A sharp "bang" suddenly shattered the silence, two panes of glass exploded at once, sending countless shards scattering like rain.
Amid the chaos, a figure in a white lab coat was violently flung backward, a yellow-and-red spiked kagune bursting out behind him.
The man struck down was none other than Dr. Fueguchi.
Though not skilled in combat, his kagune was of high quality. Knowing full well his acting wouldn't fool anyone, he had already been bracing for Yamori's ambush.
Just arriving at the scene, Mado Kureo's lips curled upward in mockery.
"Yare yare... The trash is fighting amongst themselves already."
At the same moment, the towering figure of Jason slowly emerged from the dilapidated tin building.
His brows were furrowed tight, rage twisting his face as he glared at Dr. Fueguchi.
"You bastard! You dare betray me?!"
Upon spotting Mado's group, Yamori glanced at his watch, then sneered.
"I'll deal with you later. Playing with your whole family will last me days!"
But Dr. Fueguchi no longer had the courage to respond. All he wanted was to get away from this place as fast as possible. Stumbling, crawling, he fled with all the desperation he could muster.
Seeing this, Amon Koutarou instinctively moved to intercept him, but was quickly stopped by Mado's hand.
"Let him go, Amon. He's just a minor character."
Amon nodded silently, understanding.
Meanwhile, Uesugi Ryu's sharp gaze locked onto Yamori. He pressed a button on his suitcase, a dark blue long-bladed sword sprung forth into his hand.
He channeled mana through his body, and crimson energy wrapped around the blade.
Most Quinques naturally glowed red, so Mado and Amon wouldn't think much of it. Besides, they didn't know the true capabilities of this weapon.
Taking a deep breath, Uesugi's body leaned forward slightly, and then exploded forward, legs driving off the ground with a muffled boom.
His body surged like an arrow released from a bowstring, blade howling as it tore through the air.
The dozens of meters between them vanished in a blink.
His sword slashed diagonally toward Yamori's face.
"So fast!" Yamori was shocked. He never imagined that a human investigator could reach such speed.
There was no time to deploy his kagune, he raised his signature clamp in desperation.
Clang!
Sparks burst in all directions.
The clamp was sent flying, and his index finger was neatly severed as blood spurted in a fine arc.
Having just replaced his clamp, Yamori's mood instantly imploded. With Dr. Fueguchi gone, no one was left to craft him another.
No time to wallow.. A burning pain swept over him. Then, something strange happened, he felt his own blood actively resist healing.
The kind of wound he could usually regenerate in an instant... now refused to close.
His face twisted, demon-like, with fury.
Ever since escaping that place, no one had made him feel pain like this again.
He let out a guttural growl, and from his back, a dark-purple kagune lashed forward toward Uesugi Ryu's abdomen.
But just as Yamori struck, Mado and Amon simultaneously launched a coordinated attack.
Seeing them charge in unison, Yamori's expression darkened.
He hastily recalled his kagune to block, forming a thick barrier in front of him.
A massive iron rod and a long green blade slammed down upon it.
The combined force knocked him backward, his body skidding several meters before finally stopping amid clouds of dust.
His brows knit together tightly, he was starting to reconsider the situation.
Uesugi Ryu gave off an unusual vibe. Whether it was his shocking speed or the blade in his hand, something didn't feel right.
Just as Yamori prepared to flee, Uesugi Ryu didn't let up. Without hesitation, he rushed forward, slashing again.
Unable to escape cleanly, Yamori sent his kagune sweeping toward Uesugi Ryu with brutal force.
Ryu's face remained calm while the blade in his hand gleamed even brighter with a blood-red energy.
He raised it high and struck down.
Slash!
In a flash, Yamori's kagune was cut cleanly.
Yamori stared in disbelief.
He tried to regenerate the severed kagune with his RC cells, but the regeneration was painfully slow.
The same stabbing agony surged again, finally pushing him over the edge.
"You bastard!!!"
With a violent twist, he snapped his already-maimed index finger into a grotesque angle.
From his back, torrents of crimson kagune erupted, quickly wrapping around one of his arms and half of his face.
Yamori had entered his half-kakuja form.
His eyes grew wild. His mind, unhinged.
"Kill you! I'll KILL you!!"
His kagune swelled, forming massive arm-like appendages.
Dropping to all fours, he let out a bestial snarl.
Mado's face shifted slightly.
He hadn't expected their target to be hiding a half-kakuja form.
A ghoul capable of this transformation was unquestionably of SS-rated level, and would normally require a Special-Class Investigator just to hold at bay.
"Be careful!" Mado shouted. "He's a half-kakuja with multiple kakuhou! We can't kill something like this, just stall him if you can!"
Uesugi Ryu nodded.
He glanced down at his Quinque, brows furrowed.
Even earlier, when cutting Yamori's kagune, he had felt the strain.
This A-rank Quinque, while powerful, had its limits.
If it struggled just to cut a standard rinkaku-type kagune, then trying to sever a half-kakuja's densely reinforced version would be nearly impossible.
Amon swallowed hard, sweat beading down his forehead. He looked at the heavy blade in his hands, frustration etched on his face.
It was both too slow and too heavy.
He couldn't keep up with Yamori at all.
Uesugi Ryu, however, let out a faint smile, eyes burning with unshakable fighting spirit.
The real boss battle was about to enter Phase Two.