"That speed…And he was still holding back? So this wasn't even Arima's limit yet?"
Hearing that, Hayashi was clearly taken aback.
It seemed Arima's strength was far more terrifying than he had imagined.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Arima's tall, imposing figure vanished from where he stood.
The next second, a blade carrying icy killing intent came straight at him.
In that instant, Hayashi drew the Thousand Demon Daggers.
Clang—
Metal collided violently as he forcibly blocked the strike.
But it wasn't over.
In the very next moment, countless slashes came rushing toward him.
Each strike was faster than the last. Arima's figure flickered nonstop, afterimages appearing as he moved.
Hayashi blocked again and again, constantly dodging and parrying.
He had to admit it — Arima's strength was far beyond his expectations.
The most ridiculous part was that you could never gauge his true limits.
Just when you thought you had reached them, the next second he became even stronger.
But instead of fear or hesitation, Hayashi felt something else.
Excitement.
"I've never experienced such an intense clash before," Hayashi said, a grin forming. "This feeling… it's incredible."
He drew Asuramaru from his waist, a brilliant gleam flashing through his crimson eyes.
"Starburst Stream!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Hayashi's figure began to blur.
The speed of his dual blades increased again and again — So fast they were impossible to follow with the naked eye.
Even so, Arima calmly blocked every single strike.
As Hayashi accelerated, Arima's defenses matched him perfectly.
Countless slashes appeared across the walls and floor, as if even the air itself were being torn apart.
Boom—
After deflecting one attack, Arima suddenly twisted his body and launched a side kick.
Hayashi reacted instantly, shifting sideways to evade it.
Taking advantage of that opening, Arima immediately widened the distance between them.
"You're strong," Arima said calmly. "Stronger than I expected. But considering you were able to face the One-Eyed Owl alone, it makes sense."
He removed his white CCG coat, revealing a black combat suit underneath.
His muscular frame was powerful yet refined, every line filled with lethal beauty.
Along with it came an even more terrifying pressure.
"Bring the quinque from underground," Arima said flatly, not even lifting his head.
The next moment, a white suitcase dropped down from the ceiling.
Thud—
Arima caught it with one hand and pressed the latch.
Click—
A crisp sound rang out as a black knight's lance emerged.
Elegant.
Beautiful
.Like a work of art, gleaming with a noble sheen.
IXA. A S+ rated quinque, and one of Arima's most frequently used weapons.
At this point, it was clea r— With both of his primary quinque in hand, Arima was fighting at full power.
Arima raised Narukami, golden lightning crackling.
In the blink of an eye, several spheres of electricity shot toward Hayashi at extreme speed.
Hayashi wielded his twin blades, cutting them down one after another.
Then Arima flashed forward, Narukami transforming into a blade as he thrust it straight at him.
The instant Hayashi reacted, the Thousand Demon Daggers scattered into countless fragments, blocking the thrust. He immediately reversed his grip on Asuramaru and stabbed forward.
Arima transformed IXA into a shield, blocking the strike — Then instantly reshaped it into a lance and drove it down from above.
At the same time, Narukami shifted into a lightning cannon, bombarding him relentlessly.
The distance was far too close.
Hayashi could only command the Thousand Demon Daggers to orbit around him, intercepting the attacks.
"Asura—Kannon!"
As his voice fell, multiple swords materialized behind him, spinning in midair and intercepting the incoming lightning orbs.
"I've never seen a quinque like this before," Arima said calmly, nodding slightly. "Interesting."
He swung his knight's lance, continuously defending against blades coming from every direction.
In a sudden instant, Arima seized the gap between the blades and hurled the lance forward.
What—?!
Caught off guard by that tactic, Hayashi hastily raised Asuramaru to block.
And in that brief opening, Arima burst out of the encirclement.
Even with his agility, his skin was still grazed — Blood flowed down from the cuts.
Hayashi twisted aside and slashed at the tip of IXA.
Crack—
The impact echoed as visible cracks formed on the ornate knight's lance.
But in that very instant, Arima grasped the weapon and thrust it forward with brutal force.
An unprecedented sense of danger washed over Hayashi.
He instinctively stepped back—
And at that critical moment, he activated the power of the Rabbit Talisman.
In an instant, he vanished from the attack, moving so fast it resembled teleportation.
Arima narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the lance in his hand.
From the very start of the fight, he had sensed something unusual about Hayashi.
What he had just witnessed was not something a human should be capable of.
He had clearly felt the strike land — Yet Hayashi was completely unharmed.
This was the first time Arima had ever encountered such a situation.
"Interesting," Arima said coldly, eyes narrowing. "Did I underestimate you after all?"
"Whether you underestimated me or not doesn't matter," Hayashi said casually, resting the Thousand Demon Daggers on his shoulder while raising Asuramaru.
The blood-red blade shimmered with a bewitching glow, like a blooming mandala flower.
"You're fascinating," Arima said softly, a faint glint appearing in his eyes.
"It's been a long time since I've fought like this."
The icy aura surrounding him seemed to loosen slightly.
Until now, fighting ghouls had always been nothing more than a mission — A necessary means to an end.
But at this moment, he felt it.
A trace of excitement.
A hint of pleasure.
Perhaps because, until now, he had never encountered a human capable of standing on equal ground with him.
Because gods are lonely.
But this world does not contain only one god.
Arima lifted his head slightly, light reflecting off his glasses.
"If you survive today," he said calmly, "perhaps we could become friends."
Then he raised the black knight's lance once more.
"But for now — I will crush you. Completely."