The flames and shockwaves from the missile explosions not only completely devoured everything on the ground,
they also entirely cut off the surveillance signal in the underground CCG conference room. The massive screen was instantly overtaken by blinding static.
In sharp contrast to the cold malfunction alert tone,
almost all the Washuu executives in the conference room let out long breaths in unison.
The nerves that had been stretched to the breaking point finally relaxed slightly.
At the head seat, the twisted expression on Washuu Tsuneyoshi's face slowly calmed, returning to his usual gloom and authority,
but beneath the table, his fingers were still pale from how tightly he was clenching them.
Only he knew what kind of storm had surged through his mind in those brief few minutes.
It was done.
Carnage, the grave threat who had slaughtered V members one after another and even forced him to abandon the ancestral home,
along with that damned traitor Rize and the One-Eyed Owl, had finally been reduced to ashes under national-level military force.
After this battle, he was even more convinced that no individual, no matter how strange their kagune or how extraordinary their power,
was anything more than an ant before true modern military strength.
The Washuu Clan still remained the colossal entity entrenched in the shadows of this country, unshakable.
"Dispatch personnel to the scene immediately." Washuu Tsuneyoshi's cold voice broke the silence of the conference room, firm and unquestionable.
"Search thoroughly and bring the bodies back. Even if they've turned to ash, gather every last bit of it and bring it to me."
"Yes." A subordinate behind him bowed and quickly departed.
......
At the same time, in the area that had just endured saturation bombardment.
The towering flames and thick smoke had not yet fully dissipated. The air was filled with the sharp scent of gunpowder and the strange odor of materials melted by extreme heat.
Where the three had constructed their defense, there was now only a massive charred crater,
and surrounding soil that had been completely plowed by the shockwave and fused into a glass-like surface.
The kagune defensive sphere that had condensed all three of their strength and once gleamed with metallic luster was now shattered.
Huge fragments lay scattered everywhere, their edges unnaturally melted,
like metal thrown into a blast furnace and warped under the instant extreme temperatures generated by the missile explosions.
As the thick smoke gradually dispersed in the night wind, deep within the enormous crater blasted by the missiles, three blurred figures slowly became visible.
All three were in terrible condition, especially Amano Hiro, who had borne the brunt of the impact.
The kagune shell he had used to shield the others was completely destroyed. His body itself was a horrifying sight.
His left arm along with part of his shoulder blade was gone. There was a massive, shocking cavity through his waist and abdomen.
Almost no part of his body remained intact. Charred marks and dark red tissue were exposed to the air, like a broken doll discarded carelessly.
In comparison, Rize and Eto, whom he had shielded beneath him, were in far better condition.
Though equally disheveled, with torn kagune coverings and burns and impact wounds across their bodies,
a ghoul's powerful regenerative ability had already begun to work. Their wounds were visibly writhing and closing.
Within minutes, their surface injuries were largely restored.
However, Amano Hiro still lay there without movement. Only the flesh at the edges of his wounds was slowly and laboriously wriggling.
"Hiro." Rize panicked and rushed to his side, her voice trembling uncontrollably. "How are you? Answer me."
Eto's heart sank as she looked at his nearly inhuman condition. Her throat tightened.
Amano Hiro was not dead.
His consciousness was exceptionally clear. He was frantically driving Carnage and the RC cells within him to repair the damage.
But the injuries this time were too severe. Especially the resistance against the explosion's extreme heat had consumed most of his energy reserves.
The recovery process had become extremely slow. At this moment, he could not even move a single finger.
The powerful tremor of surviving disaster echoed in his heart. Fortunately, the missiles of this era were not advanced enough.
Had it been a few years later, encountering those newer missiles loaded with larger warheads, that saturation strike just now
would have vaporized the three of them instantly, leaving nothing behind.
The impact force of the missiles was terrifying, but the truly lethal factor was the extreme temperature generated in that instant.
Thankfully, the RC cells strengthened through Carnage had gained greatly enhanced resistance to flames. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Just as Rize and Eto were overwhelmed with anxiety and at a loss—
A faint, hoarse sound finally escaped Amano Hiro's throat.
Though no clear words formed, that weak sound was like heavenly music to their ears.
As long as he was alive, it was enough.
With a ghoul's regenerative ability, as long as they could later replenish sufficient food, he would recover.
At this moment, because their kagune had been completely destroyed during defense,
all three were in a completely exposed state. But at a life and death moment like this, none of them cared about such embarrassment.
The thunderous explosions still seemed to echo in their ears. The intense lingering dread refused to fade. Their hearts pounded violently in their chests.
Each beat reminded them clearly that they had truly walked along the edge of death just now.
The smoke had not yet fully cleared. Rize and Eto suppressed the turmoil in their bodies and quickly covered themselves with kagune again, scanning the scorched surroundings vigilantly.
With Amano Hiro severely injured, they dared not move him carelessly, afraid of worsening his condition.
Under his full exertion, the RC cells strengthened by Carnage finally managed to stabilize the collapsing wounds and began repairing his shattered body at a slow but steady pace.
Enduring the intense pain, he forced himself upright. His voice was hoarse but firm.
"Let's go. Leave here first."
Alarm bells rang in his mind. What he feared most was follow-up strikes.
If the fighter jets returned for another round of missile bombardment, the three of them would certainly die.
He had been careless. He had never expected that the Washuu Clan could mobilize the Air Force within Japan.
That had exceeded his understanding of the limits of this ghoul investigation organization's authority.
It seemed that dealing with the Washuu Clan could no longer be done so recklessly. It required long-term planning.
The thought flashed through his mind. Rize and Eto immediately supported his weakened body from both sides.
Without daring to linger even for a moment, the three quickly withdrew from the zone of death under the cover of ruins and night.