Chapter 20

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Give me the stones.

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- Fun. - remarked Mein.

- Mm-hmm. - I nodded, looking at the screaming crowd, with various metal implements in their hands, heading towards the palace.

Mein, Lubbock, Leone and I were sitting on one of the rooftops, watching the mayhem.

- I have to admit that to even indirectly create THAT, it takes skill..." Lubbock said dumbfounded, glancing at me.

- What are you talking about? - Leone asked in surprise.

- A big part of the reason for this little riot was my antics with the guards. A lot of people, thinking that I had also organised the murders of ordinary people, found the strength to rebel and... you can see the result. - I shrugged my shoulders, inwardly exulting, from such achievements. "Achievement obtained: 'The people and the party are united!" (By his actions, raise a riot)."

- Why did we come here? - Mein asked.

- Because. The three of you have been holed up at the base for a week and a half. It's about time you had some fun. - I said. - Even Shelly's been to the Capital twice with me and Akame to get supplies, and you've been sitting around. Mein, look, if you get fat, you won't be able to ride with Calandor. - I waved my index finger.

- Fuck you! - Maine exclaimed indignantly.

- Aha, aha... That's what you, began to squint at your belly. - I chuckled merrily.

At that moment, I tried to knock me, but I easily dodged Myne's fist, stepping back a little.

- Okay, enough jokes. What are we going to do with them? - I nodded at the crowd.

The guys looked at them, and then tensed, looking at the guards with their swords drawn.

- We have to help them. - Maine said firmly, then rushed to get the Calandor, but I objected.

- No. They've made their choice. In case you've forgotten, we are no longer revolutionaries, and we will not interfere in the conflict between these two sides. - I said, looking at the carnage about to begin.

- But they will be killed! All those people! Kaneki! - Maine raised her voice.

I glanced once more at the crowd, considering the situation.

- Mein... he's right. - Without her usual cheerfulness, Leone said.

- I agree too. - said Lubbock, laying down on the roof. - Although I do not like our inaction, such interference, can entail a lot of things.

- Go ahead. - I said briefly, continuing to look at the crowd, under whose feet the first slaughtered bodies were already lying.

- Huh? - Leone interjected.

- Smash the heads of the guards, then tell the people to go home. - I said glumly, smelling the familiar scent of Dorothea's counterfeit. She repented to me that she had made a mistake in leaving those Onesta.

Frowning at the former members of the Night Raid, I forced myself up from my sitting position and headed for the scent of the fakes, which was getting closer and closer. After a couple of seconds, I noticed that next to the target, there was another fake, but less... smelly. Taking a better sniff, I detected the scent of Najenda, Susano, and two other unknowns... And the whole pack, was moving in my direction.

Funny... Either Najenda and his new subordinates are trying to catch the fakes, or the revolution has found themselves yet another professor who has managed to give them control over the fakes.

Grinning, I shoved my hands in my pockets and leisurely headed towards the six I'd discovered.

***

I, with a smile, watched the 'team' walking. Even without empathy (whine, whine, whine), I could feel all that Najenda negativity directed towards the fake two. I have to admit, though, it's a whole other level here. The behaviour is almost identical to a human, the look is far more human, and yes, the mere smell of Ghoul is far stronger.

Did the revolutionary army really dig up the professor who made these bastards look good? Well, it's pretty interesting.

The girl, who smelled of Ghoul, but much fainter than the guy in the T-shirt, turned sharply in my direction. Seeing me standing on the roof, she grinned brightly.

- There he is. - She said, causing Najenda to instantly turn to me. The rest of the group, however, turned around... I don't know... lazily?

- A new group? - I raised an eyebrow at Najenda. - Apparently the revolutionaries had become desperate enough to resort to the scalpel.

- Is that him? - The guy in the T-shirt snorted contemptuously.

As I looked at him, I noticed two things:

1. Muscles that were overworked.

2. Sharp movements.

I mean, a power tank. The easiest target for me. However, a tank's rinkaku? Funny, I think small and fast carriers are better for rinkaku.

- My name is Amanda. - The black-haired girl said with a smile. - And you are the same Kaneki Ken? - I nodded. - Before we party with you, can you tell me how you're doing without the cell serum?

- Cell serum? - I squinted. - What's that?

- Heh... You don't want to talk, then. - The girl grinned. I involuntarily ran my eyes over my future enemies, judging by her phrasing, and was involuntarily surprised.

One girl was with an axe, which just and played out in the tournament Esdes. Next to her stood a boy with a strange trumpet at his waist, vaguely resembling the flute that had been buried with Incursio and the other teigu in the forest, in a special place where I had dug out a hiding place.

And that's when it hit me. The guy's arm, wrapped around... koukaku! A smooth blade running perpendicular to his arm, protruding about half a metre from his fingers.

- Koukaku!??? - I couldn't help but shout in surprise.

- What? What are you mumbling about? - The guy grumbled.

I, on the other hand, tensely wondered how the locals managed to create a koukaku... or did they find and dissect... one like that Ghoul guy who came from another world with the help of some mistress?

- Taiga, stop flirting with the target. He's not a survivor anyway. - snorted the guy.

The aforementioned Taiga... sighed and let out a ukaku. Ukaku. I understand less and less where they crawled out from. More specifically, where the test tube they already crawled out of came from.

- I don't know what lab you escaped from. - the guy started in a dismissive voice. - but it wasn't Dr Rynes who helped you. At least he doesn't know anything about you, and he swears we're his only ones.

So... some Dr Rynes, so he's managed to make some proper duds, not the junk that's been running around with Dorothea. So we need to get all the information we can about him out of these... half-goals. And then kill him.

- Well... I have to admit, you surprised me. - I admit, jumping down to the ground from the roof. - Now, you tell me everything you know about this Dr. Raines of yours, and then... I'll look at your behaviour and decide whether to kill you or not. - I grinned, releasing my rinkaku.

- Bishop, action. - Taiga said briefly.

At that moment, the aforementioned Bishop snapped towards me... at a pretty good speed, by the way! About half my speed, but even so, to a normal person, he'd be a smudge.

I sidestepped the koukaku flying at me, then tried to stab Bishop's carcass. Only, the creep dodged and managed to grab my two tentacles, kicking the rest with his legs while jumping up.

I grinned, after which I turned the tentacles into blades. Bishop yelled instantly, jerking his arms away and falling to the ground. Just then, a bunch of small crystals flew at me from behind. Oops, I didn't follow Taiga. After flying five metres away, I leaned to the ground... and was swept away by a huge wind. My bones creaked, and my body went flying again... to meet the blade of the axe on the way.

My carcass, with an enormously deep wound in my right shoulder, was flung sideways, and I finally touched the ground.

- Ha-ha! And you said, "He's strong! You can't beat him!" Stupid woman. - came Bishop's voice. - But to us, he's no danger at all. Still, I have to admit, you two did your part. Not as useless as I thought. After Taiga's attack, he might have survived, but you did.

- What were you yapping about? - I asked in a mocking voice as I stood up, glancing at the small, pink tinge where that cut in his shoulder had been.

- Wh-wh-what???? - came from the girl with the axe. - I chopped you up!!! - pointing at the pool of blood beside her.

- Well, real Ghouls are famous for regeneration. - I said, looking at the fading pink scar. - But what about the fakes?

At that moment, I activated the kakuja, flying at full speed towards Bishop and stabbing my fist through him.

- Kha!!! - he bellowed with blood.

- Bishop!!! - I heard Taiga shout.

At that moment, clouds of crystals flew at me... except that the armour withstood everything perfectly and didn't even crack. A war cry came from behind me... and my armour was pierced by an axe. What kind of monster is she holding? What kind of monster can even pierce RC armour?

My shoulder exploded with pain again, and I spun 180 degrees, taking my fist out of Bishop's stomach. The girl who had held the axe in her hands and followed it into Bishop's face squealed, making me cringe even more.

Meanwhile, they tried to blow me away again, but I managed to sink my rinkaku into the ground, keeping me in place.

At that moment, some sort of explosion sounded, and the wind stopped instantly.

- Kaneki! - I heard Main's voice.

I was instantly covered in cold sweat from the fact that they had come here. The two of them would easily kill them without even blinking an eye.

I glanced at Tyga and Bishop, releasing my tail. The guy, still slouched on the ground with a hole in his stomach, and the girl was breathing heavily, trying to get some kind of syringe out of a pouch on her belt.

- SHOOT THE GIRL!!! - I yelled.

At the same instant, another shot rang out... as suddenly, in the path of the projectile, there was a shield that reflected the shot back.

I reacted instantly, changing my target to Susano, whose hair had turned white by the way, and a disc appeared on his chest, signifying his core.

Meanwhile, I noticed the wench with the axe fighting Leone, and Lubbock clutched the guy with the pipe in his grip.

A second later, I was already next to Susano, striking from all sides at once, before letting a couple of blades go under. Here, the teigu blocks my tail... manages to close himself off from side attacks... misses a ground attack in front of him... and manages to twist around and clamp a back attack under his armpit.

- You're dead anyway. - I said.

At that moment, all the blades, fused into a single mesh that instantly shredded Susano's body into pieces. And finally, I used my fist to smash the cannonball into splinters.

In the background, another shot of Mein rang out. I turned around and nodded in satisfaction, looking at Taiga's wounded body and Bishop's completely missing side, also lying on the ground.

I was about to go after Najenda... when I suddenly realised that she was already gone. I smelled the stench of slop coming from a nearby alley, the smell of which overpowered everything else.

- Shit..." I clenched my teeth, turning back to my defeated rivals.

- And we're just in time. - Leone grinned merrily, sitting on top of the unconscious girl. The axe was lying next to Leone's leg.

- I have to admit that such a group really had a chance to kill me - I spoke quite seriously, realising that I would have had to run away if not for the guys who had arrived. Against Susano, the axe, the pipe, and Taiga's physical strength, I wouldn't have been able to do it. They'd have chopped my head off, and I'd be dead.

- Is that a "thank you"? - Mein snorted.

- Yes... for dealing with some guards for so long, you will be punished separately. - I made up an excuse on the fly. - You'll be eating dried fruit for a week.

- WHAT? - came from all directions.

- Ha-ha-ha-ha... Kha-ka-ka!!! - I started coughing while watching the bloody spots on the ground beneath me. - Damn... apparently some of my insides were damaged.

- Are you okay? - Leone was up in a flash.

- Yeah, just need a few minutes to rest... So... is that girl alive? - I nodded at the person lying under Leone.

- Yes. - Leone nodded, with a smile, kicking the carcass, which gave a groan.

- Then grab her axe and herself and let's go. Lubbock, you take the short man and his pipe. I'll take these two. We'll use one for experiments, and we'll try the other one and use her for experiments.

- Maybe..." said Mein, uncertainly.

- No! - I shouted. - Do you know how much Dorothea is bothering me? Don't say anything.

***

Once again, I yanked Dorothea by the scruff of the neck, drooling, glancing at the wall where both of our half-guns were firmly attached.

- Please! - Two pretty little eyes looked up at me, and I almost relaxed my hand when I was suddenly slapped from behind.

- Don't give in. - came Akame's phlegmatic voice.

- Hmmm... Okay, Dorothea go get Esdes. Then, I'll let you take some blood samples or something. - I said.

The girl instantly disappeared from the room, rushing to fulfil the task.

- Are you going to torture me? - Akame asked.

- I doubt they'll say anything willingly. - I wrinkled my nose, looking into Taiga's fear-filled eyes.

- I suppose so. - Akame agreed.

- She brought it!!! - I heard Dorothea shout.

- Akame, grab her by the scruff of the neck and drag her to the lab. Tell everyone to stay away from us. - I said, returning a kiss from Esdes.

- I missed you. - I heard the girl's voice after the door slammed.

- I was only gone for half a day. - I said with a smile, nodding at the guests. - I need to get some information out of them about a certain Dr Rynes.

- Got it. - The girl grinned happily, drawing her sword. Then she drew it... and hesitated.

- What are you doing? - I was surprised.

- Hmm... I think I'll go to my room to get some special herbs. They'll make the pain worse. - Esdes nodded, then headed out of the room.

- I don't envy you guys. - I grinned. - Can't we just say this nicely? I need to know who this Dr Rynes is, what he does, where his lab is, how he... created you? So, shall we talk? - I smiled devilishly.

- N-N-No. - In a trembling voice, Taiga said.

- No? Okay... Then I'll ask a tougher question...