Humans often imagine an afterlife.
It might truly exist, or it might simply be a fleeting hallucination unfolding in the brain at the moment of death.
But in this case, it was immediately obvious that it was neither.
A dark, damp space, and a stench of blood so thick it felt as if it were numbing her senses.
This wasn't the afterlife. The dull, heavy pain coursing through her body proved that much.
"...Why am I still alive?"
Kasuka blinked, muttering to herself.
If her memory served her correctly, she should have been caught by Eto and dropped headfirst toward the ground.
No matter how resilient a human skull was, there was no way it could withstand the impact of a fall from the height of a skyscraper.
Then what was this?
Every inch of her body was screaming from the shock of the fall, but she was definitely still breathing.
Using the arm she could still move, she felt around her head. Her skull felt intact, with no signs of being cracked open.
"...Am I dreaming?"
"I'd rather this whole thing were a dream."
A voice, saturated with exhaustion, drifted from right beside her.
Eto was crouching next to Kasuka, looking down at her.
The Kakuja mask that had covered half her face was gone. Instead, she had pulled a blanket over her head again, hiding her features just as she had when they first met.
The only difference was that the blanket was now soaked through with blood. It wasn't Eto's, but it wasn't Kasuka's either.
In the shadow of the blanket, the eyes that flickered into view no longer held that same madness. Kasuka didn't know how she had managed it, but Eto had somehow pulled herself out of that frenzy.
As if needing a moment to process the reality of the situation, Kasuka blinked a few times before asking, "You didn't die too, did you?"
"Do you wish I had?"
"Or maybe you stuffed a Kagune into my corpse and forced me back to life."
"Do you read too many novels? There's no way something like that is possible."
"Movies always have stuff like that, though..."
Kasuka scratched her head awkwardly, then looked back at Eto. "Then why am I alive?"
Instead of answering, Eto tapped the floor with her palm. "Can't you feel it?"
"...?"
Kasuka tilted her head, then focused her attention on the surface she was lying on.
As she brushed her hand across it, she felt a sensation that was soft, yet strangely coarse.
It wasn't concrete. It wasn't a floor.
It was softer, tougher, rougher, and damp... and above all, the steady vibration reaching her fingertips told her everything.
Thump—... Thump—...
A pulse.
The vibration of a living creature.
Feeling an indescribable revulsion, she jerked her hand away from the floor.
Not satisfied with that, she forced her stiff body upright, though every movement was a struggle.
What was this?
What on earth was she lying on?
This floor... it was alive!
Kasuka looked at Eto, desperate for an answer.
"What is this?"
"I've never actually seen it in person before, but I believe this is the 'Kagune Wall.'"
The Kagune Wall.
A massive barrier said to block the path leading to the 24th Ward, located deep beneath the city.
Kasuka knew of it in theory, but she had never imagined the wall itself would be a living organism.
"You're lucky. By the time I regained consciousness, it was already too late to stop the fall. We had passed the golden hour. If this had been an ordinary floor instead of a Kagune surface that could disperse the impact, you would have died. ...No."
Eto shook her head, correcting herself.
"I should say that I was the lucky one. Thanks to this, I was able to avoid killing you."
"..."
Kasuka looked toward a nearby spot where the ground had been gouged deep.
A chunk of Kagune had been torn away, and the area was pooled with blood, looking exactly like a wound on a living creature.
They must have landed right there, which explained why both she and Eto were drenched in blood.
She moved closer to the pit to examine it. It wasn't just damage from the impact of the fall.
There were friction marks—scars left from colliding with another Kagune.
Kasuka realized then that Eto's Kagune had wrapped around her just before the collision, shielding her from the brunt of the impact.
She understood why she had survived. Now, it was time to address the other question.
"Why did you save me?"
"..."
Kasuka turned to Eto and pressed for an answer.
There was absolutely nothing to be gained by letting a Ghoul Investigator live.
Unless Eto was ignorant of the nature of Ghoul Investigators—who hound a target like relentless predators—she would know that Kasuka's survival would only lead to more trouble.
Eto remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"You saw my face, didn't you?"
"I don't know. It was dark, and everything happened so fast. Would you believe me if I said I didn't?"
"No, I wouldn't."
"Right?"
Kasuka nodded, as if the answer were obvious.
The mere fact that Kasuka remembered Eto made her a liability.
Whether she had a clear image of Eto's face or not, the details of their conversation, her tone, her voice, her gestures, habits, and height—all of it served as a clue to track her down.
To have one's trail picked up by the CCG, to lose one's sanctuary, and to be hunted until death—that was the ultimate nightmare for any Ghoul.
Kasuka was essentially holding a knife that could be plunged into Eto at any moment.
The tragedy was that Kasuka could not simply put that knife down. To remove the threat, Kasuka would have to lose her memory, fall into a vegetative state, or die.
Eto sighed and stood up.
"I'm not asking for much. I just want to live in peace."
"Is that why you saved me? To buy my silence because you spared my life?"
"Do I really look that naive? Do you think a plea for mercy actually works in our world?"
"No."
"Exactly."
Despite their brief encounter, Eto had already read her perfectly.
Even if Kasuka promised not to pursue her, such a promise would only be a means to survive the current situation. Keeping it would be another matter entirely.
Knowing Kasuka, she would inevitably track Eto down. Out of a sense of conscience, she might try to imprison her in Cochlea rather than kill her, but that was not a desirable outcome for Eto either.
"I can't trust you, and you can't trust me. Nor are we in a position to sit around and build trust through friendly conversation. So... I'm going to use a slightly rougher method. Please forgive me."
"...?"
Kasuka tilted her head, confused by Eto's intent, but her expression froze the moment she saw what Eto pulled from her clothes.
She instinctively reached for her own chest, but found nothing.
The pendant that should have been hanging around her neck was now gripped in Eto's hand.
"Sorry, but I took a peek at the contents. Is the child in the photo your daughter? She's a lovely girl."
"You...!"
Kasuka's face hardened, her eyes flashing with open hostility. She realized exactly what Eto was doing.
As if relieved to have provoked the desired reaction, Eto let out a small sigh. "We cannot trust each other. But currently, only you hold the knife. In this state, balance is impossible. Therefore, I must hold a knife as well."
"...So you're opting for 'Mutual Assured Destruction'?"
"You're well-informed."
Mutual Assured Destruction.
A Cold War term describing a strategy where the certainty of total annihilation for both parties serves as a deterrent against a preemptive strike.
Eto's action was a blatant threat.
A warning that the moment Kasuka invaded her sanctuary, that fury would be directed not only at her, but at everyone she held dear.
Kasuka held a blade to Eto's throat, and now Eto held one to hers. If they clashed, the only result would be a horrific end for both.
Kasuka's eyes burned fiercely as she spoke. "I don't care if you resent me or kill me. I accepted that risk the moment I became a Ghoul Investigator, which is why I fought you with everything I had. But that child has nothing to do with this! Do not drag her into this world!"
"Do you think you're the only one?"
"...What?"
Eto's voice, cold and flat, drowned out Kasuka's anger.
It wasn't the voice of someone who was calm. It was a voice that had turned frigid because the heat within had been suppressed to the absolute limit.
"Do you really think you're the only one who has someone they wish to protect from pain?"
From beneath the shadow of the blanket, her Kakugan burned with a savage intensity.
It was a rage similar to a mother's fury when protecting her child, yet fundamentally different.
Kasuka found herself speechless.
If she had something she wanted to protect this desperately, why had she refused to simply let her own life end?
She didn't know.
She had wanted to uncover the essence of this young Ghoul, but instead, Eto had become an even greater enigma.
While Kasuka remained lost in confusion, Eto clutched the pendant tightly in both hands. "Please, just leave me alone. As long as you do, nothing will happen. But if you insist on laying a hand on us..."
Eto unfurled her Kagune into the shape of wings and leapt upward, as if taking flight.
The words she left behind lingered in the air like a haunting afterimage.
"...then I really will go insane."
"..."
Kasuka turned her head to watch Eto disappear. The girl's figure was quickly swallowed by the darkness.
Staring silently into the void, Kasuka's body slowly tipped backward.
Thud!
"Haaah..."
Collapsed on the ground, Kasuka let out a long, heavy sigh.
Her entire body felt as heavy as lead.
No matter how much she fought Ghouls, she was still human.
The accumulated fatigue and damage had pushed her far beyond her limits, but she had forced herself to remain composed just in case Eto changed her mind.
Resting a hand on her forehead, Kasuka muttered, "Someone they don't want to see hurt... I see. So that's why you fought so desperately. I feel like I've done something truly awful."
If Eto had surrendered, she would have survived. Instead, she chose to resist because there was something more precious to her than her own life.
Kasuka reflected on her own childishness—cornering a child who carried an unbearable burden simply because she had been curious.
Now, what should she do?
Eto's threat had limited her options, but it didn't mean she was powerless.
She was a veteran, after all, experienced in handling all manner of crises.
Even now, several strategies to secure Eto while ensuring the safety of her daughter and others were forming in her mind.
But Kasuka quickly brushed those thoughts aside.
"Well, let's just call it repaying a debt."
Even when pushed to the brink, Eto had not tried to kill her.
She didn't feel like the kind of person who killed without reason, despite being a Ghoul.
"Let's never meet again. For your sake, and for mine."
Speaking to the empty air where Eto had been, Kasuka closed her eyes.
From a distance, two familiar voices echoed. They belonged to the two who had ignored their leader's order to retreat and had stubbornly descended to the floor where she had fallen.
Deciding she would give them a piece of her mind once she recovered, Kasuka's consciousness drifted into a deep sleep.
While Eto was running through the sewers, having escaped Kasuka, another battle was unfolding elsewhere in the depths.
No, it wasn't even a battle. It was a one-sided slaughter.
Squelch!!
"Cough!!"
A dark crimson blade pierced a Ghoul's chest—a Ghoul wearing a monkey mask.
Though his heart had been impaled, the Ghoul was not yet dead. Covered in countless wounds and gasping for air, he clawed at the blade.
But there was no strength left in him. With such feeble power, it was impossible to stop the blade of the Reaper.
If the sword were dragged downward now, his heart and entrails would spill out onto the floor.
Just as Arima was about to deliver the final blow, he suddenly withdrew the blade and stepped back.
Whoosh!!
A fist swept past Arima with a rush of wind.
It was a punch with even less force than the dying Ghoul's, but the emotion behind it was raw and genuine.
Arima looked at the owner of the fist with a calm, detached gaze.
"Could you just stop already, you bastard...!!"
There stood Koma, glaring at Arima with eyes consumed by fury.
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