Kazuichi Banjou felt as though he had witnessed something he absolutely should not have seen.
The entire time—
He kept his head lowered.
Barely daring to breathe.
All he wanted was to leave Anteiku as quickly as possible.
Only after Touka Kirishima disappeared upstairs did Banjou finally release the breath he had been holding.
He cautiously raised his head.
"Mr. Kiryu…"
"…should we go?"
Ren lifted the canvas bag.
His voice was calm.
"Lead the way."
Banjou nodded immediately.
Almost rushing to open the back door.
He stepped into the alley first.
As if every extra second near that man was unbearable pressure.
Ren followed silently.
The darkness of the alley swallowed his figure.
Behind them—
The door of Anteiku closed quietly.
23rd Ward — Outskirts of Cochlea
The ghoul containment facility Cochlea stood isolated on the outskirts of the 23rd Ward.
It resembled an enormous inverted steel tower.
Most of its structure was buried underground.
Only a massive alloy dome and several fortified entrances remained visible above ground.
When Banjou brought Ren to the gathering point—
More than a hundred members of Aogiri Tree had already assembled.
All wore the same crimson hooded robes.
"Halt!"
A ghoul guard stepped from the shadows.
"Password! Which unit are you from?"
His hoarse voice carried deep suspicion.
Two glowing kakugan stared from beneath his hood.
Banjou stepped forward quickly.
"We are—"
"They're with me."
A cold voice interrupted.
The crowd parted.
Ayato Kirishima walked forward.
His expression impatient.
"Let them through."
The guard immediately bowed.
Then retreated into the darkness.
Ayato approached Ren.
His tone sharp.
"Why did you take so long?"
"The operation's about to start."
"I was saying goodbye to your sister."
Ren answered casually.
"She seemed worried."
"So she kept me for a while."
Ayato's face instantly reddened.
"You—!"
His fists clenched.
"…Stop talking nonsense."
"Just get into position."
He turned sharply.
Returning to the front of the formation.
His anger obvious even through his rigid posture.
Ren smiled faintly.
But said nothing more.
Instead he stood quietly beside Banjou.
The latter lowered his head again.
Pretending not to exist.
Soon—
The Aogiri formation finished assembling.
From the darkness ahead—
A tall figure stepped forward.
He wore a white coat.
And a red mask.
It was Tatara.
"Operation begins."
With that command—
The ghouls surged forward.
Toward Cochlea.
Cochlea — "Ghoul Containment Facility"
The circular prison was designed specifically to hold ghouls.
Its interior descended deep underground.
Like the inside of a steel well.
Normally—
Gate Zero, the heavy entrance used for large-scale prisoner transport—
Opened only under strict procedures.
But tonight—
It stood open.
When Ren arrived with the advancing force—
Only a few guards remained stationed outside.
"Aogiri Tree—?!"
One guard reacted immediately.
His eyes widened.
He slammed his communicator.
"Alarm! Gate Zero breached! Aogiri Tree attack—!"
His voice stopped abruptly.
Several dark red kagune pierced through the guards' chests.
Their bodies collapsed instantly.
Like puppets with cut strings.
Only the static of their communicators remained.
Noro withdrew his kagune slowly.
Blood dripped silently.
Tatara's voice cut through the silence.
"Advance."
The Aogiri forces rushed through Gate Zero.
Leaping into the vertical passage leading underground.
The alarm system activated instantly.
WOOOOOO—
Red warning lights flashed violently.
Sirens echoed through every corridor of the prison.
Inside Ren's mind—
Carnage growled irritably.
[…That noise…]
[…It's unbearable…]
[…I want to tear those sirens apart…]
The security response was fast.
When the Aogiri vanguard reached the second circular platform—
A defense unit had already formed.
Armed guards used metal barriers and elevated walkways to establish a crossfire position.
"Fire!"
The commander shouted.
"Stop them!"
Gunfire exploded across the chamber.
RAT-TAT-TAT!
BANG! BANG!
Specialized quinque rounds rained down.
Several ghouls were hit mid-descent.
Their bodies tore apart.
Screams echoed as they fell onto the metal grid far below.
The remaining Aogiri ghouls roared in fury.
Their kagune erupted.
Red, purple, and black shapes flashed across the dim platform.
Bullets ripping through flesh.
Kagune tearing through bodies.
Screams.
Metal.
Blood.
The entire chamber became a chaotic battlefield.
But these guards were not elite investigators.
Their quinque bullets inflicted limited damage.
Within minutes—
The defensive line collapsed.
Ren scanned the battlefield calmly.
His gaze stopped briefly.
Nearby—
Kureo Mado's former colleague—
Kousuke Houji—
had arrived to intercept the attackers.
Across from him stood Tatara.
Their hatred was old.
Tatara had once been part of a Chinese ghoul organization.
The Red Tongue Gang.
Its leader—
His older brother—
Had been killed by investigators led by Houji.
Now—
The two enemies faced each other again.
Tatara raised a hand.
Signaling the surrounding ghouls to step back.
"Hōji…"
His voice was low.
Filled with restrained fury.
"…Long time no see."
Meanwhile—
Ren had already moved on.
The main Aogiri force—
Led by Ayato, Noro, and Eto Yoshimura—
continued descending toward the lowest levels of Cochlea.
The deeper they went—
The stronger the smell of blood became.
Inside the prison control systems—
Someone had already seized the mechanisms.
Across dozens of levels—
Cell doors began unlocking.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
Metal doors opened one after another.
Like falling dominoes.
Hundreds of imprisoned ghouls poured out.
Many still wore blue prison uniforms.
Their eyes burned with hatred.
Some laughed.
Some roared.
Some immediately joined the advancing Aogiri forces.
The prison had become chaos.
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