"It's me."
Byakuya spoke directly.
He didn't bother disguising his voice when speaking to Irimi.
"Do you recognize me now, Irimi-san?"
Byakuya asked.
"..."
Irimi was stunned for a moment before finally recognizing who he was by his voice. "So it's you... Amaha-san."
"But... this isn't something that can be solved just by running away. Everyone has already prepared themselves for this battle..."
Even after being rescued, Irimi's face still showed worry.
"I never said anything about running away. I'm simply protecting the people I want to protect. Whether it's you, Irimi-san, or Koma-san, or the Manager—everyone at Anteiku is the same."
Byakuya said calmly.
"?!"
Irimi immediately grew concerned. "You're going to the Manager's side? Do you know what's happening over there?!"
"I know."
Byakuya said. "I was originally supposed to be the CCG's main combat force against the Owl. How could I not know?... But even so, I won't let anything happen to the Manager."
After her initial shock, Irimi sighed softly. "...You're such a fool. As an investigator, you didn't have to put yourself in danger for our sake..."
Though... you seem to be a 'ghoul' too, don't you?
Irimi didn't know why Byakuya could be both a ghoul and an investigator, but she wasn't in the mood to ask about such things right now.
"What if I said... I like everyone? Would that be reason enough?"
Byakuya smiled.
"...Honestly."
Since he'd already said that much, Irimi didn't know what else to say. She smiled—helpless yet relieved.
"Let's not talk about this now. I'll take you somewhere safe."
Byakuya continued leaping across rooftops while carrying Irimi.
"By the way, Koma-san has already been rescued too."
Byakuya suddenly mentioned.
"That monkey? Did someone else go to save him?"
Irimi asked.
"Mm... something like that."
Byakuya nodded.
"That should be far enough. There are no investigators in this area."
Irimi pointed toward a certain high-rise building.
Some Black Dobers members were gathered there as well.
Byakuya promptly carried Irimi there and set her down.
"I need to head to the Manager's side now. Another 'me' will escort you from here."
Byakuya said.
"Another you?"
Irimi was puzzled.
"Yes. That 'me' is already here."
Byakuya said.
As soon as he finished speaking, a figure appeared beside him—looking exactly like him, down to the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
This was one of his Wood Clones. The appearance was completely identical; it was impossible to distinguish the original from the clone by sight alone. It was more advanced than Shadow Clones.
Moreover, each Wood Clone possessed roughly half his strength. Though they couldn't activate Susanoo, they could use ninjutsu normally.
If he used the "Wood Style: Multiple Wood Clone Technique," then each clone would be able to use Susanoo.
But even as a regular Wood Clone, it was more than enough to dominate this entire battlefield.
Now Irimi understood—Amaha-san had the ability to create "clones."
The ability to create clones existed in this world. For instance, the SS-rated ghoul "Priest" could create clones using his own fingers. So it wasn't something beyond this world's understanding.
Amaha-san... is truly far more powerful than I ever imagined...
Irimi couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
"Route V14—even if those 'Doves' know the route, they won't be able to catch up."
At that moment, a Black Dobers member spoke to Irimi.
Just from their builds, it was clear that nearly all the Black Dobers members were female ghouls. The Devil Ape faction that had once opposed the Black Dobers was composed almost entirely of male ghouls.
"Mm. Let's rendezvous there."
Irimi agreed.
Byakuya immediately warned them. "Don't go there. Squad Zero, led by Kishou Arima, is guarding V14. If you encounter them, you'll be completely wiped out..."
He didn't intend to send his clone to fight Squad Zero to the death. They were all people he knew. In this battle, he didn't want to harm anyone—neither humans nor ghouls.
The best solution was simply to have Irimi-san and the others take a detour and avoid Squad Zero entirely.
"Kishou Arima? The CCG's so-called 'White Reaper,' the undefeated investigator? I understand..."
Irimi nodded immediately.
Of course she believed what Byakuya said—after all, he had his CCG credentials to prove it...
...
While Irimi was locked in fierce battle with Hachikawa's squad, Koma was also engaged in intense combat with Special Class Investigator Tanakamaru Mougan.
Unlike Hachikawa's squad's four-on-one coordinated tactics against the Black Dog, Special Class Tanakamaru was fighting the Devil Ape alone.
But wielding the SS-rated ukaku Quinque "Higher Mind," his offensive output far exceeded that of Hachikawa's entire squad of four.
Higher Mind (Angel Beat)
Few ghouls could evade Higher Mind's ranged attacks. The Devil Ape was one of those rare exceptions.
He dodged Higher Mind's attacks with high-speed movement, then seized an opening to sever the fuel tank directly.
Higher Mind's biggest weakness was its need for a connected fuel tank to continuously supply fuel—otherwise it couldn't fire those powerful energy shockwaves.
Koma had identified this weakness and assumed that disabling it would leave the Special Class Investigator defenseless.
"Without fuel, that thing's just dead weight. Die! The Devil Ape's embrace shall be your eternal cradle!"
Koma stopped playing around and charged directly at Tanakamaru.
But he'd let his guard down. He didn't know the Quinque had another form, and this gave his opponent the perfect opportunity to catch him.
"Hmph! You're the one who'll be sleeping!"
Tanakamaru immediately transformed his Quinque. "Mode change!"
The two large cannon barrels merged together, with another barrel rotating to the rear, forming a long cylinder with barrels on both ends.
He pressed one end against the Devil Ape's abdomen as Koma charged in.
"What...?!"
Koma realized his mistake too late—there was no time to dodge.
BOOM—!
A tremendous energy shockwave pierced through Koma's abdomen, sending him flying.
"The mode change between melee and ranged is the true essence of 'Angel Beat'! The internal energy reserves are more than enough to power melee mode. As if a mere monkey could understand!"
Tanakamaru said arrogantly.
"Tanakamaru-san, the ghouls in this area have been suppressed."
Just then, Squad Leader Fura Taishi's voice came through the communication device.
"Nice job!"
Tanakamaru said. "Now then... time for this act's finale!!"
With that, he aimed the barrel at the Devil Ape lying on the ground, preparing to deliver the final blow.
At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared. Tanakamaru jerked the barrel upward in alarm.
"Who's there?!"
The moment he raised the barrel, the figure before him vanished. He could only glimpse a leg moving so fast it left afterimages, and instantly felt a terrifying force—unlike anything he'd ever experienced—transmitted through his Quinque.
Tanakamaru's body flew backward at an absurd speed, crashing through several pillars. Cracks appeared in Higher Mind.
"No... No!"
Realizing his Quinque was about to break, Tanakamaru panicked.
Then he saw the figure appear above his head, an axe kick clearly aimed at the Quinque...
CRACK!
The terrifying force made the leg cut like a blade, cleaving Higher Mind clean in two!
"MY ANGEL!!!"
Tanakamaru screamed in despair. This seemed more agonizing than being killed outright.
...
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