'So that's a Quinque...'
I think while looking with curiosity at the tentacle that came out of the rectangular briefcase. Now it points directly at me as if wanting to pierce me any second.
It looks like a kagune, plus the smell escaping from the briefcase is similar to that of a kakuhou. Humans use ghouls' own weapons to fight them?
The man with the briefcase seems to misinterpret my fixed gaze on his Quinque and my silence as fear. Smiling gently like a kindly grandfather he says with a soft voice.
"It's fascinating, isn't it? I saw you carry that mutilated body a few moments ago. Are you perhaps a ghoul that devours other ghouls? A cannibal child."
He pauses while his eyes go down and up my small figure.
"It's the first time I've encountered something like this in all my years of service. Tell me, are you or aren't you?"
He takes a step forward. Despite being an old man with deep wrinkles on his face, he has a straight and firm back, giving an authoritative and confident posture. From the intense presence he gives off, I can say he's an extremely well-experienced hunter.
I lift my head to look him in the eyes. I see amusement shining in those dark pupils.
"Won't you answer my question? That's fine. Corpses don't tell stories after all."
Then he abruptly swings his Quinque forward.
I generally see attacks in slow motion when I'm concentrated. But this time I see the attack a bit blurry.
The crimson tentacle cuts through the air where my head was just milliseconds ago.
—Swooosh!
Surprise appears on the man's wrinkled face seeing me dodge his attack.
He immediately swings his Quinque horizontally toward my torso.
I bend my body backward leaning on my back.
—Crack!
"Ah..."
I momentarily forget I'm a corpse with a rigid body. That position is uncomfortable.
Anyway, I lean on the palm of my hand and applying force to my arms, I jump backward propelling myself. I spin several times in the air before landing.
But when I touch the ground the man is already before me.
'He's fast, huh...'
I think while blocking his next attack.
He attacks me over and over without rest. I dodge each blow while concentrating on his movements. Unfortunately I can't see openings in his attack to take advantage and attack.
'At least he's faster than the ghouls I've killed until now. He might even be faster than the parasites' blades I've faced.'
No. That's not exactly it. The parasites I've encountered until now swing their tentacles around without technique, and only use strength and speed.
However, this man has years of experience fighting ghouls. I can see that since he doesn't waste a single movement.
—Slash!
For example, right now he manages to deeply cut a tendon in my left leg.
Dark blood gushes from the wound.
That by itself wouldn't be a serious problem for a ghoul since they can regenerate in a matter of seconds.
That's why the older man who's experienced fighting ghouls narrows his eyes. He stares fixedly at my wound from which dark blood gushes without stopping.
He stops a few meters away maintaining his guard high.
"A wound of that depth that doesn't heal... And black blood instead of red. You're definitely not a normal ghoul. So what the hell are you?"
As if realizing something important, I see how the man's kind face freezes a bit.
"Are you from that race?"
'Huh? From that race? What's he referring to?'
I'm confused by his question.
Then I see the man shake his head denying his own theory.
"No, it can't be. They don't have black blood either. And in fact they also have a high regeneration rate superior even to ghouls."
"So are you that other type of ghoul? The ghouls without reason? No, impossible. You're not as weak and uncoordinated as they are..."
'What the hell is this man talking about?'
I don't understand anything he's saying.
I feel how the man's emotional frequency that was chaotic before stabilizes again. He's reached some internal conclusion.
The older man shows his gentle and calm face.
"You have exceptional reflexes for your age. Most young and inexperienced ghouls lose their heads in their first direct encounter with an Assistant Special Investigator."
'Assistant Special Investigator... That must mean he's strong, right?'
Upon hearing what the man just said, a huge smile full of white teeth gradually appears on my face. Well, that smile is hidden behind the black face mask I'm wearing.
I deliberately fill my mind with dark and negative emotions.
I enter my Ghoul Mode.
—Grunnnn...
My stomach emits a low growl. It seems to be asking to eat the Quinque.
"Sir, may I ask you something?"
"Go ahead, little monster. I like to maintain civilized conversations even with uncivilized ghouls before eliminating them."
"How strong is your heart?"
The old man arches both eyebrows and seems confused by my strange question.
"My heart?"
"Yes. Because I'm going to eat it."
The man's kind face crumbles and his complexion acquires a cold tone.
"Interesting choice of last words, little monster."
He says with a completely flat and deadly voice.
The Special Investigator launches himself at me at lightning speed. This time he's using all his strength and speed because he's considerably faster than before.
The crimson tentacle of his Quinque shines in the darkness as it approaches.
I cross my arms in front of my chest.
—Clank!
The impact throws me back several meters while I hear something break in my left arm.
I plant my foot on the ground and after stabilizing myself, I look at my left wrist. It's twisted to one side.
"It's a shame."
Mr. Investigator appears before me while attacking again. I move to one side and manage to dodge by centimeters, and I do a low sweep with my right foot.
I hit the man's foot making him lose balance.
—Thud!
While the man staggers trying to recover his posture, I kick and hit him in his stomach.
—Whaaam!
The human body is violently lifted upward with force. But before he flies too high, I hit him in his face with my right hand.
—Cruuuunch!
Mr. Investigator shoots backward like a bullet and his body bounces several times against the pavement.
After a few seconds he gets up while spitting blood and cleaning his white suit stained with dirt.
"I'll have to clean it later. It's my only suit."
He says with an irritated voice.
He lifts his Quinque again. In a blur he reaches me and attacking forward. He unleashes a chain of blows, whether horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. It's a simultaneous and coordinated assault that leaves crimson gleams cutting through the air.
—Swish! Swish! Swish!
Faced with that chain of blows, I stay calm and the fast attacks are dodged or deflected by being hit by my fist.
But one hits me hard on the head.
—Whooom!
This time it's me who's thrown backward, rolling several meters.
I get up shaking my head.
We attack each other again and start exchanging violent blows and counterattacking.
I realize something during this prolonged fight.
'My biggest weakness, or rather disadvantage, is my small stature.'
I think while blocking another attack.
Being still a child, it's difficult to keep up with blows coming from a tall adult. Plus it's difficult to throw accurate blows to vital areas.
Ah, I kicked him in the balls once, but he didn't react much. Have they already cut off his balls? Poor old guy.
Ahem! Leaving that aside, against my previous enemies who weren't experienced in combat, my stature didn't matter much because I could compensate with speed and strength.
But now it does matter quite a bit.
I suddenly withdraw from the fight and look at mr. ivestigator who also stops.
I see he's breathing heavily. Although he's an experienced man, this fight already lasted long, and besides being old, he's human. That's why he can get tired unlike me, who can't get tired.
"I'm disappointed. You're supposed to be strong as a special investigator. But is this all you have?"
Then...
A hand grabs the wrinkled neck of mr. investigator and squeezes it hard, pushing him backward. He's suddenly crushed down against the pavement.
—Booom!
Huge explosion occurs while massive cracks appear in a spiderweb pattern where the Investigator mister is lying.
"What... what happened?"
He asks with a choked and confused voice.
The hand squeezing him belongs to me, of course.
I lean over him while smiling widely.
"Before you said 'what incredible luck I have,' remember?"
I say with a playful and dark voice.
"No, no, no. What incredible luck I HAVE, sir. I found a delicious dinner tonight."
The man asks with terror in his voice.
"This kind of strength at such a young age... What the hell are you?"
Sharp blades appear on my five fingers of my right hand.
—Shink! Shink! Shink!
"A corpse doesn't need to know that."
I respond with a cold voice.
"I already had an abundant dinner of parasite ghoul before. But it's not bad at all to have a tasty dessert now."
"But before eating you, I have a couple of important questions for you, sir. Would you be so kind as to answer them honestly?"
Questions about what he meant by those monsters that are different from ghouls. Touka mentioned them before, but didn't know much about them.
It's very possible that being a special investigator, he knows more about those other monsters.
And I want that information.
"Let's start with something simple. What did you mean by 'that race'? And what are those 'ghouls without reason' you mentioned?"
"Heh. You think I'll answer you, little monster?"
Oh. So he'll resist? This is even better.
"Fufufu..."
I make the blades on my fingers rub against each other while making a dark laughing sound.
"Then you don't mind if I play a little with your body, right? If you haven't had a Christmas present, consider accepting this gift."
That night the older man's scream of pain was heard as my blades meticulously severed each part of his body.
×××
20 advanced chapters on Pa-treon.
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