"ETO-OOO!!!!"
Seeing Eto's abdomen skewered by the kagune, I lunged forward.
In that split second, memories of the day I lost my father flashed through my mind. That same despair. That same sense of loss. That same sorrow. That same rage.
Again?
Was I about to lose my family to the same monster all over again?
"๐๐ณ๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ!!"
Meanwhile, Hitokawa let out a guttural roar and swung his greatsword at the kagune that had impaled Eto. His face was twisted like a demon's, fueled by the self-loathing of having let his guard down and allowing his friend to be struck.
๐๐ญ๐ช๐ค๐ฆ!!
The kagune tentacle was severed. I caught Eto's collapsing body, though the length of the kagune remained embedded in her stomach.
"Eto! Wake up, Eto!!"
"Don't pull it out, Koma! You'll cause a hemorrhage!!"
I cradled her, but she was unconscious. Blood, forced up from her gut, merely trickled from the corners of her mouth. Hitokawa stepped in front of us, shielding us as he faced the ghoul. He gritted his teeth, clearly disgusted by this absurd turn of events.
"Hey, hey! What kind of sick hobby is this? I strip the mask off the Assistant Manager and The Artist pops out?!"
Hitokawa had memorized the CCG's composite sketch of The Artist. He knew the moment he saw that faceโthis was the man.
Under Hitokawa's murderous gaze, The Artist simply shrugged.
"It isn't some magic trick. Nor is it an act. The Assistant Manager and I are separate personas. We simply share one body."
"...A split personality?"
"Something like that. As is well known, I am a man who only wishes to engage in the arts. I usually leave the tedious, physical labor to the Assistant Manager. I didn't expect him to be defeated so thoroughly, though."
The Artist stretched his limbs as if they were stiff. As he did, he manifested a new kagune, different from the one that had just stabbed Eto.
"Thanks to that girl, two of my four kakuhou have been rendered unusable. The Assistant Manager could only manipulate two at a time."
That was Eto's fatal oversight. Because the enemy had only used two tentacles, she never imagined there were more kakuhou hidden within that body. She had subdued him after destroying only two.
"You son of a bitchโฆ."
"Don't waste your breath on a piece of trash like him."
I moved Eto to a corner. I laid her head to the side so the rising blood wouldn't block her airway, then I stood up. I extended my arm.
๐๐๐๐!!
"...!"
The Artist reflexively raised his arm to guard. His brow twitched as the impact registered.
"A Q-bullet? I believe I gave those to another subject of mine. How did you come to possess them?"
The red bullet had pierced his forearm and lodged itself in his shoulder. He plucked it out with his fingers and questioned me.
"Who knows. Why don't you go to hell and ask my father, you bastard."
The smoldering heat of my rage leaked out through my voice. Hitokawa, standing nearby, tried to intervene.
"Hey, Koma. Calm down. You can't lose your cool here."
"I'm perfectly calm. I'm calmly thinking of every possible way to slaughter this thing."
"That is the opposite of calm!!"
Hitokawa clearly didn't believe me, but I was truly governing my impulses. If I weren't, I would have already emptied the remaining four rounds into him. I had to hit a vital point to take him down. I had to end this here and now. Only then could I focus on treating Eto. If I tried to run with her now, this monster would surely hunt us down.
That first shot was merely to test his reaction speed. As expected, his physical abilities surpassed human limits, allowing him to guard in time. I needed a more systematic plan to ensure a bullet reached its mark. So, I endured. I suppressed the urge to scream out my fury.
"๐๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ! That's it! That's the one! That expression! That emotion! Inspiration is striking me. You truly have the potential to be my greatest masterpiece!"
Whatever he saw in my face as I gritted my teeth and analyzed the situation, The Artist spread his arms wide, his face flushed with excitement.
"The fools of this world do not understand beauty. They live their lives without even realizing their spirits are being depleted by the urban grind. They are merely livestock. That is why they need beauty! A beauty that can transform livestock into intellectuals! Koma Takaki! You will be the foundation for a great work of art that expresses that very beauty!"
"If you love your 'art' so much, go be a masterpiece yourself!!"
Hitokawa, unable to listen to any more of that madness, charged forward with his greatsword trailing behind him. The Artist glanced at Hitokawa as if he were an annoying pest, then smirked at the sight of the weapon.
"A kokaku quinque. How foolish of you to challenge me when you know it has a poor compatibility with my rinkaku."
Two kagune tentacles writhed like dancing snakes and lashed out at Hitokawa.
๐๐๐๐!! ๐๐๐๐๐!!
Hitokawa dodged and parried the serpent-like strikes, weaving his way toward The Artist. He delivered a heavy blow, but The Artist evaded it with a nimble lightness.
I fingered the trigger, feeling a surge of impatience. With the two of them tangled in combat, I couldn't take a shot. One mistake and I'd hit Hitokawa. I had to wait. The opportunity would comeโthe moment they separated. I had to be patient.
"๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ฉ!!"
With a shout, Hitokawa swung his greatsword at The Artist's legs, aiming to rob him of his mobility. But that intent was neutralized by a strike from a tentacle hitting the side of the blade.
Exploiting the opening caused by the impact, The Artist thrust a tentacle toward Hitokawa's abdomen. Hitokawa managed to pull the greatsword in front of him just in time; he avoided being skewered, but the overwhelming force sent him flying backward.
๐๐๐๐!!
"๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ!!"
His back slammed into the wall, and he gasped for air. The hand gripping the greatsword trembled, and a fine crack appeared on the wing-shaped blade.
Just as The Artist lunged to deliver the finishing blow, I didn't miss the opening. I pulled the trigger.
๐๐๐๐!!
"...!"
The monster stopped and snapped his head back. The bullet intended for his temple grazed a few strands of his hair and vanished into the wall. Damn it. For a novice, my aim was exceptionally lucky, yet he still managed to dodge.
The Artist's attention shifted back to me.
Hitokawa didn't miss the moment the monster paused; he kicked off the wall and lunged. But The Artist seemed to read the move perfectly and swung a tentacle without even looking. Hitokawa ignored the incoming strike and kept coming.
Sharp scales shredded part of his side and cheek, but he didn't stop.
"!"
The Artist turned his eyes toward Hitokawa in surprise, but the greatsword was already in motion. The Artist arched his long waist, narrowly escaping the reach of the blade. Howeverโ
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐!!
Even though he had dodged the greatsword, a small, unexpected blade flew out and buried itself in The Artist's stomach. It was one of the feather-like blades from the quinque. It had been launched to close the gap created by his evasion.
Wounded, The Artist retreated to create distance. Hitokawa, his side bleeding heavily, didn't pursue, instead pressing a hand against his wound.
"Hitokawa!"
"I'm fine!"
He staggered for a moment but soon gripped the greatsword with both hands again, facing The Artist.
"This guyโฆ he's still feeling the injuries Eto gave him. He can only use two kagune. Any other time, the power gap would have ended us in seconds, but as he is now, the two of us can take him!"
Hitokawa spoke with confidence, but the situation didn't feel that optimistic. Because of the compatibility issues, Hitokawa couldn't land a solid blow without risking injury himself. And if I ran out of bullets, I'd be nothing but a bystander.
'Three rounds left.'
I had to settle this within those three shots. Not a single one could be wasted. I aimed the revolver at The Artist and watched his every move.
The Artist, looking between us, suddenly let out a long sigh.
"As much as I dislike physical labor, it wounds my pride to be pushed back by the likes of you. I suppose I have no choice."
His expression was one of reluctance, but his actions were ruthless. He reached down. His hand gripped the collar of his fallen comradeโthe middle-aged man we called the Manager.
The Artist hoisted the unconscious Manager's body into the air with brute force. There was no hint of camaraderie or affection in the gesture. He wasn't trying to wake his fallen ally.
In that moment, Hitokawa realized what was happening, and his face went pale. He lunged toward The Artist and screamed:
"Koma!! Stop him, now!!"
"...?!"
I didn't know what was happening, but the urgency was clear. I pulled the trigger and Hitokawa swung his sword at almost the exact same time.
๐๐๐๐!!
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐!!
The bullet tore into flesh, and the greatsword cleaved through a body. But it wasn't The Artist.
It was the Manager.
The Manager's corpse, shot through the chest and partially decapitated by the sword, fell limply to the floor. ...Wait. Where did his head go? And where was The Artist?
๐๐๐๐๐๐!! ๐๐๐๐๐.
"๐๐ข๐ฉ~ as I thought, it tastes foul. Foul, but necessary."
Thick blood dripped down. From the ceiling.
Hitokawa and I looked up.
There, hanging effortlessly upside down by digging his fingers into the concrete, was The Artistโdevouring the remains of his own comrade.
"Oh, god..."
"...You sick bastard."
Hitokawa started the sentence, and I finished it. I finally understood the situation he had sensed. There is a very simple, very easy way for a ghoul to heal their injuries.
Eating.
The Artist had cannibalized his own ally to heal his wounds.
๐๐๐๐๐๐!!
Another kagune erupted from his waist. Three dark-red tentacles now danced around him.
"With only this much mass, I could only recover one kakuhou. Well, I suppose this will be enough."
The Artist plucked his fingers from the ceiling. He dropped toward us, spreading his kagune wide.
"Let's begin Round Two."
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐!!!!!!!!!
The kagune slammed into the floor between us in three separate strikes. The floor of the abandoned building, already far from sturdy, couldn't withstand the impact. Cracks spread like a spiderweb.
Suddenly, the floor gave way, and a dizzying sensation of weightlessness shot through me.
"๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐!!"
"A Phase Two?! Are you kidding me?!"
Screaming, we plummeted into the darkness of the basement along with a rain of stone fragments.