Despite CCG's public efforts to send investigators to explore the 24th Ward, in reality, it was mostly for show.
No one understood the 24th Ward's origins and structure better than the Washuu Clan.
After escaping from CCG, the Washuu remnants—including Tsuneyoshi, Yoshitoki, and a group of high-ranking members—hid in what they considered the safest place: the deepest depths of the 24th Ward.
At this extreme depth, the labyrinthine tunnels gave way to something else — an underground world.
With most of Aogiri Tree's forces engaged elsewhere, and given that every Washuu member was a natural-born kakuja, navigating through the maze and reaching this subterranean domain was no challenge.
"Finally… the old Tokyo..."
Tsuneyoshi was the first to step forward, gazing at the vast cityscape before him with a heavy sense of nostalgia.
But the city before them had long since lost all signs of life—it was nothing more than a ruin, despite its modern architecture.
And there, amidst the ruins, lay an enormous monstrosity—a massive, serpent-like entity, its body stretching across entire streets and engulfing buildings.
Yet, it remained motionless, seemingly dormant. The city itself was swallowed in a deathly silence.
Indeed, this was Tokyo.
Or more accurately, the old Tokyo.
When the first One-Eyed King underwent the dragon transformation, it nearly wiped out the entire city. The Washuu Clan's response was to drive the Dragon underground.
In other words, they buried Tokyo along with it, sealing it away as a "forbidden ruin" beneath the surface.
Donato Porpora once told Amon Koutarou before his death that he had committed countless atrocities, caring nothing for the lives he took.
Because, as he put it, "humanity has an incredible power of regeneration"—no matter how many people died or how many cities were destroyed, they would eventually rebuild.
The contrast between the buried Tokyo of the 24th Ward and the present Tokyo was proof of that.
"Byakuya and Arima... I never saw any signs of rebellion from them."
Yoshitoki furrowed his brows. "Especially Byakuya—his kakuja form is eerily similar to the so-called One-Eyed King of Aogiri Tree. This can't be a coincidence..."
Back then, the first One-Eyed King betrayed the Washuu Clan, nearly wiping them out.
Now, yet another One-Eyed King had risen — this time, completely dismantling their rule.
The first king had been too merciful. Even after his Dragon Transformation drove him into a frenzy, he still couldn't bring himself to exterminate his own kind. Had he unleashed the full power of the Dragon, the Washuu would have been obliterated.
But this new One-Eyed King was different. He had annihilated the V in an instant, forcing the remnants of the Washuu into hiding.
"We only have one option left — to use the power of the One-Eyed King to defeat the One-Eyed King."
"The first king may be dead, but the Dragon's body remains. Its cells should still retain some degree of activity."
"We have no other choice… If we fail, we will never recover from this."
The Washuu elites exchanged murmurs.
Yoshitoki, however, felt an ominous chill.
"Wait... You're not suggesting we bring the Dragon back to the surface, are you?"
"That's exactly what we're saying." One of the elders spoke. "We share the same bloodline as the First One-Eyed King. As long as we have Washuu blood and a proper kakuhou, we can awaken the Dragon."
"It's the only viable countermeasure. Otherwise, do you intend for us to hide underground for the rest of our lives?"
"Yoshitoki, we understand that this might be hard for you to accept. But you need to consider the greater good of our family."
Yoshitoki hesitated.
Their words were not without merit. The Dragon—a colossal entity whose sheer size could consume all of Tokyo—was fueled by a core, the very essence of the first One-Eyed King.
With his death, the Dragon had lost its energy source, but it would still take two hundred years to fully dissipate.
However, if someone carrying Washuu blood reactivated it, the Dragon would rise again.
But that would mean Tokyo would once more suffer a catastrophe like the one from long ago. Countless humans and ghouls alike would perish.
Of all the Washuu members, Yoshitoki and his son, Matsuri, were among the more rational ones.
Could he really go through with this?
"The majority rules. There's no point in arguing any further."
Tsuneyoshi finally spoke, his voice leaving no room for debate.
"Understood..."
With Tsuneyoshi holding the greatest authority, Yoshitoki had no choice but to comply.
"First, we need to locate the Dragon's core."
The underground world was, after all, once Tokyo itself. It was just as vast as the Tokyo above, making it difficult to pinpoint the core's exact location.
Just as they were about to split up to search, something unexpected happened.
A silhouette appeared in the distance.
"There's someone here?" Yoshitoki's eyes widened in shock. "Could they be a survivor from back then?"
Without hesitation, he gave chase.
As he closed in, he realized the figure was a young girl dressed in worn, simple robes.
The moment she saw Yoshitoki approaching, she tensed—immediately identifying him as an enemy.
Without hesitation, two rinkaku kagune shot out from her waist, lashing toward him.
But Yoshitoki was a natural-born kakuja and carried a quinque—handling a child was effortless.
Within moments, he subdued her.
"I see... A survivor of the old Tokyo, transformed into a ghoul by the Dragon's toxic gas..." Yoshitoki muttered to himself.
One of the most terrifying aspects of the Dragon was its poisonous emissions, which could turn humans into ghouls.
When the first One-Eyed King died, the underground world must have been saturated with this gas. If there had been survivors who fell into the depths with the city, they would have inevitably undergone ghoulification.
At that moment, one of the Washuu members raised his weapon, preparing to execute the girl—after all, she had attacked first.
Terror overtook the girl's face, her expression pale with fear, eyes brimming with tears.
"Wait"
Yoshitoki intervened. "She might be useful. She could help us navigate this place."