A few minutes earlier.
District 20, bustling city center.
Fine rain fell like silk, gently sprinkling down.
People hurried across the street in the rain, and when they noticed a group of individuals carrying silver-white cases, white coats adorned with a 'White Dove' pin on the collar, they instinctively made way. Their pace quickened.
Holding an umbrella, Vela strolled purposefully through this peaceful and quiet neighborhood alongside Akira Mado and a team of CCG investigators.
Observing the tranquil street, Vela turned her head with interest. "Akira, do you think they welcome us more, or fear and resent us more?"
"Perhaps it's because of the nature of our work." Akira paused, then answered seriously.
"...Wherever the White Doves appear, it signifies a ghoul predation incident—it means death and misfortune. No one wishes misfortune upon their surroundings."
Following behind Vela, she put away her PDA without directly answering the question, instead pensively watching the quickly departing crowd: students after school, exhausted office workers, loving couples, families out on errands…
The everyday atmosphere momentarily reminded Akira of the happy times when her mother was alive and her father hadn't yet descended into madness.
Compared to District 14 where ghoul cannibalism ran rampant, District 13 with the sadistic ghoul organization "White Suits," the frequent investigator deaths in District 12, or District 11 where ghouls attacked humans in packs…
District 20 was truly calm and peaceful.
"I have to admit. The Angel of Death is also a shade investigators carry with them." Vela had no interest in delving deeper into the topic—she wasn't Tokyo police, her duty was merely to eliminate ghoul threats.
"District 20, the famous zone of stability. But is it truly so stable?"
She changed the subject, a faint, inscrutable smile appearing on her face. "Over ten years of stability, all natural—you believe that?"
"What do you mean..."
"Exactly what I said."
As the appearance of the CCG investigation team caused the crowd to thin, and shops began hanging 'closed' signs, Vela continued walking forward. While speaking, she slightly raised her head, estimating the distance from the investigation team led by Kureo Mado, all the while scanning the surroundings with the corner of her eye.
The sense of being watched grew stronger—and closer.
"After all, Tokyo has no walls, only 'feeding grounds.' Do you really believe creatures like ghouls—who contribute nothing to society, devour their own kind at the drop of a hat, are insane and mentally unstable to the point of being less than livestock—can restrain themselves? Not all ghouls have self-control..."
As she spoke, Vela came to a halt, looking toward the other side of the street.
"There's only one answer—ghoul organizations. Wouldn't you agree, you sewer-dwelling scum..."
Before her voice even faded, two or three figures appeared behind the artistic three-story billboard of a shop—some in white suits, some cloaked in dark red robes.
"Alert!"
Hiss!Bzz!Bzz!—the sound of Quinque cases opening. Akira Mado swung her Quinque, which resembled a whip-like chain sword. First Class investigators wielding massive long-handled straight-blade Quinques also stepped in to shield Vela.
Other investigators brandishing various Quinques called out, signaling for the remaining pedestrians on the street to evacuate.
However, the intruders acted faster.
Boom! With the howling release of an Ukaku's Rc cell crystal clusters, a loud explosion rang out. The aluminum and painted synthetic plastic of the billboard snapped with a crack.
A broad, white figure shot forth.
"Huff huff, you... hsss haaah, what a lovely scent—! You'll definitely be able to withstand my..."
With wide-set pupils, blackened sclera filled with bloodshot veins, crimson Kakugan eyes, and a flat, broad nose, the man charged with a crazed tone, saliva dripping and voice slurred. His hands, with metal finger guards on the index and middle fingers, reached straight for Vela.
"Investigator Russell!"
A First Class investigator swung their Quinque to block the Ukaku crystal shards. Seeing that Vela still hadn't moved, not even opening her Quinque case, he cried out in alarm.
But—shhh!—
A sharp metallic clang echoed, causing the First Class investigator to instinctively sigh in relief.
Of course—with Associate Special Class Investigator Russell's strength and record, there was no way she'd need his protection.
Then came a hysterical shriek, the crisp sound of breaking bones, followed by a dull boom. The broad white figure that had charged in was now sent flying back at a speed no less than its initial assault.
A twisted, broken umbrella fell to the ground.
Vela's left glove had been torn apart by the pale pink Quinque steel. "Gun III" had transformed into a cannon-barrel form, aimed at the mid-air, momentarily stunned attacker.
Bang!Bang!Bang!
Boom! The Ukaku armor-piercing rounds hit. The modified Quinque, packed with Q Bullet material, detonated into bursts of flame, engulfing the white-suited figure. Three mid-air explosions in succession hurled him farther, launching him across into a wide alley.
At that moment, in the alley—
"First Class Mado, Rank-1 Amon, fall back! Multiple S-rated ghouls recorded in the vicinity!"
Then—
A broad, scorched-black figure leapt over the heads of two investigators wielding Quinques.
"'Gecko' Jason?!"
Amon Koutarou, wielding the black metal, club-like Quinque named Doujima 1/2, turned pale, immediately shifting into a heightened state of alert. "Senior Mado!"
"Hahaha... hunting this kind of scum is the real thrill! Amon, let's go!"
Hunched over, his unhealthy mismatched eyes bulging further with excitement, Kureo Mado laughed maniacally. Click! His Quinque deployed—white shell, red flesh—like a giant centipede chain blade screeching through the air, it tore toward Jason, who had just crashed through a storefront.
"Aaaaaah—!" Amon Koutarou charged at Jason with his massive bludgeon.
Clearly, they'd temporarily forgotten the mother and daughter ghouls they had been cornering.
It all happened in a flash.
Unfolding a massive moth-wing-shaped Koukaku to shield herself and her daughter, ready to deliver a final message, Mrs. Fueguchi was momentarily confused.
Jason? Not only unfamiliar, but an enemy. Her husband had been forced to death by Jason...
"Mama... that's Dad, that's Dad's..."
Hinami's eyes were locked onto the centipede-like chain blade Quinque in the deranged investigator's hand. She sobbed uncontrollably.
There was no time to think, no time to comfort. Mrs. Fueguchi gripped Hinami's hand tightly.
"...Maybe your dad can never come back. But Mama will protect you... Let's go, quickly..."
Just then—cracks, flying debris—Amon Koutarou, who had just charged ahead, was hurled backward, blood staining his forehead as he landed before the mother and daughter.
"Wha..." Mrs. Fueguchi and Hinami were stunned.
...
"Dad! Fall back!"
Amid deafening booms, a frantic female voice burst into the alley.
The centipede chain blade Quinque clashed violently with the enormous jagged, saw-like Rinkaku that emerged from the smoke and rubble. Kureo Mado turned his head. "Akira?"
Outside the alley, Akira Mado swung her chain-sword Quinque and decapitated a ghoul clad in a dark red cloak. For a moment, the insanity in Kureo Mado's mismatched eyes seemed to recede.
"Kill you! Eat you! I'm going to kill you and then eat you!"
Boom! The Kagune slammed into the ground. The proliferating, rampaging Rinkaku generated a shockwave that sent Kureo Mado staggering.
His Quinque held up, but his mortal arm couldn't withstand the sheer force. He was yanked along, slammed into the alley wall with a heavy thud, nearly losing consciousness on impact.
"Akira, what are you doing here!" Kureo Mado shouted furiously.
Staggering slightly, Kureo Mado forced himself up, grabbing Fueguchi One. "Fall back, I'll cover you. You and Amon—these kinds of scum aren't for you..."
His posture mirrored Mrs. Fueguchi's earlier stance when protecting her daughter.
Just as Kureo Mado was about to strike Jason, a deafening crash came from outside the alley. A figure was flung back, crashing into the storefront once again, bringing down the shaky signboard right in front of Jason.
"Yakumo, that... that foreign female Dove... she's so strong and so cruel... Lord Tatara's surveillance mission is probably a bust. Maybe we should just retreat..."
A gaudy man with scruffy stubble, wearing flamboyant clothes and heavy makeup—resembling a flamboyant drag queen—clutched his bleeding stomach and wailed dramatically. Reaching out with a limp wrist, he caressed Jason's chest like a swooning fan.
"Nick?"
The familiar voice briefly brought a moment of clarity to Jason, who had fully unleashed his Kagune and was slipping deeper into madness.
But it was only a moment—
Ukaku bullets tore through the air, shredding the storefront signboard.
Then came a piercing screech as the air was split—whoosh!
A black spear, like an elongated burst of darkness, shot forth with incredible force. It slammed into Jason's right shoulder—still forming Kagune coverage—and blasted a huge hole through him. Flesh and blood sprayed as he was launched and pinned into a wall. Crack! Fractures spiderwebbed across the surface.
"Boss Gecko!"
A blonde ghoul in a white suit, with a bizarre hairstyle blending pompadour and bowl cut, shouted in shock.
Then he wailed, tears streaming. Whether due to emotion or tear ducts working overtime, he charged at Vela—who had just disengaged the buckle, tossed her white case, and now carried only her black-gold case.
"Noisy."
Without finesse, Vela sidestepped his wide, reckless attack and kicked his knee. Her left palm clenched—shape-memory alloy twisted—"Gun III" transformed into a broad-blade short sword. One reverse slash, and the shining edge severed his head.
S-rated, Koukaku… his name might've been Naki or something… whatever. Not important.
Whizz whizz whizz—
Ukaku. Sensing danger like a sixth sense, Vela danced back with a few precise steps. Her left hand spread into bladed fingers, flicking aside the crimson shards. Not a single one touched her.
She shook the red-and-white mix off "Gun III."
Without even looking, she blasted another ghoul attempting a sneak attack to the ground, then stomped through his temple with a high heel. Standing atop the dead ghoul's skull, she looked up to the second floor.
A male ghoul with violet-blue curly hair and a half-face mask had unleashed a pair of blood-red Ukaku wings like those of a blood angel.
"Woman! Tell me—where did you get what's in that case?!"
His scarlet Kakugan flared. His voice trembled, brimming with murderous rage—a boiling hatred, an irrepressible thirst for destruction.
"Investigator Russell!"
Three more squads of elite investigators arrived. "It's the dual-winged Ukaku S-rated 'Corpse-Eater'." They activated their Quinques and looked to Vela.
"Fan out. Seal the area. Support First Class Mado. Stall them for one minute. Don't let a single ghoul escape. Leave him to me."
"Yes, ma'am!" ×N
Vela gave the Corpse-Eater a sideways glance and lifted the black-gold case.
"You're reacting to this, which means... SS-rated 'Corpse Collector' Arata Kirishima must be your relative. His descendant, perhaps? No wonder."
"I'll kill you! Rip you apart! The pain my father endured—I'll make you suffer a thousand times worse..."
At the mention of Arata Kirishima's name, the Corpse-Eater's eyes flared with killing intent. Swish!
His blood-wings surged, and his Ukaku ignited like gas. High-density Rc cells burst out, launching a barrage of thick, elongated crimson crystal shards at the hated woman before him.
This time, Vela didn't dodge.
She raised the black-gold case and pressed the fingerprint switch.
Click.
"'Arata Proto', load."
A mist of blood surrounded her. With the activation of "Arata Proto," Vela's entire body was clad in full-body armor made from living Kakuja Kagune and Quinque steel.
The armor was a matte black, veined with pulsing capillary-like lights, adorned with purplish-red patterns—luxuriously crafted.
Clang clang clang!
The shards bounced off the sleek Kagune-steel composite shell, screeching with harsh metallic friction.
"Feedback... slight numbness. Performance... whew, even better than Dr. Chigyou's optimal parameters."
Next moment—BOOM!
Vela moved.
Stepping forward, the asphalt cracked beneath her foot like brittle candy. A crater formed, rubble erupted. The black-and-purple metallic figure surged upward like a javelin, smashing through the second floor rooftop.
"Damn you! That's my father's power—ugh!"
Crack! His half-mask shattered, revealing a somewhat youthful and handsome face.
The tremendous force hurled him away along a curved arc. He crashed through the eaves and landed on the far end of the street with a deafening crash. Dust and debris flew high. Cracks spread like a spiderweb.
"Boss Ayato!"
"Aaaaaahhh—!"
From rooftops, ghouls—white suits, clowns, Aogiri Tree—fell like dumplings. The terrifying black-armored figure knocked them down one by one. Some were shattered mid-air, limbs and gore flying everywhere.
"So, your name is Ayato Kirishima, huh? Not bad. Nice Kagune—beautiful, really. Looks like you inherited your father's talent."
Thud! Vela landed.
Recovering swiftly, Ayato rolled several times before barely stabilizing himself using his Ukaku.
"I'll kill you..."
He roared, sweeping his Ukaku like blades—but missed. He couldn't even turn in time before his legs went numb. His lower body lost all sensation. Then came the agony—his spine and pelvis were shattered.
As bones cracked, Vela aimed "Gun III"—in cannon mode—at Ayato Kirishima's head…
Bang!
Squelch. Stepping on the exploded cranial pulp, viscous fluid oozed. "Secure his Kakuhou," she ordered the nearby armed CCG investigators.
Then Vela kicked off the ground.
She picked up a standard long-blade Quinque dropped beside a fallen investigator, and with a few bounding leaps, caught up with ghouls trying to flee the scene.
Clang—!