While Hiro was slaughtering his way through the underground laboratory, the battle in the upper levels of Cochlea Ghoul Detention Center had also reached a fever pitch.
Aogiri Tree members collided head-on with the hurriedly arriving CCG investigators.
........,
Deep in a corridor, Tatara walked forward with steady steps, as if he were not in a dangerous enemy stronghold but taking a stroll in his own backyard.
Suddenly, from the shadows beside him, a gigantic, grotesque quinque shaped like a carnivorous plant snapped out.
The spiked "petals" instantly closed, swallowing Tatara whole and wrapping him into an airtight sphere.
The one controlling this peculiar quinque was a middle-aged man in a white coat, blond and balding.
He was the warden of Cochlea, a Special-Class Investigator of the CCG, Misaka Kyouji.
Looking at the prey sealed inside, he spoke with calm understanding. "I see. Your initial target was this ghoul detention center."
Before he finished speaking, he twisted his right hand. An ominous red glow spread across the carnivorous plant quinque.
It began to writhe and contract violently, clearly intending to crush whatever was inside.
Under the immense pressure, large amounts of blood seeped from the gaps in the quinque and flowed onto the ground.
A cold smile curved on Misaka Kyouji's lips. He believed the ghoul inside had been completely executed.
He walked slowly up to the now motionless sphere and commented lightly, "Too dull."
However, the moment his words fell, a sudden change occurred.
The massive spherical quinque rapidly turned gray and charred.
Then, as if weathered for centuries, it cracked apart inch by inch and crumbled into black fragments that scattered with the air.
Tatara's calm, emotionless voice came from behind the debris. "Dull. Are you talking about yourself?"
Seeing Tatara completely unharmed, not even his clothes disturbed, Misaka Kyouji's pupils shrank sharply. His face filled with disbelief.
Before he could react to the horrifying sight, an arm like the sharpest spear pierced straight through his chest.
Tatara slowly lifted the impaled Misaka Kyouji, then casually tossed him aside like trash. "Get lost."
Bang. Misaka Kyouji's body slammed heavily into a distant wall and did not move again.
The guards who had been preparing to provide support witnessed a Special-Class Investigator being killed so effortlessly. Terrified out of their minds, they screamed and turned to flee.
Tatara did not even glance at the fleeing figures. Maintaining his unchanging pace, he walked slowly down the blood-scented corridor, as if he had merely swatted a fly.
......
At the same time, in the lowest level of the detention center.
Kirishima Ayato walked down the stairs with his hands in his pockets. His purpose was clear. To find his father, Kirishima Arata, imprisoned here.
"Hm?"
He suddenly noticed that several heavy gates along the lowest-level corridors were slowly descending with deep rumbling sounds.
Soon, only the last corridor remained open.
A figure carrying a standard CCG quinque case walked out from that sole passage at an unhurried pace.
The one who would soon give this rebellious boy a proper lesson was Special-Class Investigator Shinohara Yukinori.
As he walked, he muttered with a headache, "Honestly, where did that brat Suzuya run off to now..."
The moment he stepped out of the corridor, a figure leaped down from the overhead walkway and landed steadily in front of him.
The iconic mask clearly identified the newcomer as a ghoul.
Shinohara Yukinori looked at Kirishima Ayato blocking his path and sighed as if encountering a troublesome matter. "Sigh. I really am unlucky."
As he spoke, his fingers had already pressed the activation button on his quinque case.
With a click, the case sprang open and an exaggerated quinque shaped like a giant cleaver appeared in his grip.
Without hesitation, Shinohara charged straight at Ayato with the massive blade.
"Hmph." Ayato let out a cold snort. Behind him, his brilliant ukaku instantly spread and expanded, then shook violently.
Countless sharp kagune projectiles formed from RC cells shot toward Shinohara Yukinori like a torrential storm.
Experienced as he was, Shinohara immediately raised the massive blade vertically in front of him, shielding his head and torso.
Thud thud thud.
Ukaku shards grazed his arms and thighs, drawing sprays of blood.
Shinohara grunted in pain and roared, swinging the giant cleaver with tremendous force at Ayato.
Relying on a ghoul's superior physical ability and agility, Ayato continuously evaded the fierce attacks.
Yet the longer he fought, the more he sensed a strangely familiar aura emanating from his opponent.
That aura made him inexplicably restless. His attacks grew more urgent and sharper.
Clang.
Shinohara forcefully parried one of Ayato's heavy strikes and stepped back, catching his breath slightly. There was a trace of acknowledgment in his tone. "Kid, you're pretty good."
He tore off his damaged coat and tossed it aside, revealing his muscular upper body. His expression turned serious. "I have no choice but to use it..."
As his words fell, he activated a switch.
In the next moment, a black and green armored quinque with a heavy presence rapidly covered his entire body.
Arata.
And clearly, this was an upgraded version. Compared to the state he had been in during the battle in the 11th Ward against Hiro, the current Arata not only had more complete torso protection, but its arms and legs were also covered in thick armor. Its overall performance had clearly been greatly enhanced.
However, the instant Ayato saw the armor, his pupils shrank to needlepoints. His body trembled uncontrollably.
So that is it.. So that is how it is.
"You really are here... you old, damned bastard."
A familiarity from deep within his bloodline, mixed with rage, grief, and disbelief, erupted in his chest like a volcano.
He finally understood where that irritatingly familiar aura came from. It was from his father Kirishima Arata's kagune, forged into this armor.
Hiro had not lied to him.
Roar!
Ayato let out a beastlike howl. All reason seemed burned away by the shocking truth.
Without regard for anything, carrying hatred that wanted to tear everything apart, he charged madly at Shinohara Yukinori clad in Arata.
He growled low in his throat. His ukaku bloomed with unprecedented intensity, crimson crystals reflecting dangerous light under the lamps.
Whoosh.
Pushing the speed advantage of an ukaku ghoul to its limit, his figure turned into a red streak of lightning, launching a storm of relentless attacks around Shinohara Yukinori.
Ukaku shards poured down like rain, slicing through the air with sharp whistles, attempting to suppress his opponent with overwhelming speed.