The investigators had no idea who the young man leading the opposing side was. Shinohara Yukinori was the first to speak.
"So you're the leader of Aogiri Tree?"
Hearing Shinohara Yukinori's question, the young man across from him seemed to remember something and let out a soft, "Ah."
He casually slapped his forehead, the smile on his face taking on a slightly amused look.
"I almost forgot to introduce myself. My apologies."
His tone was relaxed, almost as casual as idle conversation.
But the name that came next sent a chill racing down the spine of every investigator who heard it.
"That's right. I'm 'Carnage.'"
The six simple words fell, and it was as if someone had pressed pause on the air itself.
The Special Class Investigators at the front all tensed.
Behind them came a wave of suppressed commotion. Many investigators instinctively tightened their grip on their quinques until their knuckles turned white.
Although the pre-battle briefing had already listed "possibly encountering Carnage" as the worst-case scenario, seeing the monster of legend standing before them still made everyone's heart sink.
It couldn't be helped. Carnage's reputation was simply too overwhelming.
That title had been forged through countless brutal battles. He was universally acknowledged as a monster among monsters, rumored to be even more terrifying than the One-Eyed Owl of old.
Amid a chorus of metallic scraping, every investigator deployed their quinque and assumed battle positions.
Shinohara Yukinori took a deep breath and roared,
"Everyone. Prepare for battle!"
Just as the tension reached its peak, Amano Hiro casually stepped forward and waved a hand.
"Relax."
His tone was so casual that it made everyone's skin crawl.
"They won't be fighting today. Your opponent..."
He pointed at himself.
"...is just me."
Before the last word had even fallen, a dark crimson symbiote erupted violently from within his body, enveloping him in an instant.
His body swelled in size. Savage spikes burst from his joints. Six massive tentacles unfurled from his back, writhing wildly.
Their tips twisted and transformed into blades, hammers, spears, and all manner of deadly weapons, while both of his hands morphed into enormous claws.
At that moment, he resembled a demonic god crawling out of the abyss, radiating a suffocating pressure.
He had said he would fight alone, yet not a single investigator felt relieved. Instead, they became even more tense. Who knew whether this was some kind of trap?
The armored head slowly turned, crimson eyes sweeping across the crowd before finally stopping on Hōji Kousuke.
He raised a claw and pointed directly at him. His deep electronic voice rang out.
"Hōji Kousuke. One of our companions has an old score to settle with you. What do you say?"
Hōji Kousuke's pupils contracted. He understood immediately.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward.
"Fine."
Beside him, Kuroiwa Iwao urgently said,
"Hōji! Don't be reckless. We'll fight together!"
Hōji Kousuke gave a slight shake of his head. His voice was quiet, but resolute.
"No. If I can hold off, or even eliminate Tatara, it'll reduce one of their strongest fighters. That's a worthwhile trade."
He knew full well this might be Carnage's scheme.
But for them, it was also an opportunity.
Amano Hiro turned toward the silent Tatara.
"No problem?"
Tatara stepped forward, his gaze locked firmly onto Hōji Kousuke. Behind his glasses, his eyes narrowed, murderous intent almost taking physical form.
"Yes. Thank you."
Years of obsession. His brother's blood debt.
Today, everything would finally be settled.
The moment Tatara and Hōji Kousuke faced one another, the atmosphere instantly exploded with tension.
Naturally, the pre-fight exchange of insults was unavoidable.
Tatara's voice carried an unusually obvious emotional fluctuation.
"Hōji... I'm glad. After all these years, our grudge can finally be settled today."
Hōji Kousuke showed no weakness.
"Indeed. So today, please die here."
The instant the words fell, Tatara entered his Kakuja form, while Hōji Kousuke raised the cannon-type quinque forged from Tatara's elder brother's Kakuhou and charged forward.
The two immediately clashed in fierce combat.
Amano Hiro rolled his neck, then tilted his head toward Eto and gave a brief instruction.
"Keep an eye on things. Don't let Takizawa Seidou ambush Tatara."
Then he turned back toward the massed investigators waiting in formation, flexing the wrist covered in black armor.
"Alright. Enough talking. Come."
"Let's have a proper fight."
Kishou Arima remained expressionless as always. He was the first to move, charging forward with Narukami in hand.
The other Special Class Investigators immediately followed.
The ordinary investigators behind them were left completely at a loss.
Whether they advanced or not made little difference.
A battle of this level was simply beyond them. They couldn't interfere even if they wanted to. All they could do was watch.
Amano Hiro casually raised one arm and blocked Arima's thunderous strike.
The next instant, he exerted force and blasted Arima flying backward.
As the two crossed paths, Amano Hiro whispered in a voice only Arima could hear.
"Stop putting on a damn act. The final stage is coming soon."
After sending Arima flying, he became like a savage beast charging into a flock of sheep, crashing straight toward the remaining Special Class Investigators.
The result was utterly predictable.
There was nothing worth discussing.
This simply wasn't a battle between opponents on the same level.
Against his casual attacks, the Special Class Investigators could barely defend themselves. They could only struggle desperately to dodge and survive. Counterattacking wasn't even an option.
After a single exchange, three of them had already been blasted away, crashing heavily onto the ground without moving again. Whether they were alive or dead was impossible to tell.
Everyone present knew the name Carnage.
But very few had ever actually seen him fight.
Now, both Aogiri Tree and the CCG investigators stood frozen in shock.
The emotions on the two sides, however, couldn't have been more different.
The Aogiri Tree camp erupted completely.
Someone shouted first, and then cheers and deafening roars exploded one after another.
"Our King! He's too strong!!"
"Did you see that?! That's our King!!"
They watched with their own eyes as their King was surrounded by six Special Class Investigators, including the White Reaper, Kishou Arima.
Not only was he completely unfazed, he casually swatted them away like flies, sending them flying with just a few effortless blows.
This was true strength.
This was what absolute despair looked like.
On the CCG side, however, dead silence reigned.
The color drained from many investigators' faces in an instant. Their pupils trembled, and cold sweat streamed down their foreheads.
That... that was Kishou Arima!
The universally acknowledged strongest human combatant in the CCG. The White Reaper!
Yet after a single exchange, that monster had casually batted him away, sending him crashing into the distant forest, where he still hadn't moved.
The other Special Class Investigators had it even worse.
They looked like punching bags.
In such a short time, three of them were already lying motionless over there, their fate unknown.
How were they supposed to fight this?
What extermination operation?
This was nothing more than lining up to throw their lives away.