The attack direction towards the front was forcefully changed. Lancer almost felt a sweet taste in his throat, but fortunately, he forcefully held it back. After all, the situation was unclear now, and he couldn't easily show weakness, but what he didn't expect was to see an unexpected person.
"The Owl?"
Due to their appearance, Eto Yoshimura, or rather, the alias of Eto Yoshimura and Yoshimura was 'The Owl,' but there was a fundamental difference between the two: one was the Non-Killing Owl, and the other was the One-Eyed Owl. Lancer did not expect the person who ambushed him to be Yoshimura, as the two sides were important partners.
But thinking about it carefully, it was not incomprehensible after all, as the person they were trying to kill was the opponent's daughter.
"The Owl, if you leave here now, we will still tacitly allow your existence."
Kureo Mado also walked to Lancer side, holding his sword.
Although after realizing that this 'Non-Killing Owl' was not the Ghoul who killed his wife before, he no longer looked at the opponent with murderous intent as he did before, but this did not mean he could allow the opponent to interfere with his great plan of revenge.
He wouldn't even say unnecessary words if it weren't for the fact that the two sides had a relatively friendly cooperation before. However, facing Kureo Mado's 'advice,' the other side only looked at him silently without saying a word.
And Lancer simply said nothing. Undoubtedly, since the opponent appeared here, it meant he had already made his decision, but the two sides had at least cooperated well before, so he thought for a moment and decided to persuade him again… even though he knew that what he said was probably nonsense.
"The Owl, as far as I know, the 'Ghoul food' mentioned before is basically complete, and it can be put into production within a year, perhaps even less. Are you sure you want to go back on the agreement at this time?"
"No, I don't plan to go back on the previous agreement. 'Black Dobberman' and 'Devil Ape' will continue to fulfill the agreement. As for me… I am not appearing here as 'The Owl.' I am just appearing here as a derelict father."
As he spoke, he took off his mask. This unexpected action surprised everyone present. After all, he had taken off his mask, and his identity was exposed. It could be said that he had no retreat: either kill the others present or surrender.
Kureo Mado recognized the opponent's identity the moment he took off his mask. After all, Lancer liked to go to the opponent's coffee shop very much, and Kureo Mado had also been there a few times. He had a good impression of this boss who was very good at brewing coffee, but he didn't expect the opponent to be a Ghoul, and even 'The Owl'?!
He looked at Lancer in disbelief. Undoubtedly, he already suspected that Lancer knew the opponent's identity beforehand. After all, Lancer often went to the opponent's shop and even guided the opponent to cooperate with the CCG. To say Lancer was completely unaware was too much of a coincidence, right?
But suspicion is suspicion; he didn't speak. After all, with a formidable enemy in front of them, it was not the time to be disorganized.
But before Lancer and the others could speak —
"Pfft~!"
No one expected a Kagune to directly pierce Yoshimura's abdomen.
Yoshimura, his face full of disbelief, slowly turned around, and then saw 'The Owl,' or rather, his daughter, with a slightly hideous expression.
"Stupid old man! So noisy! Who asked you to save me!!"
"Slap~!"
Yoshimura's body was fiercely flung away by the opponent with a Kagune like a broken ball.
"Stop being so hypocritical! You were the one who abandoned me back then! And now you're the one who wants to save me! Since you had the courage to stand up! Then why did you kill Mom back then! You want me to forgive you?! Impossible! I can't forgive you even if I die!!"
'The Owl,' clutching the wound on her flank at this time, was completely manic with a hideous face, and her words made Lancer freeze for a moment.
The Manager killed his wife?
"Eto…"
"Don't call me that name! I am Eto Yoshimura! I am not your daughter!"
A simple sentence, however, pierced Yoshimura's heart like the sharpest arrow, so much so that he couldn't even feel the wound on his abdomen anymore…
He was hired by a mysterious organization as an peripheral member to help them clean up betrayers, and it was at that time that he met Eto's mother.
A man who was like a walking corpse at first obtained the treasure called 'love' from that time, but in that crazy era, not everyone was qualified to obtain such a treasure.
Wanting to quit the organization and live in seclusion with his wife, he was chased by the organization because he knew too many of their secrets. Even though his strength far exceeded most people, he still appeared exhausted facing the seemingly endless pursuit. It was at that time that the organization extended an olive branch to him again —
'If you kill that woman who is a reporter, we can let your daughter go.'
Perhaps it was just as his daughter said. He was not qualified to ask for forgiveness at all, because of his weakness, his incompetence, he personally killed his wife to protect his daughter, and later, to protect his daughter, he entrusted her to his friend 'Noro'.
But what he didn't expect was that later his friend and his daughter disappeared together. When the two reappeared, 'Noro' seemed to have become a walking corpse, and his daughter had grown up to become the legendary 'The Owl.'
He did not have the courage or the strength to protect his wife and daughter back then, which left him with lifelong regret, so this time he made this choice.
He didn't know if he could stop Lancer and the others… No, perhaps he knew that he couldn't stop them at all, and he even knew that his actions were completely meaningless except to prolong the opponent's death. It was too difficult for a Ghoul whose identity was exposed to survive, let alone he didn't believe the CCG would spare the opponent.
'If I can't protect her, then at least let me die before her.'
Although this idea felt somewhat incomprehensible, it was undoubtedly his resolve.
It was just that he had greatly underestimated his daughter's hatred for him. The opponent did not accept his help at all, and even attacked him without hesitation.
Covered in dust, he clutched his wound and looked at his daughter, whose body was once again wrapped in Kagune, a look of despair appearing on his face.
'The Owl,' who was now completely Kakuja-fied and had completely lost her mind, made the injured Yoshimura her first target after transforming, but at this moment, a figure appeared beside him.
"Manager! Be careful!"
Touka Kirishima, wearing a rabbit mask, carried Yoshimura with both hands and hid in the adjacent forest, and after losing her target, 'The Owl' once again focused her target on Lancer and the others.
From the appearance of Yoshimura to 'The Owl' being stimulated and transforming into Kakuja again, only a few minutes passed during this period…