WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 11 of The God of High School, "lay/key," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Following Park Ilpyo's awakening as the "Key" in Episode 10 -- a fiery kitsune with the power to threaten God Himself -- Jin Mori follows in his surrogate brother's footsteps in Episode 11, "lay/key." But Ilpyo's white-haired transformation and Mori unlocking his own untapped godly strength aren't the only drastic, bodily changes that take place in the anime's most recent episode.
Having been out of action for a handful of episodes now, Jeon Jugok, the boy wizard who almost didn't live, is stirred in his hospital bed as the energy radiating from Ilpyo and Mori's confrontation in the God of High School arena colors the heavens. But rather than elevate him into a higher being, the effect it has on him is decidedly monstrous. So monstrous, in fact, that Jugok starts to resemble the kagune of a flesh-eating ghoul from Sui Ishida's Tokyo Ghoul.
In the cult horror series, a ghoul's kagune is a blood-red organ that bursts out of the otherwise human-looking being when it's time to feed -- or fight. Comprised of Rc cells, the organ's shape is as varied as the personality and appearance of its host, and can change its density from languid to rigid depending on what it's being used for, hence the description "liquid muscle." Usually, it sprouts from the hosts' back.
Of the various types of kagune, the demonic affliction that takes hold of Jugok most closely resembles the rinkaku, or "Demon Tails." Rinkaku look like dark red tentacles growing out of a ghoul's waist, which is precisely what happens to the unfortunate God of High School fighter's body. Jugok has been recuperating in hospital after taking a horrific beating from Taek Jegal's megalodon charyeok. Under a mood-setting dark and stormy sky, Jugok wanders the hallways with a wild look in his eyes -- half his body charred scarlet and one arm looking like that of a demon's. Jegal confronts him again, noting that "its energy hit him," but Jugok seems beyond understanding where he is or whom he is interacting with.
When Jugok's maid, Hyangdan, tries to reach her "master," Jegal takes advantage of the distraction and violently slams her into him. This turns out to be the worst tactic as, rather than come to his senses, Jugok instead starts to absorb her. "Become my strength." Though its not quite the same method, this cannibalization is again not unlike Tokyo Ghoul's carnivorous hunters using their kagune to devour human (or sometimes ghoul) prey and become stronger.
As Jugok's rampage through the hospital continues to the ward where Ilpyo is staying, the holder of the nine-tails' power is horrified to watch his teammates being absorbed into Jugok's body, too. His tentacles create an unstoppable web of sticky and sharp strands that are almost too fast for Ilpyo to contend with; however, he's able to force Jugok to release Hyangdan, whose soothing words cause her beloved master to stop for just enough time for Jegal's charyeok to deliver the finishing bite.
Jugok seems to be gone for good this time but the consequences of his hideous mutation will be lasting: Seungah and Hyonbok, Ilpyo's teammates, have lost an arm and a leg between them thanks to Jegal's reckless attack. We still don't quite know what caused the magic-using fighter to go nuclear, but it's likely that there's some kind of sinister intervention to blame.
