The next morning.
After getting up and washing, Hayashi headed to CCG headquarters. He waited downstairs for a while, and once everyone had gathered, they left headquarters and drove toward the most dangerous place in all of Tokyo at that moment.
The 11th Ward — also known as Ōta Ward. Once, it had simply been territory for ordinary ghouls.
But everything changed after Rize arrived.
Her reckless feeding and wanton slaughter shattered the balance, quickly drawing the attention of the CCG. Later, Rize turned on the 11th Ward's leader, killed him, and left for the 20th Ward.
After she was gone, Banjou tried to unify the ward and bring peace back. But soon, Aogiri Tree set its sights on this fat piece of meat. Banjou resisted, but his strength was too insignificant to stir any waves.
It was only natural that the 11th Ward fell into Aogiri Tree's hands, and even Banjou ended up as a subordinate under Ayato.
Since Aogiri Tree took control of the ward, clashes with the CCG had been constant. Recently, they escalated into outright massacres of CCG investigators stationed in the 11th Ward, completely tearing away any pretense.
And if you compared the current situation with the anime's timeline — In just a few days, the 11th Ward branch would basically cease to exist.
Hayashi thought about this as he gazed at the scenery outside the car window.
"Senpai, what are you looking at?" Suzuya leaned closer, curiosity flashing in her bright eyes.
"I'm observing the situation outside. The number of ghouls." Hayashi nodded casually.
"You can see ghouls from here?" Suzuya tilted her head, her delicate face full of curiosity.
"Yeah. Since just now, the number of ghouls around here has clearly increased." Hayashi's gaze sharpened, his eyes turning cold.
There was no mistake. These weren't ordinary ghouls. They were under Aogiri Tree's control.
Even the air carried a biting murderous intent. And this level of killing intent wasn't something normal ghouls possessed.
It was clear — the 11th Ward's situation was grim. If murderous intent this strong was present in broad daylight, its fall was only a matter of time.
With that thought, Hayashi leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes.
Not that it mattered. His mission was to rescue the surviving investigators at the branch. If anyone stood in his way — he'd tear them apart.
Before long, the car stopped by the roadside.
"Hayashi, we've reached the 11th Ward." The CCG staff member driving turned around, eyes filled with respect.
To avoid being ambushed mid-route, this was as far as the car could go.
"We're here already?" Hayashi opened his eyes, pulled the door open, and stepped out.
As the door opened, Suzuya leapt lightly from the car. Then Ilhei and Akira followed, gracefully stepping onto the street.
"From here on, be cautious. There are a lot of ghouls in the area." Hayashi scanned the surroundings, addressing those behind him.
"I…I'll do my best!" The Yasuhisa twins clenched their little fists, trying to cheer themselves up — adorably so.
"Wow, so this is the 11th Ward? I've never been here before. Looks fun~" Suzuya's curious gaze swept across everything, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
And so, the group began making their way toward the branch.
Along the way, they saw countless mutilated corpses. Some were civilians, others CCG investigators in uniform — but all had died horribly.
"This situation is even worse than I imagined." Akira frowned at the severed limbs littering the roadside.
The ward's condition was truly dire, with ghouls everywhere. At least a dozen were lurking nearby, secretly watching the group.
But Hayashi's passive skill, Blood Demon's Wrath, was active — A faint aura of blood energy surrounded him.
Invisible to the naked eye, but ghouls could feel it. And what they sensed wasn't appetizing — It was suffocating pressure.
That oppressive force instinctively made them retreat and hide. That was why none of them had dared to attack yet.
Still, Hayashi knew it couldn't last. Among ghouls, there were always reckless fools who didn't fear death. When they appeared, he'd just have to cut them down himself.
"Those people in Dove uniforms… they must've been sent from another ward, right?"
"Yeah. We've already killed off most of the Doves in the 11th Ward. For them to still send more—that's just walking to their deaths."
After the group passed by, hidden ghouls whispered among themselves.
"But did you notice? That white-haired kid among them — he's definitely the strongest. I've never felt pressure like that in my life. I couldn't even breathe."
The mention of Hayashi made the surrounding ghouls shiver.
"But didn't Lord Ayato say all investigators we see must be killed?" One ghoul suddenly reminded the group.
At those words, silence fell. After all—facing someone like him… wasn't that the same as suicide?
"Better warn the others. Let them be the ones to intercept." Following the principle of better them than me, the ghouls quickly reached a consensus.
Once they decided, they vanished back into the shadows.
…
"Senpai, it's so quiet. Not a single ghoul in sight?" The stillness made Suzuya restless, her hands clasped behind her back, looking bored.
"Not sure. Maybe they're hiding from us?" Hayashi shook his head, eyes scanning the darkness around them.
If not for his passive ability, they'd probably have been ambushed ten times by now.
But just as the thought crossed his mind — A shadow leapt down from above.
"Die, you damn Doves! All of you—DIE!!!"
A hulking ghoul with a kōkaku arm and a crazed grin lunged straight at them.
After being tipped off about investigators entering the ward, he instantly realized this was his chance to make a name for himself.
"If I kill you all, Lord Ayato will definitely promote me, keh keh keh~ So go ahead and die! Let me tear you to pieces!"
His scarlet kakugan swept across them all before locking onto the weakest-looking one—
"You die first, white-hair!"
The fragile, feminine-looking kid with white hair — he had to be the weakest of the bunch. Naturally, you always start by torturing the weakest prey. That was the most fun.
The ghoul grinned viciously, swinging his kagune down from above.
"At last…" Hayashi let out a soft sigh, cold light flashing in his eyes.
"Any later, and I'd have died of boredom."