Chapter 7

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Enjoy reading.

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During the journey with Bulat, I thought about my immediate position in the Night Raid. I bet that for Najenda and the rest of the Revolutionary Army's top brass, I'm nothing more than a very useful beast that just needs to be brought down on the right people and eventually put to sleep. I didn't like this point, but so far, of all the people I'd met here, the only one who could kill me in theory was Esdes. I don't want to fight with a girl, which would probably go against the revolutionaries' plans.

And once they're captured... things won't change. It'll be even worse. The new people, totally unfamiliar with the burdens of government, will quickly find a way to make things easier, and it will be great if it's the same as it is now under the Prime Minister.

For a year or two, people will tolerate it. And then there will be a new war. I'm far from politics, but I understand such simple truths.

So what do we do? I don't know. The country is really on the verge of destruction, and it can only be saved by a truly brilliant ruler, which is now a day with fire, can not be found....

Although in the end... it would be possible to just leave with almost the entire night raid and Esdes somewhere, and then wait quietly and peacefully. Of course, this option is just delusional, as still, this world is very promising in terms of possible finding roots here, so to speak...

***

I grudgingly looked at the black, formal suit. Then I looked at the people on the dock and felt even more discouraged. I never liked ships. Back on Earth, I'd been on boats on the rivers three times, and every time they sank! And the last time, I was with my girlfriend, which ruined my idea of sailing.

- I'm gonna go check out the cabins. - came over my ear. - I can't keep Incursio invisible anymore.

- Mm-hmm. - I nodded to Bulat.

Meanwhile in the capital...

Esdes is already fed up with the tail following her all the time. For days now, the watcher has been following her around, preventing her from fully concentrating on the case.

Deciding to try to lure him, Esdes decided to stop at a café to give the observer the illusion of her vulnerability. Looking at the sign of a café a little ahead, Esdes nodded to herself, and headed for Tasty Paradise.

Upon entering it, the girl absentmindedly praised the premises. Clean and pleasant. Approaching one of the free tables, the girl started to wait for the waiter, in parallel tracking her stalker.

- Welcome, do you want something? - The waiter's voice sounded a little nervous and shaky.

Taking a quick glance at the menu, she replied:

- Dessert semelfredo.

The waiter mumbled something about "a couple of minutes," then hurriedly stepped away. The Watcher, meanwhile, had fled, much to Esdes' disappointment.

- Hey, Fred! - she heard an old man shout, the owner of the cafe, judging by his clothes. - Did Kaneki come in today?

- No, Mr Ronimi. - One of the waiters answered him.

- Oh, that white-haired boy... Youth! - Esdes heard the old man's mocking voice.

The guy on the street, whom she had just stopped thinking about, immediately appeared in her mind. There was a strong irritation at the conversation between the two, after which Esdes shouted to the so-called "Fred".

- Hey! Come here. - The man in question flew over to the table in a flash. - The white-haired boy? Tell me about him.

***

Suddenly, I heard a rather pleasant tune coming from the cabins. Here comes our Fallen to make their move. It's about time.

The people on the deck began to settle to the ground, which made me hum meaningfully. I looked at the ladder that one of my opponents was climbing up.

- Oh... my whole body got stiff while I was hiding. - muttered a man in a black cloak and a cross on his chest. Hmm... He should have a katana with blue flames... - Huh? - The exorcist turned his attention to me. - Is anyone else resisting the banshee's scream? I can't remember the last time that happened...

I didn't answer, turning my back to him and pulling out my mask.

- Hey! What are you doing?

I put the mask on, then turned to face the exorcist. He had a smile on his face, and then he started to giggle.

- Boy, if you were thinking of scaring me or looking flashy, then.....

I activated the kakugan with the kagune, causing my opponent to be greatly so dumbfounded.

- Teigu? - he muttered. - From a boy like that...

I didn't bother, launching a fireball at his back. The piece of plasma successfully reached its dazed target, who couldn't take his eyes off my kagune, which, by the way, was now uncloaked.

The ball flew into his lower back, and then the exorcist fell to his knees trying to reach his weapon on his back. But his arm was cut off by one of my blades, and his heart was pierced by the second.

Something rumbled in the cabin area as well, making me hum lightly. Bulat, please die... or I'll have to help you do it.

After a little thought, I headed over to watch them fight.

- You were a worthy student... - I heard in one of the cabins. - You were even able to take Nyau with you...''

Silently entering the cabin, I found an extremely pleasant picture. Bulat was lying in a pool of his blood, and the dead body of a kid with a flute was stuck in the wall near him. The third "fallen" was also looking at this picture, standing with his back to me.

The blade of the kagune collided with the grey-haired man's back, piercing him through and through, passing through his heart. The third corpse fell to the floor, and after standing for a while, I picked up the flute and the small metal structure that had appeared on Bulat's chest, which was Incursio.

Hmmm... Bulat killed the kid, and his flute went to the man. The grey man killed him, and both teigues went to him. And now I killed him. All three teigu belong to me.

The teigu axe I left on that man's corpse on purpose. I think the Esdes tournament in canon was held to find the right candidate for the teigu....

***

The atmosphere in the Night Raid shelter was very negative. Everyone was grieving for Bulat... Well... everyone except me. I stood with an indifferent face near a cross in the ground with a sign that read "Eternal Memory. Bulat."

- Why are you so indifferent? - Shelly asked me with difficulty, clearly holding back tears.

- After my childhood, there are few things that can cause me regret. - I grudgingly replied. - And... Bulat died in battle for what he believed in, what he never feared.

Pathos... But it's very effective in raising the spirit of the team. Everyone is visibly cheered by my words.

- Is Leone still in the capital? - I asked Najenda, who was standing next to me. She nodded, and then nodded understandingly again.

- Go. You can tell her about... Bulat. - she threw back at me.

***

I walked into Delicious Paradise, a little wet from the rain outside, hoping to get my thoughts in order. Still, for an empath, such a cocktail of surrounding emotions is... very unpalatable. It's not much, but an empath takes on that part of the emotion, that is, feels it... And I was in a really bad mood.

I brushed the hood off my face, and without looking, waved a friendly hand towards the cash register, where Haiso always was.

- Hello, Kaneki! - I heard him say. - Listen, there's someone here to see you.

But I just wanted to think about nothing, so I interrupted Haiso.

- I'm not in the mood. Coffee for me... Very strong. - I added, sitting down at a table in the corner of the room, glancing around the room.

There were only two people sitting in the cafe at the moment... Me and some drunk-sleeping man. However... still, when I'm in such a mood, there's no way anyone can take the indifferent and cold stare off my face.

- Is something wrong? - Jaiso asked worriedly from behind the counter.

- No... I just remembered something from the past. - I lied.

- Look, Kaneki, someone's been asking about you..." began Jaiso nervously.

I looked at him in surprise. Who would be interested in me? Or... have I been burned like a kuroken?

- General Esdes herself came by... she ordered one of the desserts, and we were just talking about you... and then she jumped on me with questions..." Heiso turned a little pale, rubbing the cast on the finger of his left hand. Yeah...

I didn't expect her to be so interested in me from just one look....

- И? What did you say? - I asked impatiently.

- The truth of course! Sorry of course, but that you're an ordinary, country boy who arrived about a month ago in the capital.

I arrived in the capital two months ago, but it doesn't matter. If Esdes has lost interest in me, that's great! After all, at the tournament, I will show what I can do, and combined with what happened, it will have a huge effect!

- I heard that her Fallen squad was killed by the Night Raid... Creepy, huh? That kind of power...," Jaiso continued.

- Yeah..." I replied absentmindedly as I pondered my future actions.

***

Leone was drinking. She was drinking, and she was going to drink until she passed out. I decided to keep her company, but the conversation wasn't going well. And I can't get drunk. I don't get drunk.

- Did he die honourably? - sadly asked the metamorph, leaning back on the back of the sofa in our secret base in the capital.

- More than anyone else. - I sighed, taking a sip of wine or whiskey. Still, coffee is much better. Here it only tastes nasty and that's all, but coffee....

- By the way, tomorrow there will be a tournament all day long... As if as a reward, the winner will be given a teiga... - Leone said absent-mindedly, after a couple of minutes. - Would you like to participate?

- I guess so... - I fell for it. - Do you know where to sign up?

- Yes... In Bekengal district... there in the main square....

- That's it... In that case I'll go. - I said, waving goodbye.

- Uh-huh... Go... - Leo replied, looking at the remaining 3 full bottles.

***

I looked around the small ring, where 4 bodies were currently lying, and the fifth was currently leaving the ring, walking towards a small corridor going into the arena building.

- NEXT!!!" yelled the big man standing between the ring and the entrance to the arena.

A small crowd had gathered around the ring, watching the action with excitement.

- Hey. - I touched the shoulder of one of the guys standing behind me. - What's that?

- Huh? It's some sort of qualifying round for General Esdes' tournament, which is tomorrow. - He replied, but then a new batch of meat started to fight, and the guy promptly started eyeing the action.

After a bit of thinking, I began to slowly make my way to the group of fighters that were about to go up for the next fight. And in the next round, I was there.

I blew those four of them away in just a few seconds... Still, ordinary people are very... fragile. When I entered the arena building, I saw about 30 people. It turned out that I was 30, and the list of candidates ends with me, as some kid went to inform the big guy.

On the main platform in front of us, came out, apparently, the head of the organisation of this tournament, who began to broadcast:

- So, thank General Esdes for organising this tournament, and for giving you, the common people, the honour of wearing the teigu. The second stage of the selection trials will now take place, after which only 16 contestants will remain.

There were surprised whispers in the hall, but the speech continued.

- Right now, you will fight. As soon as 16 contestants remain conscious, everyone must stop fighting, or else they will be disqualified. Any questions?

I raised my hand, about to clarify a particularly unimportant but significant point.

- Go ahead. - our "judge" waved his hand at me.

- In the fights here, and in the arena tomorrow, is it allowed to use teigu?

Everyone suddenly began to look at me dumbfounded, apparently realising why I had asked this question. The instructor, however, smiled wickedly as he watched the crowd and answered:

- Granted. In the tournament the winner must be the strongest, and therefore in tomorrow's fights killing is also allowed. Okay, all right, let's get started! - shouted the instructor, immediately fixing his gaze on me.

Everyone standing around me, for some reason, targeted me. For me, it was not a threat, and I accelerated, scattered these weaklings without even reaching Blutege. As a result, there were almost no one left who wanted to fight me. Everyone quickly realised who was the strongest here, and then started trying to defeat other, weaker opponents.

I didn't see any logic in this strategy. After all, even if they win in the qualifier, then they will have to face me anyway! And now, they could at least try, to kill me in numbers.....

As a result, the rest of them didn't impress me at all. They're all wimps. Even without teigu and acceleration, I could kill them without blinking an eye.

Then, we were sent home with tomorrow's fight time. On my way to the hotel, where I was going to sleep until night, during which time I would go hunting, I was intercepted by Seriu.

- Hello, Kaneki! - came a shout from behind me. - I've been accepted as a Huntsman!!!

I turned around at the source of the sound, and after giving Koro, who was looking at me strangely, a suspicious look, I replied cheerfully:

- Yo, Serue! I told you you'd get elected!

- Yeah. - smiled at the girl. - By the way, are you not participating in tomorrow's tournament by any chance?

- I am. - I nodded.

- Yay!!! I will definitely come to watch! - The girl exclaimed, putting her finger to her lower lip. The image of Mira instantly came into my mind's eye, making me feel very sad.

- Shall we celebrate your acceptance? - I asked falsely cheerfully.

- Let's go! - The girl smiled back at me.