[TL/N: New Book -
Anime Group Chat in a Doomsday World!]
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"This feels good..."
"You're really suited for making this kind of thing."
The setting remained an abandoned warehouse concealed by Dr. Fueguchi's family.
It was late afternoon, and dusk had settled in.
A burly man with short white hair stood beside Dr. Fueguchi, a pair of heavy metal pliers in his hand and a satisfied smile on his face.
Next to him was a man adorned with heavy makeup.
"Don't come here again."
Dr. Fueguchi pressed his trembling legs firmly together, trying to appear calm as he commanded the two unwelcome visitors to leave.
"It seems I'm not welcome."
The strong man smirked as he casually raised the metal pliers, pretending to clamp them over Dr. Fueguchi's head. From his perspective, it looked like the pliers completely enveloped the doctor's skull.
Yet, the bloodbath he envisioned didn't occur.
After all, it was just a pair of ordinary pliers, incapable of such high-tech feats as remote murder.
The pliers fell to his side.
Suddenly, the man shoved his hands into the pockets of his tailored suit jacket, looking at Dr. Fueguchi with an air of authority, as though forgiving a subordinate.
"Relax. As long as you're obedient, I won't bother getting rid of such a useful tool."
It was clear that Dr. Fueguchi's craftsmanship had impressed him. So much so that he couldn't bring himself to kill the doctor.
"Phew..."
Dr. Fueguchi exhaled deeply and slowly stood upright, gesturing in a show of respect.
"Heh."
The burly man chuckled disdainfully.
"Let's go, Naki."
"Coming~"
The flamboyant man, Niki, replied with an exaggerated tone, swiftly opening the warehouse door for the strong man.
But just as they were about to leave, Naki paused, turning back to cast a peculiar glance at Dr. Fueguchi.
At that moment, the doctor's trembling demeanor vanished. A sly grin crept across his face, and the fear in his eyes dissolved completely.
Instead, he gazed out the window with anticipation.
"Now, I leave the rest to you, Leader."
The strong man from before was none other than Gecko, the infamous enforcer of the Aogiri Tree. His twisted fondness for torture involved breaking nails, fingers, teeth, tongues, and other sensitive parts using his cherished pliers.
However, after a careless incident while showing off in front of Kamishiro Rize, he had lost his prized tool. Left with no alternative, he sought out Dr. Fueguchi, who had previously crafted pliers for him, to commission another pair.
Exiting the abandoned warehouse, Gecko admired his new pliers, unable to contain his satisfaction.
The two soon arrived in a deserted alley.
However...
They were abruptly halted by several shadowy figures blocking their path.
"Gecko of the Aogiri Tree, I presume?"
Kaneki stepped forward, a calm smile on his face. Eyeing the man they had waited all day for.
Shuu and Touka, flanking Kaneki, moved in to encircle Gecko from both sides.
"Huh?"
Gecko raised his head, studying the newcomers.
His nose twitched, picking up the distinct scent of ghouls emanating from Kaneki and his companions.
In an instant, a crazed grin spread across his face.
"The ghouls of the 20th Ward? This should be fun!"
Click! Click! Click!
The new pliers snapped loudly in his hands as though itching for violence.
However...
Just as he prepared to make his move—
'Thwack!'
A sharp, wet sound pierced the silence of the alley.
Gecko's eyes widened in shock, his expression frozen in disbelief.
And at that moment...
The sound of flesh tearing resounded once more.
Naki slowly retracted his bloodstained arm.
In his hand, he held a massive, grotesque organ.
It was Gecko's kakuhou.
"Why?! Naki?!"
Gecko's eyes widened in shock, bloodshot and filled with disbelief. He stumbled backward, unable to comprehend how someone he trusted could suddenly betray him.
"Sorry, Gecko," Naki said, his voice dripping with insincere regret.
The once-charming expression on Naki's face vanished as he raised his head, revealing the unmistakable scarlet glow of a ghoul's eyes. They radiated a menacing bloodlust.
Naki licked the remnants of Gecko's blood from his hand and made a mocking gesture of apology.
"As much as I've enjoyed our time together, if I don't follow the leader's orders..."
"She'll eat me."
"Leader?!"
Gecko's eyes narrowed sharply.
"You betrayed the Aogiri Tree?!"
"Betrayal? Oh no, no, no~!"
A twisted grin spread across Naki's heavily made-up face, giving him the appearance of a deranged clown from a horror film.
Naki laughed and said, "I was never part of the Aogiri Tree, was I? I merely had... a 'special' relationship with you."
"But now..."
Naki turned, stepping forward to hand the kakuhou to Kaneki.
"Your life is in the hands of my new leader."
"Isn't that right, Leader?"
Though Naki didn't understand why Roma had given this order, the members of the Clowns were all unparalleled experts. None of them were weaker than an SS-rated ghoul.
Yet, despite their overwhelming power, they all willingly followed the instructions of one individual:
Hoito Roma, their leader.
A true... SSS-rated ghoul of terrifying strength.
"New leader?!"
Gecko's fury ignited as he lifted his gaze toward Kaneki, his face twisted with rage.
Kaneki took the kakuhou from Naki's hand, casting an approving glance at him.
"As expected of Roma's subordinates. You act more decisively than I anticipated."
"Thank you for the compliment!" Naki replied cheerfully.
Kaneki then turned his attention to Gecko, examining the gaping wound in his body where Naki had struck.
Within seconds—a wound that would have been fatal to a human—had already healed completely.
But the absence of his kakuhou had left Gecko temporarily weakened.
"Even without his kakuhou, his regenerative abilities are impressive," Kaneki observed.
"You must be one of the rare... half-kakuhous, correct?"
Half-kakuhous were an unusual phenomenon among ghouls.
When a ghoul consumed large amounts of food, they could develop multiple kakuhous within their body.
However, these ghouls often struggled to control all the cells in their body, resulting in frequent berserk states.
Thus, they were called half-kakuhous.
"Who are you?!"
At this point, the weakened Gecko covered his wound, straightening up.
Despite Naki extracting one of his kakuhous, Gecko had two others within his body. Even cornered in this alley, he felt no despair.
He knew that even in a berserk state, his raw strength made him nearly unstoppable.
And when calm, his intellect had earned him a high standing in the Aogiri Tree.
Though Naki's sudden betrayal enraged him, filling him with a desire to dismember and devour Naki on the spot, he remained wary.
Naki's strength was undeniable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived so long at Gecko's side.
And now, Naki seemed to defer to the man in front of him—a ghoul who could command such respect.
"Don't be so tense, Mr. Gecko," Kaneki said, handing the extracted kakuhou to Shuu, who promptly placed it in a liquid nitrogen storage device.
Kaneki stepped forward until he was mere inches from Gecko, standing dwarfed beneath the towering ghoul.
In this narrow alley, Kaneki's slight stature might have seemed unthreatening.
But no one dared to underestimate him.
Because at that moment...
His exposed eye glowed scarlet, staring at Gecko with a cold, predatory intensity.
"Believe me," Kaneki said in a calm voice. "This will all be over soon."
As the magical creature suddenly appeared, everyone present displayed visible shock on their faces.
Even Touka and Shuu, who were already aware of Blacephalon's existence, couldn't hide the spark of intrigue in their eyes.
The Pokémon wristband on Kaneki's wrist radiated a vibrant, sacred light, casting colorful rays across the narrow alley.
In that instant, the light of evolution enveloped Blacephalon's body.
Moments later, from within the luminous aura, blood-red, silk-like energy ribbons emerged, wrapping themselves around the clown's form.
As the evolutionary glow faded, a transformed Blacephalon stood before the group.
The new version of Blacephalon was starkly different from its previous whimsical and elegant demeanor.
Its body was now adorned with floating crimson ribbons that extended from its shoulders to its hands, resembling performance props.
Its once lighthearted elegance had given way to a darker, more oppressive presence. The star-speckled patterns on its head had deepened, exuding an aura of foreboding.
Yet, its movements retained their previous agility and grace—whether standing or walking, it still possessed an unnerving fluidity.
"What... what is this?!"
Gecko frowned at the sight of Blacephalon.
For reasons he couldn't explain, an overwhelming unease gripped him.
It felt as if merely looking at the creature sapped his strength.
And indeed...
Gecko's instincts weren't wrong.
Following its bond evolution, Blacephalon experienced a qualitative leap in power, its level surging from 30 to 40.
Not only was its racial ability to absorb life force enhanced, but it now possessed a more advanced mechanism.
Previously, Blacephalon's life force absorption ability, akin to Big Mom's Soul-Soul Fruit, could only activate when its target felt fear.
However, after its evolution, even strong emotional fluctuations—fear, anger, or confusion—provided an opening to drain life force.
Of course, the process was more effective when the target experienced genuine fear.
Sensing Gecko's growing wariness, Kaneki gave a decisive order:
"Blacephalon! Use 'Mystic Flames!'"
Without a word, Blacephalon gracefully bowed to Gecko.
Suddenly, two blood-red flames erupted from its floating ribbons, twisting through the air like serpentine fire trails before striking Gecko squarely.
"What?!"
A wave of searing heat crashed over Gecko, leaving him no time to evade. The flames burned into his flesh, causing intense pain.
"Damn it! What kind of power is this?!"
Gritting his teeth, Gecko managed to rise, his sheer willpower and deranged resilience allowing him to endure the agony.
Despite his scorched and blistered skin, his movements remained unaffected thanks to the ghouls' remarkable regenerative capabilities.
But the presence of Blacephalon unnerved him.
For the first time in a long while, Gecko felt a twinge of panic.
His only thought now was to retreat to the Aogiri Tree headquarters, rally reinforcements, and plan his revenge.
Seizing a moment when the flames hadn't fully dissipated, Gecko kicked off the ground, leaping backward.
Two massive tentacles burst forth from his back, puncturing the walls on either side as he began climbing upward like a spider, flames licking at his heels.
However...
Kaneki, having captured such a powerful ghoul, wasn't about to let him escape.
Even an A-rated ghoul's kakuhou could be exchanged for 2,000 points.
As an S-rated ghoul, Gecko's kakuhou was worth far more.
"Blacephalon! Don't let him escape—use 'Confuse Ray!'"
Simultaneously, Kaneki signaled to Touka and Shuu.
Understanding his intent, the two split off, each scaling opposite sides of the alley's rooftops to block Gecko's escape route.
Kaneki remained cautious. Though he was confident in their ability to take Gecko down, he wanted to avoid unnecessary casualties among any passing pedestrians.
From above, Touka spread her kagune like the wings of a blood-soaked phoenix. Dozens of feather-like projectiles rained down on Gecko, shredding his already burned skin and pinning him against the wall.
One arrow pierced his palm, nailing it firmly to the brick.
"Ahhh!!!"
Gecko screamed but refused to give up, his remaining tentacle thrashing wildly as he climbed higher.
In his desperation, the force tore his pinned palm apart, leaving a bloody, mangled stump.
Suddenly, a beam of light shot up from below, striking Gecko directly.
The strange light clouded his mind, rendering him disoriented and confused.
His tentacles flailed aimlessly, and without their support, Gecko plummeted to the ground.
With a resounding crash, he landed at Kaneki's feet.
Kaneki's sneaker pressed firmly onto his chest as Blacephalon approached.
Though the clown's head lacked any discernible features, Gecko felt as though he was staring into the face of a grinning demon.
Kaneki muttered to himself:
"Draining his life force shouldn't impact the kakuhou's quality, right?"
"After all, ghouls have such resilient vitality..."
As his musings trailed off, he turned to Blacephalon with a smile.
"Alright, it's your turn now."