The moment Marude Itsuki shouted, "Attack!", Urie Kuki was the first to charge forward.
The other two First Class Investigators followed immediately behind, forming a triangular formation as they rushed straight at Washuu Matsuri!
Faced with the assault from all three, Washuu Matsuri remained completely calm. A cold sneer even appeared at the corner of his mouth.
His muscles suddenly tensed.
Rip!
Several dark red kagune burst out of his back in an instant.
The violent force directly shredded the clothes on his body into pieces!
In the blink of an eye, the dignified CCG Bureau Director had become a completely naked man!
The sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard. Urie Kuki's downward slash veered off course.
Crack! Bang!
Instead of striking Washuu Matsuri, the blade buried itself deep into the control console beside him.
A piercing burst of electrical noise erupted as sparks flew everywhere. The entire console instantly went black, smoke poured out of it, and it crackled loudly.
Holding his Quinque, Urie Kuki stared at the completely naked Bureau Director before him, his pupils trembling violently.
Only one thought remained in his head.
I never imagined the CCG Bureau Director would be such a pervert. That's terrifying!
"You...!"
The words caught in his throat.
Marude Itsuki and the other two investigators were equally stunned, their minds shaken.
Marude Itsuki reacted the fastest. Almost instinctively, he raised his pistol.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
He emptied the entire magazine in one breath!
The other two investigators' faces turned livid as they roared and charged in once more.
Still, the Washuu Clan's ghouls truly lived up to their reputation.
Even while being attacked by four opponents at once, Washuu Matsuri relied on his kagune and formidable hand-to-hand combat skills to hold his ground, trading blows evenly with them.
Bang!
After being blasted backward once again by a kagune strike, Urie Kuki staggered several steps before his eyes hardened.
Without hesitation, he threw his Quinque onto the floor and raised a hand to cover half his face.
When he lowered it again, a crimson Kakugan had appeared.
"Raaagh!"
The kagune behind him frantically multiplied and expanded.
Grotesque armor spread across the surface of his skin as he instantly entered his Half-Kakuja state.
His presence surged explosively.
Driven by a reckless ferocity, he lunged at Washuu Matsuri once again.
The moment Urie Kuki entered his Half-Kakuja state, the entire battle turned around instantly.
Four people relentlessly battered the completely naked Washuu Matsuri from every direction.
This time, he could no longer hold on.
Before long, he had been beaten until his face was swollen and bruised beyond recognition.
His limbs were cleanly broken one after another, and he collapsed onto the floor like a dead dog, barely able to breathe.
With an icy expression, Marude Itsuki picked up the Quinque that had fallen to the ground and pointed its tip directly at Washuu Matsuri's chest.
"What a pity, Washuu... Bureau Director."
There wasn't a trace of warmth in his voice.
Just as he was about to strike, Urie Kuki suddenly spoke.
"Wait! Special Class Investigator Marude!"
Marude paused and looked at him.
"Killing him now is letting him off too easily."
Urie Kuki spoke rapidly, his Kakugan glowing crimson in the dim light.
"We should drag him back and put him on display at a press conference for the entire world to see.
Let everyone witness exactly what the CCG's Bureau Director, the Washuu Clan... really are!"
Marude Itsuki remained silent for two seconds before letting out a heavy sigh and lowering the blade.
"Good point."
He waved his hand.
"Tie him up. We're taking him with us!"
After dealing with Washuu Matsuri, an even more urgent issue confronted them.
The front lines were still fighting!
They had to contact the forces on the island immediately and order a retreat.
Marude Itsuki frowned deeply.
The situation had become far too complicated.
Aogiri Tree's circumstances were still unknown, while chaos had erupted behind their own lines.
Combining all the clues from before with today's undeniable proof, a clear chain of evidence had finally emerged.
The Washuu Clan's true identity had been exposed.
Together with the upheavals of recent days, they were now at their weakest and most vulnerable.
This was the perfect opportunity to completely eliminate the Washuu Clan, purge the CCG, and then rebuild it from the ground up.
Marude Itsuki hurried over to the smoking control console.
Urie Kuki's slash had landed squarely on it earlier. He needed to see whether it could still be repaired.
He tore off the warped outer casing and lowered his head to inspect the wiring and motherboard inside.
His eyes quickly swept over the damage.
Fortunately, only several obvious capacitors and connectors had been destroyed. It looked severe, but they were all common parts that could easily be replaced.
"Not bad."
He let out a sigh of relief without looking back as he gave his orders.
"There have to be spare parts like these on the command ship. Go find them immediately! Once we replace them, communications should be restored."
...
"The CCG is here! They've already reached the outside of the manor!"
An Aogiri Tree member hurried into the hall to report.
Hearing the news, Amano Hiro rose from his throne.
"Let's go."
He walked toward the exit first. Though his voice was quiet, it echoed throughout the hall.
"Come and see with your own eyes how the first step toward the new world is taken."
The executives and members immediately followed.
A massive tide of people streamed behind him as they poured out of the building.
...
Inside the manor, in the spacious front courtyard.
The CCG investigation teams had already assembled there, but none of them rashly charged into the main building.
Ever since earlier, they had completely lost contact with the command ship.
Aura Kiyoko was the first to break the silence.
"What do we do now? We can't reach the command room at all. Did something happen?"
Shinohara Yukinori frowned.
"It shouldn't have. The command ship is at sea, not far from the island.
When we came ashore, we didn't see any enemies heading in that direction."
Houji Kousuke continued the discussion.
"If an enemy really managed to reach the command ship, there's no way we wouldn't have noticed something. At the very least, there should have been an emergency signal."
Kuroiwa Iwao spoke in his usual steady voice, calming some of the growing anxiety.
"To be safe, send two people back to confirm the command ship's situation. The rest of us will remain here and continue discussing our assault plan."
Everyone agreed with the proposal.
With the situation unclear, splitting into two groups and covering both the front and rear was the most cautious approach.
Very soon, two agile investigators left the formation and rapidly headed back the way they had come.
Kishou Arima did not take part in the discussion.
He merely stood there quietly, looking at the villa not far ahead.
The rest of the main force turned their attention back to the unnaturally silent main building. The atmosphere was filled with the oppressive tension that came before a storm.
"...Everyone, it's been a long time. Welcome to... my world."
A voice carrying a hint of amusement suddenly interrupted the CCG's tactical discussion.
Every investigator instantly tensed and turned toward the source of the voice.
The heavy doors of the manor's main building had somehow already been thrown open.
A vast crowd was pouring out from inside.
Every one of them wore dark red cloaks.
Every one of them wore a different mask.
It was Aogiri Tree's unmistakable attire.
Although they were fewer in number than the CCG, the murderous aura they radiated was no weaker.
The two forces confronted one another across the courtyard.
The very air seemed frozen.
The first thing the Special Class Investigators noticed was the handful of people standing at the front of the opposing formation who wore neither cloaks nor masks.
Standing at the very front was a handsome young man with a faint smile on his face.
The "welcome" from moments ago had clearly come from him.