Dimensional Kaguya Ōtsutsuki

"What did you say? The explosion in the 20th Ward was caused by… a ghoul?" Itsuki Marude froze mid-sentence, his voice tinged with disbelief. "Shinohara, are you sure? How could a ghoul possibly create such destruction?"

Shinohara Yukinori sighed deeply, his expression heavy. "Once, I would have doubted it myself. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it either. But you should take a look at this footage—it's from the surveillance cameras inside the church."

He pressed a button on the remote in his hand, and an image appeared on the large display screen.

The screen showed a silver-haired girl wearing a fox mask mercilessly pummeling a blue-haired ghoul, her movements swift and unrelenting.

"You're saying it's her?" Marude scrutinized the screen for a moment, his expression skeptical. "Doesn't seem particularly unusual."

Shinohara pressed another button. "This is at ten times the original speed."

"What?!" Marude's eyes widened, his voice betraying his shock. "This… this can't be! Is it a malfunction with the footage?"

"I wish it were just a technical error," Shinohara replied with a heavy sigh. "But the footage has been thoroughly inspected. There are no glitches, and it hasn't been tampered with. What you're seeing is real."

The room fell into a tense silence, the gravity of Shinohara's statement sinking into everyone present.

"Please continue," Black Dog Iwa, who had been silently observing, prompted in a low voice.

Shinohara nodded and resumed the footage. On the screen, the silver-haired girl continued her onslaught against the blue-haired ghoul. Suddenly, she raised her hand, and a small black orb materialized in her palm.

"Pause!" Marude barked. The screen froze again. His sharp eyes locked onto the black sphere in her hand. Years of experience as an investigator told him this was no ordinary object.

"What is that?"

Shinohara's voice was solemn as he answered, "That… is the object responsible for the massive explosion that followed."

"What?!"

"This can't be true!"

"Is there some mistake?"

The room erupted into murmurs of disbelief. Many of the investigators were staring at the screen, struggling to accept the idea that such a small object could unleash destruction rivaling a tactical nuke.

"I had the same thoughts at first," Shinohara said, his tone steady despite the growing tension. "But please, watch the rest."

In the footage, the silver-haired girl launched the black sphere, which streaked through the air with terrifying speed and struck the blue-haired ghoul. What followed was instantaneous—a blinding flash engulfed the screen, obliterating everything in the vicinity.

The room went deathly silent, the investigators staring at the frozen image of the explosion in stunned disbelief. The enormity of what they had just witnessed hung heavily in the air.

"We may be dealing with the most powerful ghoul in recorded history," Shinohara said gravely. "And the worst part is, she might not be alone."

"What do you mean?" Marude asked, his voice low but urgent.

"If someone with this level of power exists, it's unlikely she's operating independently. Whether she's an anomaly due to mutation or evolution, the possibility of her belonging to an organized group cannot be ignored," Shinohara explained. "What we're dealing with could be beyond anything we've ever faced before—a potential SSS-rated ghoul."

The tension in the room thickened. The thought of such a powerful enemy, possibly supported by an organized group, was enough to unsettle even the most seasoned investigators.

"Regardless of how she came to possess this power—whether through natural means or external influence—our next mission is clear," Shinohara continued, his voice resolute. "We need to closely monitor this ghoul's movements. Any information, no matter how small, must be reported immediately."

"Yes, sir!" the investigators replied in unison, their determination evident despite the weight of the task ahead.

"Report, Special-Class Investigator! Urgent information!" Seidou Takizawa burst into the room, slamming the door open as he spoke in a rushed tone.

"Urgent information?"

The hearts of everyone present tightened with tension.

"What happened?" Shinohara Yukinori asked, his voice steady but laced with urgency.

"That ghoul… the one wearing the fox mask… there's movement," Takizawa reported, his face pale with unease.

"What kind of movement?" Shinohara's brows furrowed deeply, a faint sense of foreboding washing over him.

"The fox-masked ghoul is rapidly heading toward the direction of the 23rd Ward," Takizawa said hurriedly.

"The 23rd Ward?" Shinohara's expression turned puzzled.

After all, the 20th Ward, where they were located, was in the northwest, while the 23rd Ward lay to the east. The two districts were far apart—what business could that ghoul possibly have in the 23rd Ward?

"Yes, that's the direction," Takizawa affirmed, his tone anxious. "If she doesn't change course, then it's possible that—"

"That what?" Shinohara's pupils contracted as though he had already guessed the answer. Slamming his hand on the table, he shouted, "Cochlea!"

"Damn it!"

Cochlea, situated in the 23rd Ward, was a massive detention facility specifically designed to hold ghouls. Equipped with advanced RC suppressant technology and heavily fortified with military-grade defenses, it was considered an impregnable fortress.

For ordinary ghouls, even considering attacking Cochlea was a death wish. However, against someone of that ghoul's level—someone who had already demonstrated power exceeding anything they had encountered—those defenses might not be enough.

"Immediately notify Cochlea to reinforce their security!" Shinohara bellowed, his voice commanding. "Declare a Level-One state of emergency. Recall all investigators currently on leave, mobilize our forces, and prepare to deploy to Cochlea. Assemble the troops by this afternoon and move out as soon as preparations are complete!"

"Yes, sir!"

As the room sprang into action, Shinohara gritted his teeth, gripping the pen in his hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white. A single thought consumed him.

We must make it in time.

Meanwhile, Kaguya, who had unknowingly thrown the CCG into a state of high alert, was walking calmly along a quiet street, holding a map in her hands and studying it intently. Every now and then, she would scratch her head in frustration.

The problem that had plagued her for so long—the exact location of Cochlea—had been solved in the most anticlimactic manner. The address was clearly marked on a map she had bought from a local kiosk. The discovery left her at a loss for words.

Now that she knew the exact location, it was time to act.

Kaguya pulled on her fox mask, and her long black hair transformed once more into a radiant silver cascade. Her outfit also shifted from her investigator's uniform to the attire she usually wore during "fieldwork."

Ordinarily, Kaguya operated in her human guise as Second-Class Investigator Tsukiyomi. This identity allowed her to blend into human society and avoid unnecessary suspicion. After all, her striking beauty and distinctive silver hair were far too conspicuous.

But for situations requiring speed and violence, she preferred her true form—the fox-masked ghoul known as Kaguya. Earlier, when she had gone to purchase a map, she had donned the guise of Tsukiyomi to remain inconspicuous.

Now, however, stealth was unnecessary. She needed to reach her target quickly, and the time for subterfuge was over.

---

The stars were sparse, and the night sky was dark as ink. Under the cool, silvery moonlight, everything seemed bathed in a gentle chill. The autumn wind rustled, stirring the yellowing leaves on the trees, creating a soft, whispering sound.

Amid the hazy darkness of the night, a tall and imposing structure stood proudly in the center of a dense forest. Its towering form stretched into the clouds, a monument of steel and concrete, reinforced by massive steel frameworks that encased the entire structure like an iron fortress.

At various concealed corners of the building, countless surveillance cameras had been installed, ensuring no corner remained hidden from their watchful gaze. Armed guards holding submachine guns patrolled ceaselessly, their frequency reaching the level of sentries stationed every five steps, with another positioned just ten steps away. This formidable building was none other than Cochlea, the 23rd Ward's high-security prison designed to contain dangerous ghouls.

However, Cochlea bore an unusual tension this night. Blinding searchlights illuminated the facility, making it as bright as daylight. Waves of guards patrolled the perimeter without rest, their movements steeped in an air of heightened vigilance.

"Hey, have you heard the news?" a tall guard whispered, nudging his rotund colleague with an elbow.

"Heard what?" the pudgy guard replied in a low voice.

"There's been talk of a ghoul in the 20th Ward—one said to be incredibly powerful, so strong even the headquarters is wary of it," the tall guard said conspiratorially.

"Headquarters is wary?" The pudgy guard chuckled dismissively. "Don't crack jokes like that; they're not funny. The folks at HQ are no pushovers. Against any ghoul that might exist, HQ's investigators are monsters in their own right. Even if this ghoul is powerful, they're no match for the likes of HQ."

"It's true," the tall guard protested, his voice urgent as he tried to convince his colleague. "This ghoul's power is said to be terrifying. They wiped out the S-ranked ghoul Shachi in an instant. HQ is treating it seriously."

"And you actually believe rumors like that?" The pudgy guard turned away, brushing it off with a wave of his hand. "Quit thinking about nonsense. Focus on patrol. You've worked here for years, just like me. You know how strong Cochlea's defenses are. Even if a ghoul that strong exists, they couldn't possibly breach this place."

"I know that, but still, we should—uh—uhh…"

The tall guard's voice faltered. Something wasn't right. The pudgy guard turned around, a smile still on his face as he said, "Stop worrying so much. There's no way they—"

His words caught in his throat, and his pupils shrank in horror at the sight behind his colleague.

A masked figure stood there, tall and imposing. One slender arm had pierced through the tall guard's back and emerged from his chest. Crimson blood sprayed violently, splattering the pudgy guard's face.

His eyes widened in disbelief. "Y-You're a ghoul?"

Before he could scream or activate the alarm, a cold gleam flashed before his eyes like a streak of lightning. A sharp, fleeting glint, and then the world spun around him. In his final moments, he saw his own decapitated, headless body lying limply on the ground.

Thud.

His severed head hit the ground with a dull sound, and a scarlet geyser of blood sprayed upwards, blooming into a grotesquely beautiful crimson flower.

"Tatara-sama, it seems they've already noticed us," a petite figure descended gracefully from the air, her voice soft and ethereal, melodious in its clarity.

Her entire body was wrapped in layers of white bandages, leaving no inch of skin exposed, not even her face. She looked almost like a mummy. If Kaguya had been there, she would have immediately recognized her as Eto Yoshimura, the daughter of Anteiku's manager, Yoshimura Kuzen, and secretly one of the most infamous ghouls, the One-Eyed Owl.

"They were prepared in advance. It seems they anticipated our arrival and deployed a large number of guards," the tall masked man known as Tatara said coldly. He flung the lifeless body in his hand aside as though discarding trash. The corpse hit the ground with a dull thud. "But it makes no difference. We would have been discovered sooner or later."

Tatara, a prominent leader of Aogiri Tree, was an anomaly among ghouls, his mysterious origins shrouded in speculation and fear.

"Do you think Rize is really here?" Eto asked, her tone laced with intrigue as her large, gleaming eyes focused on him.

"She is," Tatara replied firmly. He turned to gaze toward Cochlea's interior. His voice was deep as he said, "I can sense her presence. Let's move, Eto. Ayato and Yamori should have already started."

"Yes, Tatara-sama," Eto said obediently. She turned with a twirl, following behind him as the two vanished into the shadows. Their departure marked the beginning of chaos for Cochlea.

Suddenly, Cochlea's alarms blared, shrill and deafening. The prison's defense systems sprang to life. The massive building seemed to awaken as its steel gates slid open, and armed guards and investigators poured out in droves, fully equipped and ready for battle.

From all directions around Cochlea, a wave of red-clad, masked ghouls surged forth, descending on the heavily fortified facility like a tidal wave.

"Charge!"

"Kill!"

The battle ignited in an instant.

Both sides clashed like unrelenting tides, crashing violently against each other and sending up a crimson spray of blood.

Blood spattered, flesh torn asunder.

"Haha, wonderful! This is exhilarating!"

Yamori, known as "Jason," swung his massive fists with unbridled ferocity. His powerful strikes cut swaths through the ranks of investigators and guards alike. Before him, his enemies fell like harvested wheat, their attempts to retaliate utterly ineffective against his overwhelming strength.

In a matter of moments, the guards were completely annihilated, their corpses lying mangled and scattered across the blood-soaked ground. Their faces, frozen in expressions of terror, told the story of their final moments. Amidst the carnage, only one bloodied investigator remained standing.

"Oh?" Yamori turned to face him, baring a predatory grin. "One left standing? Not bad. Surviving a punch from me is no small feat."

"Pfft," the investigator spat a mouthful of blood-streaked saliva, glaring fiercely. "You're nothing more than a pack of mindless beasts driven by bloodlust. You're no better than wild dogs—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a shadow flickered before him, and Yamori appeared in an instant. The predator's grotesque grin loomed mere inches from the investigator's face.

With a sadistic gleam in his eye, Yamori raised his arm and brought his massive fist down on the investigator's quinque.

Crash!

The weapon shattered instantly, splintering into fragments.

"What?!" The investigator's eyes widened in shock, and he instinctively leapt back, his mind racing with the realization that he needed to escape. This was no foe he could hope to overcome.

"Run? How naïve." Yamori's sharp teeth gleamed as his grin widened. He stepped forward with a single explosive motion, launching himself like a cannonball. In the blink of an eye, he closed the gap between them. In the investigator's terrified gaze, Yamori's fist drove mercilessly into his stomach.

Thud!

A sickening crack accompanied the impact as the investigator's ribcage shattered. Blood erupted from his mouth as his body hurtled backward, slamming into a distant wall with a resounding crash. Blood seeped from every orifice as his lifeless body slumped to the ground.

"Just a mere insect, and you dare talk to me like that?" Yamori sneered, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Bastard, die!"

Suddenly, another figure lunged at Yamori from behind, wielding a quinque shaped like a long sword. In a blur of motion, the blade arced toward Yamori's neck with deadly precision.

But before it could land, a large hand shot out, lightning-fast, and clamped down around the attacker's throat. It was Yamori again, his movements almost too quick to perceive.

"Oh?" Yamori remarked, a twisted smile curling his lips. "Another one slips through the cracks?"

"Let me go! Let me go!" The assailant, a young investigator, struggled violently, kicking and thrashing against Yamori's unyielding grip. His efforts were futile; Yamori's ironclad hold might as well have been unbreakable. "I'll kill you!" the young man screamed, desperation seeping into his voice.

Yamori's grin widened, exposing his razor-sharp teeth. Without a word, he grabbed the investigator's shoulders with both hands. His muscles tensed.

And then he pulled.

Rip!

With a sickening sound, blood sprayed like a crimson fountain as Yamori tore the investigator's body in half. Fragments of flesh and bone scattered through the air like grisly confetti. Snow-like flakes of viscera filled the night sky as the young man's mutilated remains collapsed to the ground.

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