The sinister spotlights hung from the dark ceiling, illuminating a circular arena. The Ghoul Restaurant, a macabre enclave of perverse pleasures, stood imposingly in the depths of the metropolis. There, the curtains opened to a grotesque and forbidden spectacle.
In the center of the arena, within a circle marked by the expectation of imminent death, a fragile and trembling being faced their sentence. A human, a mere sacrifice amidst a jungle of predators disguised as aristocrats.
Sadistic murmurs echoed through the decadent walls, a symphony of morbid anticipation as the spectators, dressed in formal attire, awaited with eager eyes. Among them, ghouls of ancestral lineages, craving the culinary delight approaching.
On the opposite side of the arena stood the 'Scrapper,' a servant trained for carnage, whose empty eyes concealed a past of brutal servitude. A puppet in the hands of the powerful, destined to perform the macabre ritual known as the 'Disassembly Show.'
Seconds stretched like hours, foreshadowing the inevitable outcome of this diabolic spectacle. The human's heart beat irregularly, echoing their terror in an environment permeated by the ravenous hunger of the ghouls.
Thus began yet another Dantean scene on this stage of horrors, where the line between predator and prey was thin, and the price of survival was measured in flesh and blood.
I told you, Leviathan, I said it was incredible," the serpent said cheerfully.
Leviathan, on the other hand, simply nodded in agreement.
Looking at the cluster of ghouls pretending to be high-class humans out in the world, here they could be themselves. Sadistic and purely free to let their nature finally come out.
But unlike them, he wasn't reveling in the human in the middle of the stage about to be torn apart by the Scrapper. What he saw in his view were only these ghouls huddled together like pigs for slaughter.
"Is the fox ready?" a hoarse voice came from behind the mask of the ghoul known as Leviathan.
Upon hearing the boss's question, the serpent picked up the phone and started dialing the fox's number.
"Hey fox, you can start."
*
[Pov fox]
"Roger that," Fox said, hanging up the phone.
Staring at the tangle of wires in front of him, he swallowed hard. Which of these wires would disconnect all the power from the place?
Looking at the multicolored confusion of cables at the generator, doubt settled in his mind.
"Ah, whatever," he decided. Disregarding his uncertainties, he pulled a knife from his pocket and cut all the wires at once.
*
[main POV]
"Look, yet another tedious spectacle," murmured an aristocratic ghoul, observing the desperate human running in circles in the arena, relentlessly pursued by the hunter. "These hunters always overdo it... monotonous."
Another ghoul, with a deep and indifferent voice, responded: "These humans are so predictable, always running in pursuit of an illusory salvation. It's like a repetitive ritual."
While murmurs and laughter filled the environment, the ghouls continued to debate, some expressing disdain for the situation while others showed a sadistic interest in the unfolding scene.
But then, at the height of the discussion and boredom, the lights of the place abruptly extinguished. Sudden silence dominated the arena, interrupting the voices and laughter of the ghouls.
Murmurs of confusion filled the space, eyes accustomed to the darkness attempting to discern what was happening.
"What the hell is going on?" asked one of the ghouls in a concerned tone.
"None of this is part of the show, is it?" inquired another, visibly nervous.
Suddenly, screams shattered the quietness, echoing from every corner of the arena. Cries of pain, agony, and terror reverberated through the dark walls, turning the atmosphere into a stage of horror.
"What's happening?" whispered a ghoul, their voice trembling.
Another began to sense the commotion forming around them. Frantic movements could be heard, quick footsteps, and the characteristic sound of kagunes being activated.
"Something's wrong... some—"
Before they could finish, their head soared into the crowd.
With the individual's head newly thrown into the crowd, the body collapsed, a brutal display of violence amidst the existing chaos. As the tumult continued, a figure emerged from the shadows, imposing and enveloped in a cloak of darkness.
It was a feared ghoul, their Kakuja form resembling black armor, intimidating and menacing. A demonic mask adorned their face, with sinister horns rising towards the sky, their incandescent eyes gleaming in the dark.
The reaction among the ghouls was immediate. Anxious and fearful murmurs spread; some whispered a revered name, echoing amidst the turmoil: "Leviathan."
Leviathan, a name echoing in the fearful whispers of ghouls, was an enigmatic being who had become famous a few months ago. His SS+ rating placed him among the most feared and powerful ghouls in the city.
His rise to fame came with the elimination of Yukinori Shinohara, an achievement that reverberated through the ghoul underworld, causing tremendous impact. But his trail of blood didn't stop there. Leviathan relentlessly slaughtered ghouls, leaving a trail of destruction in his quest for power and dominance.
He led a shadowy organization called the 'Bloody Winged Demon,' a group of ghouls known for their cruelty and debauchery. They were cannibals; their insatiable hunger drove them to devour other ghouls in pursuit of more power. Rumors suggested a connection with the Aogiri Tree group, but the veracity of this information remained uncertain.
What was unquestionable was the fear and reputation that surrounded Leviathan and his organization. The members of the Bloody Winged Demon were known by animal-based codenames.
"Leviathan, just look at them. They're pathetic, they stand no chance against us." The voice of Serpent echoed, brimming with confidence and arrogance, as he maintained his Kakuja form, exuding a wild and unrestrained air.
Serpent advanced, moving with agility as he neutralized other ghouls. "Don't you see, Leviathan? They're simply prey waiting to be slaughtered, offering no resistance whatsoever."
As Serpent continued to speak, the look of irritation on Leviathan's face was evident. Serpent's uncontrolled and insane form in that Kakuja state was not something Leviathan easily tolerated. If one could see beyond the mask, they would find a look of disgust.
Disregarding the serpent's fallacies, he continued massacring the ghouls.
Chaos had taken hold of the place.
In a matter of minutes, most of the ghouls were slaughtered by the two ghouls; those who attempted to fight were brutally killed at the onset.
For those who harbored hope of escaping, reality soon dawned on them—the exit doors had been locked.
As the last ghoul finally fell, silence and the scent of fresh blood filled the air.
"Get the others to come, tell them it's over," Leviathan said as he crouched, tearing out the RC pouches from the dead ghouls.
Emerging from his frenzy, Serpent regained composure and called the other members.
*
The doors, once firmly locked, swung open, and three masked figures entered, carrying a body on their shoulders. Their faces concealed behind animal-like masks: a wolf, an eagle, and a shark.
"Wolf, eagle, shark, what have you brought now?" inquired Serpent, scanning the area for ghouls feigning death.
The wolf, with Karen von Rosewald's body on his shoulder, was the first to speak: "I found her in one of the corridors. She tried to resist but was easily defeated by me," he said, seeking Leviathan's approval with his gaze.
The eagle intervened sarcastically: "Don't be so petty, wolf."
The two groups exchanged tense looks and began moving toward each other.
"What did you say? Want to become wolf food, little bird?" taunted the wolf.
"Exactly what you heard, wounded wolf," retorted the eagle, throwing back the taunt.
A hostile atmosphere quickly enveloped the already bloody scene.
"Everyone, calm down! We're in the presence of the boss," intervened the shark, stepping in to separate the two sides.
Leviathan, even amid the heated discussion between the wolf, the eagle, and the shark, remained distant and indifferent. His eyes, however, focused on the inert figure of Karen von Rosewald, aware of the significance she represented.
As he assessed the situation, the figure of Fox hurriedly entered the premises. His expression carried evident urgency.
"Leviathan, Tatara has summoned you to the Aogiri base. It's important. We need to go now," said Fox, attempting to capture the attention of the Bloody Winged Demon's leader.
In silence, Leviathan averted his gaze from the tense scene and focused on Fox's message. Without uttering a word, he nodded subtly, indicating his understanding of the urgency. In a decisive gesture, he signaled for everyone present to cease the dispute.
"First and foremost, everyone needs to feed," Leviathan declared, raising his arms in a gesture resembling that of an elder sibling feeding their younger siblings. A macabre smile insinuated itself beneath his mask, a dark expression contrasting with the seemingly welcoming gesture.