Dimensional Kaguya Ōtsutsuki

"I told you already," Kaguya said, her autumn-water-like eyes glinting coldly as she cast an icy glance in his direction. Turning away, she continued, "Did I give you permission to leave?"

She raised her pristine white hand and snapped her fingers with a crisp "snap."

Wood Style: Thorn Piercing Technique

With the sound of her snap, countless sharp thorns erupted from the ground, instantly impaling Hachikawa Tadashi's legs mid-run.

Splurt splurt splurt

Blood sprayed everywhere.

"Ahhhhh!"

The serene night air was shattered by a deafening scream of agony.

"Damn it!"

Hachikawa's eyes widened, his teeth grinding against each other as cold sweat poured from his brow due to the searing pain. His legs were entirely impaled by the thorns, pinning him to the ground like a crucified figure. Through the wounds, one could even see the pale white of his exposed bones. Crimson blood gushed from the spikes, pooling beneath him.

"Why? Why do filthy creatures like you even exist in this world?" Hachikawa raised his head sharply, his voice hoarse as he roared through clenched teeth. "All you do is spread suffering! You're nothing but parasites, trash with no purpose!"

"I suppose I know your story," Kaguya said, walking toward him with a faint smile and narrowing her eyes. "And I know about the tragedies you've endured, but..."

She turned her back on him and walked toward Kaya Irimi.

"Those things are none of my business."

In this world, there is no such thing as absolute good or evil—only differing perspectives. Ghouls exist to survive, and humans, while defending themselves, also destroy without hesitation. Survival itself is neither noble nor base; it simply is. If anything, Kaguya lived by a single rule: hurt those who shouldn't be hurt, and you invite wrath.

"Goodbye, Investigator."

Wood Style: Impaling Thorn Technique

The moment her words ended, countless wooden spikes erupted from within Hachikawa's body.

"Splurt splurt splurt"

A string of muffled sounds echoed, accompanied by a gruesome spray of blood. The wooden spikes pierced through his body in an instant, leaving him looking like a macabre pincushion.

Blood misted the air, scarlet droplets painting the ground.

"D-damn it... I haven't even..." Hachikawa's eyes, wide and bloodshot, filled with unspoken regret. His throat convulsed as he tried to force out more words.

Thud

Before he could finish, his body collapsed heavily onto the ground. His eyes remained open, lifeless and unyielding in death.

Kaguya paused her steps for a brief moment and muttered softly, "If you're going to blame someone, blame yourself—for harming someone who should never have been hurt."

When she reached Kaya Irimi, the latter's condition had deteriorated to the brink of death. Even with a ghoul's formidable vitality, her injuries were grave, and her breathing was faint, her chest barely rising and falling. Blood loss had rendered her pale and frail.

Gently, Kaguya lifted the dying Irimi from the ground, cradling her in her arms. Surprisingly, for someone so tall, Irimi was featherlight, as if she carried no weight at all.

If there was anyone who had been truly kind to Kaguya, it was Kaya Irimi. With her gentle and nurturing nature, she had shown Kaguya warmth in a way few others ever had. When Kaguya would sneak into the café for a free meal, Irimi never judged her. Instead, she would quietly pack extra food for her to take away, even keeping it a secret from Touka Kirishima. And even after Kaguya had confessed her identity as an investigator, Irimi had not distanced herself but had instead continued to chat with her cheerfully.

If Kaguya had to describe the warmth Irimi gave her, she would say it was like the feeling of having an older sister—someone who made her feel secure. Though in reality, Kaguya had never known what it was like to have a sister.

"What a fool, insisting on holding out to the death rather than escaping when you can't win," Kaguya sighed, placing her hand gently over Kaya Irimi's chest. A warm energy flowed from her palm, entering Kaya's body. This was Kaguya's enhanced healing jutsu.

Under the cleansing influence of this pure energy, Kaya's wounds began to heal rapidly, and her RC cells started to repair at an astonishing speed. In no time, the grotesque gashes on her skin vanished completely, and her breathing gradually stabilized.

Kaguya let out a long sigh of relief and muttered, "Good thing I got here in time, or this could've been trouble."

Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, a slender, pale hand reached out and caught hers.

Kaguya froze, looking up. To her surprise, Kaya had already regained consciousness and was gazing at her intently.

"You're awake?" Kaguya asked with a smile. "How are your wounds? Are you still in pain anywhere?"

"I heard it," Kaya said softly.

"What?" Kaguya blinked, unsure if she'd heard correctly.

"I said, I heard it," Kaya repeated, a weak but knowing smile curling her lips. "I've been wondering who it was. I never thought it would be you. Life is truly full of surprises."

"Ah, uh," Kaguya coughed awkwardly, forcing a laugh. "You must be mistaken."

Kaya studied her deeply, then smiled with a faint expression of relief. "Alright, perhaps I really was mistaken."

Kaguya let out a nervous chuckle, a cold sweat forming on her brow. Could Kaya have recognized her? But she'd changed her clothes, wore a mask, and even altered her voice. By all logic, it shouldn't have been possible for Kaya to recognize her.

Kaya simply smiled and said nothing further.

She probably didn't even realize her unique scent was markedly different from others.

Carrying Kaya in her arms, Kaguya darted swiftly through the streets, her figure a fleeting shadow that disappeared in the blink of an eye. Before long, they arrived at the outskirts of the 20th ward, at an abandoned subway station. The area was deserted and appeared heavily aged, coated with a thick layer of dust. Even ghouls would rarely visit such a place, let alone humans.

Kaguya gently set Kaya down and said softly, "This place is safe. No one will disturb you here. Rest and recover. Also..." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, transparent glass bottle filled with crimson liquid—her blood. "This might be helpful to you. I have to go now."

With that, she turned to leave.

"Wait," Kaya called out weakly, leaning against the wall.

Kaguya stopped in her tracks.

"Are you going back to Anteiku?" Kaya asked softly.

"Yes."

Kaguya answered with a faint hum.

Kaya opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, but then stopped. Finally, she smiled and said, "Be careful."

Kaguya smiled in return, saying nothing. Turning around, she sprinted in the direction she had come from. A few leaps later, her figure vanished into the vast, shadowy night.

...

...

"So troublesome; she just had to interfere, ruining the entire plan," Kaya Irimi muttered softly, leaning against the wall.

"Come on now, she specifically came to save us," replied the man leaning against the opposite wall with a faint smile. "Still, it's hard to believe that someone as powerful as her would show up to help us. The more I think about it, the more surreal it feels."

The speaker was none other than Enji Koma, who had previously been gravely injured by Special Class Tanakamaru Mochihiro.

"Is that so?" Irimi exhaled slowly, a slight smile tugging at her lips.

"Isn't it? We've hardly ever interacted with her, so logically speaking, there's no reason for her to care about us just because we're also ghouls," Koma mused, stroking his chin. "And yet she still fought for us. Pretty impressive if you ask me."

Irimi turned her head to gaze through the window at the city lights flickering outside. "Maybe," she replied softly.

Outside the overpass, at the command center:

"This is Shinohara," came the weary voice of Yukinori Shinohara over the headset. "The Owl has been defeated. The operation is over."

His words carried no trace of joy, only the faint relief of a burden lifted. Perhaps they had waited too long for this moment. Ever since the battle with the Owl a decade ago, they had been through too much. Once young men in their twenties or thirties, they were now middle-aged, and many of their comrades had long since fallen.

"Is that so," Arima Kishou exhaled, turning around. "Then I'll leave the rest to you."

"Understood."

On the overpass:

The café's manager, Yoshimura Kuzen, leaned heavily on his kagune arm for support, panting heavily as his chest rose and fell. His wing-like kagune was in tatters, and his body was riddled with deep, gaping wounds. Crimson blood gushed from his injuries, soaking the ground beneath him to a dark red.

"Yuna... in the end, my wish will remain unfulfilled," Yoshimura whispered, lifting his gaze toward the pitch-black sky, where he seemed to glimpse the warm smile of his wife.

"It's over," Yukinori Shinohara declared, stepping forward. His gaze fell on the blood-soaked Yoshimura, who still stood despite his grievous injuries. "Ten years of everything—it's all ending tonight. A shame, though; I had hoped to let Amane taste your coffee one last time."

With a sigh, he nodded toward Iwao Kuroiwa.

Kuroiwa understood immediately, gripping his Quinque tightly. In a swift motion, he dashed forward, leaping into the air behind Yoshimura. With his weapon raised high, he brought it down in a powerful strike, a sharp gust of wind accompanying the blade's descent.

"It's over," Kuroiwa bellowed.

"Yuna," the manager murmured, seemingly oblivious to the blade descending upon him.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared between them. Kuroiwa's pupils contracted.

"Clang!"

A sharp metallic sound rang out, and half of Kuroiwa's Quinque spun through the air before embedding itself into the ground with a dull "thud."

Simultaneously, with a resounding "boom," Kuroiwa's body was sent hurtling backward like a cannonball. He smashed into a nearby wall, the force of impact causing it to crack and crumble, spiderweb fractures spreading across its surface.

Debris scattered in all directions, raising a thick cloud of dust.

"What?"

"Arata!"

Yukinori Shinohara and the other investigators on the scene were shocked. They hadn't even seen what had happened—just a black shadow flashing by—and Special Class Iwao Kuroiwa had been sent flying backward, his Quinque knocked out of his hands.

"Look! That figure..."

When Shinohara's eyes fell upon the scene before him, his pupils contracted.

Not far away, standing in front of Yoshimura Kuzen, was a figure bathed in moonlight. Her silver-white hair glowed under the cold light of the moon, making her stand out even more.

"I've always been curious—what exactly is your wish, Manager? Can you share it with me?" The slender figure slowly turned around, revealing a fox mask over her delicate face. She spoke with a soft chuckle.

"Akatsuki..."

Shinohara's heart sank. As a Special Class Investigator for the CCG, he was all too familiar with the name "Akatsuki." This powerful ghoul had appeared out of nowhere, and her strength, as well as her enigmatic nature, had been the subject of intense investigation and speculation. She was a figure both terrifying and utterly inscrutable.

For some time, Akatsuki had vanished entirely, leaving no trace of her presence. Many in the CCG assumed she had left the region or gone into hiding for some unknown reason.

But now, at this critical moment in the Owl Extermination Operation, she had reappeared like a ghost.

"Ugh..."

Yoshimura Kuzen turned his head slightly to glance at Kaguya, his expression showing faint surprise. Then he coughed violently, his hand covering his mouth as crimson blood seeped between his fingers. The aged and gravely injured manager finally collapsed to the ground with a heavy "thud."

"Hey, hey, don't die on me," Kaguya said urgently, rushing to his side. If this old man died now, wouldn't her trip here be pointless?

Besides, she had always had a certain fondness for Yoshimura.

Yoshimura Kuzen wasn't a bloodthirsty individual; on the contrary, he was gentle and kind-hearted, avoiding harming humans and doing everything in his power to maintain peace in the 20th Ward. It was thanks to his leadership and strength that the 20th Ward hadn't fallen into the chaos seen in other wards.

Moreover, Yoshimura had always believed that ghouls and humans could coexist peacefully. This ideal of his—though difficult to realize—was one of the reasons Kaguya had a measure of respect for him. It reminded her of a time when such coexistence seemed possible.

The reason Kaguya had chosen to save him was precisely because of this. She needed someone like him to support her from behind the scenes. She had no interest in micromanaging every trivial matter herself; if she had someone like Yoshimura to share the burden, she could focus on more critical objectives.

Of course, she wouldn't admit that this decision was partly out of laziness. After all, she had her pride.

Opportunity.

First-Class Investigators Take Hirako and Kousuke Houji exchanged glances. Gripping their Quinques tightly, they dashed forward in unison, moving with lightning speed to launch an attack on Kaguya.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon: 

Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven