Within the vast hall, a black shadow zipped by at high speed, Uesugi Ryu was rushing toward the battlefield where Mado Kureo was engaged.
He wasn't too worried about Mado Kureo's safety. With Mephisto watching the situation from that end, nothing too unexpected should happen.
As Uesugi Ryu sprinted, the violent friction between his body and the surrounding air caused wisps of heat to rise from his form.
Entering a nearby emergency corridor, he was immediately met with a massive net formed from intertwining black kagune, a dense, ominous weave of fleshy tendrils.
The web was bristling with sharp, jet-black spikes, as though countless black roses had suddenly bloomed along its surface.
These kagune were layered upon one another so intricately that it was impossible to determine just how many there were.
"Kagune separation technique... It really is Matsumae," Uesugi Ryu muttered, rubbing his temples.
It wasn't hard for him to slice through this barrier with his Jason, but it would clearly take time. And in this situation, even one minute of delay could give Matsumae a chance to escape.
With that thought in mind, Uesugi Ryu scanned his surroundings. His eyes soon locked onto a tightly shut iron door not far away.
Striding swiftly to the door, he gripped the handle and twisted hard, only to find it locked tight.
Taking two steps back, he adjusted his stance, then raised his right leg and delivered a powerful kick.
Boom!
The iron door, once seemingly thick and unbreakable, immediately buckled under the tremendous force. With a screech that sent chills down the spine, the frame cracked, teetering on the edge of collapse.
The corridor behind was now partially exposed. With a second kick, Uesugi Ryu sent the door flying and stepped inside, dashing toward the left.
After bypassing the kagune barrier and advancing further, the sounds of fierce battle reached his ears.
Uesugi Ryu did not immediately join in. The corridor wasn't spacious, and with four people already attacking Matsumae, it was quite crowded. If he charged in blindly, he might even hinder them.
Mephisto's perspective appeared in Uesugi Ryu's mind, observing the battlefield calmly, waiting patiently for the perfect moment to strike, to k-kill.
...
On the battlefield.
Matsumae, holding her sturdy kagune shield, stood like an unshakable fortress, blocking wave after wave of incoming attacks. But even she couldn't remain unfazed in the face of this relentless four-man assault. Fatigue was starting to show.
Her once pristine black suit was now tattered in multiple places, revealing patches of pale skin beneath. Though her wounds had healed, streaks of dark red blood still stained her clothing.
Breathing slightly labored, Matsumae's gaze fell on Mado Kureo, her expression grave. Among these attackers, this white-haired old man felt like the most dangerous one. Several of her injuries had come directly from him.
Koutarou Amon brought his blade down again, unleashing a sharp and ruthless slash.
Matsumae quickly raised her ink-black shield and forcefully blocked the blow.
Clang! Sparks scattered as the blade met the shield, and she staggered backward under the force.
The battle had gone on for a considerable time. Deep down, Matsumae was beginning to consider retreat. Her mission was only to ensure Shuu Tsukiyama and the others escaped safely. There was no need to fight to the death against Mado Kureo and company.
But Mado, who had been closely observing her every move, had clearly seen through her intentions. He stuck close to her, sealing off every path of escape.
Glancing back for just a moment, Mado's instincts screamed, Uesugi Ryu had arrived.
A cold gleam flashed through Mado's eyes. With a subtle flick of his wrist, he stabbed his longsword toward Matsumae's abdomen at an extremely tricky angle.
This strike was vicious. If Matsumae chose to counter by trading injuries, Mado might be placed in serious danger.
Amon looked puzzled. Something in his mind clicked, and he subtly shifted his stance, exposing a small gap while keeping his eyes locked on Matsumae.
In Matsumae's eyes, a hint of helplessness flickered. This entire battle had left her feeling stifled.
She had no choice but to swing her lance, shielding her body while placing her shield in front again to block Mado's thrust.
As a kōkaku-type, her kagune shield had exceptional defense, but it was also heavy and unwieldy. Facing attacks from all four sides, even this so-called "knight" was turning into nothing more than a punching bag.
...
And it was at that moment, from the side where he had waited for so long, Uesugi Ryu's eyes flashed with killing intent.
BOOM!
A sudden blast of wind swept through. Amon barely managed to keep his eyes open against the intense gust.
Matsumae sensed something, her pupils contracted with overwhelming shock.
"Speed is weight. Ever been kicked at sonic speed?"
A teasing voice whispered in her ear.
Uesugi Ryu had already arrived, so fast that he could barely be seen by the naked eye.
His thigh tensed, right leg raised high, and with a heavy thud, his bloodstained black boot slammed into Matsumae's chest.
WHUD! A dull crash rang out.
Matsumae let out a muffled grunt as her body was launched like a cannonball, shooting backward uncontrollably.
She carved a straight trajectory through the air and smashed into a wall.
The brittle structure couldn't withstand the force, it shattered instantly on impact.
Still flying, her body only began to slow when it hit a second wall further back.
Dust and smoke billowed everywhere.
Her chest had caved in, her sternum bent inward nearly 90 degrees, with shards of bone piercing straight through her back and into the wall behind her.
She had finally, in the truest sense, achieved front-chest-to-back.
Had it not been for the soft cushioning on her chest, that kick might have cleaved her in two on the spot.
Uesugi Ryu raised the long knife in his hand, twisted his torso, and threw it like a spear.
The dark violet blade screamed through the smoke, the sound like a wailing banshee as it cut the haze apart.
Straight through Matsumae's left eye, the iron hilt crushed half her skull.
"W-Who...?"
Her right eye was stretched wide in disbelief.
She couldn't even see her attacker, everything felt so surreal.
And yet, the cold sensation from the blade brought clarity.
A faint smile curled on Matsumae's lips.
"Lord Tsukiyama should be safe by now, right…? I'm sorry… I won't be able to walk with you any further..."
Her skull shattered, half her brain skewered, no matter how strong a ghoul's regenerative ability, even Matsumae couldn't escape death.
Uesugi Ryu casually rotated his numb right leg and sighed.
"As expected of an SS-rated kōkaku ghoul, tough as hell."
Sure, he could've just used his weapon to kill her. But lately, he had developed a bit of a kicking habit. Earlier at the auction hall, he'd gone from start to finish chopping with fruit knives, his arms were still sore.
Without exchanging words with Mado and the others, Uesugi Ryu walked over to Matsumae's corpse and pulled out the Quinque embedded in her.
He gave the blade a light flick, splattering blood across Matsumae's body.
Raising the Quinque again, he flicked it once more. This time, the viscous liquid sprayed like rain, landing precisely on her crumpled, ragdoll-like form, painting a terrifying red streak across her suit.
He gazed at the body for a moment, then decided not to absorb her kakuhou.
Her kagune had fully deployed and clearly met the standards for Quinque material. But the disappearance of a kakuhou from an SS-class ghoul like her would raise too many questions.
Her kagune was of excellent quality, and might one day be incorporated into an SSS-class Quinque currently in development, or used as high-grade synthesis material.
A surge of pain bloomed from inside his body. Uesugi Ryu grimaced.
"Mana levels increasing too quickly… My body can't keep up."
He couldn't even count how many ghouls he had killed by now. After this prolonged slaughter, his mana stat had risen by 400 points, meaning he had likely killed around 70 ghouls.
This auction wasn't that big. Most of the ghouls in the general seats were small fry, none were even S-rated.
His current mana total had reached an astonishing 972, nearly doubling. His energy stat had gone up by 366, and he now had five lottery draws at his disposal.
Uesugi Ryu exhaled lightly, golden pupils gleaming with thought. He looked up toward the floor above.
A cold smile appeared on his lips.
His black leather boots echoed on the cold ground with sharp, deliberate steps.
"Time to go catch up with an old classmate."