Chapter 83: All Acting
Within the central city of District 24.
Suzuya Juuzou stood in front of Akira Mado, one of whose arms hung limply, indicating she was seriously injured.
Not far from them, Noro, Tatara, and Touka Kirishima watched menacingly.
"What exactly is Special Class Arima doing? Abandoning the enemy in the middle of battle."
Akira Mado scanned the enemies before her, a sense of despair rising within her. If not for Suzuya Juuzou's greatly increased combat power after donning the 'New,' the two of them would have already been killed.
"I don't know what's happening, but you two are dead."
Tatara stared coldly at them, killing intent boiling in his eyes.
"Hurry up and finish them off. I can't hold out much longer."
Touka Kirishima crouched on the ground, occasionally spitting out a large mouthful of blood. Although he had only clashed with Take Arima for a very short time, he had nearly been killed.
"Noro, surround them."
Just as Tatara was about to kill the two and go support Eto, three figures emerged from the entrance of the central city.
"That's impossible."
Tatara stared in disbelief at one of the three, who was bound.
It was Su Xiao and Take Arima escorting Eto out of the passage.
"Save her."
The taciturn Noro rarely spoke, completely disregarding Su Xiao and Take Arima as he charged forward directly. It seemed Noro cared deeply for Eto, having watched her grow up.
Su Xiao held Dragon-Slaying Flash, blocking Eto.
"Come any closer, and I'll cut off your head."
He wasn't joking. If Noro dared to attack him, he would show no mercy.
Eto, already bound, was startled. She looked at Su Xiao's back with mixed feelings. Wasn't this supposed to be a cooperation?
"Tell your men to retreat, or Bai Ye will really kill someone."
Take Arima whispered into Eto's ear.
Eto was speechless, her impression of Su Xiao being refreshed once again. This guy wasn't just menacing in appearance.
"Noro, Tatara, Touka, the three of you retreat first. Go find Izaki and have him figure out a way to rescue me."
Noro halted his charge, looking at Eto in confusion. He had never heard of anyone named Izaki.
Tatara, too, had no idea who Izaki was, his mind racing with thoughts.
As the strategist of Aogiri Tree, Tatara vaguely guessed a possibility.
"Noro, we retreat. Go find Izaki."
Noro still didn't understand what was happening.
"Hurry, Noro! Do you want to throw your lives away for nothing?"
Eto shouted, subtly winking at Noro.
Even Noro, as dense as he was, realized something was off. He grabbed Touka Kirishima with his kagune and retreated with Tatara into the depths of the central city.
Touka Kirishima, being carried, was completely bewildered, having no idea what was going on.
"Tatara, who is this woman?"
Touka Kirishima looked at Eto in confusion.
"She's our leader. I'll explain later."
Soon, the three disappeared into the depths of the central city. The central city was essentially Aogiri Tree's lair, and they were familiar with the place.
With the enemies gone, Akira Mado breathed a sigh of relief.
"Associate Special Class Bai Ye, who is this woman? She seems to hold a high position in Aogiri Tree."
Su Xiao didn't respond to Akira Mado. This was a troublesome matter.
Eto's father had killed Akira Mado's mother. However, within the CCG, only a very few knew that the 'Non-Killing Owl' and the 'One-Eyed Owl' were two different ghouls. Most believed there was only one Owl.
The Non-Killing Owl was the manager, and the One-Eyed Owl was his daughter, Eto.
It was the manager who killed Akira Mado's mother. But if it were revealed that Eto was the Owl, Akira Mado would undoubtedly charge forward recklessly, trying to kill her.
"This woman is the leader of Aogiri Tree."
Take Arima casually replied. Paper couldn't wrap fire; Akira Mado would eventually find out. The attitude of Tatara and the others earlier was already obvious, and Akira had probably guessed as much.
"The leader of Aogiri Tree?"
Akira Mado stared blankly at Eto.
"Then that means she is the... One... Eyed... Owl!"
Akira Mado gritted her teeth, her beautiful face twisting.
"Yeah, she's the One-Eyed Owl. Bai Ye, she's your subordinate. You handle it."
Take Arima's expression was calm. After causing the trouble, he simply dumped it on Su Xiao.
"I will... kill you!"
Akira Mado shouted, charging at Eto with her koukaku in hand.
"Hey, hey, has this woman gone crazy?"
Eto's upper body was bound with chains, and heavy shackles were on her wrists. She could break free from these restraints, but doing so would expose her.
"Stay where you are!"
Su Xiao shouted, looking at Akira Mado expressionlessly.
"A live Owl is far more valuable than a dead one."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Akira Mado's hand holding the koukaku trembled.
"She killed my mother! I must kill her!"
Akira Mado was nearly losing her mind.
"You can try. See if you can kill her with me stopping you."
Akira Mado's face was full of pain.
"Are you going to stop me, Associate Special Class Bai Ye?"
"Yeah."
If Akira Mado tried to interfere now, Su Xiao would show no mercy.
"Damn it! Damn it! Why does this have to happen?"
Akira Mado threw her koukaku to the ground, kneeling and sobbing, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
With Su Xiao stopping her, she couldn't succeed. And his cold gaze made her feel as if she had never known this man.
The conflict within the team was temporarily resolved. As long as they returned to the surface, Akira Mado would have no chance to interfere.
"Return to the surface. Our mission is complete."
The four of them escorted Eto out of the central city. Throughout the journey back to the surface, Akira Mado kept staring at Eto.
Eto, on the other hand, was very calm. With Su Xiao and Take Arima present, Akira Mado couldn't harm her.
Even if they weren't there, Akira Mado had no chance of killing her.
The journey was smooth. The changes in the District 24 passage had stopped. Using a compass to navigate, the group soon exited District 24.
The broken metal door at the entrance appeared. Before long, they saw many investigators stationed at the entrance.
These investigators were all injured, apparently having been attacked by ghouls.
"This is?"
Marude Itsuki spotted Su Xiao and the others, stepped out from the crowd, and quickly approached Su Xiao.
"Special Class Kuroiwa? Did he get separated from you?"
Su Xiao didn't speak. He just patted Marude Itsuki on the shoulder. Everything was unspoken.
"Is there... any chance of finding his remains?"
Marude Itsuki's voice trembled. He and Kuroiwa had been partners for over a decade.
"Probably... not."
Kuroiwa had been swallowed by the Blood Eye and had already been digested.
"I see."
Marude Itsuki's voice was low, and he closed his eyes in pain.
"Then how did he die?"
"To cover our retreat."
Although Kuroiwa's rear-guard action had been ineffective, there was no denying that Kuroiwa was a brave investigator.
"Give this to Special Class Kuroiwa's family."
Su Xiao took out a twisted, deformed koukaku. He had picked it up on the way back.
There was only one correct route out of District 24, so Su Xiao had passed by the location where they encountered the Blood Eye on his return.
Marude Itsuki clutched the bloodstained koukaku tightly, silently walking toward the surface.