Chapter 25: Hunting Ghouls
Roland moved quickly!
He lay prone at a new high point, with the heavy sniper rifle [discipline] set up in front of him, while the eye of ishu above provided a bird's-eye view of his surroundings.
The crosshairs locked onto a Clone's head, and he pulled the trigger; the bullet roared out, shattering the target's head and upper torso in the blink of an eye.
"Headshot!"
Roland quickly switched targets, and the remaining twelve bullets in the magazine were fired in succession, killing three Clones and nine Monstrosities one after another; this was the search party closest to him.
After changing the magazine, he put the sniper rifle back into his storage space and moved rapidly between buildings via pre-installed steel cables.
Soon, another team that had heard the gunshots appeared below him; observing closely, there were no actual Ghouls, only Monstrosities and Clones.
Time to strike!
Roland descended to a lower level and leaped down, entering a charged state mid-air, his entire body enveloped in a faint blue light.
He jumped straight into the center of the team, his nichirin blade, still in its scabbard, landing heavily on the ground.
The frost energy contained within it spread instantly, forming a layer of ice crystals that covered the feet of the Monstrosities and Clones, restricting their movement.
Frost Breathing, Twelfth Form: Frozen Sky Aurora!
Roland reached out and gripped the hilt, slowly drawing the nichirin blade from its scabbard; drawn by this motion, the frost energy within the ice crystals condensed into blade-light, surrounding the Monstrosities and Clones.
As the blade was drawn, these flashes of light continuously elongated, slicing through their flesh.
The Monstrosities wailed in pain like beasts, while the Clones remained expressionless and stiff, as if they couldn't feel pain at all.
The blade was fully drawn, and the flashes of light were stretched to their limit, flying into the air and cutting their bodies from various angles.
Neither the Monstrosities nor the Clones could offer any resistance against these flying lights, and in the blink of an eye, they were all turned into a bloody mess.
With just one move, Roland had severely wounded the entire team!
Stepping back in Zanshin, Roland, having recovered some stacks of his Breathing Technique, finished them off with another Scrap Silver Slash; after ensuring they had no power left to resist, he raised his hand and released Orlando.
The Symbiote extended dozens of tiny tentacles that pierced into the bodies of the Monstrosities and Clones, greedily absorbing the nutrients it needed; it took nearly three minutes to "eat" them all clean.
While Orlando was feeding, Roland didn't stay idle; whenever a Monstrosity or Clone was sucked dry and died, dropping a treasure chest, he immediately pocketed it.
It could be said that he maximized the gains from the battle!
Of course, Roland didn't lower his guard because of this, constantly monitoring his surroundings through the eye of ishu.
After Orlando finished feeding, he entered a nearby building again, repeating the cycle of long-range sniping, high-altitude movement, and rapid annihilation of small units.
Relying on ninja stealth techniques, Roland silently transformed this near-ruined architectural area into his spider web without any of the enemies noticing.
All enemies within this web would become food for Orlando.
The Ghouls led by Tatara and Kuzen tried to catch him, but Roland remained calm and restrained, avoiding direct combat with them to escape being bogged down.
As soon as he saw them, Roland used the terrain and consumables like smoke bombs and Ash Clumps to engage them in a flexible tug-of-war.
The Ghouls, exhausted from the chase, could only vent their frustration and anger by destroying the terrain, but this triggered traps Roland had set with high-explosive grenades; the resulting building collapses caused them no small amount of trouble.
"Cunning monster! Damn it!"
More than once, these Ghouls, left dizzy and disoriented by Roland, cursed.
With constant feeding, Orlando's growth was startlingly fast; he tried to rebel again in the middle, but as expected, he was suppressed by Roland once more.
"I recall I already gave you a chance!"
This time, Roland's merciless attack nearly killed Orlando, but because of that, Orlando became much better behaved afterward.
Their hunting continued!
——————
Silence, stillness, a heavy atmosphere.
This was everything Kaneki Ken felt in the command room.
"The losses of The Knights are growing larger and larger!"
Hideyoshi Nagachika frowned deeply, his eyes fixed on the screen showing battlefield casualties as he spoke in a low voice.
"Mobilize the City Defense Forces and have the Bin Brothers, Naki, and Yakumo Oomori rush to reinforce as well! Disregard the cost of all wartime supplies! All members of The Knights, prepare for battle!
Tell them I have only one order: eliminate that monster as quickly as possible!"
Standing before him with hands behind his back, the commander once again issued an order in a cold tone that would cause the death toll to skyrocket.
"Let me go!"
Kaneki Ken could no longer bear it and stepped forward to volunteer.
"Commander Furuta Nimura, stop letting everyone in The Knights die in vain!
You should be able to see it too, right? No one but me is a match for that monster. Only I... only I can stop it!"
"No!"
Furuta Nimura, dressed in formal attire similar to Kaneki Ken's, refused without even turning his head.
"Why?!"
Kaneki Ken stepped forward again, grabbing the other's shoulder and questioning him.
Furuta Nimura turned and slapped Kaneki Ken's hand away, saying coldly:
"Because you are no longer an ordinary knight! Grand Knight Commander Kaneki Ken!"
Their eyes met, and invisibly, sparks seemed to fly between them.
"Your mission is to stand guard here! Ensure the safety of Bronze Tree and Lady Kamishiro Rize!
Anyone can be sacrificed in the battle against that monster, but not you!!
You are the strongest among us, and the only one who can protect Lady Kamishiro Rize under any circumstances!
Have you considered what would happen to Lady Kamishiro Rize if you left? You are her last line of defense, her final shield! What if the lady is assassinated after you leave?
The lady's safety cannot be threatened in the slightest; even a single drop of her blood would be a massive loss for both humans and Ghouls!
Rize Kamishiro cannot be harmed; not even the slightest possibility of injury can be allowed to exist!
And you! Kaneki Ken! Grand Knight Commander! Your only mission is to ensure that!"
By the end, Furuta Nimura's tone was practically a roar!
Kaneki Ken gritted his teeth hard and asked again unwillingly:
"So, I can only watch as my companions die one by one at the hands of that monster, while I can only stand here and do nothing, is that right?"
Furuta Nimura said decisively:
"Exactly!"
Kaneki Ken's eyes looked as if they were about to bleed:
"Furuta Nimura! You will regret your actions today!"
"Kaneki Ken! I am the commander of the Ghoul Knights!"