Amano Hiro's face beneath the "Carnage" armor was extremely gloomy.
He slowly turned his head, and the chilling killing intent stabbed toward Washuu Furuta, who still wore that disgusting smile.
When watching the anime, he had already felt nauseated by Furuta's revolting behavior.
And now he dared to flirt with Rize in that sickening tone right in front of him.
Truly courting death.
However, the fact that the opponent had managed to dodge that attack earlier with such a strange posture had to be acknowledged.
He clearly had some ability and was not merely a clown jumping around.
"I'm a bit curious." Washuu Furuta tilted his head, the Kakugan glowing crimson in the dim light. His puzzled expression did not look fake.
"How did you find this place? And it looks like you came specifically for me. Can you tell me?"
His confusion was genuine.
Coming to Cochlea to see Eto had been a sudden decision.
He had told no one, and from the moment he arrived until now it had been less than half an hour in total.
He was truly curious how they had managed to pinpoint this hidden cell so precisely.
Crash.
At that moment, the bulletproof glass wall that had long been filled with cracks finally shattered completely, breaking into glittering fragments across the floor.
Eto lightly jumped out through the opening, casually tossing the small dark red sphere up and down in her hand. Her tone was playful.
"Curious? I just won't tell you." She narrowed her eyes and smiled like a cat that had just pulled off a successful prank. "Guess for yourself, clown."
The object she was playing with was exactly the small "split body" Amano Hiro had secretly given her on the day of the new book launch.
She had used it to send a signal to Amano Hiro.
The public declaration during the book launch, and even her voluntary arrest and imprisonment, had all been purposeful.
First, it was meant to prepare public opinion for the possibility of coexistence between humans and ghouls in the future.
Second, it was to see whether they could lure Washuu Furuta out. After all, in the original story, Furuta had also come to Cochlea after Eto was captured.
Although Eto did not know why Amano Hiro paid so much attention to Washuu Furuta, she cooperated anyway.
Their original plan had been to wait three days. If Washuu Furuta did not come within three days, they would abandon the plan.
In the blink of an eye it was already the afternoon of the third day. Just as Eto had begun to think there was no hope and was about to give up,
Washuu Furuta had unexpectedly arrived.
Seeing that the three of them had absolutely no intention of telling him, Washuu Furuta also dropped the exaggerated puzzled expression.
He shrugged, his tone returning to that unsettling frivolousness.
"Well now, that's really a pity."
Suddenly he changed the topic, even forcing an expression that could be described as innocent onto his face.
"By the way, could you let me go? Between us, there doesn't seem to be any deep grudge."
Amano Hiro's face hidden beneath Carnage showed no expression. Only the distorted electronic voice sounded coldly.
"Let you go? Sure."
The voice paused, and the killing intent suddenly surged.
"When I tear your head off, I'll let you go."
Before the words finished, his figure had already vanished.
A deep grudge? What a joke. If he had not intervened, Rize would have already become an experimental subject.
He had not disappeared. His speed was simply too fast, leaving only a vague crimson afterimage on an ordinary person's retina.
The next instant he appeared directly in front of Washuu Furuta. That claw capable of tearing steel apart swept forward with a shrieking sound, aiming straight for Furuta's head.
Bang.
The harsh sound of metal colliding exploded, sparks scattering in the dim corridor.
Washuu Furuta crossed his arms in front of his body. Dark red kagune hardened like a shield and barely blocked the fatal strike.
Even so, the enormous impact still forced his feet to slide several meters across the ground, the soles of his shoes screeching against the floor.
"Tch. That really hurts."
He shook his numb arm, yet still forced out a twisted smile.
Almost at the same moment, he suddenly bent forward. Instead of retreating,
he rushed toward Rize like a venomous snake that had been waiting for the perfect moment.
Taking that blow had made him understand instantly that a frontal confrontation offered no chance of victory.
Therefore the optimal solution was to seize a hostage first.
"Rize chan."
He shouted as the crimson Kakugan in his eye flickered wildly.
Behind him, three kagune that had long been prepared suddenly erupted with crimson light like giant serpents choosing their prey.
With a shrill tearing sound through the air, they mercilessly stabbed toward Rize's chest, throat, and abdomen.
Although he spoke with twisted affection, his attack was ruthless and decisive, targeting vital points without hesitation.
Among the people present, one was Carnage and one was the One Eyed Owl.
Without question, Rize appeared to be the weakest.
He decisively chose to attack her first. At least, that was what he believed.
Rize watched the approaching figure without moving at all. A trace of cold mockery even flashed in her eyes.
Four rinkaku lashed out afterward yet arrived first, like four giant serpents whipping forward violently.
Bang.
With a heavy collision, Washuu Furuta's forward momentum stopped instantly.
His entire body was thrown violently through the air like a kite with a cut string and slammed into the metal wall of a cell behind him with a dull, grating crash.
"Cough."
He staggered as he landed, clutching his abdomen tightly with one hand.
It had already been pierced by the rinkaku, and blood poured out between his fingers.
He slowly raised his head, his face filled with disbelief and shock.
Rize. How could she possibly be this strong? That was impossible.
"Haha. What's wrong, clown?"
Eto leaned against the wall as if watching a wonderful stage play, her eyes full of amusement.
"That expression on your face that says how could this be is really entertaining. Truly wonderful."
She happily played the role of an audience member, throwing sarcastic remarks while enjoying the couple's combined beating.
Washuu Furuta had not yet recovered from his shock when a vicious gust of wind struck from behind.
Although he desperately twisted his body to dodge, he was still a moment too slow.
Slash.
The dark red claw tore through flesh, carving four bone deep wounds across his back.
Blood sprayed outward, and the intense pain made his vision darken.
Using the momentum, he rolled forward in a miserable tumble. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes as his kagune began to grow and mutate wildly.
Dark red flesh wrapped around his body. Carapace rapidly hardened and expanded.
In the blink of an eye he had transformed into a figure covered in black armor, with a five pointed star pattern appearing on his face mask.
He turned around and let out a furious roar at the three of them.
But what greeted him was a rain of kagune spikes shooting toward him from every direction.
Clang clang clang.
He hurriedly raised a kagune shield as the dense impacts struck like iron being pounded in a rainstorm.
And behind the flying spikes, the crimson figure had already closed in like a ghost.
Thrust.
A huge dark red two pronged spear pierced straight through his chest without any resistance.
Immediately afterward, a heavy armored fist carrying enormous force smashed directly into his mask.
Boom.
The ground cracked and dust rose into the air. Washuu Furuta was slammed directly into the floor by that punch.
Inside the shattered crater, he struggled to raise the cracked mask on his face.
Amano Hiro slowly leaned down, the Carnage covered face drawing close as the distorted electronic voice dripped with cold mockery.
"What did you call?"
Boom.
Another punch. "I asked what you called."
Boom. Boom.
With each violent strike from Amano Hiro, the kagune covering Washuu Furuta's body was smashed into pieces.
The body beneath it twisted and became barely alive.
Just as Amano Hiro was about to deliver the final blow, Rize suddenly spoke and stopped him.
"Hiro, can you let me do it?"
Amano Hiro withdrew the claw already resting against Washuu Furuta's neck. "Alright."
Washuu Furuta struggled to raise his head, his vision already blurring as he looked toward the graceful figure standing before him.
"Ri..ze."
Rize looked at the dying Washuu Furuta, her face expressionless as she spoke softly.
"Furuta, goodbye."