Chapter 34: Nonsense Idea...

From among the crumbling ruins, Tatara slowly pulled himself upright, dazed.

Didn't I just steal the Sacred Gear?

How did this happen?

He'd grown so strong—even the Fallen Angels couldn't match him now, nor could any devils residing here. Humans, in his mind, were nothing but fodder!

Compelled by that belief, Tatara crawled out of the rubble. His kagune and flesh rapidly regenerated, hardening into an armor that protected his body. Like the late Noro, he possessed formidable healing; even losing his head would only count as a minor injury. His tail-like kagune extended to four or five meters, fanning out like wings. Even Yoshimura Kouzen (from the Antique Café) in his prime wouldn't have been a match. So too with mid-level Fallen Angels or devils—he'd be able to fight them on equal footing.

The other ghouls fell silent and simply observed. Their strength was too meager to join such a battle. Yet every one of them exuded fierce confidence, certain that with the Sacred Gear, "Tatara-sama" could slaughter anyone here!

"Finish him off, Tatara-sama!"

"Soon we'll feast freely on human blood and flesh!"

"Forget humans—we'll devour Fallen Angels too!"

For so long they'd cowered in the shadows; finally, they could step into the light. They'd heard rumors of vampires founding their own nation in Europe. Now, they envisioned forging a realm for ghouls as well.

Meanwhile, the three Fallen Angels, cornered with no escape, gathered together. Their faces were grim and tense, eyes flickering between enemies on all sides.

"Who is that guy, anyway?"

"No clue. But… looks like a human?"

"He's human…? Then he's dead for sure. Let's hurry and find some other way out—those damned vermin dare betray us!"

The two Fallen Angels seethed with outrage, their ample chests heaving in fury. Raynare, on the other hand, squinted at the newcomer's face.

"Hi… Hikaru?"

"Raynare, you know him?"

"I've never met him. But while infiltrating Kuoh Academy, I heard about this man—top grades in every subject, extremely good-looking, supposedly even more handsome than Azazel-sama."

"Huh?! More handsome than Azazel?"

The two companions were astounded. Azazel, the Governor-General of all Fallen Angels, was renowned for his enchanting presence—few could resist his allure. But once the torchlight from the basement fell upon the man's face, they couldn't help staring for a moment. He was… indeed rather striking. However, they snapped back to reality. This isn't a beauty contest; those ghouls won't spare him.

On the other side, Tatara launched his attack at Hikaru. With his power doubled again, his body was fully encased in hardened kagune, a winged juggernaut in heavy armor barreling forward with unstoppable force. Hikaru, however, neither dodged nor stepped aside. As Tatara's charge came, he casually drew back his right fist, body bending slightly in preparation, then punched straight ahead.

He wanted to see his current physical limit.

Whoosh!

The punch tore through the air with a piercing shriek. The next second, the blow landed against Tatara's body with a thunderous boom. Even with the Sacred Gear's boost, he shot backward like a cannonball, the armor plating of his kagune shattering like dust. Hikaru had held little back, so the blow punched right through Tatara's torso, destroying all his kakuhou and most of his organs.

The cheering and cursing ceased at once. Silence descended. Everyone gaped at Hikaru in disbelief—including the three Fallen Angels who'd tried to escape. They swallowed hard.

Is… is that really a human?

How can a human be this strong?

And from start to finish, Hikaru hadn't employed any special power—no spells, no magic. Pure physique and pure strength. He'd bested an SS+ level ghoul, one whose power was multiplied by a Sacred Gear, with a single punch. At S-rank, a ghoul could fight a low-class Fallen Angel or devil in melee combat. At SS or SSS, they could easily overpower lower-class angels and devils, and even challenge mid-tier ones in close quarters. With a Sacred Gear's abilities, they might contend with a high-tier Fallen Angel or devil.

Yet one punch had ended this "traitor" ghoul. If they didn't know Hikaru was human, they'd have suspected he was a high-level devil in disguise—one specialized in physical power.

Ignoring the onlookers, Hikaru approached Tatara, who lay on the verge of death, barely clinging to life. He didn't even glance at the Bronze Tree leader. Instead, he crouched down and picked up the red gauntlet from the ground.

"Why…? All we wanted was a world where ghouls could live as equals. Why stop us…?"

Hikaru cocked his head, voice cold and flat.

"Your words make as much sense as your brain—spouting nonsense with zero self-awareness."

A world where ghouls live equally? If they'd acted like the staff at the café and kept their heads down, nobody would have bothered them. Hearing his retort, Tatara let out a final breath and died.

After stowing away the gauntlet, Hikaru turned his attention to the remaining ghouls. Tall and handsome though he was, his aura at that moment resembled that of a malevolent deity. Wherever he looked, the ghouls trembled involuntarily.

"Brothers, let's take him down together!"

At that, they charged. But in a matter of seconds, dozens of ghouls lay dead, not one left alive. Blood soaked the floor, and the three Fallen Angels huddled in a corner, shivering. Yet Hikaru only gave them a cursory glance, then lost all interest.

He could sense Rias's group approaching via their aura. Besides, there was another matter he needed to attend to.

~~~

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