On the Mountain Ring Road.
Touka Kirishima and Kureo Mado, who had secretly followed Yoshimura and the others out, deliberately traveled on foot after leaving the city, using their Ghouls' physical advantages and the convenience of their kagune to take a shortcut straight to the Testing Grounds.
At a road sign high above the Mountain Ring Road, its size and the need for concealment meant that only Touka Kirishima could take advantage of her petite build to watch the battle from a distance:
"Touka, how's it going?" Crouching on the ground, Kureo Mado could not see the scene from her angle and could only ask.
"The manager struck first and attacked that awful man with his ukaku... Tch, too bad. He dodged it."
"He dodged it?" Kureo Mado looked up at Touka Kirishima in surprise. "With how fast the manager's ukaku extends and retracts, he still managed to dodge? How did that man do it?"
"I don't know." Touka Kirishima bit her lip, looking somewhat frustrated. "I couldn't see clearly at all. He just suddenly dodged it."
"Wait, that man's going to use his quinque. He's opening the case. Huh?!!"
"What do you mean, huh?" Hearing Touka Kirishima's hushed exclamation, Kureo Mado looked thoroughly frustrated. "Just tell me what's happening!"
Lying atop the road sign, Touka Kirishima poked half her head out and strained to look down at the grounds below:
"There isn't a quinque in the case. It's a gun. He's actually using a gun? Great, the manager's won!"
"...A gun?" Despite the delight in Touka Kirishima's voice, Kureo Mado could not feel happy. "Guns are useless against Ghouls. Even I know that. Wouldn't he?"
At those words, Touka Kirishima's smile froze.
That was right!
Although firearms were immensely powerful, almost no Ghouls below the SSS-rated ones capable of