Eto Yoshimura instinctively re-formed her Koukaku to shield herself. She had already tried moments ago.
Akuto's slashes were hard to guard against, but their power was still within tolerable limits.
If she entered her Kakuja form, Eto Yoshimura was confident she could block them completely.
"Crack!"
"Shhhk!"
Four chaotic strikes landed on Eto Yoshimura.
The Koukaku shattered instantly!
Eto Yoshimura's face was revealed. She lifted her head in shock, then her body abruptly fell apart!
"Eto!"
Swish-swish-swish-swish!!
More than a dozen Ghouls sprang in front of Akuto.
"That hurts, Akuto-kun. It really hurts." Half of Eto Yoshimura's body had been sliced away, yet she could still speak—and was visibly regenerating.
Akuto was fully exhilarated.
Whoosh!
In the next instant, the Nue dove in a perfect arc across the ground.
An A-rated Ghoul's head hit the floor; blood from its neck spurted two or three meters high.
"Watch out! There's one more in the air!"
Crackle!!
The moment Tatara finished speaking, lightning erupted among several Ghouls.
The stench of charred flesh filled the air. But to Ghouls it wasn't serious damage; they recovered quickly.
At that moment Akuto clapped his hands together in a bizarre seal.
Tatara and the others immediately turned wary. Whatever Akuto was about to do, his methods were unheard-of.
"Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine!"
Clink.
The sound of wind-chimes echoed, and space rippled like water. A shrine slowly rose behind Akuto.
"Fall back!"
Every hair on Eto Yoshimura's body stood on end; her muscles trembled uncontrollably. It was the sensation of death approaching!
Only now did she realize Akuto hadn't been joking—explaining his power really did make it stronger.
The second volley of slashes was in a completely different league from the first!
If the first was 10, the second was 20!
Eto Yoshimura had nearly thought she would die!
Yet none of that compares to the deadly aura now circling her.
"Roar!" Countless Kagune erupted behind Eto Yoshimura, swiftly enveloping her.
In less than two seconds a hulking, four-limbed monster crouched before Akuto.
Eto Yoshimura didn't attack; instead, she gathered every Kagune into a shield.
Swish-swish-swish-swish-swish!!
The next moment countless slashes appeared without warning.
They didn't pause for an instant.
Eto Yoshimura could clearly see the bloodlust and excitement in Akuto's crimson pupils. "Is that guy… a battle maniac?!"
Soon she could think no more.
The Kagune were being shredded.
And she had been wrong: the slashes weren't coming from Akuto's direction.
They came from every direction!
Even Eto Yoshimura was wounded!
The Ghouls behind her fared worse—everyone became a bloody gourd.
"I'll go all-out against him!"
Tatara also entered Kakuja form and was about to charge, but Eto Yoshimura barked at him to stop.
"It's useless!"
"Protect the rest! Put the weak ones in the middle!"
As she spoke, Eto Yoshimura struggled backward, shielding several Ghouls behind her.
Seeing this, Tatara gritted his teeth and blocked the other side.
SS-level and above Ghouls formed a ring, sheltering the weaker ones in the center. But slashes from above and below still struck them. Still, it was far better than being attacked from every side!
"Agh!!"
"Hmm?"
At that moment a scream made Akuto's smile fade; he frowned in another direction.
The slashes visibly decreased.
Eto Yoshimura and the others could finally catch their breath.
"Really now…" With waning interest, Akuto rubbed his neck, then turned to Eto Yoshimura.
"I've got something I must do. Let's continue our heart-to-heart next time, Eto."
The domain dispersed, and Akuto walked slowly toward her.
Tatara and the other Ghouls moved to attack, but the monstrous Eto Yoshimura raised a hand to stop them.
Immediately afterward her Kakuja form dissolved. She stepped out from the monster's head.
Her bandages were soaked crimson, revealing large swaths of skin.
She lifted her head to Akuto; a single crimson kakugan glowed in her dark eye socket.
Akuto leaned down and pinched Eto Yoshimura's chin.
"If you're willing to be my pet, my previous offer still stands."
As he spoke he glanced at Tatara and the others; his bloodthirsty pupils made them all step back in unison.
"Trading your life for the sake of some worthless bugs isn't worth it."
"As expected, Akuto-kun, you're incredible." Eto Yoshimura said.
Akuto smiled, turned, and walked away. "Until the day I kill you, you can come find me anytime."
"But if you beg for mercy the moment I'm about to kill you, I'll be disappointed."
"Kanou."
Whoosh!
Akuto leapt from the rooftop; the Nue swooped down, caught him, and vanished into the darkness.
"Eto!"
Seeing Akuto leave, Eto Yoshimura swayed.
Tatara and the others rushed forward.
"I'm fine."
"That guy…"
Tatara's brows were tightly knit. "We were just caught off guard. Once we have intel on him, those weird slashes won't be so scary."
Eto Yoshimura's tone was unreadable.
Meanwhile, Akuto frowned.
He hadn't expected Eto Yoshimura to stand her ground inside his domain.
If she had known the range of Akuto's domain, she might have escaped in seconds.
Still, this battle hadn't been without gains.
Though plenty of information had leaked, his Role-playing Degree had increased!
[Sukuna Role-playing Degree increased.]
[Current Role-playing Degree: 14%.]
"So I've only barely mastered the power of three fingers."
Although Akuto had eaten four fingers, the strength he could truly wield hadn't fully reached the level of three.
"Five fingers plus 25% Role-playing Degree cap should guarantee a win against Eto Yoshimura."
"I was just passing by…" A pained voice pulled Akuto's thoughts back; he looked down and saw the scene in the alley below.
Time rewound a few minutes.
Kaneki Ken walked along the street, his body convulsing uncontrollably. He couldn't accept that he had become a Ghoul, nor did he want to eat humans!
But ravenous hunger made him restless, so he left home trying to dull the sensation.
Yet the crowds on the street looked like walking hamburgers, driving him to bite in a mindless frenzy.
Fortunately, he regained his senses at the last second and dashed into an empty alley.
He had only taken a few steps when he caught an incredibly sweet scent.
Following it, Kaneki Ken staggered deeper into the alley; turning the corner, his pupils shrank.
A Ghoul was crouched over a corpse, devouring it.
"A Ghoul?"
The Ghoul slowly lifted its blood-stained face toward Kaneki Ken, remnants of flesh at the corners of its mouth.