Eto was escaping the depths of the sewer, kicking off walls and pipes as she ascended.
Her body flew with a lightness that defied gravity, her mind consumed by thoughts of who she had been just moments ago.
In the end, the fall had been stopped just before the brink.
What had she gained, and what had she lost?
The number of her Kagune, their power, and their endurance had all increased. But she didn't believe that meant she had become stronger.
If anything, it felt more like a transformation.
A vague unease rose within her—the sensation that she was changing into something unrecognizable. Both her gains and her losses were tied to that shift.
Perhaps the losses outweighed the gains. She had only barely managed to stop before spiraling into the worst possible outcome.
Let's not think about it.
Eto shook her head, determined to brush those thoughts away.
What had already happened could not be undone. She would focus only on what to do from here on.
Landing atop a high pipe, Eto closed her eyes and focused on her surroundings. Suddenly, her expression hardened.
"What is this?"
Footsteps were echoing from all directions, enough to make her dizzy.
They weren't cannibal Ghouls. These were not the mindless steps of beasts, but the rhythmic movements of those acting with clear intent and a fixed direction.
While she had been fighting Kasuka, most of the cannibal Ghouls had vanished.
She did not know that Koma had deliberately lured the cannibals away with his own blood to distract Arima.
The cannibal Ghouls wandering the underground waterways had mostly been purged by Arima's hand. That meant the group currently roaming the area was limited.
"The group led by Enji and Kaya..."
She could identify them by the cadence of their footsteps and the faint, lingering scent.
Though she knew they were nearby after their separation, Eto remained still.
"Their movements are scattered... as if they're shaking something off, while some are actually luring pursuers in."
Something had clearly happened while her attention was elsewhere.
Tracing their movements backward, as if swimming against the current of a river, Eto's senses locked onto a single point.
A familiar scent and presence. And a voice that sounded utterly furious.
Eto leapt without hesitation. Something was happening.
Ta-at!!
The scenery blurred into streaks of light as she accelerated.
Normally, even at full speed, she could spot every single stain on the wall. But now, the world was a smear.
Her speed had improved beyond comparison, yet her dynamic vision could not keep pace.
Her strength had definitely increased, but she lacked control.
Just as she wondered if she could ever master this power, the very desire for control was ripped clean out of her mind.
BOOOOM!!!
Down below, beyond a hole that looked as if it had been forcibly smashed open.
She saw Koma collapse, blood spraying from his head.
Why he was fighting that boy, Arima; what the Ghouls sprawled around them were; how things had devolved into this—none of it mattered.
By the time she regained her senses, Eto had already launched herself toward Arima, her Kagune erupting from her back.
She no longer cared about controlling her body. Instead, she lashed every muscle, urging them to run even more violently.
It was ridiculous.
When she fought Kasuka, she had desperately restrained herself to avoid crossing a line. Now, she was drawing out every ounce of strength with the sole intent to kill.
But that was when facing a human.
Holding back against a monster wearing human skin was the true absurdity.
As if affirming her thoughts, Arima reacted to the ambush.
The strike Eto believed was a perfect surprise was deflected by the Quinque Arima swung overhead.
Had he blocked it head-on, the sheer momentum would have shattered his limbs, but Arima had meticulously angled the Quinque to slide the blow aside.
Thrown off-center, Eto brushed past Arima and plummeted, while Arima leapt sideways to bleed off the remaining force.
KWA-BOOM!!!
Eto's hand, aimed at Arima, smashed into the floor.
Flung back by the impact, Arima stopped himself by bracing an arm and leg against the wall. He stared through the billowing dust cloud.
Flap!
Her winglike Kagune beat once, sweeping the dust aside.
Revealed within was a small child, cradling Koma in her arms.
Three Kagune spread out around her like a protective barrier, twitching. Beneath the shadow of a blanket, red eyes burned as they glared at Arima.
"..."
Arima, who had been tensing to launch a counterattack, froze.
It wasn't because the Kagune had grown larger and more ferocious. It wasn't even because only one Kakugan was visible through the shadows.
It was the way her arms wrapped around the fallen Koma, shielding him.
Arima stared at the sight with a look of utter incomprehension.
***
Ah, so it's come to this after all.
Eto and Arima have finally faced off.
I don't know what Arima really wants or what will happen next, but one thing is certain.
That bastard is far too dangerous.
Still suppressing the dizziness that made my skull ring and my stomach churn, I looked back at Eto.
There it was. That was Eto's face when she was truly livid.
I knew that in this state, nothing I said would get through to her.
Even so, I tried my luck with a tiny shred of hope.
"Eto. If I tell you I'm fine and that you should run..."
"I'll show you exactly what adolescent rebellion looks like."
The razor-sharp edge in Eto's voice killed my attempt at persuasion instantly.
She wasn't in the mood to listen, even if I used the same logic as the police Ghoul incident. No matter what, she seemed determined to teach Arima a lesson.
The source of that confidence was likely the Kagune surrounding us.
Three massive Kagune.
Eto, who could previously only manifest one, had suddenly produced two more. Their shape had changed as well.
"...Did something happen?"
"..."
Eto remained silent, her expression hardening in a way that felt different from her anger.
Something had definitely happened.
She had grown stronger, but she didn't seem to like it. I could tell that much just by looking at her.
I wanted to dig deeper, but my body was in no condition to do so.
Whether Arima had hit me wrong or had actually intended to kill me, the dizziness wouldn't fade. Honestly, just staying conscious was a struggle.
I forced my unresponsive hand toward Eto's face.
I pulled the blanket down, shielding her eyes from view.
"I'll hear about it later. For now, remember: don't get caught, don't get hurt, and if it looks dangerous, pull back immediately. Got it?"
"...Yes!"
Eto loosened her grip on me.
She stood and strode toward Arima. I watched her back for a moment before letting myself slump onto the floor.
I needed to clear my head and regain my composure. I surrendered my body to the coldness of the ground.
I recalled him slaughtering countless Ghouls. I recalled him toying with an entire group barehanded.
And I recalled the moment I faced him head-on.
Earlier... when I fought Arima...
The fight had been over in an instant.
I had been beaten so one-sidedly it was embarrassing. Regardless of age, he was monstrously strong.
And yet, something was off.
It was like sensing a sudden discord in movements that had been as seamless as a machine.
I think... I found a fatal flaw...
I closed my eyes to analyze that feeling.
Immediately after, the sounds of a fierce clash erupted in my ears.
***
Everyone moved forward in a hurry.
Eto and Arima.
Whether human or Ghoul, no one in this sewer was younger than those two. Their presence here felt profoundly alien.
But the Ghouls watching them felt a different kind of strangeness.
It was the feeling of two beings, both utterly detached from the rest of the world, meeting face to face.
Nomiya, supported by his subordinates, and Katsura, retreating with the fallen Koma, felt something beyond mere strangeness: the odd impression that the two were strangely alike.
A Ghoul and a Ghoul Investigator.
Completely different existences.
Gender, age, build, appearance, weapons—everything differed. Yet why did they seem so similar?
Was it the scent? The atmosphere?
Or was it the killing intent that sharpened soundlessly as the distance between them closed?
Eto, possessing the longer attack range, moved first.
The instant Arima entered her range, she whipped her Kagune like lightning, firing feather-shaped bullets.
Clang!
Arima knocked the bullets aside with ease. As if waiting for that opening, Eto swung the main body of her wing-like Kagune.
Three blades swept through Arima's space like the claws of a great beast. The sheer wind pressure made the surroundings tremble.
But the strike hit nothing.
Arima had vanished.
If he had dodged left or right, he wouldn't have escaped the horizontal sweep. He must have leapt upward...
Whoosh!!
Without hesitation, Eto slashed downward. As expected, Arima reappeared below her, already swinging his Quinque.
With speed that defied human limits, he twisted his waist to evade the strike, using the Kagune as a screen to slip in toward Eto's feet.
Kagaang!!
A rapid exchange of blows erupted and passed in a heartbeat.
The side of the long Quinque blade, aimed at Eto's ankle, was deflected by her claws. The blade instantly changed course, shooting up like a viper toward her neck. She leaned her head back, letting the tip pass by a hair's breadth.
Simultaneously, Eto's leg lashed out like a whip toward Arima's flank. Arima's foot met the strike mid-air; before the leg could gather full force, he shoved it aside and launched himself upward.
Like a carnivorous plant snapping shut, her Kagune surged from behind to envelop him. In mid-air, Arima struck the edge of the Kagune with his Quinque, vaulting over the black-red wings.
He had avoided the blow, but Eto didn't let him stay exposed. She shot forward from her position instantly.
Their gazes collided for a split second—Eto soaring upward, Arima falling head-first.
KAGAGAGANG!!!
In that heartbeat, a flurry of attacks crossed paths.
Three wings rampaging to tear Arima apart, accompanied by dozens of bullets. Astonishingly, Arima deflected every single one, slipping free.
Curling into a ball, Arima bounced away and quickly regained his footing on the floor.
Eto landed on the opposite side, her expression frustrated that she couldn't finish him in the air. However, she hadn't come away empty-handed.
Riiip...
Arima's school uniform sleeve tore, exposing the skin beneath.
On skin so pale it looked as if it had never seen the sun, a thin red line appeared and began to bleed.
A wound.
After a long, grueling battle in the sewers, Arima had finally been wounded.
It was a mere scratch, but the significance was enormous—the monster who had remained untouched by countless Ghouls had finally been damaged.
"What is with that kid? I thought she was just a burden since she was riding on your back, but she's not losing ground against that monster at all!"
Katsura, who had retreated with Koma, asked in astonishment.
When no answer came, he looked down at Koma, and his disbelief turned to bewilderment.
"Zzz..."
"Are you asleep?!"
Koma had fallen fast asleep.
If he had passed out from his injuries, it would make sense, but his breathing was steady. He was in a deep, peaceful slumber.
Wasn't he close with Eto? How could he sleep so peacefully now?
Perhaps it was a sign of absolute trust in Eto, but to sleep in such a tense situation was simply staggering.
Katsura couldn't help but think that this man's mental fortitude might be even more monstrous than that of a Ghoul.