"Interesting… You're a Ritualist too?"
Da Yong cocked his head and scraped a fingernail across the layers of nails covering his face.
A purple projection unfurled.
[Name: —— (Human-Flesh Hybrid)]
[Ritual (Chaos): ——]
[Ability: ——]
[Note: Multiple flesh hybrids detected within the space.]
[Energy Level: Lv1 · Origin Point]
[Note: Detected rising Chaos intensity; energy climbing.]
[Note: High-energy reaction.]
Energy climbing?
Surpassing Origin Point level?
Sen Getsusa edged sideways, keeping the chaotic Ritualist in front of her while subtly shielding the cabinet where Yukino hid.
"Ritualist," she said, tapping her own chest. "order."
Da Yong bared his teeth, tongue slithering as though chewing springy, delicious skin. "'Price' must be steep, huh?"
"Last time I killed two official Ritualists.
Know what? One clown had an Ability called Inevitable Hit.
The cost? He had to be hit a certain number of times—"
His eyeballs rolled, rummaging through memories in that oversized brain.
"Never as good as Chaos, right?
As an order Ritualist,
you pay a hefty price too, don't you?"
"Chaos doesn't demand such a price!
It even teaches us to wield this magnificent power beyond Mortals,
seldom asking anything in return—
That's a true god!
The one truly worthy of worship!"
Spitting the words in excitement, Da Yong stared at her. "To transcend Mortals you pay every second.
Use an Ability, still pay.
Everything is a price!
Price! Price!"
"Have you ever wondered what order is for?"
Getsusa's face stayed blank, blade still leveled at him.
On the Boy's youthful face now showed a maturity far beyond his years.
He pulled a human hand from his stomach and began munching from the fingertips; elastic tendons squeaked. In the gore-drenched room the scene felt grotesque and terrifying.
"You're not Da Yong, are you?"
Getsusa spoke suddenly. "I don't believe an official Ritualist would tell you his Ability."
Unless that Ability related to this.
—plus the massive head behind the Boy's face.
"You ate their brains, didn't you?"
Inside the wardrobe, Yukino was a terrified rabbit: blue eyes wide, ears straining, fighting to still her trembling hands, lips twitching uncontrollably.
Hearing "ate their brains," a cold spasm shot from scalp to toe.
Will he eat my brain?
Or… what am I witnessing?
What's happened to the World?
"Yeah… delicious." Da Yong licked his lips.
"So, as an Origin Point Ritualist, your Ability is brain-eating?
You gain the memories of the dead?
But not their Abilities, correct?"
All conjecture.
Getsusa didn't even know about official Ritualists.
—but she'd soon learn if her guess was right.
Without warning, several hunched figures appeared around her.
One by the exit door, one at each of the two windows, and another clinging above her.
It stuck to the ceiling.
Finally, one crouched behind the monster Da Yong.
Cards on the table, the Boy at last revealed himself.
He swept a finger across the figures:
"Come! Let me introduce!
Nagayama Keiichiro! Official Ritualist, Captain of a squad!"
"Yoshino Kenichi! Assistant—
sweet brain, by the way."
"My father—"
"My mother—"
"My Grandpa—"
"Ah, and many more I'd love you to meet.
But they lacked 'talent,' couldn't become my pets, so they became nutrients…"
Da Yong lowered his head sorrowfully, caressing his huge brain as if stroking a lover, eyes gleaming with perverse tenderness.
"Ladies, do you two have talent?"
The instant he finished, the surrounding monsters lunged!
Shhk!
Clang!
First to strike seemed to be Da Yong's mother.
Her face was no longer human, body naked, waist bristling with sharp bone spikes.
She lunged, trying to hug Getsusa!
Step back—slash!
Clang!
Getsusa caught the monster's claws on her blade, ducked, whipped her arm, and severed its neck clean.
She rolled away, dodging three more pounces.
One down!
"Hahaha! Come on! Show me your talent!"
Amid Da Yong's mad laughter Getsusa's blade flickered.
The ceiling monster scuttled like a spider, thrusting feelers now at her brain, now at her eyes, disrupting her rhythm.
Suddenly she flipped her blade downward, reversed her grip, and sprinted!
She pressed her left hand on the monster Nagayama Keiichiro's shoulder, vaulted like a leaf onto its back.
Black hair streaming, through the strands she saw more monsters leaping.
Settling in, thighs tightening like a white python around its neck, she drove her blade into its skull!
Splurt!
White goo gushed; she kicked away, evading the spray.
Two down!
Clap—clap—clap!
Applause… Getsusa looked up.
Da Yong stood nearby, the monster behind him trailing him as they inched toward her.
"Splendid! Far more talented than the last two!
Hahaha! The lady hiding in the cabinet must be less tasty than you!"
"Your Ability… body enhancement, right?"
She ignored him, brows knit as she assessed the fight.
She hadn't yet fueled herself with Spell Power—those two monsters probably weren't truly dead.
Before her reserves ran dry she had to conserve Spell Power for a single lethal strike.
There—there must be his weakness, the control node for these creatures.
Her gaze flicked to the massive brain wrapped in membrane.
It sagged behind the Boy,
a grotesque tumor.
She had to meet this Ritualist at peak condition.
With that thought, Getsusa moved.
Retreating step by step, she lured the monsters; soon they, and Da Yong, stood in a straight line.
Long hair fanned like an ebony fan; she clenched her fist.
Now!
She shouted!
Her blade carved a white streak, curving into a silver arc under her elbow—
Frame by frame like slow-motion animation, she burst toward her target in a blur of after-images!
The lured monster hadn't reacted when the silver arc flashed; it shrieked, frog-like body flipping.
It convulsed, sticky fluid and wriggling worms spurting from the back of its neck!
Three down!
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