Dimensional Kaguya Ōtsutsuki

When the silver-haired girl, now without her fox mask, stepped out of the command center, the eyes of the human soldiers and investigators stationed there were instantly drawn to her as if magnetized.

Especially when they saw her face—they were completely stunned. Mouths hung open for a long time, unable to close. Some even dropped their guns to the ground without realizing it.

But that wasn't the most shocking part. What truly left them dumbfounded was that this girl's appearance looked extremely familiar—eerily similar to a certain female investigator from CCG. That investigator was Liuli—admired by many, the one countless members of CCG saw as their dream girl.

Someone even took out a secretly snapped photo of Liuli, comparing it side by side. Aside from the difference in hair length and eye color, they were practically identical.

Could they be twin sisters? That seemed like the only logical explanation.

As for the absurd notion that they might be the same person—such an idea was immediately dismissed and ridiculed. How could they possibly be the same person? One was a human investigator. The other was a monstrous ghoul with overwhelming power. How could those two identities possibly coexist? It was absolutely impossible.

Yet, as the group continued their whispered discussions, Kaguya suddenly turned around. She smiled. It was a "kind" smile. But behind that smile—danger.

"You bastards," she said sweetly. "If you keep gossiping behind my back, I'll send you all to a pig farm to play with the pigs."

At that moment—everyone understood.

She was Liuli.

A collective realization struck them like a lightning bolt. Black lines formed on everyone's foreheads. Only Liuli, that black-hearted woman, would say something like this.

Once, in a battle, there had been an investigator who disobeyed orders and almost caused a catastrophe. Liuli had said the exact same thing back then. At the time, they had thought she was joking. But then, that person had actually been transferred to a pig farm. To this day, that unfortunate soul was still working there—bathing pigs.

The shock was overwhelming. They had never imagined that the beautiful investigator who had worked alongside them for so long… was actually the legendary "Akatsuki."

Just thinking about it made a chill run down their spines. Had they ever done anything to offend her? Had they ever said something that might have angered her? They prayed not.

At the same time, they also felt immense relief. After all, she had once been, and still was, a CCG investigator. And from her current attitude, it seemed she had no intention of severing ties with CCG. That meant—she was still on their side.

If she had been an enemy, they would have hated and feared her. But since she was an ally, the feeling was entirely different. Especially considering that Kaguya had saved them in their moment of despair, their trust in her skyrocketed.

If there were a favorability meter, Kaguya's score had already broken the scale. Some of the younger female investigators even started looking at her with sparkling eyes.

But Kaguya had no time to bother with these small fries. She had far more important matters to attend to.

For decades, CCG Headquarters' higher-ups—or, more accurately, the Washuu Clan—had been conducting ghoul-related research. Their EAE Research Facility was one of the most advanced biological laboratories in existence. The research conducted there might hold crucial secrets about ghouls and could even reveal the key to solving the war between humans and ghouls.

But not long ago, the Washuu Clan was massacred. Kichimura Washuu led the Clowns in an attack, catching them off guard. Every single member of the Washuu Clan was wiped out. Even Tsuneyoshi Washuu, the chairman of CCG Headquarters, was killed.

As a result, all of CCG's experimental data and lab equipment had likely fallen into Kichimura Washuu's hands. And Kaguya's deal with Arima was precisely about tracking down those laboratories and retrieving that data. The information hidden within could change everything.

After all—Kaguya couldn't forever use her own blood to deal with the problem of ghouls. There had to be another solution.

But this was not Kaguya's ultimate goal.

Even if these experimental facilities and data proved useless to her, it didn't matter. Kaguya's true objective was something else entirely.

At that thought, the corner of Kaguya's lips curled up slightly, her eyes narrowing.

Meanwhile, several dozen kilometers away, the defensive walls built by the humans were under violent assault from the ghouls.

The mutant ghouls surged forward in a frenzied wave, their bodies twisted and grotesque, utterly different from normal ghouls. With superhuman speed and brute strength, they charged relentlessly at the human fortifications.

Although their movements were disjointed, their sheer numbers made up for their lack of coordination. Even when gunned down, they did not stop. Their bodies twitched and regenerated, their wounds healing rapidly as they crawled forward like unkillable monsters.

The human defensive line was on the verge of collapse.

"Haaah!"

Akira Mado lashed out with her quinque whip, slashing open the ghoul before her. The monster let out a shriek before being sent flying backward, its massive body crashing into the pile of corpses behind it.

These mutant ghouls were far stronger than regular ghouls. Although they weren't at the same level as SS-rated ghouls, their monstrous endurance and unnatural mutations made them even more terrifying.

Worst of all—

If a human was bitten or scratched, the virus would invade their body.

Within ten minutes, the comrade who once fought beside them would rise again—

as a bloodthirsty, mindless, mutant ghoul.

In this desperate battle of attrition, human casualties were soaring.

"Aaaaaah!"

A piercing scream rang out.

A young female investigator was dragged down by a mutant ghoul, its sharp claws piercing her shoulder. Blood sprayed into the air as she struggled, but her screams were drowned out by the deafening roar of the battlefield.

Her quinque slashed wildly, but it was useless—the mutant ghoul would not die.

Before she could escape, more ghouls swarmed her.

Dozens of clawed hands tore into her body, and she was ripped apart in an instant.

"Damn it!"

Akira Mado's heart tightened.

With a flick of her wrist, she swung her quinque whip, slicing through several mutant ghouls in front of her. But no matter how many she killed, there were always more.

As the investigator's dying cries faded, her broken body was dragged into the horde.

Amid the mass of writhing ghouls, limbs were torn apart, blood sprayed in fountains, and a single severed head tumbled to the ground—its eyes still wide with terror.

The stench of fresh blood filled the air.

Akira Mado's eyes widened, momentarily dazed by the horrifying scene.

And in that single moment—

A gust of wind rushed from behind her.

A bloodstained claw, razor-sharp and drenched in crimson, lunged toward her unguarded back

"Damn it!"

Akira Mado's pupils shrank as she clenched her teeth, desperately twisting her body backward. However, the crimson claw was already within reach, mere inches away from her back. She bit down hard, forcefully twisting her ankle. A sharp pain shot through her foot, but her body shifted just enough to barely avoid a fatal strike.

But that wasn't enough.

Just as Akira Mado gritted her teeth, preparing to take the hit head-on, a slender arm suddenly extended, reaching for her waist. The arm pulled back, and in the next moment—

She was suddenly embraced.

Akira Mado's eyes widened in shock, nearly letting out a scream. Instinctively, without thinking, she prepared to counterattack—until a familiar breath brushed against her ear. A familiar voice followed, making her freeze in place.

"Is this how you treat your savior, Akira?"

Akira Mado immediately turned her head in disbelief. "Why is it you?" she blurted out.

The one holding her wasn't just anyone—it was Kaguya. Someone she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Why can't it be me?" Kaguya blinked playfully, smiling. "Are you so excited to see me that you don't even know what to say?"

Unexpectedly, Akira Mado grabbed Kaguya's face, squeezing her cheeks with frustration. "You bastard! Where the hell have you been these past few days? You didn't even tell me! Do you know how long I've been worried?!"

"Well, I had some things to take care of, so I didn't have time to tell you," Kaguya mumbled, her speech muffled by Akira's grip. "So… please have mercy, boss."

"Boss? That sounds awful." Akira Mado poked Kaguya's cheeks again in annoyance.

But just then, her eyes widened in horror. Her voice trembled. "Watch your head—!"

Before she could finish, she saw it—a mutant ghoul lunging from above. Its grotesque form descended like a shadow, bloodstained claws slicing through the air—straight for Kaguya's head.

Akira Mado's heart froze.

No time to dodge. No time to react. Even if Kaguya moved now, it was too late.

So, this is how I die…? A tinge of reluctance filled Akira Mado's heart. There's still so much I need to do… Her clear eyes softened, gazing at the shocked girl before her. The corner of her lips curled up slightly.

But maybe this isn't such a bad way to go.

However—at that very moment, a low whisper brushed against her ear.

"Super Shinra Tensei."

The instant the words fell, an unfathomable force erupted from the girl holding her.

BOOOOM!

A deafening explosion shattered the battlefield. The very ground cracked apart, splintering like shattered glass. The solid rock crumbled inch by inch, while the earth rippled outward like waves on a still lake.

The shockwave expanded in all directions—like a tidal wave of destruction. Buildings, walls, and structures disintegrated instantly, reduced to nothing but dust. For dozens of kilometers, the land was wiped clean.

Blood mist filled the air. Severed limbs soared skyward. The mutant ghouls, once numbering in the thousands, were obliterated in an instant, torn apart—reduced to nothing but chunks of mangled flesh.

As the remains of the battlefield settled into eerie silence, a crimson rain began to fall.

When Akira Mado opened her eyes and saw the scene before her, her pupils suddenly contracted. She swallowed hard and spoke in disbelief, "T-This… what happened here?"

What entered her sight was an endless, massive crater. At its center were the two of them, and within a radius of dozens of kilometers, everything had been leveled to the ground. The land was scarred and desolate, resembling the aftermath of a meteor impact. Ruins and broken walls were piled along the edges, while the chilling northwestern wind howled through the wasteland, adding an even sharper bite to the cold.

"Ah… I might have used too much force by accident."

Hearing those words from beside her, Akira Mado snapped back to her senses. She quickly turned her head and grabbed Kaguya's smooth, pale shoulders, urgently asking, "Why is your hair silver-white?"

"I'm sorry for keeping it from you for so long. Yes, this is the real me—wait, huh?" Kaguya paused mid-sentence, blinking in surprise. "You're asking about my hair?"

At this moment, shouldn't the focus be on the massive destruction surrounding them?

"Isn't that obvious?" Akira Mado leaned in, her expression dark. "Or do you think I'm an idiot?"

"How could that be!" Kaguya took two steps back, clearing her throat with an awkward chuckle.

"Oh really?" Akira Mado snorted. "I never expected my dear friend to be the infamous Akatsuki. What an honor."

"Oh, stop that…" Kaguya laughed dryly. "So, you already knew?"

Akira Mado "viciously" said, "I can't believe you hid this from me for so long. Did you think I was a fool and easy to deceive?"

Kaguya quickly waved her hands, her smile growing more awkward. "I never intended to deceive you! It wasn't on purpose. I just… I was afraid that if I told you, maybe—"

Before she could finish, Akira Mado suddenly took a step forward.

Extending her arms, she pulled Kaguya into an embrace.

And at the same time, she leaned in—

And pressed her lips against Kaguya's.

Kaguya's eyes widened instantly.

At that moment, only one thought flashed through her mind—

She just got teased.

For a long while, she couldn't react.

Akira Mado's lips were soft and moist, carrying a faint fragrance of lilies. Their lips met, the touch delicate and smooth, sending an electric shiver through Kaguya's body. Her breath grew unsteady, heat rising between them.

As Kaguya snapped out of her daze, she instinctively tightened her hold on Akira, her hands threading through her silky hair, indulging in the sweetness of the moment.

But just as she was about to take things a step further—

Akira Mado suddenly grabbed Kaguya's wandering hand inside her clothes, using her arm to forcefully push her away.

Her delicate face flushed crimson, her bright eyes twinkling as she smirked and teased, "I didn't expect you to be so skilled in this area."

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