Renji wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, licking away the taste of old copper. His stomach twisted, not from hunger, but from unease. Kata had been gone too long.
"He should've been back by now," Renji muttered, glancing toward the mouth of the alley. The city beyond was quiet, too quiet.
Shion didn't look up. His fingers dug into the carcass, peeling away a strip of flesh. "Maybe he found something better to eat," he said, voice thick with amusement. "Or maybe someone found him first."
Renji frowned. "You're not worried?"
Shion smirked, chewing lazily. "Why should I be? He's the one who ran off in the middle of a meal." He ripped another piece free, sucking marrow from a shattered bone. "If he's dead, well… more for us."
Renji exhaled sharply, scanning the alley again. The darkness felt heavier now.
"He wouldn't just disappear," Renji said. "Not without a reason."
Shion shrugged. "Maybe he had to take a shit."
Renji shot him a glare. "You don't just vanish into thin air."
Shion finally sighed, tossing aside a stripped bone with a hollow clatter. "Fine. If you're so damn restless, go find him. I'll stay here. Someone's gotta guard the food."
Renji hesitated. The thought of leaving Shion alone with half a body, while something was lurking out there in the dark, didn't sit right with him.
"You sure?"
Shion grinned, flashing bloodied teeth. "What, you think I can't handle myself?"
Renji exhaled through his nose. "Just don't let anyone steal our meal."
Shion patted the carcass with a stained hand. "No one's taking shit from me."
Renji took a step back, then turned toward the alley's exit. The shadows stretched long and deep ahead of him, swallowing the dim light. He didn't like this. Not one bit.
Kata, where the hell did you go?
Amatsu remained where he was, his breath steady in the stagnant air. He knew one of them would come looking. One would stay to protect the meal, and the other would wander in search of answers. It was just a matter of waiting.
And then, he saw movement.
A fat man shuffled into the alley. His steps were slow, hesitant, like he wasn't sure he wanted to be here. His coat was torn, stained with grime and dried blood. Amatsu narrowed his eyes.
The man—Renji—muttered something under his breath, eyes scanning the ground. He crouched, fingers brushing across something. A finger. The flesh was pale, blood congealing at the severed end. A silver ring glinted under the dim alley light.
His face twisted.
"…The hell?"
His breathing quickened. He glanced left, then right, suddenly aware of how tight this alley was. The walls loomed close, the shadows pressing in. His gut screamed at him. Something isn't right.
He looked down again.
Blood. Too much of it.
The signs of a fight.
Deep gashes in the walls, broken concrete, the faint, lingering scent of Rc cells. This place wasn't just a hunting ground. It was a battlefield.
Renji took a cautious step forward.
And then—
Something moved.
A rustle. The barest shift of shadow.
And then—it attacked.
A blur of flesh and hunger dropped from above.
Renji barely had time to react before the Kagune slammed into his chest, driving him backward with inhuman force. His ribs cracked as he was hurled into the alley wall. The impact knocked the air from his lungs, but before he could even draw breath—
It was on him.
The thing—no, the boy—moved like a specter, his Kagune writhing like a living thing. A bloated, intestine-like tendril ending in a gaping maw twisted mid-air, the rows of rotating fangs gleaming wet and hungry.
Renji's eyes widened.
"What the—?!"
SHHRRKKK!
The maw snapped shut.
Renji screamed.
The flesh of his shoulder was ripped away, muscle and sinew tearing under the force. Blood sprayed. His body convulsed, Rc cells instinctively surging to heal—but before he could react, the Kagune coiled around his throat.
A sharp squeeze.
Renji gagged, choking, his fingers clawing at the tendril crushing his windpipe. He tried to summon his own Bikaku, a thick tail-like Kagune that flared out behind him—
But Amatsu was faster.
Another tendril lashed out, smashing into Renji's stomach.
CRACK.
His vision blurred. His body slammed into the opposite wall like a ragdoll, his Kagune twitching but failing to strike. His lungs burned, ribs fractured. Too fast. Too strong.
And then—he saw him.
The boy stood there, watching him. Amatsu's eyes gleamed with a calm hunger, his mouth slightly parted as if tasting the scent of blood in the air.
"Not bad," Amatsu murmured. "You lasted longer than the last one."
Renji coughed, spitting a mouthful of crimson onto the cracked pavement. His head pounded, his arms trembling as he forced himself up. Fuck. This thing… he's not normal.
"…Who the fuck… are you?" Renji rasped.
Amatsu smiled. "Hungry."
And then, he lunged.
The Kagune-maw snapped forward.
Renji twisted, barely managing to evade as the teeth grazed his flesh. His Bikaku lashed out—his only chance.
The whip-like tail struck.
A direct hit.
It should have crushed the brat's ribs, sent him flying—
But Amatsu didn't move.
The impact sank in. His flesh twisted unnaturally, as if absorbing the force.
Renji's breath caught. What—?!
Then—
A serpentine tendril shot out.
Renji's leg was caught.
Pulled.
Torn.
Ripped.
"AAAAAGGHHH!!"
The leg was gone. Flesh, bone, everything. Amatsu swallowed it whole.
Renji collapsed, blood pooling beneath him. He barely had time to scream again before another tendril wrapped around his arm.
Then—
SHHRRKKK!
His limb was gone.
Renji shook, his body going into shock. Pain. White-hot agony. His mind barely registered it, his heartbeat slowing as blood drained from him too fast.
Amatsu sighed. "Messy."
He crouched beside Renji's twitching form, tilting his head.
"You taste like shit" he murmured. His Kagune flexed, wrapping around Renji's broken body. "But I don't like wasting food."
Renji tried to speak. His mouth moved, but nothing came out. His body no longer listened to him.
Amatsu leaned in. His Kagune quivered, the fleshy maws yawning open.
"Night-night."
And then—
He devoured him.
The bones crunched like brittle twigs. The alley filled with the wet, sickening sound of consumption.
Renji was gone.
His body thrummed with new Rc cells, warmth spreading through his veins. The Serpent inside him hissed in satisfaction.
Amatsu walked.
Two were gone. One remained.
This one would be different.
He could feel it in the air—something heavier, something crueler.
He had eaten. His body had grown. But he was still small. Still lacking. Strength alone meant nothing without the ability to wield it.
And so, he would learn.
No matter the cost.
The stench of rotting flesh grew stronger as he moved.
Then he saw him.
A massive figure, crouched over a corpse.
A girl. Or what was left of her.
Fingers dug deep, ripping through flesh, tearing into the soft fat of her breast.
The man exhaled, tongue running over his bloodied lips.
"Damn… the breast's the best part."
He chewed slowly, savoring.
Then—
A pause.
A glance around.
"Where the fuck is Renji?" he muttered. "What's taking him so long?"
Then a sound.
A shuffle.
He stilled.
"Renji?" His voice was a deep, guttural bark. "Kata?"
No answer.
But he wasn't stupid.
His head snapped toward the movement.
And Amatsu ran.
Not in fear—as bait.
The space was too tight. He needed a battleground.
Somewhere open. Somewhere he could adapt.
The man grinned.
"You little fuck," he spat. "Think you can run?"
And then—he moved.
Faster than Amatsu.
A blur of muscle and momentum.
The chase was short.
They burst into a forgotten ruin—a wide hall, its walls shattered, beams jutting like splintered ribs.
A perfect place.
Amatsu stopped.
Turned.
Faced him.
The man entered, chest heaving, breath thick with the stench of gore.
He cracked his neck. A sickening pop echoed in the hollow space.
Then, he smiled.
"You led me here," he said, voice low, coiling with amusement. "Smart."
His eyes gleamed—hunger, sharp and glinting, a butcher sizing up his next cut.
"But you're still dead."
Amatsu grinned, teeth bared like a wolf pup standing before a lion.
"Come and kill me, then."
The first punch came like a cannon blast.
Amatsu twisted.
Too slow.
The fist crashed into his ribs—
CRACK.
The sound echoed, brutal and wet. Something inside him shifted—broke. A rib, maybe two. His breath hitched, splintered by pain.
His body rocketed backward, slamming into the stone wall.
BOOM.
Dust exploded. The air thickened with debris, sharp and suffocating. Fractured rock split beneath him, collapsing in brittle chunks. His vision blurred, his lungs seized.
Pain. Blinding.
But his legs—his legs still worked.
Move.
He forced himself up, staggered forward. His muscles howled. His bones protested. But pain was secondary.
The Famine Serpent flared—a grotesque mass of flesh, a writhing tendril ending in a circular maw of gnashing fangs.
It lashed out, fast, lethal—aiming straight for the man's throat.
But—
A shadow. A blur.
The man was already inside his guard.
His Bikaku Kagune erupted—a thick, monstrous tail, bristling with power.
It snapped forward—
WHAM.
It smashed into Amatsu's stomach.
CRACK.
Air fled his lungs. His vision splintered. His body folded around the impact like a doll with its strings cut.
Then—
Another strike.
The tail came down like an executioner's axe—
And crushed his shoulder.
BONE SPLIT.
White-hot agony shot through him. His arm—gone, useless. Numbness crept up his fingers. His nerves shrieked.
Amatsu dropped. His face met the ground, dust caking his lips, choking his breath.
Pain. Ringing. A dull, distant roar.
The man loomed above. His shadow swallowed Amatsu whole.
Then—
A stomp.
AGH—!
His ribs—shattered further. His chest caved in. Blood bubbled up, thick and metallic, pooling in his mouth.
The man crouched, fingers tangling in Amatsu's hair.
"You're weak," he said, voice like gravel.
He yanked Amatsu's head up—
Then—
SLAMMED IT DOWN.
CRACK.
The floor dented beneath him. Shockwaves rippled through his skull. Stars burst in his vision.
Everything swayed. His body threatened to give in.
But he could still hear.
The man laughing.
"Is that all?!"
Another stomp.
More cracks.
Pain surged. His nerves shrieked. His body—no longer his own, just raw, pulped meat.
His vision blurred.
And yet—
His heart still beat.
Pain.
Deep. Consuming.
But inside it—something else.
A pulse.
A rhythm.
Stronger.
The agony burned.
And yet—
It felt good.
A sick, gnawing warmth spread beneath his skin. The pain was sharpening him. Carving away weakness.
The man's foot lifted for the final stomp—
And Amatsu moved.
Fast.
Faster than before.
His body screamed—but something inside him thrived on it.
His Famine Serpent lashed out—
The man dodged—but he was slower.
Amatsu lunged.
Fingers curled. Nails bared. He clawed at the man's throat—
The man reeled back, just barely—Amatsu's nails scraped skin.
A thin, red line bloomed.
The first blood.
The man froze.
Amatsu grinned, lips painted crimson.
"You felt that, didn't you?"
The more pain he took—
The stronger he became.
Not in raw power.
But in instinct.
Awareness.
Adaptation.
The man's growl deepened. His Bikaku coiled, tense, waiting.
It lashed out—
Amatsu moved—not completely.
The tail still clipped his ribs.
More pain.
More clarity.
His Famine Serpent split.
One tendril.
Then two.
The first shot high. A feint.
The second lashed low.
The man blocked the first—
But the second sank into his thigh.
Tear.
Flesh ripped. Blood sprayed.
He stumbled.
Amatsu pounced.
Kagune met Kagune—flesh ripping, bones crunching, blood painting the walls.
A brutal dance of violence.
Amatsu fell.
Then got up.
Fell again.
Then got up.
And every time—he learned.
Every fracture. Every wound.
It built him.
The man panted, sweat mixing with blood.
Amatsu smiled.
The pain was still there.
But it wasn't breaking him.
It was feeding him.
Amatsu swayed.
His breath came ragged, heavy with the stench of his own blood.
His body—broken, torn, battered beyond recognition.
And yet—
He was still alive.
His vision pulsed with every heartbeat. He could feel it—the slow, crawling repair.
His Rc cells surged.
Rebuilding. Transforming.
Not just healing. Something else.
Something new.
He just needed one more meal.
Then it would be complete.
The man spat blood onto the floor, staring down at Amatsu.
"Now I'm done fucking around," he growled. "Die."
His Bikaku lashed forward.
Too fast.
Too strong.
Amatsu tried to dodge, but—
SHRRK—!
The tail speared through his stomach.
A cold shock ran through him. His knees buckled.
Then—
A shadow.
A foot.
BOOM.
The kick caught his skull, launching him like a ragdoll.
The wall shattered.
His body—completely wrecked.
Pain.
Suffocating.
He could barely move.
His flesh tried to heal, but it wasn't fast enough.
I'm going to die.
His vision blurred.
His hands clawed at the floor, but there was no strength left.
The man laughed.
Then, he jumped.
His Kagune arced through the air, aiming to tear Amatsu apart.
And then—
It happened.
RIPS!
A sickening tear erupted from Amatsu's back.
Two writhing shapes burst forth.
Bikaku.
But not like before.
One lashed outward—
Coiling. Wrapping. Squeezing.
The other lunged—
Fangs gnashing. Tearing. Devouring.
The man's screams filled the halls.
"What the—WHAT THE FUCK?!"
He thrashed. Struggled.
But it was too late.
One tendril crushed his ribs.
The other bit deep into his shoulder—
Then his arms.
Then his legs.
Gone.
Ripped. Eaten.
Blood sprayed in thick, wet gouts.
The man's Kagune twitched, severed from his spine, falling uselessly to the floor.
Amatsu breathed.
The pain faded.
His body repaired.
And he stood.
The man lay there, twitching.
No hands.
No legs.
Just a sobbing, shivering torso.
Amatsu stepped forward.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
The man's breath hitched.
"You…" he whimpered.
Amatsu knelt.
His Kagune quivered, anticipation crawling through every nerve.
He smiled.
Then, without a word—
He cut the man's dick off.
The man screamed.
Amatsu stuffed it into his mouth.
"Enjoy eating your own dick."
Then he stomped.
Hard.
Bones crunched as the man's jaw shattered, forcing the meat deeper into his throat.
His eyes rolled back.
Tears streamed down his face.
He tried to scream, but—he choked.
The agony ripped through his soul.
His body convulsed. Twitched.
Amatsu watched.
And smiled.
But after a while—
The begging stopped.
The man's eyes—empty.
Dead.
There was no use in torturing him anymore.
Amatsu sighed.
Then devoured him.
Power rushed through his veins.
His Rc cells exploded.
His body shifted. Grew.
Then he felt it—
Two Bikaku.
Not just one.
He could call one or two at the same time.
And more than that—
A realization.
He could change their shape.
But it would take training.
Pain.
Experience.
Amatsu exhaled, feeling the remnants of his last wounds fade completely.
Then, he grinned.