Amon Koutarou knew Donato Porpora was very formidable. After all, the opponent was an SS-rank ghoul who was captured back then by sacrificing one Special Class Investigator. One must know that there was no definition of an SSS-rank ghoul when he was caught.
But in his opinion, the opponent's strength should have been significantly weakened after being imprisoned in the 23rd Ward for so long, while his own strength was at its peak. After all, Lancer potions were not fake. In this situation, even if he couldn't defeat the opponent, he could at least hold out until Lancer returned. But...
"Cough cough!!"
After spitting out a mouthful of clotted blood, he instantly felt his body recover a little, but the faintly aching chest and trembling arms made his expression even more serious.
"Aren't you going to give up? If you don't resist, at least you won't suffer any more."
"Not resist? Should I just watch you go and hurt others? The thing I regret the most to this day is not telling the CCG that you were a ghoul sooner!!"
Donato Porpora's simple sentence tore open the memory Amon Koutarou least wanted to recall.
At that time, he was just a child, powerless to resist a powerful ghoul. No one would blame him, but this incident was his biggest inner demon, and also the reason why he later resolutely became an investigator.
What is the distance between the heart of justice and the act of justice?
It is simple------Courage!
And there is no doubt that Amon Koutarou at this moment already possesses the courage to practice his justice and resolve!
Amon Koutarou, wielding the Dark Hand, had an extremely firm look in his eyes. Even though he knew he might not be able to defeat the man in front of him, he would not retreat this time.
Just like his name, 'Koutarou' (Steel/Iron)!
If 'Tatara' belonged to the standard high-attack, low-defense, low-agility magic turret-type ghoul, then the ghoul that Kirishima Ayato transformed into was the high-agility, low-attack, low-defense thief-type.
The Kakuhou shot by the opponent couldn't keep up with Lancer speed at all. Even with various angle cooperations, he could at most force Lancer to defend with his spear. He had no way to deal with Lancer, but Lancer, who was constantly harassed by him, was also very helpless. The opponent kept shooting at him from a distance, and once he got close, the opponent would quickly pull apart the distance using the mobility of his Kakuhou.
Although he was confident that he could surpass the opponent in straight-line burst power, he was far inferior in terms of flexibility.
But if he couldn't catch up, then let the opponent come to him voluntarily.
Seeing the abandoned building in the distance, Lancer rushed in without hesitation, and when Kirishima Ayato chased to the front of the building, he didn't go in directly. Instead, he kept shooting from the outside, seemingly intending to destroy the building directly. It was clear that although the opponent did not know why he was controlled by Donato Porpora and even underwent 'Kakuja transformation,' at least he did not really become a puppet on strings. He was very aware that once he entered a confined area and lost his mobility, he would probably become Lancer target.
But even so, did Lancer have no way to deal with the opponent?
In a cloud of dust, Lancer, who had changed into his armor, was looking at Kirishima Ayato standing in the distance through the debris, with a calm expression, and the orb in his hand was flashing with a brown glow.
As Kirishima Ayato continued to destroy the building, Lancer finally completed his magical preparation.
「Earth Wall」
One of the most practical magic spells that the Doli-Orb can drive, the effect is to create a wall that can theoretically withstand all attacks. It is usually used to cover teammates during battle, as the driving time of the Earth Wall is not short, and once released, it will also block the view ahead.
But it is obvious that Lancer did this not to strengthen his defense, but to------build a cage.
The sudden rise of the earth wall in the distance did not make Kirishima Ayato, who was controlled by 'Donato Porpora,' retreat. After all, in his opinion, these suddenly surging earth walls were not threatening. But for Lancer, it was enough, because the reason he went to so much trouble and even consumed a can of EP Replenishment Fluid was to build a 'gladiator arena' for the two of them.
When the surroundings were completely sealed, Lancer finally stopped hiding and walked out with a ferocious smile.
"You're Kirishima Ayato, right? You're good at running, right? In that case, let me play with you properly!"
Although the enclosed space was still not small, covering several houses, it was already many times better than before.
And seeing the ferocious smile on Lancer face, Kirishima Ayato, who was constantly shooting Ukaku-Kakuhou, also paused strangely. Unfortunately, he couldn't say anything.
Once the opponent is restricted to a fixed space, the subsequent battle becomes much simpler.
In stark contrast to before, Lancer, who was running around looking for favorable terrain, turned from defense to offense and directly pressed towards Kirishima Ayato. Kirishima Ayato, who was originally chasing Lancer, managed to counterattack a few times, but after getting a few stab wounds on his body, he no longer hoped to counterattack and simply started running away.
But while running away, he didn't notice that Lancer attacks were actually traceable. He was being compressed step by step into a corner of the enclosed space. By the time he realized it, it was too late, because he was already within Lancer attack range. If he moved carelessly, Lancer lance would definitely pierce his body.
Although it was a 'Kakuja transformation,' his form, which was catalytically produced, was naturally incomparable to Tatara, who was a Kakuja himself. He didn't have a huge body for his main body to move inside, so Lancer attack absolutely could not miss.
He could feel that he had been locked onto, just like a frog locked onto by its natural predator, and he dared not move.
So, was Lancer waiting for the opponent to show a flaw?
Clearly not.
It was just that he was hesitating at this moment, hesitating whether to kill Kirishima Ayato directly like he did before.
It wasn't because he was afraid of losing Kirishima Touka's favorability. After all, the box of practice books he gave her before leaving probably dropped his favorability to an extremely 'dangerous' level from a certain point of view. He didn't know if it could drop any further. At least Lancer knew that if his relative dared to send him a box of practice books when he was in school, that person would probably have to be careful when walking at night.
And more importantly, they are currently in the 24th Ward. No one knows that Kirishima Ayato appeared here, and not even Amon Koutarou knows what Kirishima Ayato's Kakuja looks like. Lancer also confirmed the opponent's identity through the 'system' by attacking him. Once the opponent is killed, there will be absolutely no evidence. But...
When he wanted to kill the opponent, he couldn't help but think of Kirishima Touka sitting silently in the living room last night.
If Lancer biggest obsession in his heart is his bond with others, then the one he is most attached to is probably 'family,' because only by losing it can one understand how heavy those simple two words are.
The thought of that face asking him eagerly if he knew any 'new' information made him suddenly unable to strike.
'Have I become weak?'
Such a thought couldn't help but arise in Lancer mind.