Slaughter didn't seize the opportunity to attack, but waited quietly, pure indifference swirling in his pale eyes, as if the half-Ghoul in front of him was just a struggling insect.
Gecko, in his half-Ghoul form, exuded a suffocatingly Violent Breath. The floor beneath his feet groaned under the sudden increase in weight and power, cracking inch by inch.
"Die—!!" Gecko roared like a beast, his massive body erupting with astonishing speed. His right arm, covered in dark purple Kou-kaku, slammed towards Slaughter's chest with an air of crushing everything in its path.
Slaughter bared his massive mouth, a hint of disdain flashing in his pale eyes. Faced with this destructive attack, he didn't even move an inch.
Bang!
Gecko's dark purple Kou-kaku right arm pierced through Slaughter's chest as expected, making a dull thud. A bloodthirsty smile appeared on his distorted face as he anticipated Slaughter's collapse.
However, Slaughter's body merely swayed slightly. At the impaled wound, countless tiny tentacles squirmed rapidly like living things, recovering instantly as if the fatal blow had never landed.
"It seems," Slaughter's deep voice carried naked mockery, "it doesn't hurt much."
An alarm blared in Gecko's heart, and fear instantly overwhelmed his madness. He abruptly tried to pull back his right arm, while his two regenerated Kou-kaku at his waist fiercely lashed out at Slaughter's head again. His massive body used the momentum to desperately retreat.
"Trying to run?"
Slaughter's left claw shot out as if teleporting, grabbing Gecko's Kou-kaku-covered right arm. The immense force caused Gecko's retreating figure to suddenly halt. At the same time, the viscous scarlet liquid from his right hand surged violently, instantly condensing into a massive bone blade shimmering with a chilling cold light.
Splat! Splat!
The two incoming purple Kou-kaku snapped in response, falling limply to the floor.
Dozens of python-thick scarlet tentacles from Slaughter's back coiled up, instantly wrapping Gecko's massive body into a writhing scarlet cocoon, then slowly tightening like a hydraulic press.
"Ugh ah ah—!!" Gecko let out a roar of pain and horror. His usual pride in his immense strength now seemed so ridiculous. He struggled desperately, the Kou-kaku covering his body groaning under the strain, yet he couldn't cause even a slight loosening.
Slaughter's right hand's massive blade softened and deformed again, transforming back into a grotesque giant claw. He grabbed Gecko's head, which was covered in dark purple Kou-kaku. His massive finger-claws sank deep into the Kou-kaku shell, making a teeth-grinding squeezing sound. His left claw, meanwhile, firmly clamped down on Gecko's thick Kou-kaku-wrapped right arm.
Rip—!!!
The horrifying sound of flesh and Kou-kaku being forcibly torn apart rang out.
"Ah ah ah ah ah—!!!!" Gecko let out a shrill, inhuman wail, the intense pain sweeping through every nerve like a tsunami.
His Kou-kaku right arm, a symbol of his strength, along with a large chunk of flesh from his shoulder, was brutally ripped from his body by Slaughter. Viscous blood gushed out like an uncontrolled fountain.
"I gave you a chance... Heh heh heh..." Slaughter bared his massive mouth, letting out a deep, chilling laugh, "You... came knocking again."
His gaze swept over everyone present, pausing slightly on Nico.
"I'll go deal with the prey. Please wait patiently here, everyone..." Slaughter's deep voice echoed in the ruined hall.
With that, he dragged the incapacitated Gecko towards the kitchen, leaving only a striking red blood trail on the ground, leading directly to the closed door.
Nico and Kaneki Ken simultaneously watched Slaughter's massive back disappear into the kitchen doorway. A sickly blush suddenly rose on the former's face, his body twisting unnaturally, as if suppressing some extreme excitement. The latter's expression was solemn, as if he had made some sort of decision, his fists slightly clenched.
Shuichi Banjou and his three subordinates exchanged glances, their faces filled with disbelief, clearly still reeling from the overwhelming scene.
Gecko, an S-rank Ghoul and an Bronze Tree executive known for his brutality and cruelty, was so easily defeated by an Anteiku Coffee Shop employee, as if he were just a stray dog on the street?
Shuichi Banjou pinched himself hard. The pain from his thigh, along with the shattered floor, splashed red blood, and the lone broken door lying on the ground, all proclaimed that this was reality.
...
When the last trace of scarlet symbiotic tissue merged into He Xi Qian Yu's body, only a few striking red bloodstains remained on the kitchen floor. Gecko's massive body had vanished without a trace.
"...This guy... what is he...?" Slaughter's satisfied whisper echoed in his mind, "...The taste... wasn't bad..."
"A half-Ghoul," He Xi Qian Yu calmly replied, shaking off non-existent dirt from his hands, "quite rare even among Ghoul."
"...That's... truly a pity..." Slaughter's voice carried a sense of lingering desire and regret.
When He Xi Qian Yu pushed open the kitchen door and returned to the hall, he was surprised to find Kirishima Touka already standing on the first floor.
She had her arms crossed, her deep blue eyes coldly scanning the chaotic scene, finally settling on him.
"Why are you here?" He Xi Qian Yu asked, puzzled.
"If I hadn't come down," Dong Xiang's voice was clear and cold, with a hint of barely perceptible anger, "were you planning to tear down the entire shop while the manager was away? What happened here?" Her gaze swept over the shattered floor and the torn-off door.
"Bronze Tree came to cause trouble at the shop," He Xi Qian Yu shrugged, his tone light, "and tried to forcibly take Jin Mu away." He tilted his chin towards the still-shocked Kaneki Ken.
"Cause trouble? Them?" Dong Xiang's sharp gaze turned to Shuichi Banjou and the others, who were standing dumbfounded, her tone clearly questioning.
He Xi Qian Yu shook his head, spouting nonsense with a straight face: "Not them, it was another gentleman who was a bit impulsive. After some friendly persuasion from me, he deeply realized his mistakes and left very conscientiously."
Dong Xiang's mouth twitched slightly, clearly not believing a word. She was about to press further—
"Hello, handsome gentleman~" A sticky, scalp-crawling voice suddenly cut in. Nico twisted his body closer to He Xi Qian Yu, his eyes sparkling, "My name is Nico, could we... get to know each other~" His tone was cloyingly sweet.
He Xi Qian Yu instantly felt a strong chill.
"No," he refused flatly, simultaneously taking half a step back imperceptibly to create distance.
Nico seemed not to have expected such a blunt refusal. His expression stiffened, and he was about to speak again.
"One more word," He Xi Qian Yu suddenly turned and glared at him fiercely, "and I'll send you to meet Gecko immediately."
Nico's body trembled. That hint of morbid excitement was instantly replaced by fear. He immediately fell silent, shrinking his neck.
Dong Xiang looked at the chaotic hall, then at Nico's cowering demeanor, and then recalled the blood trail leading to the kitchen. She seemed to instantly understand something, and the corner of her eye twitched uncontrollably twice.
Dong Xiang took a deep breath, deciding to let go of the topic for now, and instead asked:
"What did the Bronze Tree people... come for?"
"To find Kamishiro Rize," He Xi Qian Yu's tone returned to its usual laziness, "God knows what those lunatics were planning."