Meanwhile—
On the opposite side of the 20th Ward, another fierce battle was unfolding.
In a quiet residential block, narrow alleyways echoed with the sounds of gunfire, the slicing whistle of kagune, and the roars of ghouls.
Snow that had fallen earlier was already stained dark red by spreading blood.
Leading Squad A3 was investigator Hachikawa Tadashi.
Alongside him were two elite investigators:
Take HirakoHonoki Ayumu
Their opponent—
The SS-rank ghoul known as Irimi Kaya, the leader of the Black Dog organization.
The strategy was simple.
Hirako and Honoki would engage Irimi in close combat.
Meanwhile—
Hachikawa would remain at range, waiting for the perfect moment to strike with his quinque.
But reality was far harsher than their plan.
Even under a two-against-one assault—
Irimi moved with terrifying composure.
"Hah!"
Honoki swung his longsword-type quinque downward.
The blade tore through the air.
Irimi shifted sideways.
The attack barely grazed her coat.
A red flash ignited in her eyes.
In the next instant—
She counterattacked.
Her kick struck Honoki squarely in the chest.
BOOM.
The investigator was thrown backward like a ragdoll.
He slammed violently into a wall.
At the same moment—
Hirako's blade arrived.
Irimi ducked beneath the horizontal slash.
Her kagune spread behind her.
Several blade-like kagune fragments shot forward.
Hirako raised his quinque just in time.
Metal clashed against kagune.
The impact forced him backward several steps.
Watching from the side—
Hachikawa finally seized his chance.
His quinque wrapped around his arm began glowing bright yellow.
Energy spiraled through its structure.
Then—
It fired.
Crystalline projectiles rained toward Irimi like a storm of bullets.
Irimi's expression sharpened.
She flipped backward repeatedly, dodging the barrage.
Fragments of concrete exploded beneath her feet.
With a final leap—
She landed atop the railing of a nearby building.
Looking down at the three investigators below.
Honoki slowly forced himself upright.
Breathing heavily.
He stood beside Hirako again.
"Damn…"
Hirako sighed quietly.
"That's what an SS-rank ghoul looks like."
Irimi tilted her head slightly.
Her gaze fell on Hirako's weapon.
"That sword…"
Her voice carried calmly through the night.
"You look like an ordinary villager."
"But your technique is troublesome."
Hachikawa clicked his tongue.
"Tch…"
"Still such a pain to deal with."
For a moment—
The battlefield fell into a tense stalemate.
Then suddenly—
A door behind Irimi opened.
An elderly man leaned out of the house.
Wrinkled and frail.
At least seventy years old.
"What's going on out here?"
"Why is it so nois—"
His voice froze.
He saw the two crimson lights glowing from Irimi's Black Dog mask.
"G-Ghoul…!"
"Ghoul!"
Hirako's eyes widened.
"A civilian?"
He quickly turned toward Hachikawa.
"Mr. Hachikawa, we need to—"
But before he could finish—
Everything changed.
Hachikawa's quinque was already charging again.
Golden light spun violently through the weapon.
"Just an old man."
Hachikawa said coldly.
His reputation within the CCG had always been ruthless.
And now—
The desire for victory had blinded him completely.
"Mr. Hachikawa!"
Hirako shouted.
But it was too late.
The attack fired.
Several crystalline blades tore through the night sky.
Heading straight toward the old man.
Irimi froze for a moment.
Just a moment.
She could have dodged.
She could have let the human die.
After all—
He was nothing to her.
Just another stranger.
But—
She couldn't do it.
"You stupid old man…"
Irimi cursed softly.
Then she moved.
She threw herself forward.
Spreading her arms.
Shielding the old man with her body.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
The crystalline blades slammed into her back.
Tearing through clothing.
Ripping into flesh.
Blood sprayed into the air.
"Ugh…!"
Irimi groaned.
Her body lost balance.
Sliding from the railing.
She fell backward.
The cold night sky filled her vision.
The wind howled past her ears.
Her body dropped lower and lower.
"…I've become weak."
She murmured quietly.
Her voice nearly vanished in the wind.
"…If I knew it would end like this…"
"…I should've had one more cup of coffee…"
Her eyes slowly closed.
Just before she struck the ground—
A crimson shadow burst from the darkness.
A thick scarlet tendril caught her body mid-air.
Absorbing the impact.
Then gently lowering her onto the ground.
Irimi forced her eyes open.
Before her stood a young man.
He wore a strange mask.
The face etched with twisted, painful expressions.
Dark red flame patterns traced its edges.
Like a sorrowful clown.
His black trench coat fluttered in the cold wind.
Scarlet tendrils curled around his arms.
The symbiotic matter moved slowly across his skin.
Through the eyeholes of the mask—
She saw a familiar gaze.
"I'm sorry, Irimi-nee."
Ren Kiryu spoke quietly.
"I think I'm late."
Irimi shook her head weakly.
Then coughed up blood.
"You're badly hurt."
Kiryu said softly.
"Take the Black Dogs and withdraw."
He slowly turned his gaze toward Squad A3.
"As for these CCG investigators…"
"…leave them to me."
Irimi looked at him silently for a moment.
Then nodded.
"…Be careful."
With a glance—
She signaled the remaining Black Dog members.
One by one—
They disappeared into the darkness.
Leaving only the investigators.
And Kiryu.
Honoki's voice turned tense.
"That mask…"
"I've never seen that ghoul before."
Hirako's face had gone pale.
"No…"
He whispered.
"I saw that mask before…"
"In the surveillance footage from Cochlea."
Hachikawa's heart sank.
Slowly—
He spoke the name.
"…Slaughter."
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