'So this is the difference... between a veteran and a monster'
I flicked my swords, sending droplets of blood scattering into the dirt. The battlefield stood frozen...Doves, the Twins, the hovering choppers, all caught in stunned silence.
The floodlights from above cast harsh glares onto the scene, their beams locked onto me.
'Annoying.'
With a breath, I blinked beside the twins, wrapping an arm around each of them before they could react.
"Girls, close your eyes." My voice was soft, almost a whisper.
Kurona tensed under my grip, about to snap something back, but Nashiro was already still, without protest. Her fingers gripped my sleeve as she shut her eyes.
A moment later, the sky lit up with a blinding brilliance.
My fingers blurred through a sequence of hand seals, the air crackling with Qi.
"Wonder Gate Seal: Stage One.
Light of Heavens Blind the Earth."
A massive seal formation appeared in the clouds, ancient symbols glowing as streams of divine radiance rained down, destroying the hovering choppers in an instant.
The brilliance consumed them, explosions tearing through the night as they spiraled out of the sky.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Without further ado, i leapt into air, carrying the twins effortlessly in my arms, dashing across rooftops in the cover of confusion.
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SLICE AND DICE]
[1500 POINTS AWARDED]
I sighed 'At least the rewards are still working...-huh?'
[!!! UNIQUE QUEST TRIGGERED !!!]
------------------------------
[UNIQUE QUEST: THE FOWLER]
"The Hunt is On"
HOST has become an enemy of the CCG. Special Class Investigators are the elite of the CCG. Hunt at least 50% of the Special Class Doves to weaken their power.
[SPECIAL CLASS DOVES KILLED: 1/7]
[REWARD: ??? (EX-CLASS)]
------------------------------
'GOD DAMN!, an EX-CLASS reward?! it must be special right, I hope EX means higher than S tier'
I grin, 'Looks like I need to chop some Meat..'
The wind rushed past us, and only then did I hear Kurona's voice,
"Oi! Where the hell are you touching?!"
I blinked, glancing down...and smirked.
My hands, purely by circumstance (probably), had landed rather snugly on softy mounds.
"Hmm... Soft," I mused playfully.
"You—!" Kurona's whole body stiffened, her cheeks flaring crimson behind her mask. She struggled in my grip, but my hold was firm. "Let go!"
"Oh? You want me to drop you?" I teased, loosening my grip slightly,
Her squirming stopped instantly.
"...Tch, bastard."
A small whimper came from my other side.
I turned slightly to see Nashiro staring down, her face hidden behind her mask, but the way her hands gripped my chest told me she wasn't exactly against this situation.
"M-My sister's bigger..." she muttered under her breath.
A beat of silence.
"...Eh?" Kurona's head snapped toward her twin, eyes wide with betrayal.
"Nashiro, what the hell did you just say?!"
"I-I mean, I'm still growing damn it....!" Nashiro stammered, her whole face burning as she buried it against my chest.
I chuckled shaking my head, quite an entertaining twins.
Landing on the outskirts, I finally released them, stepping back as they steadied themselves.
Nashiro exhaled, still looking flustered, but her expression softened as she met my gaze.
"We don't know who you are... why you helped us... or what you want with CCG." She took a step forward and bowed slightly.
"But thank you. Saving the cadets means a lot."
Kurona crossed her arms, glancing away, but she didn't deny it.
Instead, she muttered, "...And Thanks for protecting my sister"
I smiled, "Eclipse."
"Huh?" Nashiro tilted her head.
"You may call me Eclipse," i said over the shoulder. Then, after a pause,
"The thing you're looking for.....you won't find it there. Not with him around."
I didn't explain further. I didn't need to.
The city buzzed with restless energy, but I barely paid attention. My steps are silent, as I made my way to the motel room.
A lot had happened tonight.
Kurona and Nashiro, those twins were something else. I'd left them with enough to think about.
Ryuuchi had arranged for me, a quiet place to rest after the events of the evening.
I exhaled, running a hand through my hair as I reached the motel.
The air inside was cool and comfy. I removed my Mask, and my hair changed back to original golden blonde from long silver.
I should take a bath and rest, it seems Ryuuchi has found the person I asked him.
Back at home,
The rhythmic sound of a kitchen knife tapping against the wooden cutting board echoed softly through the modest apartment. Ryouko stood by the counter, slicing meat with a practiced ease, yet her mind wasn't entirely there.
The gentle clatter of utensils against ceramic plates created a soothing rhythm as she prepared dinner.
It had become a quiet, almost a routine. one she had rarely enjoyed before Grey came into their lives.
The weight of survival had always pressed down on her, a constant, crushing force. But now? It was different.
Her thoughts drifted to...Him.
Grey had changed everything.
For the first time in years, there was no gnawing anxiety about where their next meal would come from. No stress of ensuring Hinami was safe. No unbearable loneliness of carrying it all alone.
A soft hum escaped her lips, catching her by surprise.
'Am I… happy?'
The thought unsettled her. Happiness was dangerous. It made people vulnerable. It made people hope. And yet, she couldn't help but to Dream...to Hope...
He had only been with them for a month or so, and yet...
She missed him.
Her hands stilled over the cutting board.
"..Grey..."
A warmth spread across her chest, something unfamiliar yet terrifyingly real. She tried to reason it away.
It was just gratitude, respect for a man who had taken care of them. But a quiet voice in the back of her mind whispered otherwise.
A deep breath. She shook her head, returning her focus to dinner.
'Stop with this thoughts Ryouko, You are not young anymore. And besides why would he want to be with a single mother like you....right?...'
She sighed.
Before she could stay on the thought any further she heard Hinami shouting from the Living room,
"Mom! Mom!! Come here quick! Look at the TV!"
She quickly wiped her hands on a towel and rushed into the living room.
Hinami sat on the floor, clutching a cushion to her chest, her wide brown eyes glued to the television screen.
The glow of the broadcast cast a pale light on her delicate face, amplifying the tension in the room.
Ryouko turned her gaze toward the screen, and felt her breath catch.
The television screen flickered with breaking news.
x--
"We interrupt regular programming for breaking news from the 13th Ward. Reports are coming in of a major battle breaking out at the Ghoul Investigator Training Academy. Initial footage suggests an unidentified rogue figure has engaged the Commission of Counter Ghoul (CCG) in direct combat... and—"
(News anchor pauses, pressing her earpiece as she listens to updates.)
"Ladies and gentlemen, we must warn you—the footage we are about to show is... deeply unsettling."
(The screen transitions to live aerial footage from news helicopters.)
(Shaky camera feed – the battlefield is in chaos, floodlights trying to focus the scene.
Smoke and debris scatter the academy grounds.
Dead Doves lie motionless.
Special-Class Investigator Kousuke Houji is engaged in an intense battle with the unknown combatant.)
"W-Wait, is that....is he using two swords? Who is this Ghoul?!"
(She watches in disbelief as Grey's relentless assault begins—faster than the human eye can fully process. The X-Slash lands.)
The studio goes silent as Houji, a renowned veteran, is sliced apart.
A sharp inhale is heard.
"Oh my God....Houji is....dead...?"
(An audible commotion in the newsroom follows.)
x--
A white Oni mask.
Purple eyes glowing from within its depths.
Long, silver hair flowing like a Ghost under the moon.
Hinami gasped softly beside her. "Mom.....that's onii-chan, isn't it?"
Her fingers curling into the fabric of her apron.
Logically, there was no way she should recognize him. He looked nothing like the man she had come to know.
Nonchalant guy who had shared their home, who had smiled softly while watching over Hinami, who had carried the weight of their burdens without hesitation.
And yet...she can feel it.
"it is him..."
Her heart twisted. She wasn't naive....she had known from the start that Grey was different. That he was dangerous. That he was far more than what he appeared to be.
But this...
The world called him a monster.
A doubt. A fear.
What if she was wrong?
What if the kindness he had shown them was just an illusion? What if she had let herself believe in something that was never real?
What if she had allowed a true monster into their lives?
A shudder ran through her, instinct clawing at her mind, warning her that she was standing before something far greater, far more powerful than she could comprehend.
And yet...
And yet....
Another voice, softer but unwavering, spoke against the fear.
'No. Grey isn't like that.'
She refused to believe it. No matter what the world said, no matter how terrifying the image on the screen was, she knew him.
The man who made sure Hinami always had enough food.
The man who shouldered burdens without complaint.
The man who had given her peace.
A monster wouldn't do that.
Would he?
Her heart pounded against her ribs, caught between the two clashing truths.
Her mind screamed at her to fear him.
But something deeper...older, more primal whispered a different truth.
A strong male. A protector. A force that is feared by many.
a voice whispered in her ear, 'let go...let go all inhibitions...isn't this what you always dreamed...'
Her ghoul instincts stirred, the natural attraction toward power, dominance, and absolute security surfacing. It was instinctual.....the draw of a female toward a mate strong enough to guard what is his.
An instinct which maybe suppressed in humans, but not in ghouls...well at least not suppressed enough.
As Ghouls are still fundamentally Predators, creatures born to hunt in the dangerous world like this.
Her Kakugan emerged activated, changing her iris to red and whites to pitch black.
She muttered unconsciously "A good wife supports her husband no matter what...."
"Mom? are you ok??"
"!!!"
She snaped from the trance immediately, "huh? yes honey...I am alright" she smiled.
'Wife?!!!'
She stiffened, eyes widening. Where had that come from?
Her face burned as the thought settled in her chest.
No. No, that wasn't...She wasn't.....
"....."
And yet, despite the chaos in her mind, surprisingly the fear had lessened.
Because in the end, no matter what the world said,
She trusted Him.
She would always Trust Him.
And if the world refused to stand by him...then she would.
cause deep down, she already knew the answer.
It doesn't matter if he is a monster or a heavenly beast...at the End,
He is Grey...
and that's all she needs to know.