Suspended in midair, Uesugi Ryu said nothing as he simply continued slashing.
Until a crisp system prompt suddenly rang out.
[Absorb Kakuhou?]
Uesugi Ryu chose "yes" without the slightest hesitation. As for what to use this Kakuhou for, that was very simple.
Just take another two from Yoshimura Eto later.
After all, she had so many of them, missing three, four, five, or six probably wouldn't be a big deal, right? o(*￣▽￣*)o
[Energy increased by 157 points!]
[Energy: 80/100 (Remaining draw chances: 2)]
Their ascent gradually slowed, and the battle once again circled back to the top floor.
Yoshimura Eto's kakuja body slammed heavily into the ground. The already battered surface was struck once again.
The moment she landed, Yoshimura Eto quickly rolled, trying to force Uesugi Ryu out from inside her, but it was already too late.
Uesugi Ryu's eyes were now blood-red, with faint golden light flashing from deep within his pupils.
The muscles in his arms bulged with power, and the blades in his hands tore through layers of flesh, another Kakuhou was severed at the root.
A sizeable gap opened, and wrapped in bandages, Yoshimura Eto's real body came into view.
The bandages were limited; Yoshimura Eto had only concealed her face. As for the rest...
The corners of Uesugi Ryu's mouth curled up slightly as he spoke in a cold tone.
"Finally caught you!!"
Yoshimura Eto showed a mocking smile, her airy voice echoing out.
"Oh? Is that so? My, what a persistent investigator you are. But still... just as disgusting as ever~"
Before she even finished speaking, a seam split open beneath her kakuja shell.
Her petite figure floated lightly as she dropped downward.
Uesugi Ryu frowned slightly, both blades immediately thrusting toward her head without hesitation.
At that instant, a sharp, piercing wind-cutting sound tore through the air, Kamishiro Matasaka pounced down like a tiger descending a mountain, charging furiously to intercept.
He shouted and swung his thick, muscular elbow, carrying howling wind as he smashed it straight at Uesugi Ryu's lower back, right at a vital spot.
A cold chill surged up his spine, Uesugi Ryu's expression turned grim.
"My kidney's not gonna make it."
He quickly twisted his body, narrowly dodging the blow as his blade slashed toward Kamishiro Matasaka.
A sharp gust followed.
The thick kagune extending from Kamishiro Matasaka's back, as thick as a killer whale's tail, shifted slightly. His body took on an eerie, contorted posture.
Then he sprang up with a flying kick, putting his full strength into a vicious strike toward Uesugi Ryu.
Uesugi Ryu's eyes narrowed. The angle was sharp and cunning, at this distance, he didn't even have time to use Instant Step. He could only draw his blade across to block.
The terrifying impact traveled straight down the sword. Uesugi Ryu staggered back, both arms going numb.
After the prolonged clash with Yoshimura Eto, his stamina was already low. Now facing a physical-combat monster like Kamishiro Matasaka, he was finding it difficult to cope.
Kamishiro Matasaka looked at Uesugi Ryu deeply, his mustache gently swaying in the breeze.
He clenched his fist slightly, he truly wanted to fight this boy properly.
But now wasn't the time for sparring, he spoke with a tinge of regret.
"Kid, you're not bad. We'll fight next time."
Suddenly, a kagune composed of countless grasping hands lunged toward Kamishiro Matasaka.
He sidestepped it smoothly, caught the end of the kagune with one hand, and disappeared from sight.
"Old bastard, I'll gut you next time we meet."
Uesugi Ryu snorted coldly, frowning as he watched Kamishiro Matasaka and the others retreat.
In any case, he wasn't expecting to kill Yoshimura Eto this time. His plan had simply been to snatch a few extra Kakuhou on the way out.
He truly didn't expect Kamishiro Matasaka to jump in and interrupt him.
At that moment, a loud rumbling sounded in the distance.
A black armored helicopter, like a ferocious beast, roared into the airspace above Cochlea.
Its body gleamed with icy metallic light, and at the side of the open cabin stood a white-haired man in a long white coat.
He stood tall and straight, silently watching as Yoshimura Eto and the others disappeared into the night.
A breeze swept by as he gently adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"Follow them."
The helicopter pilot nodded, steering the aircraft rapidly in pursuit of Yoshimura Eto's escape route.
Uesugi Ryu slowly raised his head and looked at the helicopter above. He let out a chuckle.
"Perfect timing."
Though with this distance, Arima probably couldn't hear him anyway.
Muttering to himself, Uesugi Ryu stabbed his twin blades into the ground beside him, then reached both hands toward his armor.
Arata clung tightly to him like a child refusing to leave its parent. After tasting mana, it had grown increasingly greedy.
Sharp red spines emerged from it and stabbed directly into Uesugi Ryu's skin, trying to resist his attempt to take the armor off.
Seizing the moment, Uesugi Ryu took a deep breath and violently ripped Arata from his body.
Even though he acted fast enough, the armor still tore off some flesh as it came free.
Uesugi Ryu gasped sharply, what a miserable feeling..
By now, he had barely any mana left.
Although the battle felt long, in truth, it had only lasted about ten minutes.
In that short time, the ghouls Uesugi Ryu had killed earlier still lay on the ground, reeking of blood.
Dragging his exhausted body, Uesugi Ryu absorbed all their Kakuhou. Perhaps they were a bit stale but the gain wasn't much.
Over a dozen ghouls yielded only 43 points of energy. But there was no helping it; earlier, things had been too chaotic to absorb them properly.
"Two lottery chances. One SSS-grade Kakuhou. Not bad, I guess."
After briefly reviewing the spoils, Uesugi Ryu walked over to the kakuja shell Yoshimura Eto had left behind.
The mangled kakuja shell still stood in place but that single eye had lost all color.
To someone unaware, it might have seemed like Uesugi Ryu had killed the One-Eyed Owl.
He casually sliced off the grotesque, hideous head.
Then he climbed atop the shell and sat down, taking the opportunity to rest.
Aogiri Tree had now been sent back ten years in a single night. Aside from a few surviving cadres, they were almost completely wiped out.
Yoshimura Eto herself had also taken heavy damage.
A Kakuhou was an essential organ. Once lost, it was not so easy to regenerate.