Chapter 73: Central Control Room
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"Approximately one hundred ghouls, suspected to be from Aogiri Tree, are attacking Cochlea!"
"All personnel, enter combat readiness immediately! Do not let go of your Quinques!"
"All exterior units, fall back into Cochlea!"
The alarms blared throughout Cochlea.
Every investigator stationed here had undergone rigorous psychological training, an unexpected attack like this wouldn't cause them to fall into complete panic.
After all, this wasn't the first time Cochlea had been assaulted by ghouls.
The largest invasion in history had once involved over a thousand ghouls.
But Cochlea was both a prison and the most fortified stronghold.
The investigators outside the walls quickly retreated to the inside.
With all external defenses abandoned, breaking into the fortress itself would be nearly impossible for these ghouls.
However in the very next moment, they noticed an abnormal disturbance right above them.
Two massive, blue hands were tearing open the fortress's uppermost gates.
At a glance, this was unmistakably a ghoul's kagune yet one far beyond the normal size.
"This… this might be a kakuja…!"
And not just any Kakuja but one never before recorded by the CCG.
"N-no... it's fine…"
One investigator muttered to himself, "These are the strongest gates in existence…!"
But before he could finish-
CRACK!!!
The supposedly unbreakable gates of Cochlea were ripped open, torn apart like paper.
Susanoo; Even at Its Base Form was an unstoppable Force in this World.
The colossal blue figure descended through the now open breach.
"BOOM!!!"
His massive frame crashed right into the floor below.
Yet, due to Cochlea's specialized materials, the impact only caused some minor fractures.
The investigators immediately launched a suppression operation.
Cochlea's defensive forces included:
One Special-Class Investigator, Several Associate Special-Class Investigators, and a large number of First-Class Investigators as well.
However, Byakuya completely ignored them.
Instead, he rushed straight toward the Central Control Room.
"If I break through the control room, I can release every ghoul in this facility."
There was no need to waste time fighting the investigators.
As he charged forward, the investigators unleashed a barrage of ranged Ukaku Quinque attacks; all designed for piercing through koukaku-type kagune.
Yet, not a single attack was able to slow him down at all; their Quinques couldn't even begin to penetrate Susanoo's armor.
In fact, they couldn't even leave a scratch.
"This is… unreal…!"
These weren't weak attacks, either.
Even an SSS-rated kakuja should have taken some damage from all of this but this thing-
this form-was far beyond the SSS+ tier.
"Stop him! His target is the Control Room!"
One of the more perceptive investigators finally realized just what was happening.
The Central Control Room was the single most critical location in Cochlea.
If Byakuya succeeded in breaching it, Cochlea would be completely lost.
All the imprisoned ghouls, from S-Class to SS-Class, even SSS-Class; would all be set free.
And with the current forces available, there was no way to contain them.
The only option would be to mobilize all of the CCG's forces.
Fortunately; Cochlea's most heavily guarded location was also its most well-defended.
At the very heart of the Control Room stood Cochlea's Warden who himself was also a Special-Class Investigator.
Alongside him, several Associate Special-Class Investigators stood at the ready as well.
As Byakuya closed in on the Control Room; a group of Associate Special-Class Investigators blocked his path.
"A Half-Kakuja...? No, this Must Be a Full Kakuja.. What a Pain..."
"We must stop him here!"
"If he reaches the Control Room, it's over!"
"Yeah..."
The Associate Special-Class Investigators stared at the massive figure before them;
an entity that looked completely Kakuja-fied.
His red tiger-striped mask completely concealed his face.
Their expressions turned grim.
They had never seen a Kakuja like this one before.
But with a body this enormous; it was clearly not just a Half-Kakuja.
Their initial assessment was that this "ghoul" was at least SS-rated, possibly even SSS-rated.
"All at once! I'll take the front!"
One of the bulkier investigators charged toward Byakuya, his Quinque raised.
He wielded an S-rated Koukaku Quinque;
a giant, crimson shield large enough to completely cover his 1.9-meter frame.
Among the four Quinque types,
Koukaku ones undoubtedly had the strongest defense.
"GRRAAHH!!"
The investigator roared, bracing himself
as he stood in the front line like an impenetrable wall.
But then; Byakuya's Susanoo's arm casually swung.
BAM!!!
And the investigator was instantly swatted away.
"GAAHHH!!"
His entire body was sent flying over ten meters before heavily slamming into the wall like cannon ball.
His Quinque-shield which should have been nearly indestructible; cracked.
"What?!"
The eyes of the remaining investigators widened in disbelief.
Despite being an S-rated Koukaku Quinque, this thing couldn't even withstand a single attack?!