A Dazzling Entrance

The battle in Cochlea had reached its climax. Humans and ghouls were locked in a fierce struggle, their relentless clashes filling the air with the cacophony of war. Blood, flesh, and fire painted the once formidable fortress into a scene of utter chaos.

Cochlea's defense forces had received the warnings beforehand and had fortified their defenses. Yet, against the sheer overwhelming power of the ghouls, their preparations proved insufficient. While their forces boasted trained personnel and modern weaponry, these advantages paled before the raw might of S-rank and SS-rank ghouls. Even the seemingly impenetrable walls of Cochlea offered little respite as destruction and slaughter raged on.

The Aogiri Tree, on the other hand, had arrived fully prepared. Their goal was not only to rescue their comrade, Rize, but also to liberate numerous imprisoned ghouls who were once part of their faction. This was a full-scale assault, spearheaded by elite operatives. The presence of high-ranking ghouls, including S-ranked and SS-ranked fighters, turned the operation into a nightmare for Cochlea's defenders. Leading them was Tatara, whose power was terrifying enough to reduce hardened investigators to trembling wrecks.

As the ghouls rampaged through Cochlea, their claws and kagune swept aside all resistance. The defenders' morale wavered as they faced unimaginable carnage, and their once-coordinated efforts began to crumble.

Meanwhile, the ghouls advanced without restraint, creating rivers of blood and mountains of corpses. Many areas were overrun with red-clad, masked ghouls slaughtering anyone in their path.

"Are we... are we going to die here?" a guard muttered, his back pressed against the cold concrete wall. His trembling voice barely carried above the sound of chaos.

"No," the blue-uniformed investigator beside him growled through gritted teeth. His bloodied fist clenched tightly as he tried to muster his courage. "No way will I let myself die to scum like this."

"But…" The guard's eyes were wide with terror. His voice quivered as he whispered, "The warden… he's already—"

The investigator's face twisted with rage at the mention of the warden's death. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and snarled, "Those damn bastards! I swear, I'll—"

Before he could finish, a crimson blade suddenly shot through the wall behind him, piercing through his chest.

Splurt.

Blood sprayed into the air.

The investigator's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared down at the blade protruding from his chest. His mind failed to comprehend what had just happened.

The kagune twisted sharply, tearing through his heart with a sickening squelch. Blood gushed from the fatal wound like a fountain.

Blood bubbled from his lips as he let out a faint gurgle. His body convulsed once before his head slumped forward lifelessly.

"Officer Aoki!" the guard screamed in despair.

"Did I just hear someone say they were going to kill us?" a mocking voice rang out from behind them.

Emerging from the shadows was a young man with blue hair clad in a dark uniform. His expression bore a chilling smirk.

It was none other than Ayato Kirishima.

The guard's knees buckled as fear overtook him. His trembling hands barely managed to keep a grip on his rifle. His voice quivered as he stammered, "St-stay back… don't come any closer…"

Ayato's smile twisted further into a sneer. "Humans as weak as you dare to stand against us?" He spat disdainfully at the ground, his crimson eyes glowing menacingly. "Pathetic. Just go ahead and die already."

The words had barely left Ayato Kirishima's mouth when a pair of black and crimson wings unfolded from his back. With a light sweep, countless shards of ice shot forward like bullets, raining down on the guard in a lethal barrage.

Despair consumed the guard's heart.

Am I really going to die like this?

At that moment, a burly figure suddenly appeared in front of him. With a powerful swing of a massive blade, the man intercepted the deadly ice shards.

Clink, clink, clink!

A series of crisp metallic sounds echoed as the ice was deflected by the blade.

"Looks like I made it just in time," the burly figure said, turning to the stunned guard. "Hey, how about it? Can you still fight?"

The guard, snapped out of his daze by the man's voice, hurriedly grabbed his assault rifle. Stammering, he asked, "You... who are you?"

"CCG First-Class Investigator Yukinori Shinohara," the man replied with a grin.

It was Shinohara and his squad. After an entire day of forced marches from the 20th Ward, covering hundreds of kilometers, they had finally arrived. Their timely intervention had prevented Cochlea from being overrun completely, saving the human forces from total annihilation. Shinohara couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief, feeling fortunate that they had arrived before it was too late. A moment's delay could have meant the utter collapse of the defenders.

However, the scene before him offered little comfort. Amid the chaos, Shinohara scanned the battlefield but found no sign of the infamous silver-haired ghoul. The absence of this particularly dangerous adversary—who had reportedly played a role in the destruction of the 1st Ward—left him uneasy. This ghoul, whose terrifying strength even CCG headquarters considered a threat, could still be out there.

"Charge!" Shinohara's roar cut through the din of battle, rallying his squad of investigators from the 20th Ward. They surged forward like a tidal wave, crashing into the advancing forces of the Aogiri Tree.

With the arrival of reinforcements, the previously shattered morale of Cochlea's defenders began to stabilize. Rallying under the newfound hope, they gradually organized themselves and launched counterattacks against the invading ghouls.

The ghouls, despite their immense strength and ferocity, began to feel the strain as human forces fought back with renewed vigor. However, the battle was far from over. The Aogiri Tree was led by powerful elites—some of the strongest ghouls in existence—and their combined might still posed a significant threat.

"They've received reinforcements, Tatara," Eto commented from her perch atop a tall tower. Her voice carried a teasing lilt as she observed the battlefield below.

"They arrived sooner than I expected," Tatara replied, glancing at the escalating conflict below. Turning to Eto, he said, "It's your turn. There's no need to defeat them—just keep them occupied."

"Understood, Tatara," Eto said with a sly smile. With a graceful leap, she descended from the tower, disappearing into the chaos below.

Meanwhile, the individual everyone expected to take center stage—Kaguya—was nowhere near the battlefield. Instead, she stood beneath a streetlight, holding an upside-down map with a deeply troubled expression.

Only now did Kaguya realize the grave error she had made. In her haste, she had failed to notice that the map she had been using was upside down. As a result, she had been running in the exact opposite direction of Cochlea.

"How did this happen?" Kaguya muttered, scratching her head in frustration. She resisted the urge to crumple the map into a ball and sighed in resignation. "Looks like I'll have to retrace my steps and head back. Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter if I'm a little late."

Unbeknownst to Kaguya, the battle at Cochlea had already reached a fever pitch. The tides of the battle were subtly but surely beginning to shift, as the defenders and attackers fought tooth and nail for control of the facility.

With a deafening boom, two figures were sent flying backward like cannonballs, slamming into a distant wall with a thunderous crash. The impact sent chunks of shattered stone scattering in all directions, enveloping the area in a cloud of dust.

"Shinohara!"

Kuroiwa Iwa shouted urgently, rushing toward the debris. Using all his strength, he began clearing the broken masonry until he uncovered Shinohara's battered, blood-soaked body.

"How are you holding up?" Kuroiwa asked anxiously.

"Cough, cough…" Shinohara wheezed, forcing a pained smile as he rasped, "I'm fine… I can still fight."

But his condition belied his words. His body was riddled with cuts and deep gashes, his blood flowing freely onto the ground. Bones were clearly broken, though it was impossible to say how many.

"Never thought we'd miss the main target but end up encountering the One-Eyed Owl instead. Talk about bad luck," Shinohara said bitterly, glancing toward the enormous monstrosity looming ahead.

Towering over them was a grotesque creature, far larger than a human. Its singular crimson eye gleamed menacingly from its forehead, and a blood-red cloak draped over its form. Jagged kagune spikes jutted from its back like grotesque wings, and it bared its razor-sharp teeth in a sneer. This was the legendary SSS-rated ghoul—the One-Eyed Owl.

"Life rarely offers good luck when it matters most," Kuroiwa remarked calmly as he propped Shinohara up.

"True enough," Shinohara said with a weak chuckle, using Kuroiwa's support to rise unsteadily to his feet. "Still… I didn't think that even with our upgraded gear, we'd still be no match for that monster. Looks like this might be the end of the road."

He surveyed their surroundings grimly. The two of them were surrounded by swarms of ghouls, each bearing bloodlust in their eyes. Several of their fellow investigators had already fallen in battle, their lifeless bodies strewn across the battlefield like broken dolls. For the remaining few still standing, survival seemed an impossible dream.

"And if it is the end," Kuroiwa said firmly, "we'll make sure this thing remembers us. Even if we die, we'll leave it with a scar it'll never forget."

At that moment, the One-Eyed Owl began to advance, each step shaking the ground beneath it.

"Humans," it hissed, its grating voice like nails on a chalkboard. "Always so full of naive fantasies. Do you honestly think you can win? Such pitiful, foolish creatures."

"What would filth like you know about it?" Kuroiwa growled, clenching his fists in defiance.

The Owl's grin widened, its sharp teeth gleaming. "If you're so eager to die, then allow me to grant your wish."

The ghouls surrounding them began to close in, their predatory smiles revealing their intentions. They licked their lips hungrily, savoring the fear in the air as they prepared to strike.

Shinohara clenched his fists, glancing around at their bleak predicament.

This might really be the end.

Despair began to seep into the hearts of the remaining investigators, their hope slipping further away with each passing moment.

In a situation like this… survival would take a miracle.

The Owl stepped closer, its massive form casting an oppressive shadow over the humans. It sneered as if mocking their futile resistance.

Then—

BOOM!

A deafening boom resounded through the battlefield as a massive shockwave surged outward, scattering the advancing ghouls like leaves in a storm. Their large bodies were flung into the air, tumbling helplessly before crashing back to the ground in disarray.

Shinohara clung to a nearby steel beam with all his strength, barely avoiding being swept away by the blast. When the force subsided and he opened his eyes, his pupils constricted sharply at the sight before him.

Towering in front of them was a colossal figure, a giant over a hundred meters tall. Its body appeared hewn from solid rock, sharp and angular as if sculpted by a master craftsman. The titan's imposing presence radiated raw power, dwarfing both humans and ghouls alike into insignificance.

"What… What is that?"

Shinohara's voice trembled as cold sweat beaded on his forehead. This was beyond anything he could have imagined, something that defied all reason and understanding.

The giant began to move, its massive steps causing the earth to quake violently beneath it. With each thunderous step, the ground split and shuddered, the air thick with the tremors of its advance. Even the dreaded One-Eyed Owl faltered momentarily, looking up at the behemoth in shock. The Owl's monstrous form seemed almost insignificant next to the titanic figure.

Then, a lilting, melodic voice echoed across the chaos, its tone almost playful.

"Oh my, looks like I'm a bit late. My apologies. But I assume none of you mind, right?"

Heads turned in unison to locate the source of the voice. Sitting atop the giant's shoulder, perched casually as though she were on a throne, was a silver-haired girl wearing a fox mask. There was no mistaking her identity—it was Kaguya, the enigma known as Akatsuki.

And the giant? It was her creation, a manifestation of her ocular powers.

Of course, Kaguya would never admit that the primary purpose of the giant was to give her a better vantage point to navigate the battlefield.

Shinohara's heart sank into the depths of despair, and even Kuroiwa Iwa's stoic demeanor grew visibly grim. If there had been a sliver of hope before, it had now been thoroughly extinguished.

"This place is lively," Kaguya remarked, her tone light as she surveyed the battlefield. Her lips curled into a slight smile. "Though judging by the current state of things, it seems I've missed the prime moment to enjoy the show."

With that, Kaguya leaped gracefully from the giant's shoulder. Her movements were so light and elegant that she seemed to float like a feather, her feet barely brushing the ground as she landed.

"It's her! It's that woman!"

The loud exclamation came from none other than Yamori, also known as "Jason." Kaguya turned her gaze toward him, her expression unreadable. It seemed the ghoul who once terrorized others with his brutality now bore visible traces of fear. His large, bull-like eyes were wide, his brow damp with sweat that dripped freely. The psychological scar left by their last encounter was apparent.

"Well, well, I didn't expect to run into an old acquaintance," Kaguya said with a slight curl of her lips. Then, her tone dropped, laced with icy indifference. "But did I give you permission to speak?"

She raised a delicate, slender hand and snapped her fingers with a sharp crack.

Jason's pupils shrank to pinpricks as an invisible force struck him like a freight train. His massive body was hurled backward, slamming into a distant wall with a tremendous crash. He struck with such force that his outline embedded itself deeply into the concrete, which cracked and splintered outward in a spiderweb pattern.

Both the investigators and the ghouls froze in stunned silence, their minds reeling from the sheer display of power. For a moment, all eyes were fixed on Kaguya, who stood amidst the chaos as though she were the eye of the storm.

Even the One-Eyed Owl seemed momentarily shaken, its crimson eye narrowing as it gazed at the girl in confusion.

"Huh," the Owl muttered, tilting its head slightly as if trying to comprehend the anomaly before it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon: 

Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven