82

Chapter 82: Option 3

Kurona and Nashiro Yasuhisa understood the situation instantly. The power Kanzaki Ryoma had just displayed was far beyond what they could handle.

Even after becoming one-eyed ghouls, the strength gap was still devastatingly wide.

Still, they stood their ground. Orders from Kanou were absolute. No matter how hopeless the fight seemed, they wouldn't abandon their mission at the last moment.

Watching Kurona and Nashiro hesitate before committing to their attack, Kanzaki realized persuading them wouldn't be easy.

At least he could get a firsthand look at their kagune.

"Let Madam A go. We only want her. We don't want to fight," Kurona said coldly, masking her unease.

"She's my target. I can't just let her walk," Kanzaki replied, shaking his head.

"Then don't blame us!"

Kurona lunged forward, and Nashiro rushed in at the same moment.

Their single ghoul eyes glowed scarlet. From their waists erupted four red, scale-type kagune strikingly similar to Rize Kamishiro's.

Given that Rize was often by Kanzaki's side, it was clear this wasn't her kagune. It had to be harvested from another ghoul of the Tsukiyama lineage.

Among ghouls, kagune inheritance wasn't uncommon.

Just like Kousuke Yoshimura passed down a similar kagune to Eto, his daughter. Although Eto's final form was monstrous, her early-stage kagune bore a strong resemblance to her father's "One-Eyed Owl" form. Even if Kousuke had tried to mimic his own kagune for her protection, that level of similarity was impossible without a genetic connection.

The Tsukiyama family, being pure-blood ghouls, often produced kagune with near-identical forms. Hybrids like Kurona and Nashiro still carried those traits.

[Ding! Host has triggered a mission. God-tier choices unlocked.]

[Choice 1: Take Madam A by force, ignore Kurona and Nashiro. Reward: 1 fusion point.]

[Choice 2: Capture Kurona and Nashiro, imprison them in Cochlea, and expose Akihiro Kanou's scheme. Reward: 50 fusion points.]

[Choice 3: Help Kurona and Nashiro escape Kanou's manipulation. Reward: 100 fusion points.]

Kanzaki selected the third choice without hesitation.

He'd hoped Kurona and Nashiro would see Kanou's true face before doing anything irredeemable.

Not an evil face, per se—just cold and calculating. Kanou would do anything to achieve his ends. He never saw the Yasuhisa sisters as daughters. Their lives meant nothing to him.

"I should be the one saying... don't blame me," Kanzaki muttered as he prepared to end it quickly.

Jason shifted into its shield form, a massive surface absorbing the sisters' kagune strikes effortlessly. Not a single mark was left on its surface.

The Tsukiyama scale-type kagune was notorious for its offensive capability, but Kurona and Nashiro had poor control over their own. They couldn't tap into its full power.

It was like early-stage Kaneki, who had no idea how to wield his kagune until Yakumo Oomori forced him into awakening. Once mastered, Kaneki shot past S+ and likely hovered around SS- level.

Kanzaki shifted Jason back into sword form and sliced through the air. The strike shattered Kurona's kagune and also severed Nashiro's.

For a ghoul with a single kagune, damage like that was catastrophic. The kagune couldn't regenerate, and the user became defenseless. Worse still, Nashiro hadn't fully acclimated to her new body. The injury could be fatal.

Whether or not she survived depended on the state of her kakuhou. If more than 70% of it was damaged, recovery would be impossible. Only ghouls with multiple kakuhou had the ability to abandon one and survive.

"Nashiro!"

Kurona's instincts kicked in. She dropped everything to reach her sister.

Kanzaki stepped back. He never intended to kill them. Hurting Nashiro was the only way to break the illusion they lived in.

"..." Kanzaki exhaled quietly, then approached and placed a small card beside the girls.

"If you ever decide to trust me, call me."

With that, he turned and walked away.

He knew the Yasuhisa sisters wouldn't believe him yet. Their loyalty to Kanou was still unshaken. Only when Kanou discarded them without remorse would they truly see him for what he was. That's why he'd been harsh with Nashiro.

If he hadn't acted now, CCG would eventually raid Kanou's lab. Suzuya Juuzou or another investigator might not show the same restraint.

Compared to the psychological torment Juuzou might inflict, Kanzaki believed this was the kinder route. He wanted to help the sisters escape their fate and prevent Nashiro from dying in agony.

Kurona held Nashiro tightly. She didn't look back or say a word.

She checked her sister's condition. Still alive, though clearly in pain. Seeing that Kanzaki hadn't finished them off, Kurona carried Nashiro away.

As for Madam A, Kurona had no interest. Her only concern was Nashiro.

She'd bring her back to Kanou. He would definitely save her.

Still, before disappearing, Kurona snatched the contact card Kanzaki left behind, hesitating for just a moment.