Before she even finished speaking, Esdeath swung the gigantic ice hammer and smashed it toward Uesugi Ryu's chest.
Uesugi Ryu tried to defend himself, but his speed was almost negligible in Esdeath's eyes at this moment.
The giant hammer struck him directly, sending sparks flying.
The tremendous force, enough to shatter a small mountain, surged through his body and launched him backward into the ice wall.
Uesugi Ryu was embedded in the wall in a starfish-like shape.
Spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread across the surface.
Yet in the next second, they were forcibly repaired by the surrounding cold.
His entire body felt numb.
A faint, dull ache came from the spot on his chest where the hammer's spike had struck.
The Black Dragon Scales were not weak, Uesugi Ryu would not be killed by a single blow.
Before he could catch his breath, Esdeath's next strike arrived.
The ice wall firmly restrained him in place, leaving him with nowhere to dodge; this ice wall was the execution platform Esdeath had specially prepared for him.
Boom! Boom!
Esdeath swung her arms back and forth.
The heavy ice hammer in her hands felt as light as a wooden stick.
Countless icy-blue afterimages nearly overlapped as they continuously bombarded Uesugi Ryu's body.
As the attacks accumulated, a trail of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
The scales covering his chest had begun to crack.
Bright red blood continuously seeped from the wounds.
Yet he showed no panic.
Instead, he calmly analyzed the situation.
"A weakened version of Mahāpadma with a longer duration?"
Although it seemed like a long time, only two or three seconds had actually passed since the assault began.
Inside the armor formed from dragon scales, crimson energy spread across Uesugi Ryu's body.
The Blood King activated.
The two transformation abilities were now fully combined.
Uesugi Ryu's physical attributes rose to a terrifying level.
He had completely broken free from the restrictions imposed by the extreme cold.
His injuries were steadily healing.
Esdeath lowered her hammer slightly.
Her breathing had become somewhat heavier, but she had no intention of stopping.
Just as she prepared to launch another attack.
Uesugi Ryu's head suddenly drooped limply, as if he had been knocked unconscious.
"No. He's probably playing dead. The man I've chosen isn't that fragile."
Without hesitation, Esdeath twisted her body and swung the hammer once more.
The ice hammer carried a suffocating gale as it smashed heavily into the ice wall.
Large chunks of ice exploded outward.
The orange-red sparks disappeared.
The sensation transmitted through the hammer felt wrong.
Esdeath's expression changed.
She instantly abandoned the hammer and retreated.
A black figure appeared before her like a ghost.
Leaning forward, Uesugi Ryu unleashed a full-powered hook.
His heavy fist, covered in black scales, sank into Esdeath's soft abdomen.
The sound of internal organs rupturing echoed faintly.
Esdeath's body bent into an arch.
A mouthful of blood sprayed from her lips.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
She could not understand when Uesugi Ryu had managed to break free from her special technique.
After landing the devastating blow, Uesugi Ryu abruptly withdrew his fist.
Esdeath's body hung suspended in midair.
In that frozen instant, Uesugi Ryu suddenly leaped upward and grabbed her slender neck.
The next moment, both of them crashed back down.
Esdeath slammed heavily onto the ice.
Her long ice-blue hair spread messily across the melting snow.
Uesugi Ryu pinned her beneath him.
His right hand tightly gripped her neck.
The black scales covering his head receded like a tide, revealing his true face.
Uesugi Ryu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth before looking down at Esdeath.
"You lost."
The sharp scales that had not fully disappeared from his hand pressed lightly against her cheek.
His cool knuckles sank gently into her warm skin.
For a moment, Esdeath's eyes lost focus.
The usual fanatical passion for battle faded from her expression.
The blood at the corner of her mouth and her restrained posture revealed a rare trace of vulnerability.
Caught completely off guard by her sudden defeat, the queen who had always been domineering and cruel fell silent.
Her icy-blue eyelashes trembled slightly.
"...I lost."
She softly admitted it.
Then she suddenly laughed.
Blood mixed with foam trembled at her lips as laughter escaped her throat.
After laughing for a while, she focused her gaze on Uesugi Ryu once more.
Her tone was calm, as if stating an obvious fact.
"Do it, Uesugi Ryu."
Uesugi Ryu raised an eyebrow.
He was somewhat surprised by her reaction.
"I didn't come here to kill you. The Empire still needs you."
Esdeath closed her eyes and chuckled.
"It is your Empire that needs me."
She paused briefly.
"As for me..."
"Not interested."
A chill spread through the air.
Two sharp ice spikes suddenly formed beside her head and shot toward her temples.
Pfft!
Dark flames erupted from Uesugi Ryu's body.
The intense heat instantly vaporized the ice spikes into white steam.
He frowned and stared into Esdeath's eyes.
"The strong dominate the weak. Isn't that your creed?"
Uesugi Ryu leaned closer.
A hint of teasing entered his voice.
"When it's your turn, suddenly it doesn't count?"
They were so close they could feel each other's breath.
Esdeath could clearly see the slight trembling of his eyelashes.
Her gaze lowered.
A faint blush appeared on her fair face.
"I like you."
"But don't you already have a lover?"
Esdeath turned her face aside and spoke quietly.
"Watching the person I like stay with someone else."
"As the loser, all I can do is stand on the sidelines and watch."
"Isn't that too cruel for me as a woman?"
Hearing Esdeath's words, Uesugi Ryu fell silent.
He did not dislike her.
In some ways, he even admired her.
The black scales covering his body gradually disappeared.
Uesugi Ryu slowly released the hand gripping her neck.
Esdeath continued looking away, waiting for his answer.
After letting go of her neck, Uesugi Ryu placed his palm against her cheek and gently turned her face back toward him.
Their foreheads touched.
He gazed directly into those icy-blue eyes.
"I accept you."
"But only in this world."
Esdeath froze.
The burning warmth of Uesugi Ryu's body traveled through their touching foreheads.
Since the day she was born, the only things that had ever brought her warmth, aside from a campfire, were the blood of prey and enemies.
This was the first time someone had shared their warmth with her so directly.
Esdeath's eyes curved into a smile.
She raised a hand and pressed against the back of Uesugi Ryu's neck, pulling him closer.
Cold lips met his.
They carried the taste of blood, along with an irresistible determination.
......
Original Author's Note:
I don't have much writing experience, and I apologize for ending this book somewhat hastily.
Many things were left unwritten, but the main story was explained clearly enough, so I don't think it counts as a bad ending, right?
Some of the remaining details will be covered in the side stories.
I'd also like to thank all the readers who have stayed with me until now.
Because writing is only a part-time job for me, my studies and exams often interrupted my ability to create consistently.
This is the second book I have completed, and it means a lot to me.
The reason I started writing this book was because of changes in my family's circumstances at the time.
I even considered dropping out of school.
I wanted to earn some money through writing novels and help ease the burden on my parents.
People often say that suffering is the soil in which literature grows.
Back then, I didn't want to think about anything else.
I set aside both my studies and entertainment and devoted myself entirely to writing.
Later, it turned out to be a false alarm.
But perhaps because of that experience, the course of my life changed completely.
I don't really know.
I'm just sharing some personal thoughts here.
On the road of writing, I am still a beginner.
The more I write, the more I become aware of my shortcomings.
There are many tricks that can make a book more popular.
Most Tokyo Ghoul fanfictions focus on the ghoul side, so occasionally writing from a different perspective feels relatively fresh.
In terms of writing style and structure, I borrowed quite a bit from Mosquito's works.
Personally, I really enjoy his novels.
By coincidence, the protagonist's name also overlapped with a character from Dragon Raja, which attracted many readers who were fans of that series.
That also influenced the development of certain writing styles and system-related elements.
My original goal was to write something different from ordinary novels.
The protagonists in my stories are usually not good people.
I don't think that will change in the future.
I intend to continue writing protagonists with villainous tendencies.
I imagine many readers also came from my Re:Zero fanfiction, so I'd like to explain that situation as well.
That book had to be temporarily suspended because it required a large amount of original plot design while generating very little income.
Although Re:Zero is one of the most popular isekai anime series, fanfiction for it seems to have a relatively small audience.
The earnings simply weren't enough to justify the amount of time required to write it.
To put it simply, I need to eat too.
I'm not noble enough to spend huge amounts of time creating solely for love and passion.
That may sound realistic, but I'd rather be honest than invent some excuse.
Even though I'm still in university, I still have to face the realities of life.
I hope everyone can understand.
My new book will be released in early January.
It will be an infinite-worlds novel, and the first world will once again be the familiar Tokyo Ghoul setting.
However, this time the pace will be much faster.
The first world, which serves as the beginner trial world, will end quickly, probably in fewer than thirty chapters.
The new book will reduce emotional scenes, which I'm not particularly skilled at writing, and will include a lot more combat.
The style will be very similar to Reincarnation Paradise.
I hope you'll enjoy it and look forward to it.
Finally, thank you all once again for your support.
And thank you to everyone who loved this book.
There will still be some short side stories released after the conclusion.
They will cover the final fates of various characters.
If there are any characters you'd especially like to see featured, please leave a comment.
I'll update them as soon as possible.
That's all for now.
So... it's finished! (～￣▽￣)～
.......
TL Note: This fic really wasn't my cup of tea; it started quite well, but the direction simply felt like an impending car crash at some point. Nonetheless, I hope those that got this far enjoyed it at least. I am still working on various projects right now, multiple here on WN such as 'Mirror in the Dust' and 'Strange Cultivation: I Can Waive The Price', but with that said, I am abandoning the Madara TG fic since there is already a translated version of it on Webnovel that has yet to be taken down. You can find it under the title "Tokyo Ghoul: I Am Madara." I'm not sure about the quality, but it'll probably be fine.
That aside, I have now also posted a new Tokyo Ghoul fic TL titled "Tokyo Ghoul: Carnage, Starting with Kamishiro Rize." You can search for it or find it through my profile. I'll try to do daily updates like with the others but I'll have to see about the time.
Have a good one.