Mado Kureo swiftly opened another suitcase.
What appeared next was a rifle-style Quinque.
He handed the long green-bladed Quinque in his hands to Amon Koutarou.
"Amon, you take this one."
"That bastard's a power type. Be careful, one hit and you're dead. Sorry..."
His voice was low and raspy, and his face was more serious than ever.
Close-quarters combat against a ghoul of this level was practically a death sentence, especially for a First-Class Investigator like Amon.
In this kind of battle, an Ukaku-type Quinque offered the best supportive fire, and that role could only be trusted to Mado himself, the most experienced of the three.
Amon nodded heavily. He knew he wasn't adept at using Ukaku weapons, so if he took it, he'd only hold everyone back.
"Got it," he said solemnly.
From the moment he decided to become an Investigator, he had accepted the possibility of death.
Yamori, Gecko, let out a mad cackle and thundered forward, feet slamming into the ground as his massive kagune-arm swung toward Uesugi Ryu.
The force of the blow sent a violent gust of wind screaming toward him.
Uesugi Ryu sidestepped with a leap, narrowly avoiding the attack by a hair's breadth.
Meanwhile, Mado darted across the battlefield, firing a rain of bright yellow crystalline projectiles from his Quinque. They shot forth like a hailstorm, pelting Yamori's body.
But Yamori was already consumed by rage. Rationality had long since vanished from his bloodshot eyes.
The yellow projectiles struck their target, slowing him slightly, but not enough to halt the advance.
Amon lingered near the edge of the battlefield, eyes locked on the chaotic melee, constantly repositioning himself and preparing for the right moment to dive in and strike.
Yamori didn't care. He roared like a beast, wildly swinging his grotesque kagune-arm, launching barrage after barrage at Uesugi Ryu.
Their fierce exchange shook the ground beneath them. Cracks split across the dirt, sending debris flying in every direction, kicking up dense clouds of dust.
Uesugi Ryu's blade slashed repeatedly, opening small wounds across Yamori's body, splattering him with blood until the ghoul looked like a man drenched in gore.
The debris burst from the ground like bullets, making it impossible for others to get close.
Then, Uesugi Ryu stepped on a loose slab of stone.
Crack.
His foot slipped, and his balance broke instantly.
Quickly, he brought his blade up to block the inevitable attack.
Yamori's kagune smashed down onto the blade.
A massive shockwave slammed through Uesugi Ryu's arms and hurled him backward. He flew several meters and crashed to the ground.
Pain seared through his palms as his wrists and forearms trembled violently.
Though his physical stats were excellent, he was still slightly inferior to Yamori in raw strength.
The impact just now had been monstrous, his arms now felt as if they'd been pierced by a thousand needles.
At that moment, Yamori's furious gaze snapped toward Mado Kureo, who had been constantly harassing him from a distance.
Bleeding heavily and growing weaker, Yamori's eyes flared with killing intent.
His kagune suddenly lashed out, twisting like a giant serpent, it coiled around a nearby abandoned compact car, lifted it into the air, and hurled it at Mado with full force.
The spinning metal screamed as it tore through the air.
Mado immediately noticed and without hesitation, dashed toward a nearby tin shack.
Survival first, damage output second. If that thing hit him, it wouldn't just leave bruises.
BOOM!
The shack exploded into scrap.
The entire structure looked like it had taken a direct missile hit. The center caved in instantly, walls split open, and the corrugated roof collapsed in sheets.
"Mado-san!" Amon cried out, panic filling his face as he peered toward the destroyed structure.
Uesugi Ryu's eyes went cold, while the dust cloud still lingered, he made his move.
Suddenly, two identical clones materialized beside him.
Three Uesugi Ryu's now stood shoulder to shoulder.
In perfect synchronization, they slashed their glowing blades toward Yamori.
Blades sang through the air, gleaming coldly.
Yamori blinked.
What the hell?
His face froze, disbelief warping his expression.
He twitched his nose, trying to sniff out the real one, but all three had the same exact scent. He couldn't tell which was real.
No time to think.
If he couldn't tell, he'd kill all of them!
He dropped low, swinging his massive kagune in a circle, forming an airtight defensive ring around himself.
The three figures vanished instantly, but the weird sensation from his kagune sent a wave of unease through him.
He looked around wildly and suddenly, a deep shadow loomed over him.
Instinctively, he looked up.
"Hello there."
Uesugi Ryu was in midair, holding that monstrous shotgun-shaped Quinque, The Destroyer, in both hands.
A smile crept across his lips.
BOOM!
With the pull of the trigger, the barrel exploded with light.
A crimson-and-black shotgun blast erupted, its concussive force rippling outward in a wide circular shockwave.
Yamori's kagune shattered instantly, exploding like crimson fireworks.
The slug continued on, slamming into his torso as the impact vaporized most of his chest and one arm into a bloody pulp.
The stench of blood filled the air.
The weapon's terrifying recoil hurled Uesugi Ryu backward. A wave of blood splattered across his formerly white investigator's coat.
Yamori didn't even have time to scream as his body, crushed by the impact, was embedded into the ground, limbs twitching.
Uesugi Ryu hit the ground hard, he obviously didn't speak.
Expressionless, he tossed The Destroyer aside like junk.
His left arm hung limp at his side.
The recoil had dislocated his shoulder.
A flash of silver glinted in the dust as Sakikage reappeared in his hand.