Yoshimura Eto once again shifted into her beast-like form, falling onto all fours and launching a frenzied assault on Uesugi Ryu.
With his abdomen wounded, high-speed movement would inevitably cause the gash to reopen, leading to continuous blood loss. A wound of that severity would result in hypovolemic shock within a minute or two.
Uesugi Ryu swung his long sword to block the strike. The sharp blade instantly carved a sizeable gap into the kagune.
The scabbed wound on his abdomen was torn open again from the violent motion, and a wave of piercing pain surged through his nerves.
He acted as if he hadn't felt a thing, his gaze locked onto the kakuja shell's bloated chest, where newly grown kagune temporarily sealed the grotesque wound.
RC cells were the foundation of everything. After depleting a large amount, Yoshimura Eto's defense had clearly weakened.
"What?" Yoshimura Eto stared in disbelief at Uesugi Ryu.
Due to his abdominal armor concealing the injury, she had no way of knowing his internal condition. But judging from his behavior, he didn't look injured at all.
Her own wounds hadn't even begun to heal!
Who was the ghoul here?
Seizing that brief moment of distraction, Uesugi Ryu activated Instant Step. His form blinked forward and appeared directly in front of Yoshimura Eto.
His time was limited.
In his current state, he could only maintain it for four more minutes, and he still needed to reserve stamina in case Arata lost control again.
So long as he kept feeding it mana, Arata would behave. But once the supply stopped, it would start devouring Uesugi Ryu's flesh without hesitation.
The Destroyer appeared in his hands in an instant and flames erupted from the barrel.
A massive single-headed shell fired with incredible speed, howling straight toward Yoshimura Eto.
A thunderous explosion echoed. The shell struck directly above Yoshimura Eto's chest.
However, instead of a bloody explosion, something unexpected happened.
A delicate chemical ampoule, driven by the shell's immense kinetic energy, burrowed directly into her body.
It was a special RC cell suppressant shell.
With a wet squelch, the suppressant embedded itself in Yoshimura Eto's flat lower abdomen.
This compound worked best when it hit the core. The earlier reckless assault had been Uesugi Ryu's way of locating her true body.
Without even blinking, Yoshimura Eto immediately grew a kagune inward, severing the targeted region on the spot.
A flood of blood spilled out, exposing the slowly pulsing internal organs.
Her reaction was swift and decisive, but some amount of the suppressant had already entered her bloodstream.
A thought of retreat surfaced in her mind, yet instead of fleeing, she advanced.
All six massive arms reached for Uesugi Ryu, intending to clutch him tightly in an embrace.
The latter withdrew his Destroyer and activated Instant Step to dodge sideways.
Yoshimura Eto's decision to go on the offensive was the correct one.
Although Uesugi Ryu possessed the ring that healed injuries, it still took time.
His abdomen was severely wounded, power couldn't be generated from the core. This wasn't about willpower; as long as Uesugi Ryu remained human, he couldn't overcome this flaw.
Especially with a weapon like that long sword, which required full-body exertion. Switching hands wouldn't fix the issue.
With no obstacle in front of her, Yoshimura Eto's limbs churned wildly as she dashed toward the nearby wall.
She was pushing this body to its absolute limits. Red mist burst out as her motions grew more violent.
The red-and-white kakuja shell radiated a terrifying heat, like a living steam engine.
Uesugi Ryu's long sword split in two, reverting to its dual-blade form, both blades were enveloped in red energy.
Seeing Yoshimura Eto prepare to escape, he stopped caring about conserving mana.
His form vanished.
In the next instant, he reappeared behind her. Both hands swung the blades downward. The flashes of steel swept through the air like ribbons.
Several sharp slashes sounded out. The densely packed red-and-white spikes were cut cleanly in half and scattered across the floor.
Uesugi Ryu landed squarely on Yoshimura Eto's back. Reversing his grip on the dual blades, he began to spin at incredible speed.
His entire body transformed into a high-speed rotating top. The blades in his hands spun like the knives of a meat grinder.
Cold light exploded outward as blades crisscrossed. Kagune fragments shredded by the blades flew into the air like confetti.
Uesugi Ryu dug deeper, half his body already embedded into the kakuja shell.
The dual blades drew arcs of blood, battering the hard armor with a barrage like a typhoon.
It seemed like he intended to rip Yoshimura Eto right out from the inside and chop her into pieces.
Yoshimura Eto let out a piercing scream as her pale foreclaws stabbed into the wall.
She paid no attention to Uesugi Ryu's assault. Occasionally, she would use what little kagune remained to slightly impede his attack speed.
Then she suddenly tensed and launched herself upward.
Terrifying air pressure swept through the corridor.
Uesugi Ryu's body swayed as he drove both blades into her body to anchor himself, doing everything he could to maintain balance.
And thus, clinging to her back, he was carried upward by Yoshimura Eto.
...
Elsewhere, Kamishiro Matasaka lashed out with a sweeping kick, forcing Hirako Take back.
Tatara took the opportunity to flood the corridor with fire, cutting off the investigators' pursuit.
Hirako Take panted heavily, both arms trembling slightly.
Kamishiro Matasaka's hand-to-hand skills were terrifying. With him joining the battle, Tatara had swiftly broken free from being surrounded.
Hoji Kosuke stepped forward with the blazing greatsword Chi She in hand. The air around him grew stiflingly hot, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Hirako-san, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Hirako Take replied with a nod. "No idea what's going on with Uesugi-san though."
Aura Kiyoko, nearby, still looked in decent shape. Upon realizing Tatara and the others were retreating in disarray, she immediately decided to lead the team to support Uesugi Ryu.
At that moment, a sharp whistling noise ripped through the air.
Before anyone could react, the enormous, terrifying figure of the One-Eyed Owl flashed past them like lightning.
But this Owl was a far cry from the majestic monster they had seen earlier.
She looked miserable, battered, like a featherless vulture stripped bare.
The previously dense spikes covering her back were all gone. In their place was a hazy, indistinct mass of blood.
Mado Kureo's eyes bulged wide, almost grotesquely round (O\_.).
His face twisted in undisguised horror.
Because he knew that figure all too well.
That was unmistakably, Uesugi Ryu.
Not just Mado Kureo. Nearly all the investigators present recognized that figure the moment they laid eyes on it.
Suddenly, silence fell over the battlefield.
It became so quiet, the sound of a needle dropping could be clearly heard.
The only sound was the rhythmic swallowing of astonished onlookers, echoing again and again in the still air.