Though Lancer had volunteered for the most dangerous task, that didn't mean the others were unprepared.
Several squads, each led by Rank 2 Investigators, were hidden in civilian houses scattered across the 20th Ward. Why didn't they patrol by car instead? Driving around randomly at night would undoubtedly look suspicious, wouldn't it?
"Captain! Investigator Lancer's communication line just went dead!"
A Rank 3 Investigator, wearing oversized headphones and responsible for communications with Lancer, suddenly shouted loudly. At that instant, the middle-aged man pacing beside him, coffee in hand, crushed his disposable cup with a sharp crack.
"Move out, now! Can you pinpoint Investigator Lancer's last known location?"
"Yes, sir! Pulling up the coordinates now!"
After confirming the location, the middle-aged man immediately charged out, his expression grim. Those waiting downstairs in vehicles saw their superior's tense face and instantly knew that tonight wouldn't be as peaceful as before.
The same scene played out simultaneously across several other hidden squads.
Indeed, from training to joining the CCG, and then rapidly climbing the ranks—Lancer might not have been the youngest Rank 2 Investigator, but in terms of sheer advancement speed, he was easily within the top five. Some might feel envy toward Lancer's talent, but that never prevented them from genuinely caring about his safety. After all, most Investigators willingly faced life-or-death situations because they carried the noble ideal of "eliminating ghouls and protecting humanity." There was simply no way they'd abandon one of their own.
At the same time, Mado Kureo and Amon Koutarou also received the notification that Lancer's situation was unclear.
"We finally caught their tail! Amon! Let's move! This time, we absolutely cannot allow those damned man-eating monsters to escape!"
Amon was about to remind his senior that securing Lancer's safety took priority over capturing ghouls—but he quickly noticed something unusual about Mado-san. The ecstatic expression Mado wore had disappeared the moment he started moving, replaced instead by a stern face and a faint tremble in his body.
Amon suddenly felt slightly foolish. He was just a new recruit who hadn't joined long ago. Did he really think someone like Mado-san needed reminding?
Right now, the only thing Amon needed to do was quicken his pace to keep up with him.
Please be safe. We already agreed to celebrate together once this is over.
As Amon took his seat behind the wheel of the patrol car and slammed the accelerator, Mado Kureo, arms folded, squinted his eyes slightly. At this moment, his thoughts drifted back to that day from many years ago.
Back then, he had just joined the CCG as a rookie Investigator when he and his wife encountered the One-Eyed Owl…
His wife had unquestionably been an outstanding Investigator—but even then, she was no match for the One-Eyed Owl. In the end, she'd stayed behind alone to cover him and their comrades' escape. He would never forget her face, smiling so gently at him as he turned away.
That pure, flawless smile…
Lost in thought, his fingers subconsciously brushed the wedding ring hidden beneath his glove—the most important treasure in his life, second only to his daughter.
Recalling his wife's mutilated corpse, his eyes, tired from age, once again sharpened with resolve.
If he initially became an Investigator because of his wife's influence, the reason he refused promotions and continued fighting on the front lines was now to ensure more young Investigators survived, sharing his hard-earned experience.
Even if his obsession twisted his features into something unsettling, it couldn't hide his heart. Even if colleagues secretly grumbled that he was a "difficult senior," the fact they still sincerely respected him as their senpai clearly demonstrated his value.
He might lack gentleness, might be eccentric—but he remained undeniably one of the CCG's finest Senior Investigators!
You're my subordinate—you can't die that easily! There are still countless ghouls you must hunt, many more lives to save! So—at the very least, you mustn't die before me!
...
Both Amon Koutarou and Mado Kureo sincerely prayed for their comrade's safety, but at this moment, Lancer was hardly doing well.
His official suit had long since been shredded, and now he wore only a tight black combat uniform riddled with countless tears.
Blood seeped from open wounds, darkening the black fabric, making it appear even more gruesome against his pale skin.
Did it hurt?
Of course it hurt!
His body was covered with dozens of non-fatal injuries, the worst being those on his forehead and side. If he hadn't blocked those two attacks, he'd already be a corpse—but surviving came with a price.
When blocking the strike aimed at his head, his forearm was deeply sliced. Although it didn't entirely disable him, his left hand, gripping the spear, trembled uncontrollably. As for his side, though the wound wasn't lethal, the chunk of flesh violently torn away still made his eyes widen in shock at the time, the intense pain momentarily dazing him. Had he not instinctively dodged the follow-up attack, he surely would have died instantly.
"Huff… Huff…"
Blood trickling down his forehead dyed his right eye crimson. His injured left arm shook as he grasped the spear, yet despite everything, his eyes revealed no confusion or despair.
"Magnificent~! Absolutely magnificent~! You're truly the perfect prey~!"
Despite having ample opportunity to finish him off, Kamishiro Rize stood several meters away, greedily licking blood off her kagune. Her eerie red kakugan stared hungrily at Lancer's wounds.
As the "Binge Eater," Rize had hunted hundreds, if not thousands, of humans. Yet this was the first time she'd tasted such delicious blood from her prey—surpassing simple hunger, reaching the height of pure ecstasy.
"Won't you tell me your name, Investigator-san~?"
Watching her finger, coated in his blood, trail slowly from her lips, past her chest, and down to her thigh, even Lancer's icy expression cracked slightly, a faint flush appearing. After all, her clothes had become somewhat disheveled during their fierce battle, and now, combined with her seductive pose and expression, the allure was devastating for a twenty-something veteran wizard apprentice like him.
But after taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down. The woman in front of him wasn't just a "pretty onee-san"—she was a monster who'd slaughtered countless humans. Reminding himself of this chilling fact, his boiling blood quickly cooled.
"Lancer. Rank 2 Investigator from the CCG… Lancer."
In the end, Lancer decided to reveal his name. Not just because it wasn't a secret, but because he desperately needed to buy time. Nearly five minutes had already passed since their battle began, and backup was surely on the way. He absolutely had to survive!!
---
A/N: A quick note on Mado Kureo's character: I'm sure many readers of Tokyo Ghoul might dislike him, finding him strange-looking, oddly spoken, and responsible for killing a certain little girl's parents. But beyond that? He's an excellent mentor, a capable leader. If not for plot necessity, he wouldn't have died so easily. His obsession with hunting ghouls also isn't without reason: seeing his beloved wife's mutilated corpse firsthand—would any normal person behave better in his place? To him, "ghouls" are simply enemies who killed his wife. From this perspective, turning their kagune into quinques is actually quite reasonable.
T/N: err looking at the wiki looks like kagune can just be lower case so im not gonna capitalize it anymore and unforuntaely quinques are also lower case... UGH oh well also heres the pictures, guess the importance by size of image LMAO