Yomo Renji ran while holding Kamishiro Rize's corpse in his arms. He had failed to save her alive, so bringing her body out was the only way to offer some form of closure.
As for Kamishiro Matasaka's life or death, he held no hope. Uesugi Ryu was far stronger than last time, in both speed and strength.
Kamishiro Matasaka would definitely seek revenge for his daughter, and there was no way that conflict would end in anything but death.
Facing Uesugi Ryu, Kamishiro Matasaka had no chance of winning.
"Are you okay, Touka-chan?" Kaneki Ken asked, cradling Kirishima Touka in his arms, concern clear in his tone.
Touka nodded slightly to show that she was fine. Her expression, however, was complicated. Uesugi Ryu's bizarre speed was astonishing, almost like teleportation.
Yomo Renji had not mentioned the time he was injured by Uesugi Ryu to Touka before. She had no clear understanding of Uesugi Ryu's true strength.
This was her first time witnessing him in action.
"I'm fine... Is that guy really that strong? Where did he even come from?"
Kaneki didn't respond, only casting a faint glance at Kamishiro Rize, who was now wrapped in a dark gray coat.
Her once-lustrous purple hair had lost its shine, covering her twisted, ghastly face.
After leaving Yasuhisa Nanao's villa, Kaneki suddenly stopped walking and looked down at the Touka in his arms.
"Touka-chan, I'm sorry. Can you walk by yourself now?"
"You should return with Yomo-san first. I still have something to take care of."
Yomo Renji didn't ask any questions. He simply nodded silently.
Kirishima Touka bit her lip and grabbed Kaneki by the collar, her expression darkening. "What are you going to do?"
Surprised by the sudden question, Kaneki paused, but soon returned to calm.
He gently held Touka's hand that was gripping his shirt and said softly, "It's okay, Touka-chan. I'll be back soon."
Touka reluctantly let go of his collar.
At that moment, Banjou Suichirou stepped up beside Kaneki, his gaze firm. "Kaneki-san, let me go with you!"
Kaneki gently set Touka down and, after a moment's thought, agreed to Banjou's request. Together, they turned and returned to Yasuhisa Nanao's villa.
Inside the research facility, a suffocating silence hung in the air.
In a dim corner, Yasuhisa Nashiro clutched Yasuhisa Kurona tightly like a frightened fawn.
Her once delicate face was soaked with tears, tear tracks crisscrossing messily as she stared blankly into space.
Kano Akihiro had left in a hurry and couldn't be bothered to deal with the Yasuhisa sisters.
Seeing that Kurona was gravely wounded, he had simply abandoned them.
Nashiro looked down at her sister's barely breathing form, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Until now, Kurona had always been the one to take the lead between the two of them.
But now, facing a life-or-death crisis, it was Nashiro who had to make decisions, and she had no idea what to do.
"I already injected the RC activator... but it's not working... what am I supposed to do...?"
A rush of footsteps suddenly echoed through the lab. Nashiro snapped back to reality and, still holding Kurona, prepared to flee.
But a black figure flashed past, Kaneki stepped into their path.
He looked at the gravely wounded Kurona in Nashiro's arms and frowned. "Wait. I might be able to save her."
Nashiro hesitated. Just then, Kurona let out a few coughs. The jolt had woken her.
She slowly opened her eyes and let out a soft groan.
Only now did Kurona understand what Uesugi Ryu meant when he said "just wait and see." Her eyes were filled with hatred.
If she still didn't get it now, then she really was a fool.
So-called "love" was fake. From beginning to end, the two of them had only ever been tools.
Seeing that Kaneki had no ill intentions, Nashiro finally relaxed and nodded lightly. "I'll leave her to you, Nii-san."
Kaneki took out something that Uesugi Ryu had given him. A rich, appetizing aroma wafted from it.
Nashiro froze for a moment upon seeing what Kaneki was holding. But she didn't question it. She accepted it and gently fed it to Kurona.
After eating it, Kurona's complexion visibly improved.
But the Quinque was still embedded in her lower back. Nashiro didn't dare pull it out recklessly for fear of causing massive bleeding.
Seeing Kurona's improved condition, Kaneki finally let out a quiet breath.
At that moment, Banjou and the others also arrived. Looking at the scene before them, Banjou was visibly shocked.
He didn't understand why Kaneki was helping these two. They had just been enemies a moment ago.
"Kaneki-san?"
Kaneki shook his head and didn't offer any explanation. Once Kurona's condition had stabilized a little, he took the Yasuhisa sisters and left the lab.
...
11th Ward, CCG Branch
Blistering waves of heat distorted the air, blue flames spreading throughout the building. Corpses lay charred and broken across the scene, both ghouls and investigators.
After the Cochlea riot, many high-ranking ghouls had escaped. The investigators originally stationed in the 11th Ward to mop up remnants of Aogiri Tree had been reassigned elsewhere. The defense force was thin.
After lying low for a month, Aogiri Tree had finally launched a counterattack. Led by Tatara, a large number of ghouls stormed the CCG branch in the 11th Ward.
By now the battle had ended. Fire trucks worked to suppress the fires left behind by Tatara.
"Wow... he can breathe fire? That's amazing~" Suzuya Juuzou exclaimed, eyes wide with admiration.
His left arm, once fair and smooth, was now moderately burned. From shoulder to elbow, red, swollen blisters had formed. His white hair had been scorched by the flames, turning yellow and clumped together.
Nearby, medical personnel were carefully treating his wounds. With scissors, they slowly cut away his clothing where it had fused with skin, moving gently so as not to cause more pain.
Despite the burns, Suzuya Juuzou kept smiling cheerfully, as if he weren't the one injured.
As his clothes were gradually removed, his frail, bony figure was fully exposed to the air.
Standing nearby, Shinohara Yukinori watched Suzuya Juuzou's injuries, his face filled with deep guilt. His brows furrowed tightly, lips trembling.
"Juuzou... I'm sorry. It's my fault. All my fault!"
The 11th Ward's combat strength had been limited. To protect the junior investigators, Shinohara, as the field commander, had to send the other first-class and quasi-special investigators elsewhere.
It was the only choice. If reinforcements didn't arrive in time and all the investigators were wiped out, even preserving the top-tier forces would be meaningless.
That left Tatara to be dealt with by Shinohara and Suzuya Juuzou.
Among those present, Juuzou was the strongest. Shinohara, without his new equipment, wasn't his match.
It was unfair to Juuzou. After all, he was only a Second-Class Investigator.
Tatara, a Koukaku-type in complete form, was extremely powerful. Combined with Juuzou's overly aggressive fighting style, it had resulted in severe burns.
Seeing Shinohara on the verge of tears from guilt, Juuzou looked puzzled.
It clearly wasn't Shinohara's fault, he had just gotten too excited. So why was he crying?
Looking up at Shinohara, Juuzou gave him a big smile.
"It's okay, Shinohara-san. It doesn't hurt~"
He glanced at the burn on his arm and added, thoughtfully, "It won't leave a scar, right? That would be kinda ugly~"
Shinohara quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand. The usually calm and composed man now looked like a child who'd made a mistake.
As a commander, even when making the right choices, seeing Juuzou wounded filled him with guilt and regret.
No matter which side he chose, it always hurt. That was why Shinohara rarely took on command roles.
Elsewhere, investigators like Houji Kosuke and Mado Akira, who had pursued Aogiri remnants, had already returned.
Even with Suzuya Juuzou and Shinohara on-site, and several First-Class Investigators supporting them, the 11th Ward branch had still suffered heavy casualties.
Compared to ghouls, humans were terribly weak.
Tatara had come purely for revenge, to kill.
The flames had consumed most of the junior investigators. Only the stronger senior ones had survived.
The red-blue flames still raged atop the building, their reflection shining in Houji Kosuke's eyes. His expression was grave.
Everyone there wore the same heavy expression.
Back-to-back defeats had shattered their morale. The victories of the Aogiri Tree Suppression and Cochlea Defense were now scorched to ashes by this blaze.