Boom!
A deafening explosion shattered the silence of the night, as if a cannon shell had struck directly.
The ancient main residence, which had stood for over a hundred years and symbolized the supreme authority of the Washuu Clan, had its roof blasted open with a massive hole. Wooden splinters and shattered tiles scattered like fireworks.
Amid the swirling dust, three figures landed heavily.
The instant his feet touched the ground, the Carnage on Amano Hiro's body spread like a living organism, instantly covering him completely and forming a towering, ferocious monster radiating killing intent.
On the other side, Yoshimura Eto did not hold back either. The iconic massive Kakuja form of the One-Eyed Owl erupted forth, exuding suffocating pressure.
Even Kamishiro Rize had dark red kagune surging around her. Though she lacked the grotesque armor of the other two, the danger in her aura was no less intense.
The three formed a triangular stance, fully entering combat mode, prepared to face the anticipated flood of enemies and unleash the long-awaited, exhilarating slaughter.
One second. Two seconds. A full minute passed.
The expected blaring alarms and swarming ambushers did not appear.
The entire residence, even the whole estate, sank into a deathly silence, as if what they had smashed open was an ancient tomb abandoned for a thousand years.
The extreme abnormal silence made their nerves tighten instantly. The same thought surfaced in all three minds. A trap.
Had the Washuu Clan already laid an inescapable net, waiting for them to walk straight into it?
They held their breath, heightened their senses to the limit, ready to respond to any attack from the shadows.
Five more minutes passed. Still nothing. Not even a ghost in sight.
Amano Hiro: "..."
Yoshimura Eto: "..."
Rize: "..."
The tension in their nerves was twisted by this bizarre empty-city tactic.
Veins bulged on Amano Hiro's forehead. His face was obscured by kagune, but his suppressed fury was unmistakable in his voice. "What the hell is going on?!"
Eto and Rize looked at each other and shook their heads. They were completely confused as well.
"I'll go up and take a look!" Amano Hiro growled impatiently. His wings flared and he shot upward, flying back through the hole they had smashed open.
His sharp, hawk-like gaze swept over the vast Washuu estate below. It was completely silent.
No lights. No voices. Not even the faintest trace of a living presence. The stillness was unsettling.
Eto and Rize followed closely, leaping onto the damaged rooftop and scanning their surroundings.
Eto dispelled her Kakuja form and stared at the ghostly compound below. Her tone was filled with disbelief. "Not a single person?"
Rize also returned to normal, frowning slightly as she nodded. "Yes. It's empty."
Looking at the silent estate, Amano Hiro dispelled Carnage as well, feeling somewhat dazed.
An unbelievable thought surfaced. What was this? The Washuu Clan... ran away?
He had come brimming with confidence, joining forces with the top combat power of the ghoul world, fully prepared to eradicate the Washuu Clan.
He had already envisioned rivers of blood and an all-or-nothing final battle.
And now? The enemy had packed up and fled ahead of time?
Amano Hiro's expression became complicated.
His current mood was like that of a master agent who had meticulously planned to blow up an entire skyscraper, only to arrive and discover that the target building had already been demolished.
It was worse than punching into cotton. The stage had been set and the actors were in place, yet the opposing cast had collectively gone on strike and fled. A suffocating frustration clogged his chest, making him want to cough up blood.
....
At the exact same moment that Amano Hiro and the other two smashed through the Washuu main residence with overwhelming force.
Deep beneath CCG headquarters, in a top-secret underground conference room, the atmosphere was heavy and so quiet that breathing could be heard.
Seated around the long conference table were the core high-ranking members of the Washuu Clan.
Just minutes earlier, the highest-level alert installed at the family compound had been triggered. With astonishing efficiency, they had assembled.
Now, every pair of eyes was locked onto the massive electronic screen in front of them.
The screen displayed live surveillance footage from inside the main residence. The roof had been blasted open with a hideous hole, and through the swirling dust, three figures emitting dangerous auras could be vaguely seen.
"They've come..." someone muttered, unable to conceal the hatred and faint fear in their voice.
Although the dust had not fully settled and the image was unclear, everyone present knew that one of those figures had to be Carnage.
As the dust gradually cleared, the three figures became distinct.
As expected, one was Carnage. One was the One-Eyed Owl. And the third... an unfamiliar female ghoul?
The existence of Kamishiro Rize was known only to the very top members within the Washuu Clan. Not everyone present recognized her.
Everyone held their breath, staring at the screen, waiting to see Carnage's next move, whether he would unleash destruction or act differently.
However...
One minute passed. The three figures remained in their landing stances like three demon statues frozen in place.
Three minutes passed. The image seemed completely still, with no change at all.
"Hm?" Finally, someone could not hold back and spoke in confusion. "What's going on? Did the screen... freeze?"
The remark rippled through the silent room. Another voice full of anger immediately followed. "Damn it! Who was responsible for installing and maintaining the surveillance system? How could it malfunction at a time like this?"
Seated at the head of the table, Washuu Tsuneyoshi's face was so dark it seemed water could drip from it.
He could not tolerate such a low-level mistake at a moment that concerned the survival of the family.
"Incompetent fools!" He slammed the table. "Investigate immediately. Find out which trash was responsible and drag them out. Dismember them!"
One subordinate acknowledged the order and rose at once, hurrying toward the door.
But just as his hand touched the doorknob, Carnage on the screen suddenly moved slightly, and the One-Eyed Owl seemed to shift her head as well.
"Wait!" someone shouted immediately. "The screen... it didn't freeze. They moved!"
The subordinate froze mid-motion. After receiving a dark look from Washuu Tsuneyoshi, he awkwardly returned to his seat.
In the underground conference room, it was silent enough to hear a pin drop.
All the Washuu executives' eyes were fixed on the three figures on the screen, especially the one wrapped in ferocious kagune, Carnage. Every slight movement tugged at their taut nerves.
Such tense vigilance existed for one reason. They knew very well how terrifying this enemy was.