"Why didn't you shoot during that wave just now?" Altair demanded.
"Ah?" Kirishima Ayato responded, caught off guard.
"What do you mean 'ah'? I'm asking why you didn't shoot during that wave!" Altair pressed, his voice sharp with frustration.
Kirishima Ayato looked confused, pointing to himself. "Are you talking to me?"
"Who else would I be talking to? Did you have a mental lapse? When that RPG appeared, why didn't you shoot? There were at least five people around him, and you had the grenade launcher on you. You could have taken them out with one shot, and their RPG would have been useless. Your team might have even had zero casualties."
Altair pointed at Kirishima Ayato's nose, his tone scolding. "If you had just fired that shot, twelve people wouldn't have been hit and turned into ordinary humans, and there wouldn't have been one heavily injured. What were you thinking?"
"No, I was watching their rear," Ayato countered. "Didn't you say I should keep an eye on the back? A few guys were climbing over the wall, so I had to keep watching them. What if they got away?"
Ayato spread his hands, visibly unhappy as he explained. "Besides, didn't you say that as the team leader, I need to oversee the overall situation? There was an RPG in front, but people kept running to the back. How could I keep staring at the front?"
"Why do you think they were running back?" Altair challenged. "The enemy had over forty people, an absolute numerical advantage, yet they were thinking of escaping. Have you considered why?"
"Of course, it's because our firepower was strong enough that they got scared and wanted to escape," Ayato replied confidently.
"Isn't that obvious? I taught you that you're fighting a war of annihilation. To prevent the enemy from escaping when you're outnumbered, don't reveal all your firepower. Engage in a tug-of-war, make them think they can counterattack, then lead them step by step into a trap, and finally go all out to finish them off."
"But what about you? Did you engage in that tug-of-war?" Altair asked pointedly.
"I did engage in a tug-of-war," Ayato insisted stubbornly.
Altair slapped his thigh in exasperation. "A tug-of-war? Your idea of a tug-of-war was to start by throwing a grenade, announcing to them that you have newer weapons? Were you afraid they didn't know?"
"I... I really did engage in a tug-of-war," Ayato mumbled, his confidence waning.
"Are you going through a rebellious phase? Can't take criticism anymore? Are you starting to argue back? Is that how you do a tug-of-war? Starting with a grenade and then losing twelve people?"
"We only had one heavily injured," Ayato retorted. "According to your requirements, we passed, right?"
"Losing their ghoul abilities, how is that different from being heavily injured?" Altair shot back.
Ayato fell silent, unable to respond.
"Kirishima Ayato, you disappoint me," Altair said coldly. "Tonight's operation is considered a failure. Go back and reflect on it properly."
With that, Altair turned and climbed into the vehicle, ignoring Ayato's attempt to speak further.
The other team members glanced around uncertainly, unsure of what to do, before one whispered to Ayato, "Captain, what do we do now?"
"What else can we do? Get in the car!" Ayato snapped, glaring at them before issuing the order for everyone to board.
The operation could be considered a success, they eliminated a group of over forty enemies and retrieved a lost RPG. However, losing twelve members who turned from ghouls into ordinary humans on their first outing marked it as a failure as well.
Fortunately, these members, trained by Altair, could still participate in operations even as ordinary humans, thanks to weapons that significantly bridged the gap between them and ghouls. The team's roster remained unchanged.
Altair's reprimand had an impact on Ayato. After the operation was deemed a failure, he returned and trained harder, thoroughly reviewing the operational plans Altair had taught him.
Two days later, during the operation to clear the third district, Ayato led the same twenty-person team. This time, not a single ghoul lost their abilities, with only one team member sustaining a minor injury.
Subsequent operations cleared districts 1 and 2 without further losses. Ayato's growth was remarkable, his skills sharpening to the point where he could take on opponents single-handedly with ease.
In just one week, the twenty-person team, at the cost of fifteen members turning into ordinary humans, successfully cleared districts 1 through 4. Tokyo's most chaotic areas became the cleanest, free of stray ghouls or rival ghoul organizations. The only ghouls active were those under Aogiri Tree's banner.
Aogiri Tree provided ample food, eliminating the need for their ghouls to hunt humans. Members simply collected their daily rations from the cafeteria, a system that made life far easier than clashing with CCG investigators. Why fight when you could live comfortably?
To ensure a steady food supply, Eto had acquired several crematoriums in Tokyo and neighboring prefectures like Saitama, Chiba, and Gunma. Food sourced from these facilities was transported to Tokyo, making Aogiri Tree exceptionally wealthy.
Aogiri Tree's aggressive clearing operations drastically reduced the ghoul population, a trend that continued to spread.
Altair's first twenty-person team proved highly effective, prompting Aogiri Tree to commission him to train more. Unwilling to handle it himself, Altair delegated the task to Amon Koutarou. Having trained alongside Altair for the first batch, Amon was experienced and adept, successfully preparing a second batch in just one week using Altair's rigorous methods.
With the second batch trained, Aogiri Tree devised a new plan. The conflict between CCG and ghouls had persisted for years, with many ghouls captured and held in specialized prisons. Aogiri Tree aimed to locate this prison and free the imprisoned ghouls.
However, this was merely their public objective. Eto's true plan was to transform all the imprisoned ghouls into ordinary humans. These ghouls, each responsible for numerous deaths, faced execution. Eto was planning something monumental.
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Hi guys, Elenea here! I just want to announce that starting now I'll be trying to focus on my own original fanfic, which I've been thinking about for the past few days (lol I really mulled this over briefly for a few days and decided I'm going to make it a full novel).
If you want to read it, feel free to stop by and leave a five-star and that power stone.
[Worse Than the Devil (DxD)]
Synopsis:
Devil.
An evil and chaotic creatures born from hell who often blamed by humans for the mistakes they themselves commit.
"The devil made me do it."
A phrase always uttered by humans after committing crimes, casting blame and responsibility for their wrongdoings onto the devil.
But not all humans are like that, for there is one man who would gleefully commit atrocities that would be condemned by all of human history and accept the blame and responsibility for those wrongs with open arms.
His name is Michael, but in stark contrast to the meaning of his name 'Who is like God' he is not a devout man who draws near to God's embrace. Instead… he is the one who sends lost sheep to meet God's embrace much faster.
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Don't forget to stop by, otherwise I'll actually slap you online lol.
Btw, a quick note before you decide to read, if you have a heart as pure as glass, I suggest you don't read this because it REALLY gets dark to early. The first chapter will give you a little idea of what I might explore later on in this fanservice harem-themed world like DxD.
Adios!