"Lancer, you must be careful this time. Unlike the 11th Ward offensive, where Aogiri was only trying to thin out our ordinary Investigators, their goal now is clearly to break out those powerful, vicious Ghouls. We can't even be sure how many trump cards they've hidden. So be careful—be extremely careful!"
Because Lancer's earlier intervention had ended the mobilization meeting ahead of schedule, Mado Kureo repeated his warning again as they sped toward the 23rd Ward.
Lancer remembered every word. He knew better than anyone how terrifying the enemy was this time. Even though the Ghouls inside Cochlea weren't necessarily all willing to join Aogiri, the organization's own high-level fighters were already more than enough.
Whether the leader, "Eto"—the One-Eyed Owl—would act was uncertain. But at minimum they faced Tatara, an SS-rated or possibly SSS-rated Ghoul with a Kakuja form… and Noro, also at least SS-rated, possibly SSS-rated, and likewise with a Kakuja form. Either of those two alone could cause the CCG a disaster. To defeat them without "main-character plot armor" would require several Special Classes working together.
And beyond that were the S-rated Ayato Kirishima, Jason's successor Naki, the Blade leader Miza…
There was no exaggeration at all in saying that—purely in terms of top-tier combat ability—Aogiri Tree surpassed the investigators stationed in Cochlea by more than double. Had Lancer not successfully prevented the 11th Ward manpower cuts, Cochlea's defenses alone would never have held this long.
Even now, though casualties were severe, the core area was still in stalemate. The warden, warned by Lancer's "report," had not been caught off guard this time; although suppressed by Tatara, at least he was still alive.
With Special Class Shinohara Yukinori and Suzuya Juuzou arriving, the defensive line was stabilizing.
But the balance was far too fragile. In raw endurance, humans could never outlast Ghouls. No one knew how long Cochlea could hold.
...
"Amon. You and Lancer will join several Rank 1 Investigators and form an assault team. I want you to push straight into the core area and support the Warden and Special Class Kuroiwa Iwao!"
"Yes!" ×2
Amon Koutarou's mood was heavy. As expected, they were probably trying to free his "foster father." But he would never allow Aogiri's Ghouls to lay a hand on him.
When Mado's support convoy reached Cochlea, they finally understood how brutal this battle was. Ghoul and Investigator corpses lay everywhere, practically paired off across the ground. The gates were even worse—a mound of bodies, Ghouls and humans intermixed…
"Proceed as planned! Assault team, move to support the core area! Everyone else, sweep the rest of Cochlea with me!"
"YES!!"
Mado gave his two pupils and his daughter a quick nod before charging in with his team. Lancer and the rest nodded back and sprinted toward the opposite passage.
"Amon! Same rule as always—if we meet a difficult opponent, you tank and I finish them. Rank 2 Mado and the rest of you… please handle flanking and support."
"Understood!"
Seniority-wise, Amon far outranked Lancer. But because of Lancer's forceful nature, he almost always acted as the field commander. This time was no different.
They had formed basic assault tactics, but from the gate to the core area, no troublesome enemies appeared—only a few scattered Ghouls serving as guards. Against a squad where even the weakest was Rank 1, they were little more than fodder. Not a single group lasted more than a minute.
But when they reached the core area—the ward where the high-level Ghouls were imprisoned—something unexpected happened.
The "core area" gate had already been barricaded. Dozens of Ghouls glared at them, among them several in white suits.
"It's you!! You bastard, you killed 'aniki'!!"
As Lancer scanned the enemy, a blond in a white suit suddenly shrieked at him, pointing with wild fury.
Blond hair + unstable + white suit—Lancer recognized him instantly. But before he could speak, the man charged like a mad dog.
Why a "mad dog"?
Because he was babbling incoherently, wailing, drooling and crying all at once—obviously unhinged.
But no matter how deranged he seemed, Aogiri wouldn't let him run to his death. Almost the moment Naki charged, the other Aogiri Ghouls attacked together.
"OPEN FIRE!!"
This time, Lancer did not charge ahead. Instead, he issued the order and drew his own weapon—the Beretta submachine pistol.
True, with Lancer's strength he could absolutely carve through this group of non–SS-rated Ghouls alone. But that wasn't the point. This time he wasn't a "soldier." He was the commander.
Lancer, you're strong. But you've never had small-squad command experience. Saying too much won't help—you just need to remember one thing: the difference between us and Ghouls… is 'tools.'
With Lancer's shout, everyone—including Amon—pulled the trigger without hesitation. Because this battle would be fought at close range, they were mostly equipped with machine pistols or handguns. Their advantage: high fire rate. Their weakness: low stopping power and poor accuracy. But when you're being mobbed, that weakness disappears.
RC ammunition's effectiveness isn't determined by caliber—you just need to hit a Ghoul. And with nothing but enemies ahead, as long as they didn't point their guns at the ceiling, they weren't going to miss.
"AAAAHHH!!"
Within seconds, all magazines were emptied. Nearly ten Ghouls were either killed or crippled. The Investigators didn't bother reloading. They tossed their guns aside and immediately opened their briefcases.
Lancer was faster than them—he hadn't stowed his weapon in the first place. Instead, he plunged his spear into the ground.
When the gunfire behind him stopped, he knew it was time to move. He had helped with the opening barrage to support coordinated fire. But now his role was the spearpoint. The one who would break their line.
He lifted the long spear and pressed downward. The downward strike smashed into a fast-charging Ghoul—the crack of bone against metal rang sharply through the corridor. Lancer didn't hesitate. He thrust down, piercing the Ghoul's heart, then hurled the corpse forward.
The body couldn't completely block the Ghouls' charge—but for Lancer, it was more than enough.
"[SECRET TECHNIQUE · MURLOC TRIPLE THRUST]!"
Lancer's low cry echoed—and he vanished. Both allies and enemies blinked, unable to see where he'd gone.
"There—!!"
A Ghoul pointed, and everyone followed his finger. Lancer had reappeared in a low stance, one hand brushing his spear, his body nearly scraping the floor.
Bang!
Only then did the sound of the thrown body hitting the ground finally reach them. Along with it, three more Ghouls were knocked down, blood splashing across the floor…
"Kill—THEM ALL!!"
Lancer swung his spear. Blood fanned outward.
The Investigators, momentarily stunned by his surprise attack, erupted with renewed ferocity.
"OHHHH!!"