Though their mission goal was to drive the enemy away rather than eliminate them entirely, neither Lancer nor Mado Kureo minded killing a few more Ghouls. Amon Koutarou wouldn't stop them either—after all, one was his senior and mentor, and the other was his teammate.
Lancer, along with two Rank-2 Investigators and five Rank-3 Investigators, formed a temporary squad and chased down the eastern corridor. But whether it was "luck" or "misfortune," they soon found their target—and it was a big one.
Compared to the main hall, littered with blood and Ghoul corpses, this passageway was relatively clean. Yet the spear in Lancer's grip suddenly felt strange, as if it was thirsting for something.
But before Lancer could investigate further, a strange clicking tongue echoed through the darkness.
"Tch, tch~ I thought it was that woman, but it turns out to be CCG Investigators instead. So, you've already caught her?"
A figure dressed in a white suit and wearing a half-mask slowly stepped out from the shadows.
"Open fire!"
"Wait!!"
Before Lancer even finished speaking, gunshots rang out from behind.
From the moment they'd entered this hellish place—first greeted by the slaughterhouse-like scenes of mangled corpses, then engaging in fierce group combat against Ghouls—the Rank-3 Investigators' nerves had been stretched taut. Seeing another figure clearly identifiable as a Ghoul, they immediately opened fire upon command without hesitation.
"Who permitted trash like you to attack Shuu-sama?!"
If Lancer had been wary simply because he recognized the Gourmet, then this new voice caught him completely off-guard.
Multiple Kagune erupted from behind Tsukiyama Shuu, lunging straight towards Lancer's squad. Clearly, their target was the Investigators who had fired—but how could Lancer let them have their way so easily?
Though he'd been guarding against Tsukiyama Shuu, it wasn't a waste to use this defense against the unexpected attacker.
He grasped his spear tightly and swung it downward with tremendous force, smashing the incoming Kagune straight into the ground.
"Fall back! This enemy isn't something you can handle! Provide fire support from behind!"
"Bastard!!"
Seeing his attack blocked, Yomo erupted in rage—not merely because Lancer had deflected his strike, but because he'd failed to distinguish himself before the one he revered most.
But Lancer didn't wait for him to finish raging. Ordering the squad behind him to retreat, he rushed forward with his spear raised.
[Dash]
His strengthened physique cracked the floor beneath him, releasing an explosive burst of speed that Yomo couldn't fully react to. Ghouls generally relied on Kagune, and Investigators on Quinques—someone like Lancer, possessing speed and strength far surpassing ordinary human limits, was exceptionally rare. Caught unprepared, Yomo hastily maneuvered his Kagune forward to block—
Clang!
But at that moment, an armored right hand, enveloped in Koukaku, intercepted the spear's trajectory.
Unlike the enraged Yomo, Tsukiyama Shuu had been wary of Lancer from the start. Previously, he'd had the chance to escape alongside Yomo via a secret passage. But sensing Kamishiro Rize's presence here, he'd decided to come personally to investigate. While Rize's extermination was still confidential, the fact that a Quinque crafted from her Kakuhou rested in Lancer's hand indirectly confirmed her fate. How could Tsukiyama possibly remain indifferent facing an Investigator wielding a Quinque made from Kamishiro Rize?
After all, he'd long coveted that woman—strictly in the literal sense, of course.
The advantage Rinkaku held over Koukaku lay in its unique penetrative qualities, often enabling it to deliver critical blows against Koukaku's formidable defense. However, Lancer clearly hadn't fully mastered controlling his Quinque. Even combining the weapon's force with his explosive momentum, he failed to completely pierce through Tsukiyama's Koukaku.
Yet, that wasn't the end. Immediately retracting his spear—
[Triple Thrust]
If Dash relied on momentum, then Triple Thrust employed successive strikes against the same spot to break defenses.
Even the resilient Koukaku armor cracked slightly under the rapid triple assault. But just as Lancer prepared to press the advantage, multiple Kagune shot out, forcing him to withdraw.
BOOM!!
Tsukiyama was swiftly pulled back by Yomo, while Lancer retreated on his own accord. As soon as he cleared the area, gunfire erupted from behind. Earlier, his incredible speed had prevented the others from firing, fearing friendly fire. Now that Lancer had retreated, they shot freely without reservation.
"Shuu-sama! Let's retreat first!"
They probably couldn't be killed by these Investigators alone, but who knew when reinforcements would arrive? Most Ghouls didn't die from head-on battles but rather from being surrounded by multiple Investigators. Once caught in an encirclement, those fearless Investigators would drag them to hell, heedless of their own lives.
As much as Yomo wanted to shred these damned Investigators into pieces, he forcibly swallowed his anger and advised Tsukiyama to withdraw.
Tsukiyama didn't object, retreating calmly under Yomo's protective Kagune. Yet his eyes stayed fixed firmly on Lancer—no, rather, on the Quinque clutched in Lancer's hand.
Although he said nothing, his frenzied gaze expressed his desire plainly: next time they met, he'd absolutely seize Lancer's Quinque for himself!
Under suppressive fire from Investigators, very few Ghouls would choose to turn back. But even if the individual strength of these Rank-3 Investigators couldn't rival Ghouls directly, bringing them along might guarantee Lancer's own safety—but at the cost of forcing him to divide his attention, protecting those behind…
Right now, he deeply craved the new power within reach. Yet he clearly understood that continuing might worsen things drastically. His greatest advantage—the active phase of his Quinque—was already fading. Further pursuit could only drag him into danger.
At this critical juncture, he needed to decide—
Should he gamble it all, placing not only his own life but also those of his trusting comrades behind him onto this risky bet? Or should he temporarily retreat? After all, nearly three days still remained to complete his mission; it wasn't as if he had no other chances.
Lancer wasn't the only one wrestling with this decision. The Investigators behind him stared at his back anxiously. The sheer power of the two Ghouls they'd just faced deeply impressed upon them the vast gap between themselves and their enemies. If not for Lancer standing at the front, they'd likely have died during the first exchange.
Their duty as Investigators urged them to face difficulties head-on, yet their survival instincts screamed that this fight wasn't one they could handle. Feeling helpless, they placed all hope in their commander, Lancer, awaiting his final order.
And Lancer—
"Retreat!"
When he finally issued the order, a collective sigh of relief echoed behind him…
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