Chapter XI: Quarantined Election
Two weeks have passed since the outbreak. It is now October 13, 2039, and it marks the day that Funeral Parlor separated. Argo and Oogumo regrouped with the Kuhouin Group. Kenji went missing. Shibungi was captured by GHQ and spent his imprisoned days playing chess with Segai. Ayase and Tsugumi spent their time with Shu, Inori, Fyu-Neru, Heath, Akiko, and Walter at Tennouzu High.
When asked what happened with Gai, Shu didn't hesitate to answer that he killed Gai following Gai's request. While saddened by the news, Funeral Parlor's members didn't hold anything against Shu and paid respect to their fallen leader. Ayase took it hard but understood Gai's point of view. Another individual that took Gai's death hard was Arisa, who had eagerly awaited to see and dance with Gai again. Having learned Shu sealed Gai's fate, Arisa grew deep resentment for the Void wielder.
Following the sudden outbreak, the Roppongi area, including Tennouzu High, were determined to be quarantined zones and cut off from the other prefectures. Because of this, several students from Roppongi High left to visit Tennouzu High.
Among these Roppongi transfers were two students: a young woman named Aoki Yuko, the eldest lady of the 'divided family' of the Enshrine Institute Group, specifically part of the 'main family' of Enshrine temple. Yuko is also a former childhood friend turned rival competitor to Arisa with both women being heirs of their rival companies.
The other is a young man named Hikosai Ito, who was born from a traditional samurai family following the Bushido spirit, belonging to the Enshrined Temple and serving as Yuko's bodyguard. Ito's ancestors came from the Warring States Period and used the one-sword style.
Both Yuko and Ito also shared feelings for each other and became a couple.
The adults and faculty members of Tennouzu High were separated and placed outside of the quarantine zone in Tokyo. Because of this, and with a lack of adult supervision, the Tennouzu High School students were left in school. And without adults maintaining the student body, tensions occurred among the teenage refugees. To ease the rising tensions, the student council held a school festival to lighten the mood and the student's spirits. Inori, being the popular school celebrity, offered to perform a song for the students.
"Should we really be having a festival now? Seems oddly inappropriate after what we've been through?" Walter asked while walking down a hall with Akiko.
"Why not? Students are stressed and need something fun to get their minds out of the shit they've seen," Akiko replied. "Hell after what we've been through, we deserve it."
"Deserve what?" Heath chimed in as he walked up behind Akiko and Walter; the latter is seen wearing his Roppongi High uniform as a disguise.
"Hey, bro. How's Ayase doing?"
"I'm on my way over to see her," Heath said.
"Mind if we come?" Walter asked.
"Knock yourself out. She's with Hare and it sounds like she's trying to have Hare heal her."
"So, she's hoping Hare's Void power can restore her ability to walk?" Walter said.
"I hope Ayase isn't setting herself up for disappointment," Akiko feared a likely possibility. With that, she, Heath, and Walter walked into a classroom occupied by Ayase and Hare. Ayase is seen wearing a Tennouzu High uniform instead of her Tora one due to Tora High escaping outside of Tokyo following the outbreak. As a result of this, Ayase and Tsugumi have tried and failed to contact the school.
The group watched glowing bandages wrapping over Ayase's legs.
Despite Hare's best efforts, she couldn't restore Ayase's legs. With a defeated sigh, Ayase gazed over her legs and wheelchair, having come to terms with her unrealistic expectations.
"I'm dearly sorry, Ayase," Hare apologetically said with sadness.
"No, don't blame yourself. You did the best you could. I'm the one with unreasonable expectations," Ayase said. "If a Void can't restore my ability to walk, then nothing will. Nothing except the medical technology that GHQ has, and that's beyond what I can pay for. And I don't exactly trust GHQ to take care of me."
"I don't blame you, Ayase," Heath spoke out as he, Akiko, and Walter walked in. "Ayase, I'm really sorry."
"Don't. However it goes, I'll be fine and manage," Ayase dismissively nodded.
"Yes, but don't think you'll never get treatments."
"The way we are? We're cut off from the rest of the city and all medical procedures needed to fix my lower body are highly costly. I'm sorry, Heath, but I'm out of options."
As Heath approached Ayase, he bent over and held her hand. Taken aback, Ayase wasn't sure how to handle Heath comforting her in any way he could. Everyone else looked glum over Ayase's plight.
"You didn't hear this from me, Ayase, but any time my brother says something that sounds highly unlikely usually happens," Akiko spoke up. "Before we moved here, he said we'd meet a lot of new friends. I had my high doubts and tried to tell him we wouldn't since we weren't sure how our new classmates would treat transfer students. But, here we are."
Hearing this, Ayase faced Heath and softly smiled. Heath stepped away and let Hare handle Ayase's wheelchair.
"C'mon, guys. Let's go watch Inori's performance," Hare said.
"Where's Shu?" Heath asked Hare.
"Probably with Inori right now."
"That makes sense. Maybe Inori's singing will help lift some spirits, Ayase?"
"Yeah, maybe."
As Heath and Hare walked Ayase out of the classroom, Akiko and Walter exchanged momentary and quiet glances.
"Did you want to say something, Akiko?"
"Nah, I was waiting for you to speak your mind unless you're ready to go?"
"Yes, I'm down for watching Inori's performance."
"Ok then! Yeah, let's go watch Inori on stage and walk around the festival!" Akiko pumped herself up energetically. She then heard Walter chuckling. "What? Do I amuse you, Wally?"
"Wally? Hey, that's not my name."
"It's your new pet name as far as I'm concerned, Wally."
Walter deeply sighed and laughed. "Ok, ok, whatever. I'm Wally to you now."
"Now, let's go and have some fun," Akiko said.
"Hey, Inori? Are you almost ready?" Shu knocked on a door to a faculty room.
"I'm almost ready," Inori responded from inside the room while putting on her performance dress. When she opened the door, Inori walked out looking glamorous in a rose, black, and white idol dress. She also put on some makeup on her face and wore dark red lipstick.
"Wow, you look…"
"Yes?"
"Fantastic, Inori."
"Thank you, Shu. I've been practicing the lyrics of my new song. I hope they'll like it."
"They will. That I can promise," Shu said as he and Inori headed out for the outside performance stage.
Elsewhere, Daryl, now under covert as a student, walked around to monitor Funeral Parlor's members. Along the way, he found an enclosed area to give a report status until he stumbled into Tsugumi by accident.
"Hey, watch where you're going…!" Tsugumi yelped. Then, after regaining her bearings, the hacker met face-to-face with Daryl and immediately recognized Daryl despite his student disguise. "Ack, it's you! You're Daryl Yan!"
While cursing internally, Daryl quickly reached for something to attack Tsugumi until she seized his hand.
"Wait, hold on. Why are you here?" Tsugumi asked him.
"How could you tell it's me?"
"Well, your hair and face gave it away. By the way, FYI, those glasses make a poor disguise. Even I can tell it's you."
"So, you've found me out. Are you going to turn me over to your friends? Besides, who's to say I won't kill you here and now?"
"Because a student will find my body and that'd send the school into a panic. Then, everyone would start to suspect a murder on campus. Duh, do you even think things through?" Tsugumi said while patting him down. "No weapon. That's good. So, are you here on GHQ's behalf?"
"Yes, what of it?"
Tsugumi took out Daryl's holoscreen communicator. "Listen, I'll give this back if you don't cause a scene, ok?"
"You think I'll willingly follow what you tell me?"
"Well, I can always tell my friend and you'd be in big trouble."
"Heh, but Gai is not around and most of your friends are not around. Who's left in charge?"
"No one. Funeral Parlor's split up."
Scowling, Daryl watched Tsugumi sitting down on a wooden box. She offered him a candy apple.
"Is this a trick?"
"No, I'm just being friendly. C'mon, can we not fight and enjoy this festival?"
Staring at the candy apple, Daryl initially resisted the urge to take it. However, as Tsugumi pulled it away, he quickly snatched and licked it.
"Heh, so you are a kid, aren't ya?"
"I only took it because you were being nice."
Biting into her candy apple, Tsugumi sneakily grinned. "Sure. So, besides spying on us, why did you come here?"
"Exactly that. I'm a spy."
"Or, did you want to live life as a kid for once?"
As he stopped licking his candy apple, Daryl's face contorted with grief.
"Based on what we know about your background, we know your dad will never win father of the year. You're confused about what you want out of life. Do you really want to continue fighting on behalf of GHQ?"
As he turned away, Daryl shook his head and made sure Tsugumi didn't notice his troubled expression.
"I knew it. Even though we saw you kill that mother during that hostage crisis, you don't seem like a bad guy. You didn't seem like you wanted to shoot that woman, but when she approached you, you thought she'd attack you when she was only trying to protect her child," Tsugumi said, keenly observing Daryl's behavioral patterns. "Am I right?"
Reflecting on that specific incident, Daryl conveyed some sadness over his actions. He realized that his involuntary action alone scarred a child's life forever.
"I…I didn't mean…"
"Talk to me. I'm right here," Tsugumi said as she and Daryl briefly discussed his upbringing and how his father's actions molded him into the unstable person he had become. Tsugumi listened closely and knowingly.
As a crowd started to form near a performance stage, Shu, Ayase, Heath, Akiko, and Walter met the two newcomers from Roppongi High: Aoki Yuko and Hikosai Ito.
"How are you liking it here in Tennouzu High, you two?" Shu asked the new transfer students.
"It's pleasant here. Even though we had to come under such circumstances. Regardless, thank you for having us here," Yuko, a young woman with long dark hair and cold amethyst eyes, earnestly smiled and replied. She is still in her old school uniform, consisting of a beige long-sleeved girl's top uniform coupled with a teal tie and teal skirt, thigh-length black socks, and classy white high-heeled boots.
"Yes, thank you for the hospitality you've given us, Ouma Shu and friends," Ito, a young man with long pale blue hair tied in a long ponytail coupled with long bangs hanging down the sides of his face, interjected. His steely and fierce gaze reminded Shu of Gai's. Ito came dressed in his traditional blue samurai-style kimono coupled with a black sleeveless bodysuit underneath. He is also wearing a katana, which is concealed in a sheath, which has gotten attention from students.
"You're welcome. We're glad you're enjoying the festival," Shu nodded.
"Well, well, look who we have here," Arisa was heard behind the group. When facing the other way, the group met the student council president.
"Hello, Miss Prez," Akiko addressed her.
"Hey, Arisa. By the way, these two are…" Shu said before Arisa coolly smirked and approached Yuko. The two cold-eyed ladies confronted each other.
"Yes, I know who Aoki Yuko is, Shu," Arisa addressed Shu and the others. "I know the eldest lady of the 'divided family' very well."
Yuko brushed her long hair back and gave a calm chortle. "Congrats on still being this school's president representative."
"And how is the Enshrine Institute Group doing these days?"
"Very well. Thank you for asking," Yuko said, beckoning Ito from getting involved.
"I see you have a bodyguard who accompanies you everywhere you go."
"I don't need protection while dealing with you, dear old friend. Oh right, we were friends once upon a time, weren't we?"
Arisa furrowed her brows. "What of it? That was a long time ago when we were children. Now, we're heirs of our respective companies. In this game, only winners come out on top.
Yuko folded her arms and intently glared into Arisa's fierce gaze. "You're not wrong, but it'll be the Enshrine Institute Group that outcompetes Kuhouin." As she said this, Arisa's upper lip slightly curled with annoyance.
"C'mon, you two. Let's try and be nice here," Shu stepped in and reasoned with the former friends and now fierce competitors.
"You're right, Shu. I apologize if I was ever rude to my old 'dearest' friend. Now if you'll please excuse me," Arisa said as she walked away. With her back turned, she gave a slight stink eye toward not just Yuko but Shu as well. While in public and around Shu's friends, she suppressed her urge to vomit and internally cursed Shu's name. She also hated the attention Shu received from their peers.
"I'm very sorry about that, Yuko," Shu apologized.
"It's fine, Shu. What happened between me and Arisa is ancient history, you needn't worry. Is she your friend?"
"Yeah, she even helped stop rumors being spread about me, Heath, and Akiko. She's done plenty of good for us."
"Interesting. She does care for her student body."
Ito whispered to Yuko. "I sense something off about Arisa, Yuko."
"You're right," Yuko concurred. "Well, Ouma Shu, let's enjoy this performance that Ms. Yuzuriha is about to show us."
"I hope you'll enjoy it."
Before Inori's performance show could even start, disgruntled refugees attacked the school with a Humvee and an Endlave Gautier provided by Segai. In response to this sudden attack, Ayase decided to utilize her Paraplegic's Shoes Void again with Shu's help. Because of this, Shu and Ayase easily defeated the disgruntled refugees, sending them retreating. After saving the festival, Shu and Ayase were seen and pictured standing back to back with Shu holding his Singer's Sword and Ayase wearing her Void. They're seen smiling at each other in respect.
Amid the commotion caused by the intruders, Daryl went missing. Realizing that he may have gone back with GHQ, Tsugumi reconvened with her friends and joined them for Inori's performance.
After the averted incident, Inori sang her heart out to the audience, captivating and healing the wounded hearts of the student body. When Souta managed to get a TV signal to connect to the stage TV screen, everyone watched in shock and horror when Keido appeared on screen and announced becoming the new president of the Japanese provincial government. In his first act, he ordered the area, entitled Loop 7, where Tennouzu High is located to be sealed off for the next 10 years.
"He's in charge of the country now?!" Shu yelled out. Having learned Keido murdered his father, Shu's contempt for his step-uncle ran deeply.
Now things have gone worse as the student body lost their faith toward Arisa. With tensions rising among the student body, the students called for a vote to elect a new student council president. With her declining support, Shu gaining favors among her peers, and her rival Yuko now on campus, Arisa's mental state regressed.
Outside of the school and at Ward 24, Segai was ordered by Keido to 'begin the cleanse', which meant sending Endlave Ghost Units to slaughter civilians that are outside Loop 7, alongside walls that are slowly moving in destroying buildings.
"Release the Ouryu Kyōchō!" One of the Anti-Bodies ordered as an armored truck rolled in, carrying four creatures inside. "Now release Byakko, Genbu, Suzaku, and Seiryu!"
To make matters worse, four ostrich-sized, feathered ratite-like slashers scoured the area outside Loop 7. They shared the same dromaeosaurid, amber eyes, which they used to meticulously scan the urban jungle around them. They all have black claws and gray beaks, hands, and legs. Their hands and wrists are non-pronated.
Their distinguishing feathered colors made them easier for the GHQ soldiers to identify. Byakko has black and white feathers coupled with black and white tiger-like stripes. Genbu has taupe and ultramarine feathers. Suzaku's feathers are vermilion and coral. Seiryu's feathers are teal and spectrum green.
Each of these slasher ratites possessed features of different bird species. Byakko has ostrich features. Genbu has cassowary features, including a light gray cassowary-like head crest. Suzaku has rhea-like features. Seiryu nearly looked like an emu. The four also possessed mouth and beak features, which differentiated them from each other.
These new beasts appeared alongside Ghost Units to remove and kill civilians wandering the Loop 7 area. The Ouryu Kyōchō operated like pack hunters as they pursued their victims.
One civilian had her throat ripped out and her head was brutally removed cleanly by Suzaku's jaws, so much so that her spinal cord attached from the head is seen dangling. Her head is seen still screaming with her vocal cords stretched to the breaking point while her voice became higher pitched. Her head lived for a few seconds longer even after being ripped and only felt the beast's teeth holding her head, just before the beast's jaws crushed it and splattered it as if it were a meaty pumpkin.
Another civilian had his stomach ripped open and his intestines fell out before Byakko devoured him. Tragically, among the victims of the Ouryu Kyōchō was a baby.
Unlike predatory animals that hunted for survival, these four hunted for the sheer thrill. Their higher intelligence gave them the emotional drive to enjoy killing innocent civilians.
Elsewhere, the same disgruntled refugees that attacked Tennouzu High's festival were also victims. Having been closed off by the walls, they were betrayed by Segai and GHQ as karma for their failures. Genbu delivered a devastating kick on one of the disgruntled refugees, which resulted in his stomach being gutted open with searing pain. Seiryu pinned down another's head with its feet and pierced his eyes with its dromaeosaurid-like claws as if gouging out the man's eyes. Then, the beast delivered the killing blow by stomping his head full force and splattering his head matter all over the ground.
Also working in Ward 24, Haruka, held hostage against her will, is being forced to work alongside the Anti-Bodies much to her disdain. Having witnessed the gruesome attacks perpetrated by GHQ, she became terrified of what was happening in the Loop 7 massacre. If the Ghost Units' actions didn't horrify her enough, the bloody massacre perpetrated by the Ouryu Kyōchō did as she closed her eyes off from them. Deep down, she prayed and hoped Shu and his friends were safe.
"Do not look away, dear sister," Keido calmly interjected, interrupting Haruka's dismayed thoughts. "What you are seeing is the cleansing of the weak. In this day and age, only the strong are meant to survive."
"How could you do this, brother?" Haruka accused him, sobbing during her dialogue. Her tone conveyed contempt for Keido's actions. "Kurosu wouldn't approve of what you've become! A monster!"
Maintaining a cold and aloof demeanor, Keido responded. "Kurosu wasn't strong enough to survive then. He wouldn't last in the new age that's set to be upon us."
"You couldn't be any more right, Shuichiro," Yuu added as he appeared in the room. "It's going to take time for 'he' to awaken up and assume his place as the face of Da'ath forces. Until then, we still have our sleeper agent working for us." As he glanced over a visual screen displaying the Ouryu Kyōchō hunting more civilians, Yuu smirked. "Our Beasts of Eden are quite the pinnacle of perfection, aren't they?"
"They are serving their purpose and clearing the weak before the new Eden is upon us," Keido said, eliciting utter disdain from Haruka, who wished for an end to this nightmare.
The news of the Ghost Units and the Ouryu Kyōchō attacking civilians in Loop 7 evoked panic amongst the students. Kanon, using her Acquaintance's Sight scouter Void, reported her findings on the sheer horrors in the far distance. There was a growing fear that these monsters could be anywhere in Loop 7 and the student body had to act vigilantly.
Then, a bounty internet rumor was announced by GHQ that anyone who can capture and bring Funeral Parlor operatives will be allowed to leave. This resulted in witch hunts of the students believing in this rumor, in which a group has to find Inori and Ayase. In one area, students surrounded Inori in some stairways.
Finding herself cornered by a group of boys, Inori was boxed in like a mouse caught in a trap. With their eyes set on the prize, one of these boys grabbed Inori. When this happened, something insidious stirred within Inori. Her red eyes briefly dulled out and a cruel smile smeared over her delicate, pale face.
"Hehehe, let's kill them all, Inori."
"Die," was all Inori said as Mana briefly possessed her. In an instant, she killed the boys after crystallized tendrils stabbed their chests, and without anyone noticing.
As soon as Shu arrived, he found Inori walking down the stairway.
"Where have you been, Inori? I've been looking for you," Shu muttered.
"I'm fine, Shu. Is everything ok?"
"We need to get to safety," Shu said as he ran off with Inori, unaware of the murder scene that happened on the top-level stairway.
In the school auditorium, the Pack held Ayase and Tsugumi captive and searched for their Funeral Parlor tattoos. Their search procedure became violent as Sudou stripped Ayase's shirt off, leaving her in just a bra while kicking her to the ground. Nanba held Tsugumi at gunpoint and strangled her with his other hand as he lifted her off the floor. Ritsu briefly grabbed Ayase's ponytail and showed her face off to the crowd. Then, Ritsu furthered Ayase's humiliation by licking her left cheek and pinning Ayase down by holding her head to the floor. While Ritsu had Ayase pinned down, Sudou was about to undo Ayase's bra. At the same time, while Nanba held Tsugumi up, Miyabi was about to remove the hacker's shirt. As if that wasn't enough, Sudou took out a taser to zap Ayase with.
Upon arriving in the school auditorium, Shu and Inori watched in horror as the Pack was going to have their way with Ayase and Tsugumi. Shu, Inori, Heath, Akiko, Yahiro, and Walter raced toward the stage to save their friends.
Nearly getting shot, Heath punched Sudou off Ayase and kicked the taser out of Sudou's hand.
"Get away from her, you pricks!" Heath yelled, giving Sudou and Ritsu an intense glare that scared them.
Before Nanba could shoot, Walter quickly disarmed him. After Walter and Akiko saved Tsugumi, the hacker struck Nanba's groin with a missile dropkick, causing the Pack's leader to scream and double over in excruciating pain. Akiko picked up a broom, swinging it toward Ritsu and Miyabi.
"Are you ok, Ayase?"! Heath asked, checking on her as she held him tight.
"Those bastards nearly stripped me down and tased me!" Ayase cried out vehemently toward the Pack. "Thanks for coming, you guys."
"I'll take great pleasure paying them back for you, Heath," Walter said, picking up the taser that Sudou dropped.
"No, I'll do it," Heath said, grabbing the taser, which he pointed toward Sudou.
"Go on, bro! These two bitches will be a piece of cake for me!" Akiko swung a broom at Ritsu, who cowered back.
"That's enough! Please, no more!" Arisa's voice rang out but her voice was drowned by the rowdy and loud student body who wanted to see a fight escalate. Having witnessed her student body falling apart at the seams, Arisa attempted to ease the tensions in her last desperate act to save face.
Then, Shu walked up on the stage and adamantly faced the students
"That's enough, guys! Listen, there are no Funeral Parlor members here!" Shu pleaded while explaining the situation to the student body. "We're fighting among ourselves because that's what GHQ wants. They want us to fall to the wayside. The more divided we are, the easier it'll be for GHQ to send their units and monsters after us!"
"He's right, everyone! Now isn't the time for us to quarrel. We must decide on our new student council president!" Yahiro declared. "Since Arisa is unfit to perform her full duties, we need a leader that can boost our student morale. That is why I've given my support for Ouma Shu."
"What? No, I can still…"
Yahiro nodded. "It's clear you haven't been able to ease the tensions among the student body. Morale hasn't gotten any better."
"He has a point. I'd cast my vote for Ouma Shu before voting for you, dear Arisa," Yuko added.
"Likewise, Shu has our best intentions," Ito concurred.
"Yep, count us in! We're with ya, Shu!" Akiko cheered.
As Heath helped Ayase up, they watched Yahiro help Shu give a rousing speech to win them over.
When Shu revealed his ability to extract Voids, he was given a case of having the power to protect the student body and allowing the students to use their own Voids.
"Do you see? With my ability, I could use it to protect you all from GHQ. Better yet, I can enable you to utilize your Voids," Shu demonstrated while holding the Singer Sword.
"And that is a primary reason to choose Shu as our new student president. His power can help set us free and fight back against GHQ!" Yahiro persuaded the students.
Knowing that she was falling out of favor with the student body, Arisa voluntarily stepped down and endorsed Shu to assume the student council president position. Despite relinquishing her position, Arisa's resentment toward Shu grew. First, she lost favoritism with the students and now she lost her prestigious position to the same man. Following the student president election, Arisa disappeared into her quarters and was rarely seen again.
Closing herself from the rest of the school, the former student council president openly scowled. Her face contorted with disdain.
"First, you've taken away my support system. Then, you reintroduce Yuko back into my life. And now, you've taken away the position that has established who I am. If I can't remain the student council president, then… am I not fit to run the Kuhouin Group after my grandfather?" Arisa muttered, biting her bottom lip hard that blood leaked from her cut lip. "Ouma Shu, I will never let this sit well. Since you killed Gai, I can't wait to watch you fold under the pressure."
Shortly after Shu was elected as student council president, Heath, Walter, Souta, Yahiro, and Kanon found stumbled upon the murder scene and reported the dead bodies of several male students. Their deaths were described in grisly details; torn limbs, eviscerated abdomens and stomachs, one neck slit open, and blood smeared all over the wall. Horrified, Shu was taken to the murder scene. When Inori heard, she gasped, but deep down, Mana's presence snickered at her gruesome handiwork.
Once they arrived, the bodies were already being covered by other Tennouzu students. Walter and Heath were already there waiting for them.
"We counted four bodies, Shu," Heath reported their findings. "We're lucky no other students have been on this floor."
"The murder scene was like a bloody massacre. The way they looked… this couldn't have been committed by anything human," Walter described without going into graphic details.
"Remember those feathered creatures I saw with my Void? I saw them killing civilians in Loop 7 in a similar fashion. You don't think one of them might've sneaked into the school?" Kanon speculated.
"Doubtful, the students would've noticed and we would know," Yahiro added.
"Whatever the case, we need to be on high alert. Don't allow any students on this floor until these…" Shu stopped, briefly glancing over the slain students while shaking his head. "Yeah, just clean this up and barricade this floor from anyone coming up here."
"Leave it to us," Heath nodded. "I can't believe we're doing this."
"Someone in this school did this. There's no way to doubt it, Heath. But, who is the question," Walter whispered. "Shu, we're going to have to address the other students about this."
"Not yet. Not until we get a better idea of who or what might've done this horrific act. Then, we'll address the other students."
As Shu and the others started cleaning the area, Heath and Walter helped remove the butchered bodies. Standing on the side and watching the others working to clean the murder scene, Inori turned away at the sight of the bodies.
"Hehehe, we did well by sending those pigs to the slaughterhouse. Now, they can't oink at us anymore. Right, Inori?" Mana evilly giggled inside Inori's head.
"Leave me alone," Inori coldly muttered.
"Inori, are you ok?" Shu approached her.
"Huh? Y-Yes, I'm fine."
"You're free to leave this to us if you don't feel up to it."
"Thanks, Shu," Inori said as she walked into an empty classroom. As she sat down, she heard Mana taunting her inside her headspace.
"They're going to find out the truth, Inori. It's only a matter of time. Once they find out you killed them, everyone will turn on you. Even Shu. He won't look at you the same ever again. But, if you set me free, we can kill them all."
"No, I will never set you free. And I won't let you make me hurt Shu!" Inori cried, punching the wall beside her, leaving a sizable dent. With the threat of Mana looming inside and manipulating her, Inori tried to counterbalance the sadistic woman from fully possessing her.
To further reinforce that GHQ couldn't be trusted to help them, Shu and his associates demonstrated what would happen if they were to surrender to GHQ's forces. With Fyu-Neru's help, Shu showed a live feed of several students meeting with Endlaves in front of the Loop 7 walls. Without hesitation, the students were ambushed and brutally killed by GHQ's slasher avian creatures. Once the Ouryu Kyōchō left the students lying and torn apart, the dead students suddenly dissolved into digitized fragments.
Baffled by this, the GHQ soldiers and the Ouryu Kyōchō realized that they had been fooled. The real students were still in the school. Tsugumi used her Void to make copies and left the copies to meet with GHQ's forces, which was all Shu needed to show that GHQ couldn't be trusted to escort them out of Loop 7.
Shu informed the student body that they can only trust him to survive.
Inside Ward 24, Shuichiro and the rest of GHQ tirelessly monitored activities within Loop 7 and wondered about Funeral Parlor's next move.
"Shuichiro, I've brought them to see you," Yuu spoke out as three individuals garbed in white and black Da'ath uniforms.
"Are these them?"
"Yes, these are the Aragami. They're the ones I was referring to," Yuu said as the first of the three individuals introduced himself.
The first one is a young, average-sized man with straight, neck-length silver hair. "I am Sasaki, Mr. Shuichiro." He spoke in a calm and collective tone.
The second one is the tallest member of the Aragami. His hair is silver, short, and spiky. He has thin sideburns. "I am Arima." He addressed using a deep masculine tone.
The third one is the second tallest member. Their hair is silver and long, shoulder-length. Aside from their long hair, their feminine face gave them an androgynous appearance. "And I am Ryōko." They spoke with a slight effeminate tone.
All three shared one distinctive feature. They shared the same turquoise eyes with cat-like pupils.
"Welcome, we're currently working our way through Loop 7. Already, we've cleared the streets of the filth that roamed the streets. Next, we're looking to eliminate Funeral Parlor's remaining members," Shuichiro informed the Aragami. "And as we speak, we've been in contact with our spy."
Suddenly, their holo screens showed a live feed of their spy who they've been in contact with. The person who appeared on the screen was none other than.
"Kuhouin Arisa, so nice to hear from you again," Yuu addressed the Loop 7 and GHQ spy, who appeared on the holoscreen.
"Ouma Shu has been elected as their leader. Tell me my next move," Arisa said, her voice thick with vengeful determination and cold sadism.
A/N: Arisa, you backstabbing traitor!
Well, we've learned who GHQ's mole is and she has turned out this way after learning Shu killed Gai. Do you think this is bad? Arisa's descent into villainy is only going to get worse from here on out.
We've officially reached the second half of AnGC and it's going to be a bumpy ride. We're going to experience some highest of highs and lowest of lows. Now, I know a lot of GC fans don't hold the second half of the show in high regard, and understandably so. GC's second half fell apart and saw a steep decline that hurt the show. I hope Ford and I can produce a better second half than the show did.
Anyway, this chapter covers episodes 13-14 from the show, consisting of the school festival and Shu's election as Tennouzu school president. The chapter also introduces two new characters: Aoki Yuko and Hikosai Ito. Believe it or not, they are not OCs. They are characters from a standard GC mobile ARPG game released in 2019 and developed by DeNA. It's only been released in Traditional Chinese. Hit that search and look it up, readers.
So, Yuko acts as a foil to Arisa as a rich girl rival, further lighting the fire under Arisa and pushing her toward her gradual heel turn. Ito is a mostly silent guardian for Yuko but is already developing his social skills with Shu and his friends.
The scene with Shu and Ayase kicking butt together is retained. However, since Ayase already received her Void earlier, she handles those disgruntled refugees easier than in the show. Unfortunately, just like in the show, Hare attempts to heal Ayase's lower body but to no avail.
Daryl has a light-hearted moment with Tsugumi because even he could use a break from the shit he's been through.
The second half of this chapter is simply brutal. It introduces a new set of GHQ Beasts: the Ouryu Kyōchō. Their appearances are based on ratite birds with elements of dromaeosaurids and not the fictitious and featherless Velociraptor from the movies. Enhanced with human-level intelligence and created as killing machines, they've been unleashed to find and kill refugees wandering the streets inside the trapped walls. If the Ghost Units weren't brutal enough, these feathered slashers ramp up the danger levels beyond what the show did.
Then, we see Inori, under Mana's influence, killing those male students. And unlike in the show, which never gets addressed again, we see how Shu and his friends handle the dead bodies.
The Pack takes things personally and humiliates Ayase & Tsugumi (and nearly seriously injured them), but thankfully Shu, Heath, Akiko, Walter, and the others stop the Pack and also put the four assholes in their place.
And much to Arisa's secret disdain, she steps down as Shu is approved as the new student president. Now, we'll see if he becomes a worse tyrant than in the show. But, since he's been more of a consistently better-written character in AnGC, that's up in the air.
The final scene shows more new characters. The Aragami are GHQ and Da'ath's latest super soldiers. And of course, we have GHQ's mole (coughArisacough) contacting GHQ behind Shu and the others' backs. Things aren't going to go as well as Shu hoped.
Most importantly, we can confirm we've completely done away with the controversial Void Ranking System. Are you glad we did? Show your hands if you are because we found that concept to be pointless and did little to service the story.
All There in the Manual - Chapter XI
-The Ouryu Kyōchō has the DNA genetic traits of Achillobator (as the base genetic template/base genome), Utahraptor, Austroraptor, Yurgovuchia, Corythoraptor, Gallimimus, Struthiomimus, Ornithomimus, Bathornis, Phorusrhacos, ostrich (for Byakko individually), cassowary (for Genbu individually), rhea (for Suzaku individually), emu (for Seiryu individually), Gargantuavis, and tuatara.
-The Ouryu Kyōchō have surnames: Byakko Yosuzume, Genbu Itsumade, Suzaku Hinotori, and Seiryu Onmoraki.
-The Aragami's appearances are modeled after the Remnants of Sephiroth (Sasaki - Kadaj, Arima - Loz, and Ryōko - Yazoo) from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Their names are based on (yet separate different characters in terms of different appearances) of the OCs from GuiltyKingOumaShu's Reclaiming the Throne.
And with that, AnGC's second half kicks off and several changes have been implemented to enhance the story & increase the threat levels. While Heath and Ayase will have moments together, these next few chapters will focus on Shu's rise and fall as the student king. Don't worry those two (along with Akiko) won't be completely sidelined.
Until the next update, comment and send a review! Later, readers!
