The grotesque mass of twisted flesh that had once been Mr. Sterling writhed in the center of the ruined office, its multiple eyes rolling in different directions. Russell's jaw clenched as he watched tentacles of corrupted meat slither across the debris-strewn floor.
"Luffy, can you handle this thing?" Russell's voice cut through the creature's wet, rasping breaths.
Luffy tilted his head, studying the abomination like he was sizing up a particularly tough piece of meat. "Yeah, I got this." But there was something different in his tone—a sharpness that hadn't been there before.
That was all Russell needed. He vaulted onto Pidgeot's back, the bird's powerful wings carrying them through the shattered window frame. Glass crunched beneath Pidgeot's talons as they hovered outside the building. The structure groaned like a dying whale, steel beams bending at impossible angles.
"Make it quick!" Russell shouted over the howling wind. "This whole place is coming down!"
Inside, Luffy's grin stretched wide as he pressed his straw hat firmly against his head. His muscles began to bulge, veins standing out like cables under his skin. Steam erupted from his pores in violent bursts.
"Gear Second!"
The transformation rippled through his body like wildfire. His skin flushed pink, steam pouring off him in thick clouds. The air around him shimmered with heat as his heart hammered against his ribs like a war drum.
The Sterling-thing let out a sound that was part shriek, part gurgle. Its bloated form lurched forward, massive arms sweeping through the air with bone-crushing force. Chunks of concrete exploded where its fists struck.
Kaneki moved like liquid shadow, his centipede kagune uncoiling from his back in a cascade of crimson and black. The bio-weapon cracked through the air like a whip, each segment gleaming with razor-sharp edges.
"Get its attention!" Luffy barked, his voice distorted by the steam pouring from his mouth.
The kagune struck the creature's hide with a wet slap, drawing a line of black ichor across its surface. The monster's head snapped toward Kaneki, fury blazing in its mismatched eyes.
Then its mouth opened.
Not the human mouth in its head, but the massive, tooth-lined maw that had split open across its entire torso. A tongue the size of a fire hose shot out, dripping with acidic saliva that ate through the floor where it landed.
Kaneki's kagune met the tongue mid-strike. The impact sent shockwaves through the building, cracking the remaining windows. The two appendages wrestled, muscle straining against muscle, neither giving ground.
Yoriichi stepped forward, his hand resting on his sword's hilt. The demon slayer's breathing became deep and measured, each exhale visible in the cold air. When he moved, it was with the fluid grace of flowing water.
"Sun Breathing, Thirteenth Form!"
His blade sang as it left its sheath, trailing fire in its wake. The technique erupted around him in a perfect circle of flame, each arc of the sword creating blazing crescents that carved through the air.
The tongue, thick as a tree trunk, was severed cleanly in two. Black blood sprayed across the office in a wide arc, sizzling where it hit metal and concrete.
The Sterling-thing's scream shattered the remaining glass in the building. It clutched at its severed tongue, stumbling backward as dark fluid poured from the wound.
"Now!" Luffy's fist pulled back, his entire arm disappearing into his body like a compressed spring. Steam exploded from his shoulder as he released all that stored power.
"Gum-Gum Jet Pistol!"
The punch connected with the sound of a thunderclap. The creature's massive form lifted off the ground, hurtling backward through concrete pillars like they were made of paper. It disappeared into the far wall in an explosion of dust and debris.
Russell squinted through the settling dust, Pidgeot's wings beating steadily to keep them aloft. "Is it over?"
The silence stretched for several heartbeats. Then came the sound.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Wet, rhythmic chewing echoed from the crater. Kaneki's eyes widened as he launched his kagune toward the sound, the bio-weapon shooting through the dust cloud like a crimson spear.
CRACK!
The tip of his kagune shattered like glass.
The dust settled, revealing a nightmare. The Sterling-thing had doubled in size, its body now a mountain of pulsing, hungry flesh. Its torso-mouth ground mechanically, chewing on fragments of concrete, steel, and the broken pieces of Kaneki's kagune.
As they watched in horror, a new appendage burst from the creature's back—a perfect replica of Kaneki's centipede kagune, glistening with fresh blood.
"It's assimilating abilities," Russell breathed, his knuckles white as he gripped Pidgeot's reins.
Yoriichi's forehead markings flared crimson as he charged forward. The copied kagune lashed out to intercept him, but Kaneki's real weapon met it halfway. The two bio-weapons clashed in a shower of sparks and flesh.
The creature's massive arms swept down like falling buildings. Yoriichi flowed between them like smoke, his blade finding gaps in the creature's defenses. But every wound he inflicted sealed itself within seconds, the flesh knitting together with disgusting efficiency.
Then Yoriichi's movements slowed. His connection to Russell flickered and died as his cooldown period began.
Luffy had seen enough. His body coiled like a spring, muscles bunching beneath his steaming skin. "You want to eat everything?" His voice was a growl. "Try eating this!"
"Gum-Gum Jet Gatling!"
His fists became a blur of motion, each punch creating sonic booms that shook the building's foundation. The creature's flesh rippled like water under the relentless assault, chunks of meat flying in every direction.
"RAAAHHHHH!" Luffy's roar was primal, driven by pure determination. His fists moved faster than the eye could follow, each impact creating craters in the monster's hide.
The creature's screams grew weaker with each blow. Its massive form began to sag, the hungry intelligence in its eyes dimming.
One final punch, delivered with every ounce of Luffy's enhanced strength, sent the creature crashing to the ground. It lay there twitching, its breathing shallow and labored.
Russell landed beside the defeated monster, staying well out of its reach. The thing that had been Mr. Sterling looked up at him with eyes that were almost human again.
"Funny," Sterling wheezed, blood frothing at his lips. "Spent my whole life hunting geese, only to have my eyes pecked out by one in the end."
His laugh was wet and bitter. "I read every word of that contract, you know. Thought I was so clever." He coughed, specks of blood hitting the floor. "But Regent Jin... his power to twist words, to corrupt meaning... I never stood a chance."
Sterling's gaze fixed on Russell with something approaching envy. "You can't understand what it's like, being ordinary. Being desperate enough to make deals with devils."
Russell's expression didn't soften. "You were an accomplice. You helped them hurt innocent people."
The dying man's face crumpled. "Yes... an accomplice." The admission seemed to drain the last of his strength. "This end... I earned it."
With his final breath, Sterling managed to speak. "The Spirit Society... they don't care about power or control. They just want... chaos. New Metro burning..." His voice faded to a whisper. "They don't care about traitors like us... we're just fuel for the fire..."
The light faded from his eyes. A moment later, a sheet of condensed material formed on his body.
Bronze-level [Bloody Devourer] (Gold).
Russell quickly collected it, then gathered the other materials scattered around the office from the transformed employees.
Black Iron-Grade [Inferior Flesh and Blood Demon] (Blue) x7.
The building shuddered violently around them. Russell mounted Pidgeot and shot through the broken window, landing among the group of rescued students below.
Cole Kong stepped forward as Russell touched down. "What happened up there? We saw the building shaking but you didn't come down."
"Another bronze-level demon," Russell said simply. "Had to make sure it was dealt with properly."
The group exchanged glances. Another bronze-level demon, handled like it was routine. Most of them had long since given up any hope of matching Russell's abilities.
"The Association should have issued an evacuation order by now," Russell continued, eyeing the swaying building. "We need to move. Now."
Just as they turned to leave, the massive flesh-and-blood dragon that had once been Director Valerius slammed into the side of the skyscraper with the force of a meteor.
The headquarters of Golden Talent Credit, monument to greed and corruption, finally surrendered to gravity and came crashing down in a thunderous avalanche of steel and concrete.