The army, both ghoul investors and soldiers alike, were in a wild frenzy, cheering for their victory in the Owl Suppression Operation...
They threw their guns in the air, and hugged each other as the remaining ghouls of Devil Ape and Black Dog scurried away towards the underground tunnel...
Except for one woman...
Akira Mado...
Suddenly, the sky was engulphed by purple. As all the soldiers gasped and looked up, they saw hundreds of purple capes floating down from the top of the buildings towards the ground.
"A-Aogiri!" Someone shouted in alert.
Instantly, all the soldiers pointed their guns towards the sky, and began shooting franticly.
Although thousands of bullet shot through the air, none of the Aogiri ghouls seemed to be effected, as they gracefully floated in different directions, and landed on the ground.
Screams were heard and blood was coughed out as Aogiri members began mass killing the soldiers with their kagunes.
"Reform formation!" The Squad commander yelled into his speaker, and the hectic soldiers began reforming their formation.
Despite that, the Aogiri members swiftly came from different directions, and started a bloodbath among the army.
Leading the massacre was Ayato Kirishima.
"First class investor Mado, provide backup for the 4th division." Mado heard Marude speak into her walkie talkie.
"Mado! I'll take it from here. You go assist investor Amon and the 4th division." Seidou ran up to her, and pointed his quinque gun towards the mass of Aogiri ghouls.
"But..."
"Superior's orders, right?" Seidou interrupted.
Hesitating for a moment, Mado nodded and sped off towards the fourth division.
Kaneki felt the large organic creature surround him and Eto once again, just like the time that she rescued him from Yamori, and fly into the air as Eto hugged him tight.
Once they burst through the building from the roof, Kaneki gazed outside from the eye of the owl.
He gasped as he saw the Aogiri slaughtering the soldiers.
"Ah... it seems like we have received some backup." Eto said playfully as she surveyed the scene from the top.
They soon left the crowded area, and flew towards the base in 11th ward.
Suddenly, something caught Kaneki's eyes.
A moving, purple shape.
Kaneki's mouth opened wide as he focused on the figure.
"Eto, drop me off for a moment." Kaneki hurriedly said.
"Hmm... what do you need?" Eto inquired, but released an "ahh" as she followed Kaneki's gaze towards the raven-haired girl.
Kaneki felt himself leave the organic creature as he fell from the sky and landed on a rooftop.
He watched the girl run desperately down the street, surrounded by flames. She looked like she was out of breath. Following her route, Kaneki saw a familiar building down the road that she was running. He saw Anteiku, which was burning down from the fire.
Then, something moved from the corner of his eyes. The top of a building was about to fall down, directly onto the place that Touka was running towards.
Touka didn't stop running, as if her mind was so dizzied that she didn't notice anything around her.
Her legs felt numb as she saw the burning Anteiku ahead.
Although she knew no one was in there, she felt the need to see it once more, close up, before leaving her home forever.
However, she heard a strange sound coming from the top of her head. She looked up, and saw a huge part of a building collapsing onto her.
Her eyes stared in terror.
Opening her eyes slowly, Touka vaguely made out the burning street around her.
Then, she looked up, and stared into Kaneki's calm face.
With her eyes finally opened, she stared in awe at Kaneki's figure above her.
She felt arms on her back and legs. She realized that Kaneki was holding her like a marriage, where the bride is held lying on top of the groom's arms. With a small blush, Touka looked towards the collapse of the building, which stood not a few feet away from her. He saved me...
Kaneki dropped her down gently.
Touka smiled a little as she felt the familiar touch of Kaneki. Although everything was lost, there was still someone beside her whom she cared about.
Strangely, Kaneki started walking away.
That was when she saw Kaneki's face clearly. It carried a bit of sorrow.
"W-Wait, Kaneki. Where are you going?" Touka asked in surprise.
Kaneki didn't answer. He only turned around to face her again, and tried to smile a little at her. Then, he slowly became further and further away.
"No... Kaneki... Don't leave... Don't leave me... the manager... Koma... Irimi..."
"The manager is dead, Touka." Kaneki said in a cold voice.
Touka's face looked aghast.
"So is Koma, and Irimi." Kaneki tried to keep his tone cool, but his voice cracked a little as he mentioned their deaths. Memories of the three people came back to him, to which he rapidly shook his head at, and tried to forget about.
"B-But..." Touka didn't know what to say, her tears on the verge of coming out.
Kaneki looked into Touka's devastated face again.
"I wasn't strong enough to protect them. I have to grow stronger. I'm sorry." As the last words left his mouth, Kaneki's voice sounded far away.
Through eyes that were blocked by tears, Touka watched as she saw the familiar white hair slowly fade away, and then disappear from her vision.
Touka sat on the ground, her face frozen like a statue.
Her expression turning to someone who has lost all hope.
Sweat poured down from Seidou's head as his petrified face stared towards the red masked figure in front of him. His legs were shaking rapidly as he trembled and whimpered.
The red masked ghoul turned to face him.
A huge pile of dead investor corpses lay beside the ghoul.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Seidou released a depressed battle cry as he shot his quinque gun towards the man. The ghoul disappeared and reappeared in front of him. An iron grip clenched his throat, and lifted him off the ground.
"Ahk- Ahk." Desperately trying to breath, Seidou dropped his quinque, and clawed his hands towards the grip pointlessly.
"Fei's kagune..." The white haired ghoul began talking. "Houji's subordinate?" The figure spoke in a dark voice, so menacing it scared the living hell out of Seidou as the poor investor's eyes opened wide.
"H-Houji-san... would never get beaten... by the likes of you!" Seidou shouted in despair.
"Is that right?" The man spoke, and flung him into the air.
"Noro."
Seidou suddenly didn't feel his arm anymore. He saw a huge kakuja mouth chewing on his arm. He stared at his side, and saw scarlet blood spraying from the left shoulder.
"ARGHHHHHHHH!" He screamed in pain as an eerie giant appeared beside him, and stared down at him with his eyeless mask.
With silent steps, Kaneki walked on the burning streets of the twentieth ward.
The underground tunnels should take me to the Aogiri base in the eleventh ward.
As Kaneki idled, an image of Touka's devastated face appeared before him.
Grunting with gritted teeth, Kaneki looked to the side. In the end, my mom and I are no different. Memories of his mother came back. I understand in hindsight of why my mother worked so hard for my aunt. Of her exhausted smile as she worked day and night. She wasn't kind, she was a coward that was afraid of solitude. His aunt's begging face appeared in front of him. I don't want to "protect everyone". Touka's crying face came to his mind again. All I wanted was to protect myself...
Without realizing, Kaneki reached the underground tunnel.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sight before him.
His eyes gazed in astonishment at the endless pile of bodies in front of him.
In the middle of the bodies stood one man, as calm as ever in the vast amount of death.
In his left hand he held a black and yellow quinque, a sword that becomes thinner towards the top. The man had a cold, vivid gaze.
Without anyone saying a thing, without his name given, Kaneki understood exactly whom he faced...
"Arima... Kishou..."
... the god of death.
To be continued...