BOOOOM!!!
I slammed the frying pan into the bastard’s face with everything I had, unleashing all the rage I’d been bottling up.
He might have been gutted, but I was going to make sure he paid dearly for it.
Throb...!! Throb...!!
“Damn, your face is disgustingly hard.”
I opened my hand to inspect the damage.
The skin was shredded like a wet rag, and blood poured down in streams.
I had braced myself for the impact and gripped the handle tight, but in the end, my palm tore open and the frying pan went flying.
Clatter!
The pan rolled across the floor, so pitifully warped that it could never fry an egg again.
Still, it had done its job. It wasn't for cooking anymore, but it worked as a weapon.
Thud!
With that single blow, the Ghoul dropped to one knee.
Ghoul bodies were undeniably tough.
Unless you were using a Quinque—a weapon specifically designed to kill them—or hitting them with a truck at full speed or a steel beam dropped from a skyscraper, you could barely leave a scratch.
However, aside from a few specific organs, a Ghoul's anatomy is identical to a human's.
That was why I aimed for a universal human weak point.
“You bastard...!!”
The Ghoul, kneeling on the floor, glared at me with ferocious eyes. He tried to stand, but failed repeatedly, his hand splashing into the electrified water.
He desperately wanted to pull his hand away from the current, but his body wouldn't obey, and the creases in his forehead deepened.
It wasn't just rage; he was experiencing a pain that even he couldn't easily endure.
One should never underestimate household electricity.
Why else would someone survive a 100,000-volt stun gun only to die from a common household accident?
Even if the voltage is low, high amperage is more than enough to snuff out a life. Long live the power grid.
I tapped his forehead mockingly.
“Even if your skin is as tough as a special alloy, the structure is the same for both of us—if the jaw shakes, the brain shakes too.”
The weak point I had targeted, sacrificing the skin of my hands, was his jaw.
It wouldn't knock him out cold, but it was the perfect spot to render him temporarily incapacitated.
A rattled brain and an electric prison beneath his feet. No matter how monstrous a Ghoul's physical abilities were, shaking this off would be no easy feat.
I wanted to beat him a few more times while I had the chance, but I couldn't afford to be delusional.
He was only temporarily neutralized. If he recovered even slightly and launched a surprise attack, I would be dead.
The only sensible move was to use this window to escape.
I opened the balcony window the Ghoul had smashed through and threw a rope, which had been tied to the railing post, over the edge.
The Ghoul looked bewildered by the sudden appearance of an escape rope, as if I had been waiting for this exact moment.
“About five years ago, someone way scarier than you broke in. I prepared this based on that experience.”
If you're curious about who that was, just look at the Buddhist altar over there. You'll see my father's face, probably smiling at you with murderous intent.
Once I confirmed the rope reached the ground from the fifth floor, I stepped onto the railing.
“Oh, one more thing before I go.”
I stepped back inside and picked up the mangled frying pan.
I stood behind the Ghoul, who had spotted the wire and was crawling toward it on all fours. His rear was conveniently hoisted up in the air. I swung my arm in a wide arc and hurled the pan.
THWACK!!!
“...!!!!!”
Watching his face contort in a silent scream, I nodded in satisfaction.
“Yep. A man hit in the groin reacts the same, whether he's a Ghoul or a human.”
That should buy me another three or four seconds. I stepped back onto the balcony and grabbed the rope.
“KRAAAAAAAH!!”
The moment I swung myself over the railing, the monster let out a guttural shriek.
I looked back to see a metallic Kagune erupting from his back, slashing wildly in a fit of rage and humiliation.
The wire I had jammed into the outlet was struck and ripped out.
Freed from his electric prison, the bastard surged upward.
His brain hadn't fully recovered, but he didn't care. Like a wild animal, he kicked off the floor on all fours and charged at me.
“...!!!”
KWA-GA-GA-GA-BOOOOM!!!
The instant I launched myself over the edge, the grotesque Kagune swept through, crushing the iron railing in one go.
It was a miracle the Ghoul's brain was still rattled. Otherwise, that strike would have killed me instantly.
The railing was mangled, but the base where the rope was anchored remained.
When I saw him aiming his Kagune at that anchor point, I nearly panicked.
“I am absolutely NOT diving off a five-story building again!!”
I almost died last time even though I landed in a tree!!
Swallowing my silent scream, I looked ahead.
My body swung like a pendulum, and the outer wall of the building rushed toward me.
I loosened my grip on the rope for a split second, dropping my position slightly.
Instead of hitting the concrete wall, I found myself right in front of a window belonging to a third-floor resident.
Whoever you are, excuse me for a second!
CRASH!!!
I smashed through the glass, rolled across the floor to absorb the impact, and sprang back to my feet.
It was a move so smooth I could almost admire myself. If I could just bolt out of the house now, it would be a perfect escape.
However, that seamless flow was cut short in the next instant.
““................””
Two frozen gazes locked onto me. They looked like a couple, and by the looks of it, they had been very busy.
A half-naked man and woman clinging to each other, cheeks flushed, breathing heavily.
As the uninvited guest of embarrassment crashed into my adrenaline-fueled mind, I gave a polite bow.
“Sorry to interrupt your business. I’ll be leaving immediately, so please, don’t mind me and carry on.”
“HOW THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT US TO CARRY ONAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!”
“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!”
The man charged at me with a golf club he’d produced from nowhere, while the woman screamed, frantically clutching her clothes.
Realizing that explaining myself was a waste of precious time, I yanked open the front door and bolted.
The moment I hit the hallway, I vaulted over the railing.
A five-story dive was too much for my trauma to handle, but a third-story drop onto a grassy lawn was a risk I was willing to take.
THUD!!
Even with a proper landing, the shock vibrated deep into my bones.
The ribs I’d broken during the fight with the Ghoul let out a sharp groan, and my brain flooded my system with adrenaline and endorphins to mask the pain.
I felt fine for now, but the thought of the agonizing debt of pain I’d have to pay back later made my vision go dark.
I looked back; only the man was still screaming at the top of his lungs. There was no sign of the Ghoul.
Not knowing when the monster would recover and strike again, I ran at full speed to put as much distance between us as possible.
***
The man on the third floor had been enjoying a passionate moment with his girlfriend, accompanied by an adult film from the DVD rental shop. However, the mood had been utterly demolished by a wounded stranger who had smashed through his window.
The intruder had been covered in blood and bruises, but the man didn't have the luxury of sympathy.
Regardless of the man's circumstances, he had broken a window, committed illegal trespassing, and ruined a sweet moment of intimacy. Rage was the only natural response.
He had decided to treat his favorite golf club as a weapon for the day and chased the intruder, but the effort was in vain.
In less than fifteen minutes, the pursuit ended with the stranger vanishing completely.
By the time the sun had set and he returned home, his girlfriend—who was still recovering from a shock that would likely leave her traumatized in several different ways—greeted him.
“Honey, what happened? Did you catch that pervert?”
“No, he vanished into the streets. Damn it! If I ever find him, I’ll beat him into the ground!!”
“My honey is so cool!”
As the man laughed heartily, letting his girlfriend cling to his sturdy chest, a little girl suddenly poked her head through the front door he had left open.
She looked to be about five or six years old. Her shoulder-length bob waved softly, and she had the kind of cute features that would undoubtedly make her a heart-stopping beauty when she grew up.
This little girl had suddenly burst into his home, searching for her father.
Her large eyes were brimming with tears, and she wore the pitiful expression of a lost baby bird.
“Daddy!! Daddy, where are you...! My daddy...! Daddy...!!”
Her voice was thick with tears as she babbled the word “Daddy” over and over.
While the man stood there flustered by the sudden intrusion of a child calling him father,
“...Honey, who is this child?”
The voice of the girlfriend in his arms turned ice-cold.
“W-What!? I-I don’t know! I’ve never seen her before!!”
“What do you mean you don’t know her?! Then why is she calling you Daddy?!”
“I’m telling you, I really don’t know her!!!”
The resulting misunderstanding sparked a storm in the couple's relationship.
As for the little girl who had caused the chaos, she realized the person she was looking for wasn't in this house. Following the scent of blood drifting through the air, she kicked off the ground and sprinted away once more.
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