he stepped on an old bone.
The bone had been there for a long time and snapped under Su Xiao's weight. His balance wavered slightly, and he intended to take another step back to stabilize himself.
Takatsuki Sen's heart surged with joy. Such an opportunity was rare. Her luck today seemed good.
She manipulated her towering Kakuja shell toward Su Xiao. The two greatsword-like kagune, a pale hand claw formed by kagune, and that bloody maw all attacked Su Xiao simultaneously.
Su Xiao maintained a backward posture, seemingly off-balance, but he had done this intentionally.
He fought using swordsmanship, combat intelligence, and technique. How could he make such a basic mistake?
A faint smile appeared on Su Xiao's lips. He bent his body, stomped one leg hard against the ground, and launched himself forward.
Takatsuki Sen's two kagune greatswords and hand claw all missed. Su Xiao had charged straight into her embrace.
With one hand gripping the hilt of Dragon-Slashing Flash in a reverse hold and the other pressing against the blade's end, Su Xiao thrust the longsword into Takatsuki Sen's mouth, aiming directly for her throat and the organs within her torso.
Swish.
Dragon-Slashing Flash cut through like a hot knife through butter, plunging deep into Takatsuki Sen's mouth. The tip even reached her chest cavity. The real body inside Takatsuki Sen's Kakuja shell felt a chill run down its spine.
If this thrust continued, it would pierce through her head.
Takatsuki Sen's Kakuja shell was about 4 meters tall, while her real body was petite, only about 1.5 meters.
Her real body was inside the torso of the Kakuja shell and could move.
If someone stabbed down from above, anyone would instinctively shrink downward. Takatsuki Sen was no exception, immediately ducking.
Pfft.
The gleaming blade tip stopped right in front of Takatsuki Sen's nose. Her pupils trembled. Death had brushed past her.
After delivering this thrust, Su Xiao's feet landed on the shoulders of Takatsuki Sen's Kakuja shell.
In Su Xiao's view, this strike should have had some effect. Even if Takatsuki Sen didn't die, she would be crippled.
But who could have expected that Takatsuki Sen would dodge this strike by virtue of her height? Her petite build had saved her life.
The dull crimson single eye of the Kakuja shell suddenly widened. Su Xiao silently cursed.
As expected, a pale hand claw swiped at his chest.
Bang.
Su Xiao was sent flying far away, several bloody gashes appearing on his chest. But he wasn't one to take a hit lying down. Using the momentum of being knocked back, Dragon-Slashing Flash slashed open the entire chest cavity of Takatsuki Sen's Kakuja shell, creating a wound nearly a meter long.
"Cough~."
Blood surged up from his throat. A trace of blood appeared at the corner of Su Xiao's mouth, and a metallic taste filled his mouth.
Pressing one hand against his chest, a dull ache told him his ribs were probably cracked. The injury wasn't severe; he could still fight.
While Su Xiao's injuries weren't too serious, Takatsuki Sen was far from comfortable.
Takatsuki Sen was an Ukaku-type Ghoul. Though she was a Kakuja, she wasn't known for her regenerative abilities.
The Kakuja shell was nearly disemboweled, blood gushing out like water.
"Crack, crack."
Takatsuki Sen's Kakuja shell began to break apart, crumbling like withered wood.
In less than a few seconds, Takatsuki Sen shrank from her original 4-meter height into a petite beauty only 1.5 meters tall.
The bandages covering Takatsuki Sen's body fell away, revealing a fair face and a head of light green hair.
Her hair spread across her back. It wasn't particularly smooth, with some strands sticking up, layered and distinct, quite aesthetically pleasing.
"That mistake earlier was bait, wasn't it? I'm such a fool. How could a close-combat expert like you make that kind of error? Stupidity... comes at a price."
A breeze blew through the nearby passageway. Takatsuki Sen immediately sensed something was wrong.
Touching the bandages on her face, she realized her appearance had been exposed to her enemy. She quickly tried to cover her face.
But she overlooked one thing—shouldn't she be more concerned about covering the "white rabbits" on her chest? Or was covering her face more critical, reducing the shame of being seen by 50%?
Realizing that Su Xiao had already seen her face, Takatsuki Sen stopped making pointless gestures. Instead, she tugged at the bandages on her chest to prevent any accidental exposure.
"What a bizarre outfit."
Su Xiao spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva.
The current situation was that he was fairly injured, while Takatsuki Sen could no longer use her Kakuja shell.
The Rc cells within a Ghoul's body weren't unlimited. Once Rc cells dropped to a certain level, they couldn't even use their kagune. Of course, Rc cells could recover during rest, and consuming human flesh or devouring other Ghouls could speed up recovery.
Without her Kakuja shell, Takatsuki Sen was essentially disarmed.
Su Xiao rushed to Takatsuki Sen in a few steps, his longsword slashing down at her face.
Takatsuki Sen's eyes were filled with helplessness. Her strength wasn't inferior to Su Xiao's, but that earlier mistake had been too costly, putting her life in danger.
The Ukaku on her back appeared. Takatsuki Sen intended to use her ordinary kagune to defend against the slash.
If even the Kakuja shell couldn't fully defend against his strikes, could ordinary kagune? The answer was no.
Just as Su Xiao's blade was about to fall, securing his victory, a spike burst through the ground beside him.
The spike aimed for Su Xiao's shoulder—not a fatal spot, and its speed wasn't too fast. It seemed less intended to kill Su Xiao and more to force him back.
Forced to abandon his strike on Takatsuki Sen, Su Xiao sidestepped and leaped away. After landing, he looked at the spike that had emerged from the ground.
"This is... IXA?"
Kishou Arima's Quinque!