Chapter 28: Siege
The Ukaku growing from his shoulders hung at his sides like the full wings of a bird, yet also like two thick blades used for execution.
The shadow cast by his tall figure completely enveloped Roland, plunging the latter into darkness. Only the crimson glow flickering from the Kakugan could be seen clearly.
After stepping out from the pillar of light, he made no movement, merely standing silently in front of the two Ghouls, looking down at Roland.
It was the gaze of a top predator looking at its prey, the gaze of a vicious and brutal nocturnal raptor, a gaze filled with resolute killing intent.
At the same time, it was also a hollow, soulless gaze!
"Owl!"
Roland returned to a mid-level stance, his eyes watching the opponent warily.
"Grand Knight Commander Yoshimura Kuzen!"
Tatara and Kuzen let out shouts of pleasant surprise. If it was the former Grand Knight Commander Yoshimura Kuzen, he would surely be able to kill this monster here.
"Grand Knight Commander, this monster has killed many of our comrades in The Knights. We are no match for him. Fortunately, you arrived in time; let us work with you to take him down quickly!"
Yoshimura Kuzen did not respond to the eager words of the two Ghouls, standing there motionless like a machine waiting to receive orders.
"Owl! Sever the limbs of that human before you!"
It was only when the Contractor Withered Wood spoke that this killing machine was activated.
Tatara and Kuzen didn't understand the situation, but he knew that the Yoshimura Kuzen before them had long since become Rize Kamishiro's puppet, devoid of self-thought and soul, only acting on orders.
Just now, he had first let the comrades staying in "The Nest" consume Rize Kamishiro's favorability to exchange for temporary control permissions over Yoshimura Kuzen, and then used a precious item to teleport him here, barely managing to save the two Ghouls.
To deal with that enemy camp Contractor who used a sword, the price they paid this time was truly too great!
As the leader of the adventure group, Withered Wood was naturally pained to his core. He looked hatefully at the figure in the distance and cursed in a low voice:
"I can't let you die so easily! I'm going to make you understand what it means to wish for death! When the time comes, I'll make you kneel on the ground, crying and screaming as you hand over all your good stuff to me!"
Immediately, he raised his hand to signal his subordinates:
"What are you standing around for! Charge with me!"
The professional composition of the "Bronze Tree" adventure group was perfect. Even though Withered Wood had only brought out the main members this time, leaving some slightly weaker members inside "The Nest," they were still comprehensive, with every functional role covered.
In the front row, there was one Main Tank and three off-tanks to absorb damage. There were also two Paladins with sword and shield and one tech-side Boxing Fighter who could switch back and forth between damage output and filling in for an off-tank.
There were two scouts: one used technological creations, and the other used means like mental scanning. The latter was also the fellow who had previously used a mental shock to interfere with Roland.
There were four Assassin-type classes. Some specialized in movement speed, some stacked attack speed for combat, and some were skilled in stealth and invisibility. They coordinated tacitly, and their strikes were lethal hits aimed at vital points.
There were three Healers. Two focused on the amount and speed of health recovery, while the other was primarily responsible for applying buffs to teammates and removing debuffs.
A pair of twin brothers; the older brother used two short daggers, and the younger brother used two short spears, following a technique-based path.
Withered Wood and another member used bows for long-range attacks, while three other members used firearms. Their firepower and damage were not to be underestimated.
Additionally, there was a Necromancer who summoned skeleton soldiers to assist in the fight while casting various curse spells on Roland to weaken his strength.
To be honest, Yoshimura Kuzen, whose attacks lacked pattern and relied entirely on instinct like a wild beast, was much less of a threat to Roland compared to them.
Before long, Roland suffered injuries under their siege.
The wound was on his back, sliced open by an Assassin Contractor wielding a scimitar. This strike seemed to have an additional bleeding effect; the blood gushing from the wound couldn't be stopped no matter how Orlando pressed or blocked it.
If a bullet hadn't been fired from somewhere at the critical moment to force the opponent back, this injury might have been even more severe.
Just as Roland was secretly reminding himself to maintain a more focused spirit to deal with the battle, that Contractor also let out an unbelievable cry in the adventure group's internal communication:
"Hell! I spent forever stacking attack bonuses on the side, had Nana give me a strength enhancement buff, and even took the boost from a stealth-breaking strike. How did this 'Blood Shadow Slash' only cause so little damage?"
Main Tank · Bronze Bull: "This guy clearly isn't a tank-type, so it must be the problem with that black outfit he's wearing! Could it be that he's already made contact with those surviving humans and obtained that batch of 'Quinque Legacies'?!"
Recalling how that black garment had swallowed Kirishima Touka's flesh and its amazing defensive power, the more Bronze Bull thought about it, the more he felt he had guessed the truth.
Main Tank · Bronze Bull: "@Leader · Boss Withered Wood, I'm calling dibs on this piece of equipment!"
Off-tank · Blue carry: "@Leader · Withered Wood @Main Tank · Bronze Bull count me in! I'll put in five hundred more contribution points!"
Off-tank · Thunder Beast: "@Leader · Withered Wood @Main Tank · Bronze Bull plus one! I'll put in six hundred more contribution points!"
Assassin · Blood Bee: "@Leader · Withered Wood @Main Tank · Bronze Bull +10086!"
Main Tank · Bronze Bull: "@Assassin · Blood Bee, those two are one thing, but why are you joining the fun? Can you even use it?"
Assassin · Blood Bee: "Who says I can't use it? I need to engage in close-quarters combat too, alright? It's very necessary to have a high-quality piece of armor, okay?"
Leader · Withered Wood: "Enough! Stop arguing! Leave these matters until after we take this guy back!"
All Contractors present: "Roger!"
In the eyes of the "Bronze Tree" adventure group, with an enhanced SSS-Rank Ghoul like Yoshimura Kuzen present, plus their group of main adventure group members, winning this battle was a foregone conclusion.
Forget about taking down one enemy Contractor; with this lineup, they could even have a chance of winning if they went to challenge this world's Kaneki Ken... of course, provided the latter didn't use that "Holy Sword Form."
Everything this Contractor with the long sword was doing now seemed to them like the struggle of a trapped beast, nothing more than a laughable final stand!
It wasn't until another of Yoshimura Kuzen's attacks was parried by the long sword in Roland's hand, and his entire body suddenly knelt on one knee like a machine that had lost power, that they realized how horribly wrong they were.
A Scrap Silver Slash that had charged for over three seconds temporarily cleared the space around Roland. He dashed forward, circling to the back of Yoshimura Kuzen, and thrust the long sword down with all his might.
The blade pierced through Yoshimura Kuzen's chest. The powerful monster, in pain, reared its body and let out a shrill roar toward the sky.
Roland gripped the hilt tightly with one hand to prevent himself from falling off the back, while with the other hand, he balled his fist and repeatedly smashed into the gaps of the flesh armor on its body.
After prying open a slight crack, he thrust his five fingers in and, with a forceful lift, pull, and tear, large chunks of flesh fell away!
Now, it was his time to counterattack!