Chereads / Commission Center / Chapter 38 - Lucy/Kaede vs Ken Kaneki : (Both Manga)

Chapter 38 - Lucy/Kaede vs Ken Kaneki : (Both Manga)

Since 1868 Tokyo has stood as a pillar for the Land of the Rising Sun. Sunshine quickly has been forgotten memory in the ruined city streets. Several weeks have passed since the Dragon circled across buildings, raining down his dreaded offspring hunting Ghoul and Humans.

Their echoes still reign, as grisly corpses, ruined tanks, and split-open buildings littered under an everpresent cloudy rain. An outsider world views this as the beginning of the end for the Eastern Capital. The citizens looked at this as an incredibly rocky start toward a new age. The Dragon's horrid orphans' have unexpectedly shifted the centuries-long food chain of Humans and Ghouls as they unite against a common enemy.

This means by proxy. They also have a common savior now. One who's gone under many names. To his brethren, he's known as the One-eyed King, and humans once called him Haise Sakaki. Now, though, you can call him Ken Kaneki. On top of a ruined skyscraper, the young man scanned and closed his eyes in concentration.

His body's latest mutation was still reeling from its exhaustive fight with Dragon. Though Ken has always been a quick learner, quickly adapting to the discomfort as he sharpened his senses. Even at his weakest, Kaneki's Ghoulish sense of smell and hearing was sharper than a bloodhound. Now he was practically a "humanoid" radar, filtering thousands of subtle sounds till he found his signal: cries of help.

Even though he should be resting with his allies, Kaneki couldn't help himself. Regardless of the circumstances, he was still partly responsible for Dragon, and he'll do anything to the right his wrongs. Thus, the inhuman monarch launched himself off the building. But, as he readied himself for another bloody encounter, he took notice of something, a new scent neither human nor ghoul.

A pressing sign is that a new predator may enter the frame whenever a food chain changes. Our focus then shifts toward a young girl, tired and scared. She'd fit right in with the city with her raggedly misshapen clothes and huge hat. But one look into her glazed-over red eyes will tell you she's been walking far longer.

Nevertheless, she'd been in Tokyo for a week, hiding amongst many homeless families who still hadn't found relief. Nevertheless, they found comfort in each other, playing games, lighting small fires, and telling stories aside from their tents. Which only made the lonely girl feel lonelier, flashing towards the only person that ever made her feel whole.

"Kouta, where are you?" Nyu said with tears in her eyes.

Before she could fully sob, a small ball rolled toward Nyu's feet. She then looked around to see it belonged to a group of young children, urging her to pass it back. A smile instantly crossed her face, about to join them in their fun, before another cold voice entered her head.

"Don't trust them. Humans always lie. Humans always bring pain."

Nyu didn't get to debate, as the voice's prediction came true through a painful lumbering. Within seconds the crowd transformed into a panicked mob, sprinting through the street. Nyu tried her best to run alongside them, but she couldn't keep up, falling so hard her hat flew off. Like a scared child, she tried to call out for someone to save her, but her pleas fell deaf ears.

No one bothered looking back, though, like they always do. Leaving her at the mercy of a hungry pack of Dragon Orphans. Their bloodstained talons and hungry maws blared down towards the girl, ready to rip her open. Unfortunately for them, she wasn't an ordinary girl. Before they struck, Nyu immediately changed. Her frightened expression morphed into cold apathy as the dreaded creatures got ripped into fleshy confetti.

Immediately the crowd stopped, terrified at the woman now drenched in blood, coupled with two dreaded horns. Nyu was gone, and in her place was a monster who scanned her surroundings, wondering if she would have to kill them all—making Kaneki's arrival all the more prompt. Once again, his sense of smell went into overdrive, realizing the horned woman was a new development altogether.

"Those horns, I've never seen a ghoul with those before. But, then again, I'm proof we can mutate further beyond, especially if she recently got Rc cells from the second variant. I got to sort this out later, though. These people need help," Kaneki thought internally.

Kaneki approached the crowd of expecting people, letting his previous experience as a Ghoul Investigator and a waiter guide his words.

"Don't worry, everybody! You're safe now. if you follow me, I can get you to a facility. We have food and water to spare," he said kindly.

Kaneki's promise might have been a piercing threat to the alien entity. Waves of paranoia and hatred sent shivers down her spine, not wanting to get brought into some facility." The same voice that talked with Nyu then appeared, whispering in the woman's ear like a devil.

"You're cover's blown. He brings you in. They'll retake you. You have to kill them, Lucy. Kill them all. For the Diclnous," the DNA Voice said ominously.

Obediently, Lucy followed her command, slinking her shoulder down towards an animalistic stance. Then, unseen to all, a set of spectral hands rose from her back, slapping Kaneki straight into a concrete wall. Her normal prey would've killed on impact, but to the One-eyed King, it was a mild inconvenience as his thoughts blurred.

"What the hell was that? Felt like an invisible hand. I didn't see a single Kakuja or kagune. Did they go berserk from starvation? If so, I might have to bring her by force," he declared while rocketing out of the rubble.

Lucy's mind was faster than Kaneki's actions, keeping their distance by levitating a man between them. Instantly he doubled back, giving Lucy time to slice his right arm off. Coursing blood stained the streets as Kaneki buckled over, focusing on the dozen hovering humans above him. His shock slowly turned to pure anger seeing Lucy smiling face.

"No, she's in her right state of mind. No starving ghoul would use human shields. She's just another monster hurting struggling people," he said while seeing flashes of Washuu.

A growing resolve took over the young man, his body pulsating with power.

"They've suffered more than enough already, and just like me, I'll make sure they keep striving," he said while moving forward.

Every building across the block trembled from Kaneki's speed as he immediately unfurled four long star-shaped tendrils. Then, with surgical precision, they cut through all Lucy's "arms." Disbelief clawed through Lucy's stoic face as Kaneki regenerated his arm to push Lucy straight into a ripped-open tank. Even with her vectors, the Dinoclous' body still reeled from shock.

As the freed hostages left fleed in panic, Lucy tried getting up, only to see a determined Kaneki.

"I'll give you one chance. After that, surrender before my mercy runs out," he said threateningly.

Lucy didn't bother asking, instead using another vector to set off a tank shell. Soon enough, the tank exploded, eviscerating everything nearby in flaming shrapnel. Except for our fighters, who guarded using their kakuja and vectors, respectivelly. Thus they only were sent airborne as Kaneki quickly latched his tendrils toward the side of another building.

Lucy hovered, though, studying her opponent while adopting a straighter posture. Then, bolstering his defenses, further Kaneki summoned another Kagune on his right shoulder and broke it off, forming a bone-like saber. From there, the two apex predators looked at each other with increasing bloodlust.

"He's... just like me, but also different. If so, then why," she said while looking at the distant people. "Why does he defend them?"

"Whatever Kagune she's got, it's invisible, and she can summon many of them too. So the best I can do is feel her out for now till there's a weak spot," he thought coldly.

It was easier said than done, though, as Lucy instantly summoned a maelstrom of high-speed vectors. Kaneki dodged at the last second, watching as it tore through a building like swiss cheese. He then latched himself to the surrounding buildings, slingshotting himself above the Diclonous with sword raised. Lucy responded, using a dozen vectors to carve out two massive concrete slabs.

She tried smashing Kaneki like a bug, but Kaneki countered with his Kagune, rotating the star-shaped blades like a propeller. The debris shredded before even reaching him, creating a mid-air dust cloud. By the time Lucy dispersed the smokescreen, Kaneki had already closed in, ready to strike her down in a single blow.

Both combatants witnessed the blade knick into Lucy's left horn in almost painful slow motion. The King of Ghouls couldn't follow through, though, his blade seemingly caught by a row of invisible hands. Kankei didn't even have time to get shocked as five phantom fists swung straight into his abdomen. Desperately he tried counterattacking with his Kagune, but that was held in place as well, leaving him defenseless as Lucy got in his face.

Creepily she touched her bleeding horn, leveling towards her face and inspecting the blood herself. When she looked back at Kaneki, her earlier apathy snapped toward blood-wrenching aggression. Her red eyes seemed to glow with anger as she said one word.

"Die."

Kaneki then felt over two dozens grab his entire body, each holding on so hard they nearly drew blood. Thus trapping the ghoul as they struck him back to Earth before dragging him across multiple city blocks. Even with his pain tolerance, he felt every glass shard and jagged rock claw drag across his face. The sheer friction tore his clothes open, revealing the kagune-like veins across his body that started smoking.

He tried escaping the hand's grip, but every jolted movement forced them to press down harder and increase their speed. Finally, forcing the boy to use morph his Kagune again. This time he paid tribute to his fiance: Touka. Two massive wings of flesh unfurled from his upper back, slipping through Lucy's vectors enough to escape. When his vision finally reoriented, he realized that he'd getting dragged to Tokyo's sky tree.

He would have to savor the iconic sight later as he felt the ground rumble. In a spider-like fashion, Lucy approached, her hands leaving marks on the ground with every step. Her nicked horn and growing rage caused a dangerous cocktail, cranking her vectors above anything her species had ever witnessed.

Bit by bit, the hands became defined to the point of visibility, steadily growing in size and power. Simultaneously the dreary sky darkened, hissing with thunder and lighting about. Any normal man would've thought they'd see the devil given form, or worse, go mad with fright. Yet, in this incredibly hopeless situation, Kaneki remained steadfast.

He'd been on the edge of madness many times, knowing there was always a path to victory. And when he saw Lucy's body start to melt and smoke partly, he finally got his answer. Using that small glimmer of hope, Kaneki remembered he couldn't lose. Not when he could see a new beginning for everything so clearly.

So fearlessly, he unfurled his full Kagune to Lucy while cracking his knuckles. The small statement spoke a thousand words to Lucy, but it changed nothing. She already knew this was the end regardless of the result. With that in mind, the queen and king gave one last defiant breath before getting their charge.

Lucy closed over a dozen angry fists, breaking multiple sound barriers as they barreled toward Kaneki. However, this didn't dare stop his blitzkrieg, as he used their visibility to dodge half of them in split-second evasion. He wasn't as lucky with the other ten, though, as he felt several hands burns holes straight through his body.

Nevertheless, he ignored every screaming nerve, pushing ahead till his kagune got burnt to cinders. Then, forcing him to bet everything on his swordsmanship as he spawned two bone-like katanas. Despite his torn open side, Kaneki's technique still blazed through, masterfully parrying strikes that left explosions miles away.

Upon the umpteenth deflection, Lucy and Kaneki were now inches close as they readied the last moves would decide a city's fate. At that point rationally vanished, leaving the two combatants to rely on their inhuman instincts. Without hesitation, Lucy aimed another speeding Vector toward Kaneki's hands, tearing both apart in a single swipe.

A small sadistic smile escaped Lucy as she claimed her early victory. Not even realizing a ghoul's true weapon wasn't their kagune but their ability to consume flesh. In one massive bite, Kaneki gnashed through both of Lucy's horns. Through that one pivotal blow, the hardened killer instantly transformed back her vantage, giving out a haunting shrill scream that echoed throughout the city.

The shriek almost stopped Kaneki from his next move, but he knew in his soul he couldn't afford another tragedy in Tokyo. Instead, intense regret filled his face as he used his teeth to grab hold of a piece of his broken blade. What followed next was one last painful slash, an end to one who's known nothing but sweet sorrow.