Chapter Ninety-Four: The Duel with Izumi Takatsuki (Part One)

Mu Yang arrived at the base of the small organization and looked at his lean companions. “Lizard, Puppet, Ghost, you’ve done well. But the rewards will have to wait until we get back. For now, let’s take a look at this rumored one-eyed owl.” He glanced toward a shadowed corner.

“So, this is how you found me?” Izumi Takatsuki stepped slowly out of the shadows, fixing her gaze on Mu Yang.

“Of course, I guessed,” Mu Yang replied. “If it weren’t for a major organization like Bronze Tree backing this, I couldn’t understand why such a small group would suddenly jump out and openly challenge us Shepherds. Since Sota is already working with me, he wouldn’t turn on his own people. That only leaves Bronze Tree. While the Shepherds may lack strength in group combat, we rank quite high in individual combat among all the ghoul organizations. After all, not every group possesses an SSS-class ghoul. To evade an SSS-class ghoul’s pursuit, aside from those specialized in concealing their presence, probably only the legendary one-eyed owl could manage it.” Mu Yang then silently chided himself for noticing Izumi checking her reflection in a corner—no wonder he spotted her while traversing the mirror space.

Indeed, Mu Yang wouldn’t have found Izumi otherwise. The key was that she glanced at her reflection, and he happened to teleport into that area at that exact moment, catching her by chance. Naturally, Mu Yang couldn’t reveal his ability to traverse mirrors, so this was the best explanation.

“Truly worthy of being the Shepherd Lord,” Izumi said. “You’ve nurtured a new organization into a mid-tier ghoul group in such a short time! Your deductive skills are impressive—how about joining Bronze Tree?”

“That’s impossible,” Mu Yang replied with a smile. “After all, I created the Shepherds to dismantle Bronze Tree. How could I do that if I joined you?” He then urged Lizard, Puppet, and Ghost to leave immediately. Even without Mu Yang’s warning, they would have sensed the tension—he was likely about to clash with Izumi. Although he had just forcefully extracted the Hundred Grudges from his body, leaving him weakened, and despite having recovered somewhat, he was far from fully restored. The odds were against him in a fight with Izumi.

Izumi watched the Shepherd members retreat without interference. She wanted this fight.

Suddenly, kagune burst forth from behind Izumi, swiftly aiming at Mu Yang. This wasn’t the work of B- or A-class kagune ghouls but Izumi herself—an SSS-class ghoul.

Mu Yang tried to dodge, but her speed was overwhelming, and his incomplete recovery meant he only evaded part of the attack.

“Looks like the legendary Shepherd Lord isn’t so formidable after all. You can’t always trust rumors!” Izumi taunted, pressing her advantage.

Yet, despite her dominance, a closer look revealed that while her kagune inflicted damage, Mu Yang’s kagune defenses quickly expelled the attacks, and his wounds healed rapidly.

Closing the distance swiftly, Mu Yang drew his weapon, Justice, and sprayed it toward Izumi. She anticipated the move and easily dodged. But bang! Mu Yang’s trump card was Bribery. Justice could deal equal damage within a certain range, but the damage was evenly spread—effective against many weaker foes but less so against a strong opponent. Bribery, however, was more potent in this context.

The strike hit Izumi squarely, severing half of her kagune. Meanwhile, the energy from Bribery slowed her recovery, suppressing her ability to heal...