Enji and Kaya found their subordinates almost at the same moment the suppression squad began its assault.
When they emerged from the maze-like sewers, they saw their men split into two groups, facing off in the center of a wide-open chamber.
Whether they realized the CCG was practically on top of them or not, the two groups were radiating vicious hostility. It was a hair-trigger situation, ready to explode at the slightest provocation.
Then, as if they had finally noticed their leaders, the two subordinates directing the others—the so-called vice-leaders—brightened and ran toward Enji and Kaya.
"Waaah!! Boss!"
"Big sis! I thought I'd never see you again!!"
Enji sighed at the subordinate charging in with tears and snot streaming down his face, and Kaya sighed at the one running over with an overly emotional expression.
Then, they clenched their fists.
Thud!!!
With a pair of synchronized punches, the subordinates flew beautifully through the air. It was the kind of scene that looked cool enough to belong in a manga.
But the damage they took was real, not fiction.
Enji's subordinate, Katsura Akihiko—known among Ghoul Investigators by the nickname "Boar"—had his jaw shattered, his teeth knocked loose and driven up into his nasal cavity.
Kaya's subordinate, Nomiya Seiichi, also known as "Black Cow," had every rib broken; the fractured bones punctured his lungs, sending blood spraying everywhere.
"You miserable little bastards! I told you over and over not to follow us when we left the 20th Ward, and you still came all this way just to suffer like this?!"
"There are Ghoul Investigators right in front of us, and you idiots start fighting in a place like this and get the kids hurt? Is your brain just decoration? If it's useless, should I rip it out for you myself?"
Enji snapped, catching Katsura by the collar while the man was still mid-air before slamming him back down. Katsura was already unconscious, dangling like a severed puppet.
Kaya smiled with murderous intent as she repeatedly stomped on Nomiya's chest, pinning him to the floor. With his broken ribs grinding into his lungs, Nomiya couldn't even faint—he could only scream silently.
In the midst of a truly desperate situation, with Ghoul Investigators surrounding them, the sight of the leaders' reunion being followed by the brutal discipline of Katsura and Nomiya sent a shiver through everyone, including Enji and the Black Doberman.
"Um, but why did the two of you come together?"
Someone cautiously raised a hand and asked. It wasn't because he was genuinely curious; it was because if this kept up, the vice-leaders really were going to be killed, so he was trying to change the subject.
They had expected the two to have met by chance on the way to the rescue, but what came out of Enji's mouth was unexpected.
"We teamed up."
"Huh?"
"We made an alliance. Temporarily."
"Whaaat!?"
The members of En burst into alarmed shouts.
When Kaya remained silent, effectively confirming the news, even the Black Doberman was shocked.
"What are you talking about, Boss? Have you forgotten those mutts ambushed us last time and stole our territory?"
"Don't talk nonsense, you monkeys! That was our territory to begin with! You were the ones who moved in and took it over!"
"You brainless monkeys! Have you already forgotten that our youngest, Tanaka, came back half-dead because of you?"
"Bullshit! And what about the fact that our Suzuki nearly died before that? You bastard dogs!"
"Shut up, you idiots!!!"
At Enji's bark, everyone from En and the Black Doberman alike flinched and shut their mouths.
Once the group finally quieted down, Kaya spoke.
"I'm sure you've all got plenty of grudges and things built up between you. But the CCG is right on top of us now. Save the settling of scores for after you get out of here. Fighting now won't accomplish a damn thing."
"Ugh..."
"That's true..."
After all, they were the ones trapped and unable to act.
Like it or not, fighting each other here would only benefit the Ghoul Investigators.
Then Nomiya, whose injuries had partially healed thanks to a Ghoul's regenerative ability, asked, "Then, big sis, are you planning to join hands with En and break through the Ghoul Investigators?"
En and the Black Doberman were powerful groups that had once dominated the 20th Ward.
If those two joined forces, even if they took some damage, they should be more than capable of breaking through the investigators' encirclement.
But Kaya shook her head.
"We've already secured an escape route elsewhere. We're getting out through there."
"What? You mean we're just going to run with our tails between our legs?"
"If you want to volunteer as the front-line meat shield, we can try fighting."
"As expected, safety seems pretty important no matter what you're doing, big sis."
Ignoring Nomiya, who immediately cowered, Kaya looked around and said, "It's that gentleman's wish that we don't spill any more blood here than necessary."
"That gentleman?"
Enji answered Katsura's puzzled voice with a grin; Katsura had already recovered by then.
"Yeah. There's this weird old guy who sticks his nose into everything."
**
Clang! Clang!
"Graaah!!"
"Damn it! Just die already!"
A Ghoul Investigator was locked in combat with a bloodied Ghoul who was thrashing desperately.
It was clearly a Ghoul on the verge of collapse from severe injuries, but somehow it still had enough strength left to shove the investigator down.
The impact knocked the Quinque out of the investigator's hand, and the Ghoul raised its hand to finish the job.
"Aaaah!!"
The investigator screamed, covering his terrified face with both arms.
But no matter how much time passed, the feared blow never came. He cautiously opened his eyes and looked at the Ghoul beyond his arms.
"Idiot. Never take your eyes off a Ghoul. It's not like you're sticking your neck out and begging it to kill you."
The Ghoul, struck squarely by a metal case flying in from the side, had half its face caved in and toppled over like a felled tree.
The one holding the metal case was Hitokawa.
He had been helping subdue Ghouls breaking through the investigators' encirclement from the rear, but when one section of the front line looked like it was about to collapse, he came over to reinforce it.
Hitokawa turned his head and looked at the cause of the collapsing line.
Like a valiant general from an old legend, there was a Ghoul leaping into the midst of the investigators and rampaging with conspicuous ferocity.
"What's with that guy?"
"A Ghoul that ambushed us just now! Two upper-rank investigators have already been taken out!"
"S-rank... at least A-rank, then. I'll handle him. You restrain the Ghoul I just knocked down. You've got RC suppressants, right?"
Hitokawa said this while pointing at the Ghoul he had just smashed down with the metal case.
Its face was horribly caved in, but the rise and fall of its chest showed it was still alive.
"Huh? You're not going to finish it off?"
"You want to do it?"
"Me?"
"That thing was already fighting like hell just to survive, and now it's been neutralized. I don't really see the need to go out of my way to finish it."
The investigator stared at Hitokawa in confusion.
It wasn't the kind of thing you'd expect to hear from a Ghoul Investigator, someone who was supposed to treat Ghoul hunting as a matter of course.
"We're going to have plenty of people dying today anyway. Do you really want to add a few more corpses just because you can?"
His tone was lazy, as if this whole sight—Ghouls dying and investigators dying—had become so familiar it was already sickening.
He received strange looks for it, but Hitokawa simply let them slide. He was used to that kind of gaze lately.
Still, he didn't forget to mentally curse that damn human-Ghoul father and daughter.
He had recently started to feel that their bizarre values were rubbing off on him.
Damn it. It would've been better if I'd stayed ignorant and just kept butchering Ghouls.
Grumbling, Hitokawa moved toward the area where the fierce battle was raging.
Lower-rank investigators were forming a wall to hold back the wildly rampaging Ghoul, but that wall seemed to be reaching its limit. The gaps between them were widening, and the formation looked ready to collapse.
Pushing aside the retreating investigators, Hitokawa stepped forward. Around the Ghoul's feet lay the bodies of investigators whose breathing had already stopped.
Frowning at the sight, Hitokawa fixed his gaze on the Ghoul.
It was a Ghoul at least a head taller than him. It wore a broad grin, apparently enjoying the sight of tearing investigators apart.
The Ghoul didn't care that the investigators were surrounded. It was simply absorbed in the pleasure of ripping the enemies in front of it to pieces.
When it noticed Hitokawa pushing through the retreating investigators and approaching, it spoke.
"What's this? Another suicide hopeful?"
"I'm not expecting much, but I'll ask anyway. Any chance you'll surrender quietly? At least then you might die more comfortably than being torn apart by the people you've driven insane with rage. Cochlea does offer that kind of service, after all."
"Ha! Now that's a funny investigator. Why would I surrender when there's such an entertaining toy right in front of me!"
Crunch!
The Ghoul slammed its fist down with a force that didn't suit its size, as if it were playing in the dirt. Except the thing on the ground wasn't dirt—it was a fallen investigator.
The investigator, who still seemed to have a faint breath left in him, had his head burst apart under the Ghoul's fist and died on the spot.
"...Haa."
Hitokawa let out a sigh.
The fallen investigator had been badly wounded and probably wouldn't have survived even if he'd been taken to a hospital immediately, but that still didn't make the Ghoul's act of taking his life like a broken toy acceptable.
"There are always a few. Crazy bastards who go around slaughtering people not to survive as Ghouls, but just for fun."
Hitokawa adjusted the metal case in one hand and stepped forward.
"You know a man named Jim Corbett?"
"What?"
The Ghoul frowned at the sudden question.
Hitokawa didn't seem to expect an answer and kept talking as he closed the distance.
"He was a legendary hunter who lived nearly a century ago. Tigers and leopards that had eaten dozens, even hundreds of people met their end at that man's hands."
Step. Step.
"The irony is that he was actually a devoted conservationist. Hunting animals while being a conservationist sounds contradictory at first, but his reason for hunting was genuinely to protect nature. He was stopping other humans from hunting certain carnivores to extinction just because those animals had been indiscriminately eating people."
Step. Step.
The distance kept shrinking. He was already within the Ghoul's attack range, but Hitokawa ignored it and kept walking with complete confidence.
At that provocative behavior, the Ghoul's expression turned vicious.
"If I leave you alone, the hatred born from your precious little 'game' will spread to the entire species of Ghoul. Back in the old days, I wouldn't have cared either way, but these days it's become a little troublesome. There are some people who get in trouble if that kind of indiscriminate hatred starts spreading. So what can I do? After all, we've built up plenty of bad blood and good blood alike, so I guess I should help you out a little."
"What are you trying to say?"
"So..."
Step.
Hitokawa stopped.
The distance between them was absurdly short—close enough to reach with a single outstretched arm. In that instant, with the chance to kill or be killed hanging in the air, Hitokawa looked up at the Ghoul and grinned.
It was a smile steeped in killing intent.
"I'm saying you're going to die here, you son of a bitch."
"You arrogant bastard!!"
The Ghoul unleashed its Kagune and swung it at Hitokawa.
At the same time, the metal case in Hitokawa's hand snapped open, and the Quinque that burst out of it lashed toward the Ghoul at the speed of a beam of light.
BOOOOM!!!!
Somewhere in the vast underground sewer, another blood-soaked battle began, one meant to pile up more corpses.
**
"Mr. Hitokawa! No matter how urgent it is, how can you just leave us behind like that!"
Hoshino shouted while helping the other investigators and thrusting out her spear-like Quinque.
When her Quinque pierced the Ghoul's side, its movements froze for an instant. As if waiting for that moment, the other investigators' Quinque came crashing down and tore the Ghoul apart.
As the Ghoul fell, Hitokawa could be seen fighting beyond it.
Watching him wield a pair of Kagune-made twin blades with complete ease—blades fashioned from the Kagune of the Ghoul called the "Artist," whom he had hunted six years ago—Hoshino let out an admiring breath.
"Wow... Mr. Hitokawa looks like he's really fired up for the first time in ages. That side's fine, so let's help out over here, Arima!"
Hoshino adjusted her Quinque and spoke to Arima, but there was no answer.
She knew he was the quiet type even though they had only met recently, but just as she was about to complain that he could at least answer in situations like this, she turned around.
"...Where did he go?"
Arima, who should have been following behind her, had vanished without a trace.
**
12:30 p.m.
It had been fifteen minutes since Enji and Kaya left, but there was still no sign of them returning.
By now, they should have met up with their subordinates and returned...
Rustle.
Feeling movement right beside me, I turned my head.
Eto, who had been sitting next to me, suddenly stood up. What was this? Did she need to use the bathroom?
"What is it?"
"Someone is coming."
It seemed Eto, with her sharp senses, had picked something up.
At the words "someone is coming," I looked toward the hole in the middle of the wall. Were Enji and Kaya coming back? But if that were the case, she would have just said they were coming; she wouldn't have used the word "someone."
Then what, a Ghoul Investigator? Had they found the passage the two of them had opened before Enji and Kaya returned?
As that ominous thought crossed my mind, I was already rising to my feet and staring down the passage.
"Not that way, Dad."
"What?"
Only then did I look back at Eto and realize she was staring in the exact opposite direction.
It was the route the four of us—me, Eto, Enji, and Kaya—had taken together to infiltrate the 7th Ward. In other words, the direction opposite from where the chaos in Ward 7 should be unfolding.
Someone was coming from a direction completely unrelated to this mess?
My suspicion deepened, and Eto, tense, revealed her Kakugan and stared straight ahead.
There was only darkness there.