Occupation Aftermath

Read an excerpt from Tokyo Ghoul: Void, second novel in the official series.

By VIZ Media January 27, 2017

After the unprecedented raid on the Ghoul detention center by The Aogiri Tree organization, the Commission of Counter Ghoul is working to tighten security across the twenty-three wards. However, some Ghouls begin to cause unrest in the 8th Ward, continuing the cycle of retaliation between human and Ghoul. And what of Kaneki after he left the 20th Ward? This second novel depicts the aftermath six months after the 11th Ward occupation.

Enjoy this excerpt from Tokyo Ghoul: Void!


# 0 0 1 HEAT HAZE

On the other side of the wall of my unshakable beliefs there is, perhaps, a whole world I don’t know.

“You want me as a reinforcement for the 8th Ward?” Amon said, echoing the other man’s words without realizing he was doing it. The afternoon sun pierced the thin lace curtains in the hospital room. Kotaro Amon sat on a stool with his back to the window, and his eyes were wide with surprise.

Lying in the hospital bed was Amon’s boss, Yukinori Shinohara. His nickname was the Indomitable Shinohara, but looking at him now, he was so covered in casts, bandages, and bruises that it was more difficult to find part of him that wasn’t injured in some way.

“Yeah,” grunted Shinohara. “At the moment we’ve got a serious shortage of talent, as I’m sure you know, but the 23rd Ward is the worst off of all. During the attack on Cochlea, investigators from the 23rd Ward were the ones on the front lines. But they didn’t stand a goddamn chance against a bunch of organized Ghouls.”

Ghouls—an absolute evil infesting this world. These repulsive creatures look just like humans, but prey upon them. Their bloodlust leads them to kill innocent people and feast on their flesh.

And we, the group of professionals sworn to destroy them, are known as the Commission of Counter Ghoul—or the CCG for short.

Amon was part of the CCG elite. He had graduated top of his class at the Academy, became skilled in the use of Quinques—a weapon developed to battle Ghouls—and now, as a Ghoul investigator, he battled Ghouls daily.

His efforts had been recognized just a few weeks earlier as a result of his involvement in the search-and-destroy operation at the 11th Ward headquarters of the Aogiri Tree, the Ghoul organization dedicated to terrorizing CCG investigators.

It was impossible to get a full picture of these Ghoul organizations. And that problem, combined with the sudden reappearance of the mysterious monster known as the Owl, who had done catastrophic damage to the CCG a decade prior, meant that the battle was fierce.

And then those of us who went in there and saw good men sacrificed in the name of defeating Aogiri barely got to soak in the afterglow of victory, because suddenly we were informed that there had been an attack on Cochlea, the Ghoul detention center in the 23rd Ward.

The Aogiri Tree’s aim from the beginning had been to free the Ghouls imprisoned in Cochlea. Ghouls who investigators had struggled to catch were suddenly unleashed onto the streets, and the CCG was still searching for some of them to this day. Who knew what kind of new atrocities would be committed if they didn’t quickly redress the issue?

“Now, headquarters is investing as many elite officers as it can get in the 23rd Ward . . . but there just aren’t enough men to defend the surrounding wards. So, as the 8th Ward is one of those surrounding wards, that’s why I want you to provide some assistance there.”

“I see . . . But sir, as you know, I am currently without a partner. Do you really think it’s safe for me to go into this alone?”

Since losing Kureo Mado, the first class Ghoul investigator who had taken him under his wing when Amon was a rookie, Amon had gone without a partner.

But now Shinohara, who had been looking after Amon as a protective measure until a new partner was found for him, had been injured in the battle against Aogiri, making this a painful time to be changing duties.

“Look, after this incident, everyone knows what a strong fighter you are, and in any case, they’re really shorthanded. I don’t have any control over this. Anyway, this is just an interim measure for a month or two until they appoint a successor for the 8th Ward.”

“Right . . . I see. I’ll still be worried about the 20th Ward, but I’ll work hard to be strong for the 8th Ward,” Amon said.

“They’re counting on you. You’ll be lightening the workload for the guys in the 8th Ward. The number of complaints I hear from them makes my head hurt.”

“Complaints?”

“Just about how tough everything is,” Shinohara said.

They exchanged one or two more comments, but feeling that hanging around Shinohara’s room would only slow his healing, Amon soon left.

The hallway outside was busy with nurses coming and going. Amon stood there in the hall for a moment, the sound of their footsteps in his ears, as he looked down over the city from a window. His eyes slid down to the people walking along the tree-lined street next to the hospital. Amon stared out at them.

That eye patch . . .

The sounds of the hospital fell away into the background. Suddenly his mind was plunged back into the events of the Aogiri offensive. During the battle, when he’d been looking through a broken window frame, he’d seen someone wearing an eye patch. And that enemy had escaped him.

When the memory of the eye patch came to him, it was like he was taken back to that day.

The feeling of hatred was so distinct, and yet the memory was like a heat haze.

Kotaro . . .

And the Ghoul who had raised Amon as if he were his own child still haunted his memory, too.

Buy the full novel today, available in print and digital formats. See more.