Chapter Ninety-Six: The Duel with Izumi Takatsuki (Part Two)

In an instant, Mu Yang took complete control of every toxin, forcing part of it to erupt within Takatsuki Izumi. The body of the One-Eyed King collapsed at once, revealing the human form of Takatsuki Izumi beneath. It was Mu Yang’s doing. He did not want her to die, and she could not die either.

Takatsuki Izumi was the manager’s daughter. Though something had happened in her childhood that made her refuse to acknowledge him as her father, there was no denying that the manager was indeed her father. What he felt for her was more than a father’s concern for a daughter; it also carried guilt, born from the mistake that had cost her her mother.

So if Takatsuki Izumi stayed by the manager’s side, he would be extremely tolerant of her. So tolerant, in fact, that if she truly wanted to kill him, he might even allow it. If Mu Yang were to kill her, their cooperation might be severed, and they could even become enemies.

Of course, he could also deceive the manager and claim it was not his doing. But that would be unwise. If the manager discovered the truth, they would turn on each other at once. Moreover, Takatsuki Izumi’s strength and status among ghouls were both among the very highest. If they cooperated, it would greatly accelerate the Shepherd’s development.

Mu Yang took Takatsuki Izumi by the hand and said, “Who told you to eat my flesh? My flesh can’t be eaten without permission. Well, then, do you acknowledge me as the Lord of the Shepherd? If you do, how about we cooperate?”

Takatsuki Izumi was completely under Mu Yang’s control now, yet there was not the slightest trace of panic in her eyes. She looked at him and said, “The strength of the Lord of the Shepherd is naturally beyond question. But didn’t the Lord of the Shepherd say he would not join the Tree of Aogiri?”

“True,” Mu Yang said with a smile. “But joining and cooperating are two different things.”

“Since you’ve caught me, I can’t do anything about it,” Takatsuki Izumi said, smiling back at him. “I’ll have to cooperate with you, then.”

The two of them looked at each other, both smiling, as though two devils had reached an understanding.

“Since we’re cooperating, your reputation as the King of Ghouls should still remain. But I need something out of this too. How about this: let it spread that I fought the One-Eyed King, and in the end the One-Eyed King had the slight upper hand and drove me off?”

As he spoke, Mu Yang helped Takatsuki Izumi to her feet and draped his own coat over her shoulders. At that moment, she had just shed the form of the One-Eyed King, and her clothes were torn.

“Eh? Really? Can that actually work? You beat me so easily,” Takatsuki Izumi said, even as she wondered what Mu Yang was truly planning.

“Of course it can,” Mu Yang replied. “I may need to shine, but I can’t be the sun. Otherwise, it only makes me easier to scheme against.”

As he spoke, he guided the toxins in Takatsuki Izumi’s body through his hand and into his own.

“All right then. But now we should talk about the matter between us,” Takatsuki Izumi said, glancing at him with a calculating look in her eyes.

“What matter between us?” Mu Yang asked, puzzled.

Takatsuki Izumi said, “You’ve seen my body. Shouldn’t you take responsibility for me?”

“Ah?” Mu Yang was startled at first, but when he saw the half-smiling, half-not expression on her face, he understood immediately that she was teasing him. Calmly, he said, “Are you saying you’ve developed feelings for such a lovable little child as me?”

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