Noro had been sitting in the command center from the beginning, never participating in combat—just watching the clock in his hand.
When the time came—meaning Eto's operation in Ward 23 was guaranteed success—he would evacuate the surviving executives from Ward 11.
Noro's original consciousness was nearly gone. He operated entirely on Eto's orders.
Eto had calculated the approximate time needed to capture Cochlea. When Noro's watch chimed, he immediately sprang into action—which was why he'd appeared before Byakuya.
Seeing that Byakuya had no intention of stopping him, Noro showed no aggression either. He simply hoisted Ayato over his shoulder and left.
In the end, Noro only found Ayato. Following the Bin Brothers' scent, he discovered they had already died in different locations.
After briefly confirming their deaths, Noro departed with Ayato and the handful of surviving ghouls, heading to rendezvous with Eto and the others.
...
"Commander Marude! Buildings 1 through 8 have all been secured. The command center was empty. We've achieved complete suppression of the Aogiri Tree stronghold!"
As news of victory reached Marude from the front lines, his mood finally lifted.
He turned to another investigator beside him: "Prepare to announce our victory to those oblivious human idiots!"
"Understood!"
The investigator replied, then added: "Also, Commander Marude, there's a call from headquarters."
"Headquarters? Who's calling?"
Marude asked.
"Special Class Arima."
"Arima?... So he's already heard about our victory!"
Marude immediately took the call, eager to show off: "Hello! This is Commander Marude of the Ward 11 Aogiri Tree Suppression Operation!"
"Marude-san."
Arima's emotionless voice came through.
"Arima, while you were leisurely playing whack-a-mole over there, we finished up Ward 11! This kind of thing is a piece of cake, hahaha—"
Marude boasted about his achievement.
But Arima's flat response cut through: "That's good to hear..."
The implications ran deep—after all, he was the true leader of Aogiri Tree, the "One-Eyed King."
"I need you to recall the operation forces immediately. Cochlea in Ward 23 has been attacked—apparently by Aogiri's main force. I'll be heading there too. End of message—"
"Wh... what...?"
Marude was completely stunned.
Hadn't Aogiri Tree just been annihilated?
Where did this main force come from?
...Could it be that Aogiri's main force was never in Ward 11 to begin with—but in Ward 23?!
The realization hit him like a truck. He'd been played by Aogiri Tree.
...
Ward 23, Cochlea Prison.
By now, Aogiri's main force had already breached the SS level—where SS-rated ghouls were held.
Though they hadn't reached the deepest level, their objective was complete.
"Humans really are foolish—can't even see through such a simple scheme."
Tatara said coolly. "Anyway, it's about time to leave. Those 'Doves' will be here soon."
After Marude realized Aogiri's true purpose, he immediately ordered investigators who had just finished the Ward 11 operation to rush to Ward 23.
But it was too late. The Aogiri forces that had attacked Cochlea had already withdrawn. Most of the freed ghouls seemed to have joined Aogiri, including multiple S and SS-rated ghouls—further strengthening Aogiri Tree.
The Ward 11 stronghold was now truly empty. The desolate scene was eerily quiet.
Nico appeared on a hillside overlooking the Aogiri stronghold, surveying the eight ravaged buildings. "It's over then. My love nest is gone..."
The Clown "Souta"—Nimura Furuta in his clown mask—stood behind him. "Nee-san seemed quite entertained this time, playing around with them for so long."
"By the way, does this 'One-Eyed King' really exist?"
"Souta" asked curiously.
"That sort of person doesn't 'exist' at all. It's actually quite simple~"
Nico whispered something into Souta's ear.
"Oh... I see..."
Souta nodded.
"But... there was one very interesting human this time. Quite to nee-san's taste~"
Nico's expression grew wistful.
"You mean that 'new young investigator'?"
Souta immediately knew who Nico meant.
"Yes~ Doesn't Souta-kun find him interesting too?"
Nico said. "Also, I feel like I haven't shown my face in a while."
With that, he donned a clown mask similar to—but not identical to—Souta's.
Finally, Nico and Souta laughed together gleefully: "The Clowns laugh last."
...
After the Ward 11 Aogiri Suppression Operation concluded, the CCG headquarters commendation ceremony would proceed as usual.
Until then, participating investigators were on leave.
The complete victory over Aogiri would deter ghouls in other wards from acting up for a while, so having many investigators resting simultaneously posed no issue.
Byakuya had also gone to Ward 23 to intercept Aogiri's main force after the suppression operation, but they'd already withdrawn—fruitless effort. Afterward, he headed home.
Rize and the Yasuhisa sisters had naturally arrived before him.
Seeing them all safe and sound, Byakuya's final worry evaporated.
"Speaking of which, where's my mask? Give it back."
Byakuya asked Rize for the white mask.
"Can't you just give it to me?"
Rize seemed reluctant to return it.
"This..."
Byakuya hadn't expected Rize to want to keep it.
He opened the System Shop and found the [White Mask] listing now showed "unavailable"—meaning it was a one-time purchase only.
In that case, he definitely couldn't give it to Rize.
"I really can't... If you like this style, I'll take you to get an identical one made next time."
"..."
Rize fell silent.
Though she returned the white mask, Byakuya sensed something was off.
Was she... angry?
...
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