Night. The moon hung high in the sky.
In the heart of the 14th Ward's West District, a notorious area in Tokyo, something sinister was brewing. Once darkness fell, this place became a gathering spot for ghouls. The ghouls who gathered here were the most violent of their kind, driven by one simple goal: to kill each other and engage in cannibalism to rise above the rest.
Among ghouls, strength determined status.
It was around 8:30 PM, and shadows flickered on either side of the street as ghouls began preparing for the bloodbath. Unlike the sneaky ghouls, a man and a woman walked openly along the street.
"Investigator White Night, are you sure about this?" Akira Mado, dressed in a black uniform and carrying a suitcase, nervously scanned her surroundings.
Su Xiao yawned. "No problem. Just follow the plan."
Unlike the anxious Akira, Su Xiao seemed completely relaxed.
"White Night, I've always had a question," Akira hesitated.
"Yes?" Su Xiao responded casually.
"Where's your Quinque? We might be fighting ghouls soon, and…"
Su Xiao had no Quinque. He much preferred his own sword, Dragon Slayer.
"I don't need a Quinque."
Akira froze in her tracks, staring at him in disbelief. "No Quinque?"
Her voice rose, as if questioning her entire reality.
"We're here," Su Xiao said, patting her shoulder before leaping up to the second-floor rooftop of a nearby building, vanishing into the shadows.
"White Night...?" Akira muttered, realizing what was happening. She had been made the bait.
As a Second-Class Investigator, Akira could handle B or A-ranked ghouls at best, but now she was surrounded by something far worse. She felt utterly exposed, like she'd been thrown into a freezing storm without any protection.
Before Akira could even think of running, several pairs of blood-red eyes emerged from the surrounding darkness.
One, two, three… A total of seven ghouls.
She was doomed. If Su Xiao didn't intervene, she would surely die.
Akira activated her Quinque, revealing a whip-like weapon called Amatsu.
"A CCG investigator!"
"What's an investigator doing here?"
"Kill her! I've never tasted one before."
Surprisingly, the ghouls didn't start fighting each other right away. It seemed that the ghouls' cannibalism had a set time, and some force was maintaining order. This wasn't just a chaotic free-for-all; there was something deeper going on.
"Get her! She's not that strong!"
More ghouls gathered—now there were over ten of them. Akira felt a cold dread wash over her.
"Looks like it's working," Su Xiao's voice rang out from the rooftop.
Hearing this, Akira sighed in relief. But deep down, she still wasn't sure. Could Su Xiao really handle so many ghouls? Rumor had it he was strong, but this…
"Who are you?" one ghoul snarled.
"Another CCG investigator?"
The ghouls shifted their attention to Su Xiao, sensing something entirely different about him. He wasn't like Akira—he felt like a predator, a true threat.
Holding his drawn Dragon Slayer, Su Xiao leaped from the rooftop, landing gracefully on the ground below.
"Fourteen of them. Should take about five minutes," he muttered, moving toward the ghouls at a casual pace. Then he suddenly broke into a sprint.
Two ghouls quickly recognized the danger and fled. The remaining twelve, however, charged at him.
Ten kagune—ghoul limbs—lashed out toward Su Xiao, surrounding him in an instant.
Akira gasped in horror and rushed toward one of the A-ranked ghouls, struggling to keep up with the situation. She had no idea if she could even manage this fight.
A flurry of glowing blue light suddenly sliced through the night air.
Su Xiao had activated his Azure Steel Shadow, burning through his mana.
The ten kagune were severed in an instant, dissolving into red mist. The ghouls screamed in agony as they stared in fear at Su Xiao.
Su Xiao wasted no time. He charged at one of the A-ranked ghouls, his sword leaving a faint blue trail. In one swift movement, the ghoul's head was severed from its body.
In just a split second, Su Xiao had killed a ghoul. His movements were fluid and efficient.
Without breaking stride, he moved to the next target—a ghoul frozen in terror. The ghoul turned to run.
"Foolish," Su Xiao muttered, his dark eyes gleaming.
Turning your back on an enemy was the most foolish thing you could do in battle.
With a quick thrust, Dragon Slayer pierced the fleeing ghoul's heart. Su Xiao then lifted the ghoul with his sword and flung it at another ghoul attempting to escape.
The thrown ghoul tumbled across the ground like a ragdoll, and before it could stand up, a flash of Su Xiao's sword marked its end. The last thing the ghoul saw was its own headless body crumpling to the ground.
Out of the twelve ghouls that had attacked Su Xiao, only eight remained—less than 20 seconds into the battle.
Fear now gripped the surviving ghouls. All they wanted to do was escape this human who moved like the Grim Reaper.
"Impossible! How is there such a strong human in the cannibalism zone? Why isn't that organization doing anything about him?"
One ghoul roared in frustration before turning to flee.
Su Xiao's agility and strength were unmatched in this world of ghouls, especially when combined with his combat prowess and swordsmanship. Though his abilities as a Shadow of Extinction were still growing, he was already formidable.
The hunt continued. One by one, the fleeing ghouls fell to Su Xiao's blade. Their cries of pain and pleas for mercy echoed through the streets.
Though some of the ghouls scattered in different directions, Su Xiao managed to kill six of them. Two lucky ones escaped.
Meanwhile, Akira was still locked in a fierce struggle with an A-ranked ghoul. The ghoul, however, was more frightened of Su Xiao than it was of Akira.
In her intense focus, Akira hadn't yet noticed what had happened around her. She was too young and inexperienced, failing to remain fully aware during battle.
"P-Please… spare me!" The ghoul suddenly begged, catching Akira off guard. He had been winning, but now he was pleading for his life. Their fight temporarily paused.
It was only then that Akira finally looked around and saw the aftermath. Su Xiao was sitting on the corpse of two ghouls, smoking a cigarette. His bloodied sword still dripped with crimson.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. She had barely finished one fight, while Su Xiao had slaughtered all the others.
"You, over there. If you run, I'll chop you up into pieces," Su Xiao said, staring at the last remaining ghoul. It seemed he had found a new bait for his next plan—after all, using a subordinate as bait wasn't exactly ideal.
(End of Chapter)
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Translator's Note :- I am Not that familiar with a lot of the fictional worlds mentioned in the story. So if I make a mistake naming something please correct me by writing a paragraph comment on the mistake. Thank you.
Also I was not able to upload yesterday so 4 chapters will be uploaded today.