As Ali ventured deeper into the auction house, the sounds of fighting began to fade, replaced only by the groans of the wounded echoing from the underground levels. The scene before him was one of utter devastation-ghoul corpses littered the ground, torn apart by what must have been an unstoppable force. Ali had a strong suspicion about the identity of the monster responsible for the carnage.
Without making a sound, Ali descended the staircase to the lower levels. His footsteps were nearly inaudible, a testament to his mastery of stealth. As he reached the bottom, he could hear a conversation coming from the farthest room. Moving cautiously, he peered through the open doorway and saw the source of the destruction. The giant ghoul, OWL, the very same that had attacked him earlier, loomed over a ghoul in a shredded suit. The suited ghoul lay helpless on the floor, all of his limbs missing, blood pooling beneath him from the savage wounds inflicted by OWL's blade-like arms.
"Where is the human? Where are you hiding him?" OWL's monstrous voice rumbled, filled with menace.
The suited ghoul, coughing up blood, responded weakly. "I... I don't know what you're talking about.."
OWL let out a sigh, then without hesitation, he swung his massive red Kagune arm across the floor, slashing through the helpless ghoul, instantly killing him. But before OWL could react, he sensed a subtle shift in the air behind him, a presence-someone had approached him without his knowledge, and they were close, very close.
Ali stood behind OWL, his red longsword poised for a strike. He had used his incredible stealth skills to close the distance, revealing himself only at the precise moment of his attack.
SWOOSH!
OWL instinctively lashed out behind him, his enormous Kagune hand slicing through the air, but it struck nothing. Ali had anticipated the move, deftly evading the strike. With seamless precision, he manoeuvred to OWL's blind side, flipping the longsword in his grip so the blunt edge faced the ghoul. With perfect technique, Ali delivered a devastating strike to OWL's side.
BOOM!
The force of the blow sent the massive ghoul crashing into the wall with a resounding impact, the wall cracking under the sheer power of the attack. OWL groaned in pain, struggling to recover.
"I'll make sure you suffer before you die," Ali said coldly as he lunged at the downed ghoul.
Before OWL could regain his composure, Ali drove his knee directly into OWL's monstrous face, the impact cracking the ghoul's white, mask-like visage. OWL, now disoriented, instinctively swung his red Kagune arms in front of him in a desperate attempt to slice his attacker in half. But once again, his attack found only empty air. Ali had already ducked under the wild slash, preparing for his next move.
Clenching his fist, black veins snaked across Ali's arm as he gathered his strength. He put everything he had into his next strike, launching a powerful uppercut aimed directly at OWL's chin.
BOOOOOM!
The force of the uppercut sent OWL flying upwards through the air, his massive body crashing through the ceiling of the room and into the ground level of the auction house.
The sheer impact of the blow caused parts of the building to collapse, leaving a gaping hole where OWL crashed into the ceiling, a testament to the strength behind Ali's attack.
Ali's hand, now severely damaged from the immense power of the strike, began to heal rapidly, his body's regenerative abilities kicking in almost immediately.
Without hesitation, Ali jumped through the hole created by OWL's body, his quinque resting on his shoulder. As he jumped up into the ground level, he saw OWL's red Kagune charging toward him while he was still mid-air. With a swift motion, Ali raised his longsword to block the incoming attack. OWL's powerful charge continued, slamming Ali into the walls of the auction house with brutal force.
BOOM! BOOOOM!
The collision didn't stop there. OWL bulldozed through two more walls, using Ali's body to break through the concrete until they both flew out onto the street behind the auction house. The battle between the CCG and the hooded ghouls was still raging outside, but the appearance of OWL and Ali crashing through the building brought the entire conflict to a sudden halt.
All eyes turned to the giant ghoul and the man with the massive quinque. OWL landed in the centre of the battlefield, while Ali, using his skill and agility, managed to position himself slightly behind the monstrous ghoul. As Ali regained his bearings, he heard a groan coming from the ground. Looking down, he saw a CCG soldier writhing in pain, his back broken from the impact of Ali and OWL's clash.
Without a moment's hesitation, Ali raised his foot and brought it down with brutal force, smashing the soldier's head into pieces. The sound of crunching bone filled the air as Ali bent down to pick up the now-dead soldier's rifle.
The instant Ali had the rifle in his hands, gunfire erupted as CCG troops redirected their attention toward OWL. The giant ghoul, now a clear and immediate threat, was bombarded with bullets. However, OWL shielded himself with his red Kagune, the dense material easily deflecting the onslaught.
Ali, meanwhile, aimed the rifle at the distracted CCG soldiers and began firing with deadly accuracy. Every bullet that left the barrel found its mark, killing a soldier with each shot. His aim was perfect, followed by the numerous alerts from his interface that tracked the death he was spreading.
OWL, noticing that the gunfire had subsided, retaliated by launching a volley of Ukaku shards into the remaining CCG forces. The shards tore through the air with lethal precision, shredding the soldiers in an instant. Ali continued firing, picking off the few survivors as they tried to retreat. Together, Ali and OWL decimated the remaining CCG forces with ruthless efficiency.
Just as the last CCG soldier fell, OWL dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding an attack from the Kagune of one of the hooded ghouls who had decided to avenge the death of their leader inside the auction.
Another ghoul charged at OWL, but the giant ghoul moved with ridiculous speed, evading the strike. With a swift movement, OWL impaled the ghoul with his red Kagune, ripping him apart in one fluid motion as the ghoul screamed in agony.
The mutilated body of the hooded ghoul crumpled to the ground, and OWL turned his monstrous gaze toward the remaining ghouls. His killing intent was palpable, a terrifying aura that made the surviving ghouls hesitate. But there was no time to retreat. OWL charged at them, and with each strike, another ghoul either fell dead or was left crippled in his wake. His sheer power was overwhelming.
But just as OWL was about to strike again, three hooded ghouls managed to get the drop on him while he was distracted with another target. OWL spun around to defend himself, but before he could react, the three ghouls suddenly collapsed to the ground in pieces. Standing behind them was Ali, his longsword dripping with fresh blood.
His cold eyes stared at OWL.
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