I am a female swordsman.

Having escaped through the smashed window, Huang Quan raised his sword, its cold light parting the raging flames. As soon as he landed, he looked up and saw many figures rushing towards the overpass from the side of the high-rise building like dumplings being dropped into a pot. They were wearing uniform red robes and hideous masks.

It's the Bronze Tree!

"Enemy attack! Those capable of fighting, find a partner nearby and prepare for battle!"

………………

District 11, CCG Branch

"Report! The support team from headquarters, led by Hoji Kōsuke, has been attacked and is engaging the enemy!"

"Report! The special forces unit led by Yukinori Shinohara, which was supporting headquarters, has been attacked. We are currently engaging the enemy!"

"Report! Report! The Mado elite unit from Ward 20 has been attacked and communications have been lost!"

Three consecutive pieces of bad news made Marude's face grow increasingly grim. None of the three powerful teams that had been sent to provide advance support had escaped the attack of [Aogiri Tree]. Marude recalled the private phone call he received that afternoon from his old subordinate, Mado. If he wasn't mistaken, the enemy's next target was likely the CCG branch right beneath his feet.

If the 11th District branch is destroyed, then the entire situation in the 11th District will be irreversible.

【Aogiri Tree】will never let the investigators in Area 11, who have lost their command structure, get away with it!

By then, unless headquarters directly mobilizes a large number of troops to enter Area 11, Area 11 alone will absolutely not be able to reverse the situation.

Marute, a highly skilled commander, calmly considered the situation.

The enemy has made their move; now it's the CCG's turn to respond. Failing to withstand the enemy's long-planned killing blow could cost them their lives!

"Order: All investigators currently in contact with District 11 are to regroup with their nearest comrades and return to command as quickly as possible. Avoid engaging any enemy along the way unless absolutely necessary. If any large-scale enemy activity is discovered, report it immediately. I reiterate…!"

Marude Sai decisively issued the order.

The sniping of three support forces means that Aogiri Tree will definitely have to allocate some personnel and key members, leaving them with limited resources. The previous strategy of large-scale annihilation in Area 11 is no longer suitable for the current situation. In other words, the enemy was already prepared to unleash a powerful attack from the moment they began attacking the support forces!

At this critical moment, the command post must not be allowed to collapse!

'Shinohara, Hoji, and Mado, you guys have to step up your game! I've risked my life for Japan!'

"A large number of Bronze Tree members have been spotted two blocks away, rushing towards command post!"

Good things don't always come, bad things always do. At this point, Marude Saito couldn't care less about the reinforcements. With manpower scarce, even a brilliant strategist like him had to be on the front lines. The main thing was, he wouldn't hesitate to use anyone he could, even an old man like Marude!

"Prepare to meet the enemy; our lives depend on this battle!"

Marute, the Special Agent who had personally come to Area 11 to try and gain merit from the Aogiri Tree, couldn't help but sigh at how fast the world was changing.

at the same time……

Outside the CCG branch in Area 11, Tatara, a high-ranking member of Aogiri Tree, looked down at the street below, where deathly fireworks were blooming. The desperate screams of humans before their deaths and the deafening explosions were incessant. Sitting at his feet, a girl wrapped in bandages was happily humming a cheerful tune.

"Hey, Tatara, this is our first step in destroying this birdcage."

"Ah."

"Then go ahead and kill!" The girl's cheerful voice was tinged with a chilling fear as she reached out and grabbed at the sky.

Chapter 85 Dark Clouds Sweep Across

Area 11, the area where the special support team for the temple is located.

"Stay calm."

Leading the charge, Associate Special Class Investigator Hoji wielded a rapier-like Quinque. As a combat-oriented investigator, he had caused some chaos within his team after the initial attack. The attacking ghouls then swooped down from the sky with tremendous force. In this situation, if the leader couldn't control the situation, the entire team would be doomed!

puff! !

The two ghouls that charged forward first were swiftly stabbed through the head by Jotsu Hoji, and sent flying. The slender and agile Quinque, bathed in the ghouls' blood, shone with a strong, eerie glow.

The initially panicked support team immediately found their backbone.

"Move closer! Provide cover for each other and engage the ghouls!"

Having just recovered from the attack, Investigation Assistant Takizawa San-chan picked up his yukatana and joined his comrades, who were preparing for battle, to form a defensive formation.

Such a grand scene is extremely rare!

Flames danced eerily in the air as the support team watched the [Aogiri Tree] ghouls charging in from all directions, their expressions turning to horror. Had the [Aogiri Tree] mobilized its entire force?! How could so many appear all at once? Had Area 11 already fallen?!

After taking the lives of four or five ghouls in one go, Jotsu Hoji calmly observed the battlefield.

Using the blazing firelight as a guide, he roughly estimated that there were about a hundred ghouls at the scene, but only a few of them could use their kagune, and he didn't see any of the Aogiri Tree executives listed in the information he had received before departure. The support team consisted of over eighty investigators, many armed with Quinques and equipped with specially made gear. As long as he remained calm and dealt with the attack, there wouldn't be any problems!

Gunshots suddenly rang out in unison!

With the efforts of several investigators, who formed a crossfire network using armored personnel carriers for defense, they began to intercept the rapidly approaching ghouls.

Many ghouls were riddled with holes before they even got close to the investigators!

However, ghouls who can skillfully control their kagune are not so easy to track. Even with firepower, they are often blocked by their kagune and cannot cause much damage.

Gunshots and roars, screams and wails!

The brief battle allowed Hoji Kousuke to breathe a slight sigh of relief.

He immediately removed the kunk from his hands. Although the two special rapiers made of kaku were agile and light, in the current situation, the yukaku gun was undoubtedly better suited to take care of the overall situation.

'I wonder how Mr. Mado and Mr. Shinohara are doing?'

Contact with the 11th District branch remains open, but there is absolutely no information regarding the current situation of the other two teams that set off to provide support tonight. The goal of [Bronze Tree] is to delay the reinforcements, not to besiege the point and attack the reinforcements. If they don't rush to the 11th District branch's aid soon, the enemy may succeed in their objective.

Hoji Junto has experience in large-scale operations against ghouls, just like the one currently underway!

At this moment, he was not only thinking about the safety and survival of his own team, but also about the impact he could have on the overall battle situation in Area 11.

………………

Area 11, where the Shinohara Special Support Team is located.

Similar to the attack on Hohoji Junto's team, with the assistance of mercenary ghouls, Aogiri Tree also launched a surprise attack on Shinohara Junto's support team.

With a special-class investigator in command, and without any powerful ghouls to restrain them, the investigators launched a near-total extermination operation against the attacking ghouls. Over a hundred ghouls, overwhelmed by fear, quickly collapsed and dared not even think of fighting against the investigators led by Special-Class Investigator Shinohara, who had previously vanquished Kakujas.

Of the three support teams, it was probably Shinohara's team that was attacked first.

And their speed in defeating the attacking ghouls also seems to be the fastest!

"Hey, Marude, how are things going with Hoji and Mado?" Shinohara Yukinori, leaning on what looked like a large cleaver, stood atop a large group of ghoul corpses, his body stained with blood and exuding a dense and powerful aura of malevolence, like that of a demon.

"Hōji should be fine, but Mado is completely out of contact. It seems the signal car was attacked and destroyed."

The anxious voice of his old friend came through the headset. Shinohara sighed helplessly and touched his buzz cut. According to the original route, Mado Kureo's team should not be too far away. If he could provide nearby support, it would be of great help to Mado's team. But the problem is that the situation in the 11th Division doesn't seem to be very good either. The Mado team, which has lost contact, should be able to save themselves.

"Stop dawdling, come and help me right now!"

Marude Sai could easily guess what his old friend Shinohara was thinking. He and Mado Kureo had been partners for a time and had even fought against the Kakuja [Corpse Collector] together. Shinohara definitely wanted to support Mado!

But the problem is!

The Mado team not only has experienced investigators from the 11th District, but also Mado's two favorite disciples. The overall strength of such a team might actually be the strongest in the 11th District right now!

"We'll be there soon. Stay in touch. If things get too difficult, retreat. I'll be there to meet you."

Shinohara took a deep breath; the air was thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder and blood. He knew that Mado Kureo was no pushover and decisively ordered his entire team to regroup and rush to reinforce the 11th Division.

We must arrive before the Bronze Tree captures the branch!

The entire area of ​​District 11 seemed to be boiling over, with sounds of commotion heard everywhere.

There were support teams that had been attacked, former area investigators who hadn't had time to retreat to the CCG branch, and some civilians who hadn't been evacuated. Of course, there were also many sounds of ghouls wreaking havoc, like a group of demons coming to earth to cheer and rampage, releasing the negative emotions that had accumulated from their daily struggles to be driven out and exterminated.

Slaughter, feasting, revelry!

Human life is like a prison...

The streets of Tokyo's 11th ward in the dead of night seemed to have been completely taken over by a horde of man-eating monsters. Even the scattered white doves were now struggling to survive. The roles of hunter and prey had been reversed; it was no longer the white doves hunting ghouls, but the ghouls actively searching for the white doves!

Blood pools and severed limbs were everywhere, and the bloodshot eyes of the demons in the hellish realm were filled with murderous intent!

The multi-headed ghoul chasing the two investigators suddenly stopped, its expression shifting abruptly. Ahead of them, a multitude of investigators surged forth from the darkness like a black cloud, moving fiercely in the night like the flapping wings of crows!

Chapter Eighty-Six Belongs to Humanity!

White dove!?

It turned out that the road the search team had come from was completely dark, with only the flickering firelight making it difficult to see clearly. The numerous figures overlapped one another, and at first glance, they looked like dark shadows of crows swooping down.

These ghouls instinctively sensed something was wrong!

In stark contrast to the defeated White Doves of Area 11, this group of silent investigators exuded an inexplicable sense of murderous intent, especially the White Dove at the head, who was carrying a long sword, with blood dripping slowly from its bright and eerie blade.

run!

The ghouls turned and ran, intending to call upon their Aogiri Tree allies to defeat the flock of white doves.

In an instant, gunfire erupted. Through the flashes of gunfire illuminating the streets, one could see the figures of these ghouls being easily pierced by tongues of fire, their blood and flesh splattering everywhere. The arrogant ghouls were thus swiftly executed, like slaughtering livestock.

The two Japanese doves who escaped unscathed widened their eyes.

Snap, snap!

With a soft thud, a pair of combat boots suddenly appeared in their field of vision. They instinctively held their breath and looked up at the silver-haired, red-eyed investigator standing in the firelight, sword in hand. Even though they knew she was an ally, her unusually sharp and dazzling aura still made them involuntarily cautious.

"Are there any survivors left in your stronghold?"

Huang Quan's calm and even voice was like ice water on a hot summer day, quickly calming the two who were still in shock.

"Who are you...?"

"Currently serving as a forward for the Mado team in the 20th ward, I am Yomi, a third-class investigator."

[Sword Demon] Yellow Springs!

As the saying goes, a person's reputation precedes them. Upon hearing this, the two investigators, Huang Quan and her rank 3, immediately realized that the imposing young woman before them was none other than the recently rising star investigator. No wonder she possessed such an astonishingly sharp aura; Huang Quan's prestige was evident at this moment. Without needing to say much, the two investigators readily recounted the situation of their base.

It turns out that, in order to counter the harassment and attacks by [Aogiri Tree], Marude Special Agents had previously established bases with investigators stationed around their branch offices in Area 11. These bases cooperated with each other to maintain stability. Today, their outer base was slow to evacuate and was caught off guard by [Aogiri Tree].

All of the White Dove outposts in District 11 have now been dismantled, and the outposts on the outskirts were unable to evacuate in time, resulting in a truly horrific situation.

Their base originally had more than ten investigators, but it collapsed instantly when besieged by [Aogiri Tree], with only two escaping. If they hadn't happened to encounter Mado's vanguard, they too would have perished, becoming chunks of flesh chewed by ghouls. Yomi nodded slightly after hearing this, her clear and serene gaze gazing deeper into Area 11.

"There's a medical team coming up."

After saying that, [Sword Demon] turned around and made a gesture. The silent vanguard team immediately followed her light steps. The whole process was incredibly quiet; apart from the rustling of coats, only the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard.

No wonder I didn't hear anything before...