In the 11th Ward, the quiet of night was shattered by the screeching of metal grinding against metal and the harrowing screams of human voices.
A brutal massacre was unfolding on the streets, a merciless slaughter.
A group of ghouls wearing red cloaks, members of Aogiri Tree, had surrounded several white-clad Investigators.
Flames surged skyward, blood splattered in all directions and in the blink of an eye, the area was transformed into a living hell.
On a high ledge, Tatara, clad in a white trench coat, looked down coldly at the carnage below. His expression was grim, and his eyes devoid of emotion.
"Yamori is dead in the 20th Ward. That tranny's left the base too," Tatara said lightly, as if stating a trivial fact.
The "tranny" he referred to, Nico, was a member of the Clowns, a mysterious and chaotic organization devoted basically only to madness and mayhem.
Unlike most, Nico was a twisted masochist, infatuated with the sadistic Yamori.
So, when Yamori chose to remain with Aogiri Tree, Nico had followed without hesitation.
But now that Yamori was dead, Nico had no reason or motivation to stay.
Beside Tatara sat a small, bandage-wrapped figure, Yoshimura Eto.
She sat leisurely on the rooftop edge, entirely unconcerned by the intense battle raging below.
Amused, she admired the city's nighttime scenery, a light smile playing on her lips.
"I know," she said cheerfully, her voice clear and melodic. "A rather interesting human has appeared."
"The one who killed Yamori?" Tatara asked.
Eto didn't answer, but her silence was answer enough.
Tatara wasn't surprised by her awareness. He knew well of Eto's cooperative relationship with Arima Kishou, the strongest Investigator of the CCG.
With Arima's access to information, it was no surprise that Eto was aware of things that had barely occurred.
"I see. But at this rate, we're running short on manpower," Tatara remarked, his eyes shifting back to the battlefield where Aogiri ghouls had already "purged" the remaining Investigators.
To him, Aogiri Tree's ghouls were mere pawns for executing the greater plan.
Yamori had only differed from the others in that he had at least a modicum of strength, though he often slacked off and wasn't all that useful anyway.
Eto didn't reply. She simply laughed softly and began swaying along the rooftop's edge with a catlike stride, wobbling as though she might fall at any moment.
"Let's send Ayato to the 20th Ward. He's familiar with that area, isn't he?"
And with that, she suddenly lost balance, and plunged downward.
...
Meanwhile, in the hospital.
"Any trace of that guy who ran away earlier?" Mado Kureo, lying in his hospital bed, asked as he adjusted the bandage wrapped around his head.
Amon Koutarou sat nearby, quietly peeling a bright red apple with a small knife.
Upon hearing the question, he shook his head, replying in a low tone, "Nothing so far. That ghoul likely fled the 20th Ward long ago."
"That last battle destroyed the entire clinic, it's nothing but rubble now. There were no useful clues left behind."
Mado's face revealed clear disappointment.
He raised a hand to cover his forehead and grumbled, "This little injury of mine doesn't even hinder my work! Being stuck in this damned hospital doing nothing is just... slothful!"
Off to the side, Uesugi Ryu stood quietly, gazing out the window.
Outside, the sky was overcast, and fine rain fell like threads of silk.
His left hand was wrapped in a thick cast and hung in a sling around his neck.
"Best take it easy, Mado-san. The doctors won't let you out," Uesugi Ryu said blandly as he took a bite of his apple while still clad in patient attire.
The CCG treated its Investigators quite well, those who were injured received private hospital rooms and exclusive care teams.
In reality, Uesugi Ryu's injuries had already healed.
After the doctor reset the bones, he activated the healing ability of the ring he wore on his finger.
In less than two hours, he was basically recovered.
But to avoid suspicion, he kept up the appearance of being severely wounded.
Besides, the hospital had good food, nurses to take care of him, and he had no desire to return to his lonely, cold and empty apartment.
That said, the blood draw during his physical exam had made him anxious.
His body carried a large reserve of mana. He didn't know if that might cause his RC cell count to register abnormally.
He'd passed through an RC sensor gate before without issue, but he had been cautious this time, transferring most of his mana into the ring beforehand.
"Jason obviously only showed up in the 20th Ward recently. He had contact with the Binge Eater, which means there might be some organization backing him," Uesugi Ryu continued.
"In my view, they won't give up their goal so easily. The next one who comes will probably be even more dangerous. You're not in any condition to fight."
"You're right," Mado Kureo replied. "That's what my intuition is telling me too. If just one member had such strength, then the organization behind him is probably linked to the uprising in the 11th Ward."
And such a group could only be led by someone like the One-Eyed Owl, an SSS-rated ghoul.
Thinking of this, Mado couldn't help but feel excited.
Any ghoul capable of commanding such strength must be a true monster.
He gave up on the idea of being discharged, for now.
Just then, a knock came at the door.
"Ah, come in!" Mado called loudly.
The door opened and in walked Mado Akira, carrying a small box in her hand.
"Father, how are you feeling?"
Perhaps because she was visiting her father, Akira wasn't wearing her usual professional attire.
Instead, she had on a cream-colored trench coat.
"Ah, nothing serious anymore. Akira, this is Amon Koutarou, and that's Uesugi Ryu. You've met before, haven't you?" Mado said, smiling with surprising gentleness.
Akira nodded briefly to both men.
Her gaze didn't linger long, but Amon still felt a pang of guilt.
After all, of the three who had gone into battle, only he had come out completely unscathed.
"I was completely useless... I couldn't even help a little," he thought bitterly, clenching the fruit knife in his hand.
"You're impressive, Second-Class Uesugi," Akira said, her lips curling into a faint smile.
"I didn't comment on your Quinque before, but now that I've seen its results, it's definitely an exceptional piece of work."
After Jason's kakuja transformation was confirmed, the CCG officially rated him as an SS-class Ghoul.
Naturally, Uesugi Ryu, who had successfully eliminated him, became the subject of widespread acclaim.
Word of the feat had already spread throughout the CCG.
Even many First-Class and Associate Special-Class Investigators had never taken down a ghoul of that level before.