The sound of steel being ripped open by sharp claws was ear-piercing.
It sounded like a manic cat scratching a chalkboard, making one's skin crawl with goosebumps.
Kujou Katora listened to that ear-piercing sound from outside.
"I will go deal with those Walking Husks."
The girl turned and walked directly out of the laboratory. At the same time, her right hand raised slightly outward, making a grasping motion in the void, as if holding an invisible sword.
Su Yuzu watched as the dried bloodstains on the ground peeled off piece by piece.
Countless dark red dried blood blades fluttered like butterflies, leaving behind beautiful arcs, finally converging in Kujou Katora's hand to form a blood blade composed of thousands of fragments.
"Since the last Chimera Amalgam event... Lady Kujou has been working hard to improve her abilities," Hayabusa explained to Su Yuzu.
"Lady Fate has not abandoned Lady Kujou."
"Lady Kujou's power is stronger than before."
Su Yuzu looked at Kujou Katora's back as she charged out of the laboratory alone with her blade, and the feeling of uneasiness in her heart grew stronger.
"The Girl with the Broken Song".
The new grave by the side of Lake Kasumigaura.
All of this made it impossible for Su Yuzu to tolerate Kujou Katora leaving her line of sight.
As an owner, she had the obligation to protect her dog at critical moments.
"I'll go with Kujou-senpai." Su Yuzu placed the withered apple, which had been drained of its life force, on a nearby table and turned directly to follow Kujou Katora.
"Eh eh eh!!!"
"Miss Yuzu! Miss Yuzu!!!" Hayabusa watched Su Yuzu's decisive retreating figure and had already foreseen the scene where Lady Kujou would blame her for failing to protect Miss Yuzu—for failing to keep Miss Yuzu there—and would deduct her salary.
Because of Hayabusa's rare look of defeat, the fully armed burly men suddenly let out a snicker.
Obviously—
They had also foreseen that scene.
"What are you laughing at!"
"Laugh again and I'll deduct your wages to support myself."
"Feel free, Lady Hayabusa, just remember to leave me some money for booze." After Su Yuzu had chased after Kujou Katora and gone far away, they suddenly laughed somewhat wantonly.
"Say... Lady Kujou and Miss Yuzu..." Hayabusa listened to this group of usually iron-blooded tough guys suddenly becoming gossipy, and her brow twitched.
If Lady Kujou heard them gossiping here, needless to say... she would definitely deduct their salaries, which were already few and far between.
"Serious up."
"This event is not like usual."
"Go to the data center, take the data modules and black boxes, and then immediately go out of the laboratory to support Lady Kujou and Miss Yuzu."
"You must ensure the safety of Lady Kujou and Miss Yuzu."
"Yes!!!"
Wiping away their rare playful smiles, the iron-blooded combat unit surged towards the depths of the laboratory.
On the other side, Su Yuzu caught up with Kujou Katora.
"Yuzu..." Kujou Katora looked at Yuzu, who had caught up, clearly somewhat flustered and uneasy.
Just as Su Yuzu worried about whether something would happen to Kujou Katora.
Kujou Katora was equally worried about Su Yuzu's safety.
Miss Yuzu was, after all, different from a dead soul like herself who could die at any time.
She herself had nothing but the flames of revenge... no, perhaps now she also had Lady Yuzu.
But Lady Yuzu was different.
She still had Saotome Yukina, Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi, and many, many girls who looked up to her.
Even... she still had Soga Yura.
The previous batch of the "Eye of Insight" sect in the Tokyo metropolitan area had already suffered heavy casualties before they even intervened in the investigation.
Although there was no evidence, the absence of evidence was already the best evidence.
Only one person possessed that ability to be invisible within the memories of others, and that was Soga Yura.
The sparse surveillance and traces of memory manipulation could not identify Soga Yura.
But for the Fourth Action Division, they never needed that much evidence.
They only needed to know the truth.
So, no matter how much Kujou Katora hated Soga Yura for constantly hurting Miss Yuzu with cold violence, she understood.
Soga Yura was different from Kujou Iruka.
Soga Yura loved and wanted to protect her sister.
No matter what, she had to send Miss Yuzu back to Keigunen safely and in one piece.
Otherwise... even if she fell and became a demon, Kujou Katora could never forgive herself.
"Did Hayabusa not stop you?"
"She couldn't stop me~" Su Yuzu revealed a smile.
Su Yuzu's physical performance was close to that of a Second Sequence Physical-type ability user, while Hayabusa possessed only a simple Displacement ability.
The reason she was Kujou Katora's adjutant was not because of her strength, but her brain.
"She can forget about next year's salary!" Kujou Katora swung her blade indignantly and rushed out of the laboratory.
At the entrance of the laboratory was a Walking Husk currently cutting through the heavy steel door of the lab under the sunlight.
The girl swung her blade like lightning, her body curves exquisite and graceful.
The blood blade composed of dried blood fragments effortlessly sliced open the chest of the first Walking Husk.
Su Yuzu walked slowly behind Kujou Katora, gazing at that Walking Husk.
"No need to lower your head to look..."
"Do not let those filthy things dirty your eyes." Kujou Katora spoke lightly yet majestically while wielding the blood blade, just like a close attendant carving out a bloody path for her King to ascend the throne.
She was telling her King calmly, "The King need not lower her head; I will sweep away everything for you."
Su Yuzu watched as, after the chest of that Walking Husk was sliced open, black... viscous blood, almost like petroleum, flowed up along the blood blade, rendering the blade in Kujou Katora's hand even more demonic.
Kujou Katora wielded the blood blade and charged towards the dozens of Walking Husks gathered in front of the laboratory.
Those Walking Husks were like withered twigs and rotten wood before Kujou Katora.
Su Yuzu sized up the dead Walking Husk.
"She was a researcher of the laboratory."
This laboratory... might have already been completely wiped out.
For a moment, Su Yuzu even felt a bit sentimental.
It wasn't because of the destruction of this laboratory, but... if she told the little cat that the girl who used to nag her in the laboratory but would bring her apples had passed away.
The little cat would probably cry very sadly.
However... not necessarily.
Su Yuzu recalled the Aberrant aura on that withered apple.
Perhaps... it wasn't that there were no 'living' survivors.
At the moment the "Eye of Insight" sect broke in, that researcher might have chosen to turn herself into an Aberrant to 'escape' this catastrophe.
Even... Su Yuzu looked at the forest outside.
She might be watching herself and the others from within the forest.
And with this glance, Su Yuzu saw trouble.
In the forest... pairs of dark golden vertical pupils stared coldly and inorganically at her and Kujou Katora.
This wasn't right.
How could things like Walking Husks, which had no brains, suppress the bloodthirsty impulse in their chests?
They were led by 'someone'.
And the only ones who could lead Walking Husks... were Aberrants.
Kujou Katora, having killed all the dozens of Walking Husks gathered in front of the laboratory, returned. She also frowned, scanning the surroundings.
"Something's wrong."
"They only destroyed our wheel hubs, and at the same time wanted to use blocks of iron to trap us inside the laboratory."
"More than that..." Su Yuzu pouted her lips, gesturing for Kujou Katora to look at the road they came from.
But Kujou Katora's gaze was almost sucked in by the girl's lip-pouting action.
She hurriedly looked away in panic, looking towards the direction Su Yuzu indicated.
The road was once again blocked by pushed-over trees.
Under the shade of the trees, a hunchbacked figure tilted its head, looking at Kujou Katora and Su Yuzu, its dark golden vertical pupils turbid.
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