"We won't kill you, but don't try anything reckless. Next time, things might not go so well for you."
To make the little girl behave, Washuu Yoshitoki warned her.
After saying that, he released his grip on her.
However, the little girl was far from obedient as she bared her teeth at Washuu Yoshitoki, her eyes lifeless like a dead fish.
Yet, despite this defiance, she still looked rather cute. No matter how angry a weak creature got, it only made them seem more adorable.
That said, she no longer dared to release her kagune and attack him again.
After all, she wasn't foolish. She had just been effortlessly subdued, which meant her opponent was far stronger than her.
"..."
Washuu Yoshitoki paid no mind to the girl's tooth-baring antics and instead asked, "Little one, how many surviving ghouls are there in this underground world?"
"Ghouls? What the hell are you talking about? I'm human."
The girl's Japanese sounded strange, as if she spoke with a heavy dialect.
After all, the First One-Eyed King's era was long past. The underground world's inhabitants had been isolated for generations, and over time, their language had diverged from that of the surface.
Washuu Yoshitoki could barely understand her. "If you can use a kagune, then you're no longer human. But it seems you don't even realize that you're a ghoul..."
The survivors who were buried underground alongside the First One-Eyed King had been completely transformed into ghouls by the Dragon's toxic gas.
Since all the survivors had become ghouls, their descendants could only be ghouls as well.
Yet, the ghouls in this underground world still believed they were human.
"What the hell are you saying? You keep spouting nonsense I don't understand."
The girl's tone was anything but friendly.
Just moments ago, she had been terrified of death, yet now she showed not a hint of weakness.
"Then let me ask differently, how many people are there in this place?"
Washuu Yoshitoki continued questioning her.
The girl seemed unwilling to answer. Her gaze instantly became cold and filled with hostility. "Are you here to eat us, too?"
"No, we have no such intentions. We simply need someone to guide us."
Washuu Yoshitoki explained.
"Guide you where?"
The wariness on the girl's face did not fade.
"You must know about this 'Dragon,' right?"
Washuu Yoshitoki raised a hand and pointed at the massive body of the Dragon before them.
"...Are you talking about 'Naagaraji'?"
The girl was stunned for a moment before responding.
"Naagaraji..."
It seemed that the First One-Eyed King was referred to as "Naagaraji" by the underground inhabitants.
Washuu Yoshitoki quickly understood and showed no sign of confusion.
He continued, "That's right. We're looking for Naagaraji's core."
"More things I don't understand. What the hell is a core?"
The girl rolled her lifeless fish-like eyes at Washuu Yoshitoki.
"It seems there's no point in expecting her to guide us. Let's just get rid of her now, so she doesn't interfere with our plans."
One of the Washuu members behind them seemed to be losing patience.
"From what she's said, there must be other inhabitants in this underground world. Don't be so hasty."
At that moment, Washuu Tsuneyoshi spoke.
His words carried the most authority. The moment he spoke, the other Washuu members had no objections.
"Could you take us to meet your people? In return, I can provide you with some food."
Washuu Yoshitoki offered the little girl a condition.
It was easy to deduce that no humans existed in this underground world. The ghouls living here had no natural food sources.
That meant their only option was cannibalism.
That was likely why the little girl had suddenly shown hostility earlier and asked if they had come to eat her and her people.
In this underground world, the only source of food was their own kind.
After at least a hundred years of continuous cannibalism, there were probably very few original inhabitants left.
"Food...?!"
However, the little girl seemed to misunderstand his words, and her reaction became extremely intense.
Due to the language barrier, she had likely misheard and thought he was saying that they would turn her and her people into food.
The little girl immediately started shouting, but it wasn't just a random outcry, rather, it sounded like she was warning her nearby companions to run.
"No!"
Washuu Yoshitoki instantly realized there had been a misunderstanding, but it was already too late.
Meanwhile, when Washuu Tsuneyoshi and his group first arrived in the underground world, Yoshimura Eto had already learned from members of Aogiri Tree that a suspicious group had forcibly entered the 24th Ward.
She immediately informed Uchiha Byakuya.
Since Byakuya had returned to the CCG to take care of some matters; mainly dealing with the media, Yoshimura Eto contacted him via phone.
"They said a group of suspicious individuals forced their way into the 24th Ward. Some of them were wearing CCG combat uniforms, they're all quite strong, and they're heading deeper and deeper inside. I suspect they might be the escaped Washuu remnants from the CCG."
"Based on that description, it's highly possible. No matter what, we need to confirm the situation. I'll head over now."
"Take me with you."
Eto volunteered to go with him.
Naturally, Byakuya had no reason to refuse. "Alright, I'll come pick you up now."
However, the very moment she hung up the phone, sitting inside Anteiku, Eto heard the sound of the door opening.
She turned her head and saw Byakuya stepping inside.
"Weren't you still at the CCG? How did you get here so fast? Or were you already outside?"
Eto was shocked.
"No, I really was at the CCG just now. But that's not important. We need to leave immediately."
Byakuya had no time to explain why he didn't have the time to explain.
Eto immediately stood up, ready to leave with him for the 24th Ward.
Before they departed, Byakuya casually greeted Yoshimura Kuzen and the others, "See you later."
With that, he placed a hand on Eto's shoulder.
She looked at him, slightly puzzled. "Aren't we leaving?"
"We're leaving now."
At that moment, Byakuya's Mangekyō Sharingan activated.
The moment his words fell, Eto felt a sudden sense of dizziness.
For an instant, it was as if the world was spinning around her. The sensation was brief, it was only a fleeting moment but it felt undeniably real.
She found herself in an unfamiliar place, but before she could even take in her surroundings, the same dizzying sensation struck again.
A moment later, Byakuya and Eto appeared in the 24th Ward.
Feeling astonished, Eto scanned the surroundings and realized she was indeed in the familiar 24th Ward. "We're already here?"