Surrounded

"Ice Mask..." At the sight of the newcomer, Amon recalled the scene of Taira Kusaba's death and gritted his teeth in fury. His eyes bulged, and his grip on his Quinque creaked.

He had failed to arrive in time that day, seeing only Ice Mask and Rabbit leaving, unable to do anything. Even after hearing the report on the incident, he couldn't help feeling angry at Ice Mask.

Louis ignored Amon. Cradling Hinami's head, he silently moved the handbag aside. He had wanted to scold her, but after seeing this, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Compared with her cheerful, lively self before, the way Hinami looked now was heartbreaking.

Louis reined in his emotions and looked up at Amon again. "I'm sorry about Mr. Kusaba's death."

Amon froze for a moment. He hadn't expected the other man to even know the dead man's name.

"But as you can see, ghouls suffer too when their family and friends die. The difference is that we can't even give them a decent funeral." Louis looked into Amon's face, his voice hoarse.

Amon clearly wasn't going to be swayed by a few words. He only refrained from attacking because of Louis's strength.

"Ghouls can only eat humans... Every surviving ghoul has countless lives on their hands. You're born criminals. This world has no place for you, and the CCG's purpose is to eliminate every last one of you."

"You say that like you own the world," Louis said irritably. "There are scavengers among ghouls too. Ghouls who only eat corpses."

"And the CCG has top scientists and the safest research facilities, but all you make are weapons to kill ghouls, instead of food that could keep them alive."

Louis opened his mouth, hesitated, then finally sighed. "Forget it... Blaming each other like this is pointless."

Louis looked at Amon again. "Mr. Amon, I can tell you have a strong sense of justice, so please believe me. A considerable number of ghouls want to live peacefully with humans. We both need to give each other a chance."

"If we could just talk things through..."

Before Louis could finish, a bone blade suddenly swept into the corner of his vision. Forced to stop speaking, he leaped away with Hinami. The ground where he had just stood shattered under the blow.

"Amon, don't let his words fool you. Acting is what ghouls do best, remember?" Kureo Mado emerged from the darkness behind Louis, looking at him with a vicious grin.

"We meet again, Ice Mask."

Mado's interference brought the conversation to an end. He and Amon blocked Louis's escape, one in front and one behind, each exactly thirty meters away. After exchanging a glance, they began closing in, clearly having studied how Louis fought.

Unlike Amon, Kureo Mado's hatred of ghouls had long since seeped into his bones and twisted his personality. A few words would never persuade him.

Knowing this, Louis said no more. He picked up Hinami and glanced at the bridge overhead. A massive pillar of ice rapidly rose beneath his feet like a lifting platform, carrying him swiftly toward the bridge deck.

Louis's physical abilities were roughly on par with an A+ rank ghoul's. Neither Amon nor Kureo Mado could match his speed on foot. As long as he could get away from them, he was confident he could escape.

Besides, it was night, making it easy to conceal his tracks. His chances of escaping were high, which was why he had dared to stay and run his mouth at Amon.

Whoosh!

Something whistled through the air. A bone blade sliced toward him and easily shattered the ice pillar Louis had worked so hard to form.

He had only made it halfway up.

"Still not close enough..." Seeing that he couldn't jump up to the bridge, Louis held Hinami tightly against his chest and formed an ice shield. He prepared to block Mado's attack, then plunge into the river.

But Mado seemed to have seen through his plan. The bone blade hurtled through the air, suddenly changed direction, looped around, and tightly bound Louis, who had nothing to push off against in midair.

This is bad...

Kagune could be soft or hard, and they moved as nimbly as living things. Even after Mado turned them into Quinques, they retained those properties. Louis's lack of experience had cost him dearly.

"Still not showing your kagune?" Kureo Mado looked at the bound Louis. Rather than release him, he slammed him toward the ground.

A layer of smooth crystal appeared over the segmented Quinque's surface. Like a slippery eel, Louis slipped free with Hinami before hitting the ground.

But it wasn't over. Before his feet could touch down, Amon swung his club from behind. Unable to guard in time, Louis took the blow squarely in the back and flew like a kite with its string cut, crashing into the nearby landscaped strip.

"Big brother..." Hinami's voice trembled as she watched Louis's mask gradually turn red.

"It's all right... cough... It's not that serious." Louis briefly assessed his injuries. No bones were broken. The solid hit had only caused a little internal bleeding, not enough to hamper his movements.

His healing ability wasn't strong, but he was tougher than an average A-Rank ghoul.

Amon and Mado are both behind me. If I run forward...

Louis was just about to get up when movement ahead sent his heart sinking.

First-Class Ghoul Investigator Shizuri and Associate Special-Class Ghoul Investigator Yu Fura stood fully armed, blocking his last escape route.

"Be careful. He has extensive combat experience. Don't let him get away." Kureo Mado slowly approached, excitement written all over his face.

"I wonder if your screams will sound as sweet as those of other ghouls..."

The four-person encirclement drew closer, tightening around him.

"Heh..." Louis suddenly sneered, turning to glare fiercely at Kureo Mado.

"You don't seriously think I came here alone, do you?!"

At those words, not only Kureo Mado but the others froze as well, hurriedly scanning their surroundings.

Louis lowered his head again, looked at Hinami's face, and sighed, dropping his voice. "Do you remember how to bring out your kagune?"

"In a moment... I'll need your help..."

He had indeed called Touka and the others, but Louis had no idea when they would arrive. He had only said that to buy time.

Barely five seconds passed before the investigators realized it.

"A bluff, then..." Kureo Mado smiled, even more convinced of his theory: this was a loosely organized group.

"Now!"

At Louis's shout, four kagune burst from Hinami's back and wildly hammered at Mado and Amon. Their tremendous force left the two men with no choice but to defend with their Quinques.

Shizuri and Yu Fura immediately reacted and charged, slashing at Hinami with a black katana and a dagger. With a clang, two blue-white Ice Blades blocked them.

"I'm your opponent..."