BOOM!
The helicopter's transforming parts exploded outward, sending Amase Kazuna flying through the air.
Even an elite from the White Room couldn't do anything but scramble desperately when faced with a mechanical titan standing over ten meters tall.
Blackout didn't even glance at her. The moment it came back online, it swept a burst of fire across everything nearby with casual indifference.
Amase Kazuna had been counting on slipping away unnoticed while Blackout was still disoriented — but the instant she saw it raise its gun, she knew her cover was blown.
She threw herself sideways, scrambling behind the face of a nearby shipping container, and flung herself over the edge.
But a shipping container isn't a concrete wall. Machine gun rounds punched through the sheet metal like it was paper.
Even with her superhuman reflexes, Amase Kazuna's arm was shot clean off. She was in bad shape.
Fortunately, the adrenaline flooding her system kept her moving. She launched herself frantically from container to container, dodging and weaving without pause.
Blackout, for its part, didn't seem particularly interested in chasing the little mouse that had scurried away from its feet.
After all — as Megatron's most loyal lieutenant — it had a mission far more important than hunting humans.
"Vmmm... rrrrr..."
Its mouth armor opened and closed, emitting a low, grinding mechanical growl as it attempted to reach out on Decepticon channels to the others nearby.
The connection came through quickly: Barricade, and the signals of several mass-produced Decepticon grunts.
But the result brought Blackout no comfort.
It had come to Earth for one reason — to locate the missing Lord Megatron and the great AllSpark.
According to the original plan, right now it should have been descending on the U.S. forward operating base in Qatar, hacking military networks to extract classified intelligence.
But in some fraction of a second — a gap in its memory core — when its logic modules came back online, it found itself standing in a Japanese port, thousands of kilometers from its target.
What unsettled Blackout even more was how few Decepticons it could reach. Beyond Barricade, there were only a handful of grunts.
That was a smaller force than even the ragtag Autobot rabble!
When did the mighty Decepticon army fall this low?!
Instinctive caution drove Blackout to a snap decision.
Through a high-frequency digital pulse, it broadcast a single command in Cybertronian to the surrounding area:
[DECEPTICONS — CONVERGE!]
---
Not far from the center of the port, in a maze of stacked shipping containers.
When the electronic announcement suddenly rang out from somewhere overhead — "Class B point total increased by 3,000" — Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stopped walking.
Based on the deployment Kanzaki Ryuuji had outlined earlier, he knew perfectly well: the only person from Class B operating out in the open was that transfer student, Amase Kazuna.
Honestly, Ayanokoji didn't get it.
That woman was White Room-trained. Even if she was from a different cohort — a defective one — how could she fail to read the room this badly?
With the situation still completely unclear, what was the point of touching the highest-scoring item — the one marked "unknown"? What was she after?
Did she actually think a temporary point lead was enough to guarantee Class B's victory in a life-or-death game like this?
Ayanokoji didn't know what was going on inside Amase Kazuna's head.
But the deed was done, and the exam had come early. Agonizing over it wasn't going to help anyone.
The more pressing problem — and the only realistic one — was how to stay alive in a situation that had completely spun out of control.
"Since the official exam has already started early, let's stop trying to rack up points for now," Ayanokoji said, scanning the mix of Class D and Class B students around him with calm eyes. "Don't go wandering off either. Hold position and figure out what we're dealing with."
Kanzaki Ryuuji's brow furrowed. He gave a tight nod.
"Right. Ichinose and the others have Black Sphere weapons — they can track us on radar. The farther we spread out, the harder it'll be to link back up. We'd just be burning time."
Koenji Rokusuke stroked his chin.
He found Amase Kazuna's chaos-inducing move just as baffling as anyone. But Koenji — for all his towering ego — wasn't the type to curse the sky every time things went sideways.
After a brief silence, he accepted the situation and moved on.
"We still have no intel on whatever monsters this exam's thrown at us — and those of us who got dragged in have nothing resembling proper weapons."
"For self-preservation purposes, it seems we'll have to make use of... whatever is available."
Matsushita Chiaki caught on immediately — sharp as always — her gaze dropping to the metal wristbands everyone was wearing.
"You mean..."
"Heh. Didn't think Class D had any clever ones besides Ayanokoji-boy." Koenji gave a satisfied smile.
"Exactly what you're thinking, Girl. According to the Preliminary Test rules: any wristband that's had its score changed — if it's used in a duel again without going back to base to unlock it — delivers a high-voltage electric shock."
"So right now, with nothing else in our hands, this is the only thing we have to defend ourselves with."
Matsushita Chiaki listened, then added thoughtfully:
"We're not expecting it to actually hurt the monsters in any meaningful way... Just — when they come at us, we can hit back. Enough to show them we're not completely defenseless prey. Is that the idea?"
"Given the circumstances, let's do it. There's no time to play class-politics games with the points right now."
Kanzaki Ryuuji was nothing if not decisive. He extended his wristband-bearing arm without another word.
Hirata Yousuke moved to follow suit — but he'd barely taken a step when he froze, his expression shifting, and pointed upward.
"Wait... does anyone else hear something weird?"
Everyone went silent at once, holding their breath.
Through the howl of the sea wind, something else bled through — a deep, rolling engine rumble, and beneath it... the violent, air-splitting crack of enormous rotor blades spinning at high speed.
Ayanokoji pressed himself flat to the ground, ear against the surface.
He could hear it more clearly than the others.
Beneath the rotors — the unmistakable thunder of a heavy machine gun.
Without hesitating, he got up and moved in the opposite direction of the sound.
As he walked, he explained quietly.
"Whatever's out there is packing heavy firepower."
"But if we just wander off, won't it be easy to miss Chris and the others?" Hirata Yousuke worried aloud.
"My life's probably a bit more important than that." Kanzaki Ryuuji quipped, already falling into step behind Ayanokoji.
"Find somewhere to hide and don't do anything stupid. That's the best help we can offer them." Koenji Rokusuke agreed, following along.
Incidentally — while he hadn't pressed his ear to the ground the way Ayanokoji had to pick up the gunfire — a drift of wind had carried something else to him.
A woman's perfume.
Similar to one of the two distinct scents he'd caught when he first encountered Amase Kazuna — though different from what he'd smelled back in the plaza at the start.
That was his particular gift.
Perhaps it was partly that scent that had drawn him toward Amase Kazuna earlier.
If it's a ghost, following it along the way might at least save some trouble.
---
On the other side of the port.
On the Y-GUN's stock radar screen, the green dots representing Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's group were moving steadily away from the red dots marking the Decepticons.
Ryuuen Kakeru stopped in his tracks.
"The people in those two classes are pretty sharp. In that case, we don't need to go looking for them."
He turned and looked at Katsuragi Kohei and Kaneda Satoru.
"I've already briefed you on the objectives for this run. I trust you both know how to stay out of trouble?"
Katsuragi Kohei nodded. "These Decepticons are actually better than the Parasytes we ran into before — the ones that attacked everything on sight. Earlier, a whole group flew right over our heads and didn't give us a second look. Went fairly smoothly."
"Smoothly isn't the word I'd use." Kaneda Satoru's expression darkened. "Those Decepticons just flat-out didn't consider us a threat. At all."
"I went back to check the spot where I first found the item — one of them, a Ford Mustang, came charging straight at me. Nearly ran me over. Didn't treat us like people at all."
Chris nodded in agreement. "Once they figure out we're here to hunt them, I doubt they'll keep ignoring us."
Ryuuen let out a cold laugh and added: "And there's still the hidden monster that hasn't shown its face. This one's going to be a pain."
In the group, Class B's Amikura Mako clutched her Y-GUN and offered tentatively:
"Except for Ichinose with the combat knife and Chris... everyone else has a Y-GUN. So — couldn't we use the laser rope to bind them first, then use the teleport function to send them away?"
"The problem is getting close enough."
Class C's strategist, Kaneda Satoru, adjusted his glasses, his voice grave:
"When they first woke up, they didn't try to clean up any witnesses. Instead, they moved immediately — like they'd received some kind of signal — and assembled in formation."
"They're clearly operating as a coordinated unit. Highly disciplined."
Chris thought it over, then spoke:
"They're military hardware turned robots — guns and missiles are part of the package."
"In a war of attrition, our bodies won't hold up — not without Combat Suits to absorb the punishment. So our only play is to use the Y-GUN's binding ability and the Black Sphere blade's armor-piercing edge to end this fast. Speed over endurance."
Horikita Suzune gripped her Y-GUN tightly, nodding in agreement.
"There's no other way. Once we link up with the rest of the group, we can work out a detailed battle plan."
Ichinose Honami looked around and sighed softly:
"There are still some classmates scattered farther out... I just hope Sakayanagi-san's group can find them quickly."
"Don't worry about that." Ryuuen Kakeru waved it off.
"Until Sakayanagi Arisu actually chooses to show how dangerous she is, there's no need to worry about their safety. Even if the sky falls, that woman will be standing underneath someone tall enough to hold it up."
Chris nodded, then took out the X-GUN Sakayanagi had pressed into his hands before they split up, and handed it to Katsuragi Kohei.
"You know how it works. Take it and go find Ayanokoji's group — avoid the risky zones."
Ichinose Honami followed up: "Mako, go with them. It's too dangerous over here."
Amikura Mako pressed her lips together, then held out her Y-GUN to Ichinose Honami.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Ichinose — I won't drag you down. You all have to come back in one piece!"
Seeing the group about to get bogged down in drawn-out farewells, Ryuuen Kakeru's brow creased with impatience.
"Alright, everyone. Time to get to work."
Horikita Suzune took the cue and began organizing the formation:
"Ryuuen, Yamada, myself, and Amikura Mako — that's four Y-GUNs between us."
"With laser ropes that have zero delay, we should be able to bind four Decepticons by surprise without much trouble."
"But... that still leaves two we'll have to face head-on."
"Right — the helicopter can't be left in the air. We have no anti-air capability."
Ichinose Honami tightened her grip on her weapon and stepped forward.
"Leave those two big ones to us!"
"Right now, only Chris in his Combat Suit and I have any real chance of staying mobile enough to hold them off. As long as we can buy you enough time to get a Y-GUN lock and teleport, we should be fine."
At that, Yamada Albert — who rarely said much of anything — finally spoke up:
"Honestly... I'm more worried about that last hidden monster."
"If it's possible — let's just send the Decepticons away, clear the exam, and call it done. No going out of our way to pick a fight with the hidden one."
Big as he was, Yamada Albert had a careful, precise mind:
"There are a lot of people who got caught up in this. If we can clear it safely and pool enough points to buy everyone a Combat Suit — protecting lives has to come first."
He glanced at Ryuuen Kakeru as he finished. The message was clear: quit while we're ahead.
And for once — surprisingly — Ryuuen didn't push back.
If they could play it safe, of course he'd rather do that.
A Combat Suit was the only thing that gave you a genuine second life inside this godforsaken Black Sphere space.
Without one, the difference between a group armed with Black Sphere weapons and Ayanokoji's group with nothing... was honestly not that wide. Taking on monsters was just trading lives for points.
"Hold on — don't make any decisions just yet."
Just as the group was about to split up, Katsuragi Kohei raised a thought.
"Based on the patterns you've worked out from past exams... the hidden monster usually appears near the last remaining mission target, right?"
"Maybe we can use that."
Ryuuen raised an eyebrow and caught on instantly. "Interesting. Use one tiger to devour another? Worth a shot."
Chris stood to the side, a quiet surge of delight rising in him at the audacity of the idea.
Use one tiger to devour another? Bold.
And honestly? The odds of pulling it off aren't bad.
After all, the Decepticons were no joke in terms of firepower.
Infrared thermography. X-ray vision. Life-energy scanning. Full-spectrum detection across the board.
Under that kind of omnidirectional surveillance, the moment they detected two species with radically different biosignatures — humans and Ghouls —
Compared to fragile humans, a high-order lifeform brimming with active Rc Cells like a Ghoul would obviously register as the bigger threat.
The only problem was that Gecko — an S-rank Half-Kakuja Ghoul at the absolute peak — was terrifyingly resilient, but up against the Decepticon squad's heavy firepower, he'd probably be nothing more than a slightly chewier snack.
Then again, Blackout was widely considered one of the best-performing Transformers in the entire film franchise.
But... if Gecko got pushed into a corner and went fully berserk, that was a show worth watching.
Right — the hidden boss he'd set up this time was, once again, a Ghoul.
He'd originally planned to slot Yamori Kou in as Ayanokoji's nemesis — a natural rival matchup.
But considering an A-rank Ghoul probably couldn't even scratch Barricade's paintwork, it made for a pretty embarrassing final boss.
So Chris had waved his hand and swapped in an S-rank Ghoul instead — Gecko — the one known as Oomori Yakumo.
The Decepticon squad firing on all cylinders. A berserk S-rank Ghoul.
That combination was going to bring him unlimited surprises.
— End of Chapter —
---
Transformers Character Notes — BLACKOUT
Note ① — Blackout: Originally designed to combine with a partner to form a B-1B Lancer jet bomber. In the film adaptation, redesigned as an active-duty armed helicopter. New abilities include an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapon system capable of disabling electronic equipment to support strategic strike missions. Rotor blades transform into melee weapons. The interior houses a cage containing Scorponok.
---
Transformers Character Notes — BARRICADE
The Decepticon Who Knows How to Survive
Note ② — Barricade: Extremely agile, specializes in close-quarters combat, and comes with a partner drone called "Frenzy." Originally killed off in Transformers 3, he was brought back due to fan popularity — a true master of cheating death.
Note ③ — Decepticon Grunts: The native Decepticons from the films — cannon fodder, limited in ability, essentially background decoration. Skipped accordingly.
---
Tokyo Ghoul Character Notes
Note ④ — Oomori Yakumo: Codename "Gecko." A powerful S-rank Ghoul and Half-Kakuja, an absolute heavy-hitter within the Aogiri Tree organization. Due to his past experiences, he has severe sadistic tendencies — he prefers torture and killing for sport over simple feeding. Designated by the CCG as "Jason."
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