Kukulia, Temporary Control Room
After the control room fell, all the remaining staff of Kukulia crowded into this cramped space, and the air was heavy.
"Still no contact?!" a middle-aged man with glasses and a forehead covered in cold sweat growled anxiously.
He was Kukulia's Deputy Warden. After Warden Misaka Jinchi was killed by Bronze Tree executive Tatara, he was forced to take over this hot potato.
His eyes were fixed on the monitoring screen, where red alarms and chaotic images constantly lit up in various areas of Kukulia.
"Report, we've contacted Arima Toku!" The communicator's voice rang out with a hint of hope.
"Immediately inform Arima Toku! Kukulia is under large-scale attack by Bronze Tree, requesting emergency support!" The Deputy Warden almost screamed.
"Arima Toku replied that he is currently clearing Ghouls in the deep layers of the 24th ward and cannot disengage immediately. Reinforcement will take time."
The Deputy Warden's heart sank instantly.
"Report! Shinohara Yukinori has arrived! He is currently engaged in fierce combat with a suspected Bronze Tree executive Ghoul on the lowest level!" Another monitor's voice was excited.
The Deputy Warden's spirits lifted, and he immediately rushed to the corresponding monitoring screen.
On the screen, the figure clad in heavy armor and wielding a giant Kouink was none other than Shinohara Yukinori, one of the seven Special Search Officers, known as "The Unyielding Shinohara". He was fiercely clashing with a swift Ghoul possessing a Ukaku.
"Good! Good! With Shinohara Yukinori here, the lowest level will be…" The Deputy Warden's tense nerves relaxed slightly. Shinohara Yukinori's formidable reputation and his iconic "Arata β 0.8" armor steadied his heart like a divine needle.
"Report!" Another urgent voice rang out, filled with alarm, "Bronze Tree Ghouls have broken into A-3 Zone!"
The Deputy Warden's heart leaped to his throat. A-3 Zone, where Kirishima Arata was held—one of Kukulia's most critical areas—could not be lost!
"Where are the guards?! Reinforce immediately!"
"The guards… wiped out!" The monitor's voice trembled. On the screen in front of him, twisted wreckage and splattered blood created a hellish scene.
"What?!" The Deputy Warden was incredulous. The guards in A-3 Zone were well-equipped.
"How many Ghouls broke in?"
"O-one! Only one!"
"One?!" The Deputy Warden gasped, but then he forced himself to calm down. "It's fine, he can't open Kirishima Arata's cell door. That door…"
"Report! Kirishima Arata's cell… has been opened!" The third monitor's voice was filled with confusion and horror.
"Opened?! How is that possible?!" The Deputy Warden rushed to the screen, almost pressing his face against it. "Forced entry? How could a Kouink steel door…"
"Not forced entry!" The monitor pointed at the blurry long-distance surveillance footage. "He… he passed the iris scanner, just like… just like he had permission!"
On the screen, a dark red figure walked to the door, and eerie scarlet tendrils extended from his fingertips, connecting to the scanner. A moment later, the heavy alloy door slid open silently.
Soon after, that figure emerged with a weak, stumbling Kirishima Arata, retreating with clear purpose.
The Deputy Warden's face turned pale. He instantly understood the gravity of the situation.
Kirishima Arata was being taken away!
"Immediately contact Shinohara Yukinori! Tell him to drop his current target and rush to the A-3 Zone passage to intercept! Spare no cost, Kirishima Arata must be kept here!" He screamed the order, his voice distorted by fear and rage.
"Report! The target… the target is not moving towards the exit!" The monitor's voice held a hint of confusion. "They… they are actively moving towards the lowest level, towards Shinohara Yukinori's direction!"
…
Kukulia, Lowest Level
The roar of metal and the explosive clash of Kagune echoed in the vast space.
Shinohara Yukinori, clad in his heavy "Arata β 0.8" armor, was like a steel fortress, enduring Wu Dao Xiangdu's stormy Ukaku onslaught. The cold, gleaming Kagune struck the dark armor, only sparking tiny fragments and leaving shallow white marks.
"Damn it… this turtle shell!" Ayato gritted his teeth and cursed softly. His high-speed movements left trails of afterimages, and his Ukaku unleashed a furious barrage, yet he remained unable to penetrate the impenetrable defense.
Shinohara Yukinori stood as steady as a mountain. Each heavy step caused the ground to tremble slightly. He precisely predicted Ayato's trajectory, and his massive Bikaku Kouink, "oniyamada ichigo," swept out with a dull whooshing sound, forcing Ayato to dodge awkwardly.
"It's over," Shinohara Yukinori's voice came through his faceplate.
He spotted a tiny flaw in Ayato's movements, a moment of exhaustion, and his massive body burst forth with astonishing speed, instantly closing the distance.
"oniyamada ichigo," carrying immense force, tore through the air and slammed down towards Ayato's head. This single strike was enough to cleave Ayato in two.
Ayato's pupils constricted. His Ukaku desperately tried to defend, but it was too late.
Just at this critical moment—
"Stop."
A voice suddenly rang out from the edge of the intense battlefield.
Shinohara Yukinori's blade did not falter in the slightest, but just as the blade was less than half a meter from Ayato's head!
Boom!!!
Several scarlet tentacles, as thick as bowls, shot out from the shadows of the side passage without warning, moving so fast that they only left scarlet afterimages on the retina.
One of the thickest tentacles, carrying immense force, slammed heavily into the wide blade of "oniyamada ichigo."
Clang—!!!!
A deafening, terrifying clang suddenly erupted, and a violent shockwave spread rapidly from the point of impact.
Shinohara Yukinori felt an unimaginable force transmit from the blade, as if he had been hit sideways by a high-speed heavy truck. Even though he was wearing "Arata β 0.8" and possessed astonishing strength, his sword-wielding right arm instantly went numb, and he stumbled from the immense force. His sure-kill strike was forcibly knocked off course, slamming heavily into the ground beside Ayato.
Rumble!!!
The hard alloy floor was split by a huge crack, and debris flew everywhere.
At the same time, several other scarlet tentacles lightning-fast coiled around the startled Ayato, dragging him backward abruptly, instantly widening the distance between him and Shinohara Yukinori.
The scarlet tentacles slowly retracted as if alive. Amidst the smoke and blood permeating the passage entrance, two figures slowly emerged.
He Xi Qian Yu supported the complex-eyed Kirishima Arata, his deep red robe gently fluttering in the turbulent airflow. His gaze pierced through the dust, locking onto the burly figure clad in heavy armor.
And Shinohara Yukinori, the moment he steadied himself, also sharply looked up, his gaze like lightning piercing towards the passage entrance. When he clearly saw the person supported by He Xi Qian Yu, his pupils suddenly constricted.