The Anteiku district would no longer be peaceful; the Unkillable Owl would bring forth more slaughter.
The CCG army had already assembled. As they surrounded the cafe, it was not the manager who emerged, but two of his subordinates: the SS-rated ghoul, Orca, and Black Dog.
Seeing this, the soldiers opened fire, but their shots were easily dodged. What followed was a one-sided massacre. The black infantry, with incredible speed, annihilated the weaklings. The soldiers, initially believing there were only two opponents, were met with the ghouls' laughter. With a snap of their fingers in mid-air, the sky above them was filled with identical subordinates.
This time, the soldiers were stunned. These two groups of ghouls were not supposed to be enemies. Without further ado, the ghouls descended, unleashing a wave of destruction. In an instant, casualties mounted. Orca, brandishing a severed head, taunted the enemy. The soldiers, paralyzed by fear, were nearly obliterated by a single cannon blast.
The newcomers were Special Class Investigator Heavy Thunder and his arch-rival, Hedgehog. Meanwhile, the overall commander faced the protagonist of this subjugation effort, Fangcun Gongshan.
He slowly donned a mask, and the wings on his back unfurled, revealing his fully transformed Kakuja state.
Kaneki, arriving at the same time, encountered his senpai. This battle was the atonement journey for the manager and his two companions; others were forbidden to participate.
However, one person vehemently opposed Kaneki's participation: Tsukiyama, who cherished Kaneki the most. With the enemy forces strong, Tsukiyama feared Kaneki would meet an unfortunate end. But Kaneki's resolve was firm; he was determined to go.
Kaneki closed his eyes in resignation. Then, Touka tearfully pleaded with him not to go, but it was impossible.
On the other side, the manager could no longer comprehend. As soon as a subordinate tried to resist, he was met with a single decisive strike. He then unleashed a storm of Kagune to deal with the weaker ghouls. This was beyond the capabilities of ordinary humans. The soldiers who charged forward were merely adding to the manager's kill count.
Just as the manager was about to finish off the last of the weaklings, two powerful figures intervened. However, their efforts were futile; the minor injuries were insignificant to him. They were still no match for the manager.
Yet, the CCG had long-range artillery support. A massive explosion severed one of the manager's Kagune tendrils. Even under the siege of five opponents, his regenerative ability was terrifying. This was the CCG's most formidable enemy.
Simultaneously, on the other side, Heavy Thunder used heavy firepower to force Orca to dart and dodge everywhere. A Special Class was indeed formidable, but Orca's ferocity was even more intense. With lightning-fast movements, he countered Heavy Thunder's energy attacks with just a few punches.
Hedgehog's barrage also forced his opponent to scramble, and a large blade narrowly missed decapitating him. He was forced to retreat to the relative safety of an upper floor.
At this moment, a human suddenly appeared upstairs. The swordsman below was about to order a halt, but Hedgehog had already unleashed his attack. Black Dog, in an effort to protect the elderly civilian, had no choice but to block it, causing him to fall from the high building.
Meanwhile, after repairing the energy source, Heavy Thunder prepared to deliver the final blow to Orca. However, before he could even raise his hand, his cannons were simultaneously severed, and he himself was knocked unconscious.
Seeing this, Orca let out a laugh. As Black Dog plummeted, he seemed to recall something. With a twist, he sprang back to life, his Umaru Ghoul emerging. Enraged, he charged at Hedgehog, only to be struck down by a blow from the arriving Daitouji. Then, he was surrounded and attacked by several others. Hedgehog's relentless assault continued. Severely wounded, Black Dog could no longer rise.
As they debated whether to finish him off or capture him alive, Hedgehog revealed his terrifying jaw. There was indeed a reason for his hatred of Black Dog. Just as he was about to strike the killing blow, a sudden, unexpected event sent Hedgehog flying.
It was, of course, the half-Kakuja Kaneki Ken who made his entrance.
On the main battlefield, the manager was still fighting five opponents. Yoshimura launched a surprise attack from behind, firing a cannon that dealt high damage, but it was ultimately in vain.
At this moment, another fighter arrived, wielding a scythe and unleashing a barrage of attacks. With a few swift cuts, he wounded the manager.
Suzuya's strength was undeniable, but as he observed Suzuya's frenzied assault, Juuzou was filled with concern. Suzuya was not adept at coordinated attacks. If this continued, they would not defeat the Owl. Teamwork was essential.
Suddenly, Mado reappeared. Mado instructed Juuzou not to overthink things. If an enemy could be defeated with a fixed strategy, there was nothing to fear. They, too, should learn to be unpredictable, just like their opponents.
Therefore, Mado told Juuzou to trust his companions. Sometimes, individual efforts were more effective than group assaults.
Hearing this, Juuzou suddenly understood. He urged Suzuya, who had been thrown back by the Owl, to press forward. Suzuya was also astonished, as Juuzou had never behaved like this before.
Meanwhile, after ensuring Orca and Black Dog were safely positioned, Kaneki rushed towards the manager's location. The manager was clearly losing ground, surrounded by several opponents. News of the Eyepatch's breakout reached the enemy ranks. The manager, overhearing this, leaped backward towards a building, preparing to escape to the upper floors.
The manager's thoughts were filled with past experiences. He looked upon the familiar 20th ward, but before he could react, a young man behind him struck him down with a sword. This person was Juuzou Suzuya. The damage from the multi-person assault was too much for the manager to recover from; he could only passively defend himself. Even Amon drew his melee sword, unleashing relentless blows upon the manager.
Suzuya, charging forward, severed another of the manager's wings. The others' swords continued to strike the manager mercilessly. In his final moments, the manager recalled Kaneki, who had recently joined Anteiku, Touka, who had refused to go to school, Yomo, who had been subdued years ago, the former Orca and the current Raptor brother, as well as the Black Dog from years past and the understanding big sister of today.
In reality, Suzuya's sword had already broken through the manager's last line of defense. Special Class Juuzou also shattered the manager's mask.
In a daze, the manager recalled the girl from that time. The pitiable manager struggled to crawl forward, facing the person he deeply loved. In that moment, they seemed to hold hands. The face of his deceased wife appeared vividly before his eyes. The manager's mask vanished, and he finally collapsed, powerless.
The war had finally ended. Kaneki, however, was still more than ten steps too late, his eyes filled with regret and reluctance.
However, his arch-rival reappeared.
Not only that, but everyone noticed a shooting star streaking across the sky, directly impacting before them.
Another One-Eyed Owl appeared.