Eager to claim glory for himself, Urie Kuki had separated from the rest of the Qs Squad the moment the assault teams breached the auction building, heading off alone to find Big Madam.
Hoping to claim all the credit for himself, he had infiltrated an extremely dangerous position...
Now, having made his way into a large warehouse and concealing himself in the ceiling crawlspace, Urie suddenly heard a voice behind him.
"Urie-kun."
"!"
The voice made him start.
He whirled around—only to find Suzuya Juuzou.
Suzuya...?!
Maintaining enough composure not to cry out, Urie asked very quietly, "First Class Suzuya... What are you doing here...?"
Below them, a horde of ghouls had gathered—all guests who had fled from the auction hall.
"I infiltrated earlier with the other victims, but there were too many enemies, so I've been waiting here for backup."
Suzuya's explanation was brief.
He had just been reunited with Big Madam when a swarm of bodyguards surrounded him, and unknown powerful ghouls had pushed him into a difficult battle.
"..."
Urie remained silent, thinking what a cunning person this was...
Since Suzuya's operational plan was highly classified, the uninformed Urie assumed Suzuya was also trying to steal credit.
"I seem to have lost my radio somewhere. Could you contact command for me, Urie-kun?"
Suzuya requested.
"...No can do. I already tried once. There's no signal here."
Urie shook his head.
"Oh?"
Suzuya tilted his head but didn't question Urie.
In truth, there was signal here—but Urie didn't want to contact command.
With just him and Suzuya present, he could at least claim half the credit. If a bunch of investigators showed up as reinforcements, he'd barely get any share at all.
THUD! THUD!—
Just then, they heard the sound of walls being demolished.
Urie and Suzuya both looked toward the source.
The ghouls below were breaking through the walls from inside, trying to create an escape route. Since this was an underground passage, they could also avoid the CCG investigators who had the surface surrounded.
"Sigh—"
Suzuya exhaled. "I don't have enough weapons, but I can't worry about that now."
To prevent those ghouls from escaping, Suzuya immediately dropped from the ceiling crawlspace.
Urie followed right behind him.
...
"Run... RUN!"
"Get out of my way, damn it—!"
"..."
At first, the ghoul guests thought two "Doves" were nothing to fear. But in the blink of an eye, Suzuya moved with lightning speed and killed several ghouls in succession. They immediately panicked and fled.
Watching this, Urie couldn't help but admire First Class Suzuya's abilities...
He needed to give it everything he had and grab as much credit as possible!
With that resolve, Urie's left eye transformed into a kakugan, veins bulging around it. A koukaku kagune burst from his shoulder blade region and wrapped around his right arm.
"Kagune? Even a Dove has...?"
"That's not the point—how is he also a One-Eye?!"
"Just run! Why do you care about that now?!"
"..."
The ghouls were collectively stunned.
"That thing of yours is pretty cool."
Suzuya seemed to appreciate Urie's combat form.
Before long, Urie had worked himself into a killing frenzy, his confidence building with each takedown.
As he slaughtered his way forward, he charged toward the passage leading to the auction hall, determined to find this operation's ultimate target: Big Madam.
If he could take down Big Madam alone, he would be the undisputed MVP of this entire operation. Promotion would be a breeze.
Urie glanced back at Suzuya, still fighting through the mob of ghouls.
Suzuya... I'll leave the rest of those guys to you...
My target is...
Urie intended to abandon Suzuya and hunt Big Madam alone.
But just then, two bikaku kagune suddenly shot out from the pitch-black depths of the passage, striking Urie with speed he couldn't react to and sending him flying.
"Gah... Ahh...!"
Urie coughed up a torrent of blood, barely managing to stand. The blow had nearly knocked him unconscious, his eyes rolling back.
The owner of those two bikaku tendrils was Big Madam herself. She scurried along the walls with terrifying speed.
Unlike typical bikaku ghouls who possessed only a single tail-like kagune, Big Madam had two thick, powerful bikaku.
"A child rolling their eyes isn't cute at all~"
Big Madam sneered at Urie mockingly.
...
Temporary Command Post.
"The SS-rated Big Madam—there's virtually no exaggeration in her threat assessment. While danger ratings aren't determined purely by combat ability, the fact that she clawed her way to the top of the Madam hierarchy through strength alone should tell us everything. We must approach her with the utmost caution."
Matsuri sat sipping coffee while watching the large screens before him, analyzing Big Madam's combat capabilities.
The multiple screen divisions displayed real-time footage from recording devices worn by frontline investigators, allowing the commanders to monitor the battle.
"Rank 2 Urie and First Class Suzuya haven't responded, and Big Madam hasn't appeared on any of the screens. Could they have already encountered her?"
Akira's intuition kicked in.
"It's certainly possible... Try to dispatch some personnel to support Rank 2 Urie and First Class Suzuya."
Matsuri suggested.
"Currently, only Hirako Squad has caught their breath thanks to Director Amaha's assistance. All other teams remain engaged with ghouls..."
Akira immediately radioed the Hirako Squad: "Rank 2 Urie and First Class Suzuya may have encountered Big Madam. Please proceed to the auction hall to assess the situation."
"Understood."
Hirako's response came immediately. He led his squad toward the venue.
...
Urie, the young bull who feared no tiger, was being brutalized by Big Madam. He was beaten to the point of having virtually no ability to fight back.
At one point, she even swallowed him whole.
Big Madam's massive maw forced Urie's entire body inside, with only his lower half still visible outside. He was about to be completely devoured.
Big Madam's size matched her name—her head alone was roughly the size of a normal person's upper body.
"I... can still... fight!"
In his desperate extremity, Urie suddenly erupted with unprecedented power.
He literally pried Big Madam's jaws apart with his bare hands and tore himself free.
I I I I I I I I I...
"Nice to meet you!"
"Why is my head full of me?"
"Because I'm unparalleled!"
"AAAAHHHHH——!!"
Urie had completely lost his mind. His expression was twisted, words spilling out in a manic stream—he had "gone dark."
His kagune form had also evolved, reaching a new stage. Multiple kagune now erupted from his shoulder blade region, much larger than before. In short, he had taken another step closer to becoming a half-kakuja.
Big Madam's suit-clad bodyguards rushed in immediately—all of them at least A-rated. But Urie cut them down in an instant, limbs scattering through the air.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!"
After annihilating the bodyguards, Urie charged at Big Madam with wild, frenzied movements. His eyes held only one target: Big Madam.
Watching his crazed state, Big Madam scoffed, "Hah? Have you lost your mind?"
But Urie's sudden evolution wasn't enough to defeat an SS-rated opponent. Big Madam put him down again in just a few moves.
"Don't look down on me, you little brat."
Big Madam approached Urie with a savage grin, ready to devour him.
Just then, several figures suddenly positioned themselves between her and Urie.
It was Suzuya Juuzou and the just-arrived Hirako Squad.
"Su... Suzuya?!"
"Hello, Mama."
Suzuya had already removed his wig and stripped off his dress's outer layer. He now gripped a proper Quinque rather than those cheap daggers—though he still wore the mismatched black and white stockings...
Then the situation reversed entirely.
After testing a few exchanges and realizing that both little Suzuya and that plain-faced man were formidable, Big Madam turned and fled. Suzuya and the others pursued relentlessly.
Big Madam was now alone and without support—all her bodyguards and allied ghouls were locked in combat with investigators elsewhere.
"Suzuya... Rei! Save me! Are you going to defy Mama? I'm your mother!"
"Do... do you hate Mama?!!"
Big Madam pleaded for mercy as she fled, trying to make Suzuya obey her.
But Suzuya's expression remained cold and merciless as his blade sliced into Big Madam's abdomen.
In his heart, he silently murmured: Sorry for cutting you...
The wound slowed Big Madam considerably. Hirako and the others caught up and executed a well-coordinated combination attack.
After sustaining multiple injuries, Big Madam finally collapsed heavily to the ground, unable to run any further.
"Spare me! Spare me! I'll apologize and compensate however you want!"
With nowhere left to run, Big Madam begged desperately.
Suzuya approached with cold indifference, step by step.
His mind drifted to the past...
Being dressed up like a cute little girl, sitting in Mama's lap, Mama playing with various toys with him, teaching him to read, her large hand stroking his head...
"—Mama, of all the things... only the scars remain... Of everything I received from you, only the scars bring me nostalgia..."
Standing before Big Madam, a blissful smile spread across Suzuya's face. "No matter what anyone else thinks of you, I... have never hated you."
"But... this is my job."
Hearing those final words, Big Madam's heart turned to ice.
"...You little brat!!"
Big Madam exploded with rage. "Let me tell you something! Raising you was just a passing whim! Your face happened to suit my taste, that's all! Don't get the wrong idea—I never loved a thing like you for even a—"
Before Big Madam could finish her furious tirade, Hirako and the others cut her down completely.
At that moment, someone from behind covered Suzuya's ears and eyes with their hands.
"I'm sorry..."
The voice behind him belonged to Amaha Byakuya.
He knew that if not for his CCG duties, Suzuya would never have raised his blade against Big Madam.
"Goodbye, Papa..."
Suzuya murmured softly.
In truth, Big Madam was a male ghoul...
...
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