Irimi Kaya panted slightly. Taking advantage of the brief pause, she turned her head and murmured to the tall companion beside her, "Why did you come over?"
Koma Enji shook the blood from his gauntlets and replied in a low voice, "Rize-chan took over my battlefield."
"Is Hiro here too?" Irimi Kaya immediately asked.
"Didn't see him. Only Rize-chan."
Hearing that Amano Hiro had not appeared, a trace of resolve flashed in Irimi Kaya's eyes. "Then let's finish this quickly. End it here and go back to help Rize."
Opposite them, the remaining investigators gripped their quinques tightly, despair written across their faces.
One team member stared at the two terrifying figures standing side by side ahead of them, his voice trembling. "We're done... One SS-rated ghoul was already hard enough. Now there are two. Where did Mougan Tanakamaru go?"
Veins bulged on Associate Special-Class Investigator Hachikawa's forehead. His clenched teeth nearly drew blood.
The fruit of victory that had been within reach was torn away, filling him with fury. He grabbed the communicator and nearly roared into it.
"Marude-san. What is Special-Class Investigator Mougan Tanakamaru doing? Why did he let Apes come over here?"
Inside the command vehicle, Kisho Marude stared anxiously at the tactical map. Apes' sudden relocation made his heart sink.
He called Mougan Tanakamaru's channel three times in succession, but only received static in response.
A sense of foreboding coiled around his heart like a venomous snake. With Mougan Tanakamaru's personality, unless something had happened to him, he would never lose contact in the middle of battle.
"Damn it." He slammed his fist onto the console, knocking over a coffee cup. Dark liquid spilled across the operation charts. "Squad Four, change course immediately and reinforce Hachikawa's unit. Move."
"Squad Four, received."
The fourth squad, which had been maneuvering to flank, immediately altered its route and sped down the rubble-strewn street.
As they passed through an intersection, the captain suddenly raised his hand, signaling the entire squad to halt.
Ahead, beside a broken wall, a body in a Special-Class Investigator's uniform lay face down in a pool of blood. The unmistakable thick beard and burly build.
The captain's heart seemed to stop. He rushed forward, knelt on one knee, and carefully turned the body over.
When he saw the lifeless face clearly, he sucked in a sharp breath. Mougan Tanakamaru's wide-open eyes still held shock. The gruesome blood hole in his forehead was horrifying.
"Command center. This is Squad Four." The captain's hand trembled slightly as he grabbed the communicator. "We have discovered... the body of Special-Class Investigator Mougan Tanakamaru."
Inside the command vehicle, Marude tore off his headset and roared into the microphone.
"What did you say?"
Marude took several deep breaths in succession. His chest heaved violently as he forced down the surging rage. His knuckles turned pale from gripping too hard.
Into the communication channel, he issued a hoarse order. "Squad Four, continue to reinforce Hachikawa's unit. Move immediately."
"Squad Four, received."
The fourth squad captain immediately led his team through the ruins at high speed. Just as they were about to reach their destination, the captain abruptly stopped and raised his right hand sharply in an emergency halt gesture.
The well-trained squad froze instantly, every member entering a state of alert.
The vice-captain was about to ask, "Captain, what is..." when he saw a slender figure step slowly out from behind a broken wall ahead.
"All units on guard. Prepare for combat." The captain shouted sternly.
A unified metallic clatter rang out as dozens of firearms were cocked at once. Dark muzzles aimed in unison at the figure emerging from the shadows.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of high heels striking the ground was especially clear in the dead street, carrying an unsettling rhythm. A sweet, pleasant voice drifted lazily through the air.
"Good evening."
As the figure drew closer, they saw her appearance clearly.
Though she wore an exquisite mask, her graceful figure and elegant gait revealed she was a beauty.
The captain did not hesitate when he saw the mask. "Open fire."
In an instant, countless bullets poured toward Rize like a torrential storm.
Facing the oncoming rain of bullets, Rize merely smiled faintly. A kagune unfolded instantly, forming a massive shield before her.
Clang after clang rang out as every bullet was easily deflected.
Rize walked forward through the hail of gunfire as if strolling through a garden.
Her pace was not fast, yet each step carried suffocating pressure.
"Command center. Squad Four has encountered an unknown ghoul. We are currently unable to reinforce Squad Three." The captain reported urgently while retreating.
Marude's voice came through the communicator. "End it quickly. After eliminating the target, immediately reinforce Squad Three."
After issuing the order, Marude's brows remained tightly furrowed.
Everything about this operation felt strange. The Owl should have been a member or leader of Aogiri Tree, yet Aogiri Tree had not appeared at all.
Instead, Apes and Black Dog, who had disappeared years ago, had resurfaced.
Now a Special-Class Investigator had fallen, and an unknown powerful binge eater had emerged. All of it filled him with intense unease.
Rize stepped gracefully, weaving through the dense barrage.
Four dark purple rinkaku unfurled behind her like living, lethal tentacles.
With every swing, they pierced bulletproof armor precisely, sending up sprays of warm blood.
"What a delightful night."
Her gentle laughter intertwined with the investigators' screams, forming an eerie duet.
The tips of her kagune condensed into sharp blades, cutting cold arcs beneath the moonlight, moving so fast they left only afterimages.
The captain gritted his teeth and charged forward. He had just raised his quinque when a purple blur flashed past.
A wet tearing sound echoed.
He instinctively twisted aside, yet his entire right arm was severed at the shoulder. Blood gushed out like a fountain.
The quinque clattered to the ground, rolling into the blood along with the severed limb.
The vice-captain hurried to support the staggering captain, his voice trembling with fear. "Captain. We have to retreat. This is no longer an enemy we can handle."
The captain pressed hard against his bleeding wound and said in despair, "Retreat? That would require being able to retreat."
The remaining squad members stared in horror at the figure dancing through smoke.
In mere moments, more than half the squad had been wiped out, yet the skirt of the masked ghoul had not even been touched by dust.
"Command center. The unknown ghoul we encountered is extremely powerful. We can't hold much longer. Requesting reinforcements. Agh."
The sudden scream from the communicator made Marude shoot to his feet. "Hello? Report the situation. Hello. Damn it."
But from the other end of the line, there was only a faint, almost inaudible soft laugh.