Although the established goal was not annihilation but expulsion, Lancer and Kureo Mado didn't mind killing a few more ghouls, and Koutarou Amon wouldn't stop them. After all, one was his senior and teacher, and the other was his teammate.
Lancer, with two second-class investigators and five third-class investigators, formed a temporary team and chased after the eastern passage. It's hard to say whether it was 'lucky' or 'unlucky,' but they did find their target, and it was a big one.
Compared to the 'hall' with blood and ghoul corpses everywhere, this passage was much cleaner, but the long spear in Lancer hand was acting a little strange, as if it was craving something.
But before Lancer could investigate, he heard a strange smacking sound.
"Tsk tsk~ I thought it was that woman, but I didn't expect it to be a CCG investigator. It looks like that woman was captured by you?"
A figure in a white suit and a half-mask walked out of the darkness.
"Fire!"
"Wait!!"
Before Lancer words could fall, several gunshots rang out from behind him.
Since entering this place, there had been a slaughterhouse-like scene with mutilated corpses everywhere, followed by a group battle with ghouls. Now, a new target, who was a ghoul no matter how you looked at it, appeared. The third-class investigators, whose nerves were completely tense, immediately ordered to open fire as soon as they received the command.
"Who gave you scum permission to attack my master!!"
If Lancer was cautious because he knew that the person in front of him was 'Gourmet,' then this sudden voice was completely unexpected.
Several kagune came from behind Shuu Tsukiyama towards Lancer and the others. There was no doubt that the other party's goal was to kill the investigators who had fired, but how could Lancer let the other party get his way so easily?
Although he was guarding against Shuu Tsukiyama, using his guard on this attacker was not a waste.
He held the shaft of the spear with both hands and swung it downwards. The kagune that were originally stabbing at the people behind him were directly smashed into the ground.
"Fall back! The enemy is not someone you can handle! Support me from the rear!"
"Bastard!!"
Kanae, who didn't expect his attack to be blocked, was immediately furious. He wasn't angry because his attack was blocked by Lancer, but because he couldn't land a successful blow in front of the 'master' he admired.
But unfortunately, Lancer didn't wait for him. While ordering the others behind him to retreat, he charged forward with his spear.
[Charge]
His strengthened physical abilities even left a crack on the ground under his feet, and this explosive power gave Kanae almost no time to react. After all, for ghouls, whether they were fighting other ghouls or CCG investigators, they mostly relied on their kagune and quinques, but there were very few people like Lancer who had physical abilities that surpassed the limits of ordinary humans. Kanae, who was caught off guard, only had time to move the kagune behind him to his front to block...
"Cling~!"
But at that moment, a right hand surrounded by a koukaku blocked the path of the spear's charge.
Unlike the furious Kanae, Shuu Tsukiyama had been very interested in Lancer existence from the beginning. Before, he could have retreated with Kanae through the emergency exit, but he decided to come and check personally after sensing Rize Kamishiro's aura. Although the matter of Rize Kamishiro's suppression was still a secret, since the quinque made from her kagune was in Lancer hands, it proved Rize Kamishiro's situation from the side. And how could he not be vigilant when facing an investigator holding a quinque made from Rize Kamishiro's kagune?
After all, he had been coveting that woman for a long time—of course, in the literal sense.
The characteristic of the rinkaku kagune against the koukaku kagune was in its unique ability. When facing the strong defense of a koukaku, a rinkaku with the ability to kill in one hit often had a miraculous effect, but it was obvious that Lancer still couldn't completely control the quinque in his hand. Even with the momentum of the charge, he couldn't completely break through Shuu Tsukiyama's koukaku.
But this was not the end. After the first hit failed, he quickly retracted his spear—[Triple Stab].
If the charge was an explosive attack using momentum, then the triple stab was an even better attack using three consecutive attacks on the same target.
Even the powerful koukaku defense cracked under the triple attack, but just as Lancer was about to press his advantage, several kagune shot towards him, forcing him to retreat.
"Bang!!"
Shuu Tsukiyama was pulled back by Kanae, and Lancer actively retreated. As soon as the two sides pulled apart, the sound of gunfire rang out from behind Lancer. The people who were afraid of friendly fire because Lancer speed was too fast didn't dare to shoot, but now that Lancer had retreated, they naturally had no qualms.
"Master! Let's retreat first!"
With just the people present, they might not be able to kill them, but who knew if there would be more reinforcements? It should be known that most of the ghouls who were killed didn't die in a frontal battle but were surrounded and killed by several investigators. Once they were surrounded, those fearless investigators would drag them down with them.
So even though he wanted to tear those damn investigators to pieces, Kanae had to suppress his anger and instead advised Shuu Tsukiyama to retreat.
Shuu Tsukiyama wasn't surprised by this. He just retreated under the cover of Kanae's rinkaku, but his eyes were fixed on Lancer, no, it should be the quinque in Lancer hand.
Although he didn't say anything, the insane look in his eyes showed what he was thinking. The next time they met, he would definitely take Lancer quinque!
Indeed, under the firepower suppression of the investigators, very few ghouls would choose to charge, but the fact that the third-class investigators' individual strength was inferior to ghouls was an undeniable fact. Taking them with him might ensure his safety, but it would probably also cause him to be distracted and have to protect the people behind him...
At this moment, he was incredibly eager to gain new abilities, but he knew that if he continued, things would probably get worse. His biggest reliance had already begun to gradually fade. The activation of the long spear in his hand was nearing its end, and if he continued the pursuit, it would probably only put him in danger.
At this moment, he had to make a choice————————
Should he take a gamble, putting not only his life but also the lives of the other investigators who trusted and followed him on the line, or should he temporarily retreat? After all, he still had nearly three days until the mission was completed, and he was not without a chance.
It wasn't just Lancer who was struggling. The other investigators behind Lancer were also staring at Lancer back. The two powerful ghouls they had just encountered had made them realize the gap between them and the enemy. If Lancer hadn't been blocking them, they would have probably lost their lives in the first round of attacks.
Their duty as investigators told them to face the difficulty head-on, but their survival instinct was also telling them that this was probably not a battle they could participate in. Confused, the only thing they could do was to leave the decision to Lancer, their commander.
And Lancer————————
"Retreat!"
In the end, when Lancer finally gave the order, a sigh of relief came from behind him...