Chapter 27 · Slaughter
The reinforcements on the Ghoul side had arrived. Besides a group of Ghouls led by Kirishima Touka whose strength had reached S-rank or higher, there was also an adventure squad of more than fifty people.
This small adventure squad named Bronze Tree wasn't entering this derivative world for the first time—rather, the way this world had turned out was, to some extent, inseparable from them.
Not only had every member undergone modification to become half-human, half-Ghoul existences with greatly increased strength, they also possessed an almost luxurious equipment setup and class builds.
The only odd thing was that every face they revealed looked unmistakably aged.
Anyone who didn't know better would think the Paradise had run out of Contractors and had simply abducted a batch from a nursing home.
The moment the adventure squad's captain, Ku Mu, made a move, he restrained the enemy-faction Contractor of no small strength, naturally earning a great many admiring looks from his subordinates.
He looked complacently at Roland, who was bound by thorns, and sneered:
I thought you were so amazing for killing so many Ghouls by yourself. That's it?
He knew full well how formidable this skill of his was: these thorns, growing out of the arrow shaft, could firmly bind any enemy with Strength below 24 points while continuously siphoning the victim's blood.
In just four or five minutes, the victim would be weakened or even knocked out from excessive blood loss.
On top of that, a recent large increase in the skill's level had added an even more powerful effect.
Now, the barbs on the thorns also carried a neurotoxin.
Any attempt to struggle would stack the poisoned status, causing health to drop even faster while inflicting Paralysis, leaving the victim unable to move.
Tch! That crazy woman Touka looks like she wants to rush over and bite his head off—how savage!
But it makes sense; after all, her younger brother Kirishima Ayato is dead. According to Dr. Kanou, these Ghouls can now undergo a second mutation triggered by extreme emotional swings!
Ku Mu watched Kirishima Touka hurl herself at the thorn-bound Roland in a near-deranged manner and couldn't help mocking.
Yeah—she's a complete monster! Honestly, I was kind of into this woman at first, but now just looking at her makes me sick!
his deputy chimed in.
Haha, you should've made your move back when we first entered this world. Back then Kirishima Touka still looked human; now… she's really a bit…
Before Ku Mu could finish, Kirishima Touka's sharp scream cut him off:
I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!
Roland watched the monster whose flesh was distorting and twisting as it charged at him on all fours and felt his stomach churn.
!! Stupid dev team! Did the lead artist get swapped? Why give Touka such a grotesque model!
I'm seriously done! If this model isn't censored, can it even be shown on stream?
Afraid the dev team's back-stabbing move would get his stream banned, Roland spread his Ukaku behind him, burst the thorns, and rushed forward, sweeping his nichirin blade.
Frost Breathing, First Form: Scrap Silver Slash!
Augment ability [Frost Invasion], enhance!
Orlando, let me see your limit!
Remember us—101 Reading Network.
A flash of silver light swept past; as their figures crossed, the monster called 'Touka' was slashed across the abdomen.
Stung by the pain, she instantly spread an Ukaku similar in shape to Roland's and still tried to attack him!
Roland ordered Orlando to match her dense, continuous feather-strike barrage while he himself switched to a mid-guard stance, deflecting with quick swings as he closed the distance.
Seeing the 'monster' dare to use her brother's Ukaku against her, Kirishima Touka could no longer contain her fury; ignoring her wounds, she pushed her Ukaku to the fullest.
Touka! Get out of there!
Tatara and Kuzen, dragging bodies still not fully healed, moved to help their comrade.
Ku Mu's grin froze the instant Roland burst the thorns; startled back to his senses by their shout, he hastily ordered his Contractors to hurl control skills at Roland.
He cursed inwardly:
Idiot woman! Can't you just back off and shoot that guy dead with Ukaku? Why rush in to die?! You'd better not croak—I don't want to end up strung on that freak Kaneki Ken's kagune!
The first to arrive were two Healers' spells.
In a flash of green light, Kirishima Touka's lost health shot up; combined with a Ghoul's natural regeneration, she looked about to be good as new.
Rat-tat-tat!
Boom!
Tatara and Kuzen were successively pinned down by long-range fire from several directions; a handful of rockets trailing smoke landed in Bronze Tree's formation, causing chaos and interrupting many skills.
A gleam condensed in Roland's eyes for an instant!
He crouched, raised his blade to charge, and with a raptor's cry turned into a black blur that pierced straight through Kirishima Touka's warped body.
Die!
Without a pause, he landed and followed with three more Scrap Silver Slashes, carving the proliferating flesh into chunks.
Orlando expanded, wrapping those chunks inside itself.
Touka!! No!
Tatara and Kuzen watched in grief—they hadn't made it in time.
To them, that fair, beautiful face still bore regret and unwillingness at failing to kill her enemy even at the last breath.
The comrade who had fought beside them for years was swallowed by the monster in one gulp, making their hearts clench.
Roland had no intention of letting them go. Stepping back into Zanshin, he recovered a few Breathing Technique stacks, then unleashed Frost Breathing's Seventh Form: Snow Owl Droplet Wave Thrust, aiming the blade at the more grievously wounded Tatara.
Bastard! Stop right there!
Ku Mu's eyes nearly popped out; after all, he had invested enormous resources into these powerful Ghouls to farm favor in the Ghoul faction.
This single slash would not only kill Tatara but also flush every bit of that early-game effort down the drain—how could he accept it!
In desperation, he painfully pulled a scroll from his storage space and tore it open.
A blue rune appeared in his palm; Ku Mu pressed it onto a wooden arrow and shot the arrow ahead of Tatara and Kuzen.
The rune landed and unfolded into a magic circle; a pillar of white light shot skyward, separating Roland from the two Ghouls.
The next second, a towering figure stepped out of the light!