To escape, they would have to run the gauntlet of the sniper’s gunfire.
While Yugo and the others might have managed it, the staff members—with their varying levels of combat experience and athletic ability—weren't likely to dodge every shot.
Yugo and the rest were trying to find another exit to begin their search for the culprits, but before they could reach a conclusion, Ryuga stood up.
As he headed toward the building’s entrance, Marcos called out to him in a panic.
"Hey, Ryuga! What are you doing?! If you go out now, you’re just going to get sniped—"
Ryuga stopped and turned, having clearly heard him.
His expression was clouded with a rage that went far beyond mere irritation, and the sight of it caused Marcos to fall silent. Ryuga spoke with a quiet intensity.
"…Yugo, I’m leaving the ones controlling the animals to you. I’ll handle the sniper."
"A-Ah… but are you going to be okay?"
"…Don't ask me, partner."
Leaving those short words behind, Ryuga started walking again.
As the group watched him leave the building, Elena, sensing the heavy tension, finally spoke.
"Ryuga’s face was scary. He looked like a completely different person."
"Well, Melt mentioned it earlier, but I suppose it’s just that…"
"That? What do you mean by ‘that’?"
While Elena didn't know the full extent of Ryuga's temperament, he was certainly exuding an aura far removed from his usual self.
Yugo, having grasped the reason immediately, looked at the confused Elena and repeated Melt’s earlier observation.
"It means any man would be furious if the girl he liked was hurt… that’s all it is."
"Marcos thought the culprit's goal was a human hunt… but it seems it's a bit different."
Ryuga—unaware of what his partner was currently saying about him—muttered with a voice thick with suppressed anger as he took in the scene outside the building.
Countless animals lay collapsed before him, their bodies covered in painful-looking burn marks. Even Ryuga found himself narrowing his eyes at the tragic sight.
(The targets of this hunt aren't just humans. The animals are part of it too.)
He had assumed that controlling the animals was purely to facilitate the hunt for humans.
However, the person who had just sniped Raiha was shooting the very animals they were supposed to be utilizing.
If they intended to use the creatures as tools, it made no sense to thin their numbers like this.
Ryuga tried to puzzle out the contradiction, but his thoughts were cut short when he saw a small animal he had fed at the Interaction Corner lying dead among the others.
He closed his eyes and let out a long, quiet breath. Suddenly, a streak of crimson fire roared through the air, heading straight for him.
"…I see. No wonder I found this so disgusting."
He muttered to himself as he drew his katana. With a Single Stroke Cleave, he sliced through the oncoming flame.
As the light from the bifurcated fire illuminated his face, Ryuga looked up, finally understanding the source of the irritation churning in his gut.
"It's the same as Zaraki. They get a little power and convince themselves they've transcended humanity. Then they decide that having power gives them the right to trample over everyone else… I truly can't stand people like that."
Slowly raising his head, Ryuga stared intently in the direction of the sniper.
Then, he abruptly raised his hand and beckoned, a blatant provocation to the gunman.
(If their thought process is anything like Zaraki's, then without a doubt—)
Even as the thought crossed his mind, a second and third fire bullet were unleashed.
The first was identical to the initial shot, but the one following it was smaller and faster. Ryuga instantly gauged their traits and unleashed a Double Strike—an Upward Slash followed by a Downward Slash—cutting both bullets from the air.
He remained where he was, refusing to move. He beckoned again, taunting his enemy.
He composedly neutralized the fourth and fifth bullets as well. Then, he let out a slow breath and began to walk forward.
(You find me intolerable too, don't you? You think you’ve surpassed humanity, so you must be fuming that a piece of prey like me is looking down on you.)
Just like Zaraki, the sniper likely took immense pride in their own abilities.
There was no way they could remain calm while their power was being mocked by Ryuga, a supposed target.
The sniper would surely focus every ounce of power they had on hunting Ryuga down now.
(That's fine. Forget about everyone else and come for me. I’ll meet you head-on, crush you, and negate everything you stand for.)
That was the reason he had stayed put and provoked them.
Ryuga felt the Hellfire of Anger—a flame far hotter than any the sniper could produce—igniting in the depths of his soul where his irritation had been replaced by cold fury. He let out a quiet roar.
"Now... I'll shake it all off!"