"Who are you people?"
Amatori Biba's heart sank as he stared at the black-clad figures who had appeared beside him without warning.
Not far away, five more black-clad individuals were escorting a man in a white lab coat. The demeanor was all too familiar - it reminded him of Dr. Shoei and his team of researchers who had studied the Kabane for him.
"Brother!"
At this moment, Mumei seemed to snap out of her daze, perhaps awakened by Horobi's earlier miniature "Tailed Beast Bomb" attack using Kabane energy.
Though she now realized Amatori Biba had been deceiving her all along, years of admiration made it impossible for her to hate him. Seeing him restrained by these strange figures, she instinctively rushed forward, raising her steam-powered bayonet rifle as she warily eyed the group of two-meter-tall black-clad men.
"Let go of my brother right now, or I won't be polite with you!"
"Now now, no need for haste, little girl."
The middle-aged man in the white lab coat approached with an amiable smile.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Ron, a senior researcher at the Biochemical Research Institute under the World Government's Academy of Science. These gentlemen are agents from the World Government's Cipher Pol. We mean you no harm - we simply require your cooperation."
Simultaneously, the black-clad man removed his hand from Amatori Biba's shoulder, yet the latter dared not make any sudden moves.
He had personally witnessed Laskey's combat prowess earlier and suspected these black-clad operatives possessed similar capabilities. Acting recklessly would only get him killed.
But the young Mumei proved more reckless.
Accustomed to relying on her Kabaneri-enhanced physique and combat skills to subdue any opponent or situation, the red-clad girl leapt into the air with a nimble flip, lunging toward the self-proclaimed Ron in white.
Not wanting to kill, she opted to take him hostage rather than use her firearm.
"Stop! Mumei!" Amatori Biba's expression changed as he shouted urgently, but it was too late.
"My, what an energetic young lady~"
A CP8 member beside Team Leader Ron chuckled lightly - a subtle signal for others to let him handle this.
With a flick of his finger, he deflected the incoming bayonet before delivering a "gentle" chop to the back of the girl's neck at speeds she couldn't possibly react to.
With a dull thud, the red-clad girl immediately lost consciousness, caught by the operative before she could hit the dusty ground.
"Sleep for now. This isn't the time for your antics."
While Kabaneri strength might overwhelm ordinary humans, it posed no challenge to CP8 agents specialized in protecting high-ranking officials.
This display extinguished any remaining thoughts of resistance or escape in Amatori Biba's mind.
Though also a Kabaneri, his combat abilities weren't significantly superior to Mumei's. The encounter left him pondering - just what exactly was this World Government?
Could such a powerful organization truly exist? Why hadn't I heard of it before?
"Hey, that glowing blue heart—is this a native Blue Heart Kabane from this world? Looks terrifyingly destructive. Wonder how it compares to Steve Gus."
Team Leader Ron ignored them, taking two steps forward to gaze at the distant Horobi, who had transformed into a Nue.
Meanwhile.
Standing in the crater where a layer of earth had been scraped away, Laskey frowned at the black-clad figure blocking his path.
Just moments ago, when he'd been too slow to dodge and had to rely on Tekkai and Armament Haki to protect himself, this person had appeared instantly in front of him, absorbing most of the energy blast.
"Who are you?"
Laskey could tell this was likely a colleague, but the black armor covering their face, the blue glow at their chest, and the violet mist that erupted when they blocked the attack were identical to the creature opposite them.
"Steve Gus. Former CP8, now CP9. The first successful Kabaneri from the Biochemical Research Institute's experiments. Pleasure to meet you, Captain Laskey!"
"So that's how it is," Laskey thought, suddenly understanding. Then he said irritably, "Did you come here to show off your power?"
The attack had looked spectacular, but with his level of Armament Haki and Tekkai, he could have handled it just fine—at worst, his clothes might have been ruined.
But now this new team member had "saved" him, which was downright annoying.
"No. I'm merely following Team Leader Ron's orders to test the differences between myself and this native Kabaneri. Captain, I request you yield this opponent to me. Please!"
Steve Gus was exceedingly humble, showing Laskey full respect, which slightly improved the latter's mood.
"Fine."
With that, Laskey vanished from the spot, speeding toward where Team Leader Ron and the others stood. Steve Gus visibly relaxed.
But the Nue-transformed Horobi showed no interest in him, instead charging after Laskey's retreating figure. Steve Gus snorted coldly, transforming into a streak of blue light to intercept her in an instant.
[Boom!]
His black bio-armored hand caught the massive black blade mid-swing, sparks flying as the two forces ground against each other.
Steve Gus grinned at the snarling Horobi before him. "Quite the beauty, aren't you... my kin~~"
The blue glow from their hearts illuminated the space between them—one lost to madness, the other clear-eyed.
"Grrr—!"
A roar filled with killing intent and savagery served as the battle's opening drumbeat. The two Nue-transformed Kabaneri erupted with overwhelming auras, violet spiritual energy swirling around them.
Their weapons—a blade and gauntlet formed from black, viscous threads—clashed violently once more, the deafening clang of metal ringing through the air.
The surrounding ground trembled and cracked under the sudden high-speed battle between the two, with the air rippling violently like water waves, scattering in all directions.
Two black figures, both shimmering with a faint blue light, continuously crossed paths within a hundred-meter radius battlefield. Each collision erupted with surging waves of cyan and purple energy.
"The spiritual energy they're using resembles Haki, but compared to Haki, it feels more violent and carries distinct mental impacts," Laskey muttered with a frown as he watched the fierce battle after returning to Team Leader Ron's side. Just then, four more black-clad figures appeared as blurs around them, deepening Amatori Biba's despair and helplessness. He felt that apart from the researcher named Ron, he couldn't defeat any of the black-clad figures.
"Where exactly did this World Government organization come from?"
"Captain!"
"Captain!"
It turned out that members from other CP9 squads had arrived. Laskey frowned and asked coldly, "What about the other two squads? Don't tell me they haven't arrived yet."