Hunting Dogs Arc

Hunting Dogs Arc (猟犬編,) is the sixth story arc in Bungo Stray Dogs and is the third story arc in the Decay of the Angel Saga. It focuses on the introduction of a new group, the Hunting Dogs.

Synopsis
After the Armed Detective Agency were framed as terrorists, a military unit called Hunting Dogs was dispatched to pursue them. In their pursuit of the agency members, the fifth and the last Hunting Dogs member was also revealed.

Summary
Inside Mushitaro Oguri's transport arrest vehicle, a man shoots the driver and reveals himself to be Nikolai Gogol. He then introduces the group Decay of the Angel.

Armed Detective Agency Frameup
A month after the cannibalistic mutual destruction conspired by the Rats in the House of the Dead, the Armed Detective Agency receives a Birch bow of exorcism, for their contributions to society. During this time, the agency received an emergency request from the government and learns about the Decay of the Angel being a murder society and the brutal murders that took place. Ranpo refuses to take on the request - as Mushitaro's final words to him, however Fukuzawa states that they will pursue the killer. Meanwhile, Dazai was arrested by Saigiku Jōno for accounts of his crimes. Gogol, on the other hand, manages to disguise himself as a government worker, securing intel and cover-ups of deeper details of their actions later uncovered by Ango Sakaguchi.

Eventually, Gogol holds Tonan and various government officials hostage, an incident that goes awry for the Armed Detective Agency due to the power of the Book. While Ranpo tries to find a clue about the Decay of the Angel's goals, he sees a heavily injured Santōka Taneda. Eventually, Taneda shares his knowledge about the Decay of the Angel and the ability to obtain information with one of its group members. He further shares a page taken from the book once the Decay of the Angel got hold of it.

The agency takes on a move to rescue the hostages with Atsushi taking the first move however he was intercepted by Gogol. The two fought resulting in Atsushi being injured. The remaining agency members arrive at the scene. From the outside of the location, military police can be seen monitoring the situation inside and carefully spying on the people with white hoods responsible for the hostage. The agency members manage to arrive outside the door where the hostages are being held. Gogol starts the torture and later on, the white hoods reveal themselves to be the Armed Detective Agency, much to the latter's confusion and shock. Gogol, on the other hand, is seen tied up and tortured during the process.

After the frameup, the agency manages to escape from the scene using Yosano's ability to trick the military police that they were dead - eventually being healed by Yosano and then immediately escaping from the police. On the military police's pursuit of the agency, the government's strongest unit in the military police, the Hunting Dogs was dispatched.

Dispatch of Hunting Dogs
The Hunting Dogs arrive in the middle of the Military Police’s anti-terror unit pursuit of the Armed Detective Agency after they were revealed as terrorists -as the group Decay of the Angel. At the same time, Fukuzawa is arrested. After the agency escapes from the location, they devise a plan to be not reached by the military police it being to travel by car. The Hunting Dogs deduce that the agency may be finding transport and decide to split into two teams. They then set off to pursue the agency.

Pursuit of Armed Detective Agency
The agency steals a car to get away. However, they were immediately found by Tetchō Suehiro and Saigiku Jōno. Meanwhile, Atsushi is saved by Kyōka when the military police are about to open fire on him. Thanks to Demon Snow, they manage to cut down the MP and escape. Kunikida, Yosano, Kenji, and Tanizaki fight against the two Hunting Dogs members. Tetchō heavily injures all of them, halting the agency's escape. During the battle, Chūya Nakahara arrives at their aid- which was revealed to be Fukuzawa's request to Ōgai Mori. Chūya uses his gravity control to distract the two Hunting Dogs members. Upon the rescue, Chūya reveals the deal between Mori and Fukuzawa about transferring an agency member to the Port Mafia in exchange for helping them. However, Tetchō still manages to reach them by stabbing the fuselage of the aircraft, aiming to cut its rotor blades. Kunikida decides upon himself to take on Tetchō and gives his message to Tanizaki to find the culprit. He jumps off the chopper to land on Tetchō mid-air and detonates a hand grenade on the two of them.

Meanwhile, Atsushi and Kyōka manage to escape from the murder scene after two days. It was revealed that Kyōka decides to help Atsushi. They were not found by the forensics team thanks to Kunikida's glue and putty and managed to hide there for two days. While roaming the streets, they keep a low profile to avoid getting caught. Atsushi then seeks out Mushitaro Oguri to prove their innocence knowing that Mushitaro knew about the Decay of the Angel's scheme. However, to find him, they will be needing the system Eyes of God.

Atsushi and Kyōka arrive at Manhasset Security and find Louisa May Alcott bleeding and Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald battling Nathaniel Hawthorne to which the latter fled due to Fitzgerald's strong attack. Atsushi shares the information that the agency has been framed and Fyodor Dostoevsky is also behind the entire scheme however Fitzgerald laughs it off. Though Hawthorne is not present, he manages to infuse the pen with blood that cut through his hand during his battle with Fitzgerald. Kyōka activates the sprinkler to prevent its blood attack. She reveals that she saw the words "Trigger the sprinklers" on all the displays at the building. Dazai is seen across Fyodor's cell at Meursault - and declares a battle with Fyodor.

It's been twelve hours since the pursuit of the agency and Taneda is seen hospitalized as a result of being stabbed by a Decay of the Angel member. Ango Sakaguchi seeing the state of Taneda vows to find the criminal. Meanwhile, at Meursault, Dazai and Fyodor are having a casual conversation and later ask each other how they are contacting the outside. Back at the Manhasset Security, Atsushi states that they need the help of Mushitaro to clear the agency's name - for this they will be needing the Eyes of God to find him. Fitzgerald however agrees but gives them a condition to help revived Margaret Mitchell who is currently in a coma - for the purpose to kill Hawthorne. Hearing this and Fitzgerald's plan for them to kill each other, Atsushi walks out and decides on another way to save the agency. However, before leaving, Fitzgerald shows them, Mitchell. Atsushi, seeing Mitchell's bad state agrees to the deal. Mitchell is then loaded up into an ambulance and on their way to the agency.

At Port Mafia's hideout, Yosano confronts Mori about Mori's true intention of not saving the agency but just getting his hands on Yosano. Mori doesn't deny this and pushes that Fukuzawa has told him to pick Yosano. However, Yosano firmly believes that Fukuzawa would not say that statement. However, in reality, Fukuzawa tells Mori not to pick Yosano as she'll never be able to withstand assisting him again. Hirotsu appears and reports that they have found a walkie-talkie at the entrance. Much to their surprise, it was Fitzgerald on the other line telling them that Atsushi is on their way to them. He further makes a deal with the mafia to use Yosano's healing ability and he'll give info on how to revive the agency. However, Mori finds this bizarre and finds the deal suspicious stating that it could be a trap, and is dealing with the MPs.

Yosano still proceeds to go to the meeting place despite this. Tanizaki offers himself to join the mafia asking Yosano if she didn't want to join the mafia and asks the reason for what happened and why she was called the "Angel of Death" by the Hunting Dogs. Yosano shares about her past (being a student surgeon during the Great War) and how she became mentally scarred due to Mori's forceful commands to continuously use her ability to heal the soldiers.

After some talking, they finally arrive at the meeting place and find the Black Lizard at the place. It was revealed that Mori ordered to protect the agency. Yosano tells them that she thinks the deal is not a trap as she believes in Atsushi. An ambulance arrives however it explodes, eventually the MP surrounding them. Kenji was stabbed by a flying sword and Hirotsu ordered them to run to safety as the deal was a trap. However, the truth is that Fitzgerald did not sell them off to the MP and decided to ally with the agency telling them that they will emerge victorious. Black Lizard, Yosano, Kenji, and Tanizaki manage to escape using a mafia corridor. Yosano decides for them to split up to have a higher chance of survival and tells Kenji and Tanizaki that whoever survives should do their best to rebuild the agency.

The three splits up. Atsushi and Kyōka who are on their way heard gunshots. Kyōka opens up a secret mafia corridor and finds Yosano. Yosano shares that they have been attacked and tells Fitzgerald's deal was a trap. However, Atsushi tells her otherwise. They are suddenly attacked by a hooded figure and Yosano decides to take him on. Yosano sees soldier's nametag and the hooded figure attacks her. Gin saves Yosano from the attack. During the fight, Hirotsu was stabbed.

Yosano, Gin, and Tachihara escape from the hooded figure. However, they are easily found resulting in Gin and Tachihara being injured. At the Meursault, Fyodor, and Dazai are seen discussing the identity of the fifth Hunting Dogs member. Yosano takes on the hooded figure herself and decides to detonate a bomb to themselves however the bomb turns out to be a fake. She then finds out that the hooded figure is just a mannequin. From the distance, the Hunting Dogs appear. Yosano realizes how they were tailed through the passages and how the enemy appeared through the door. The Hunting Dogs reveals that they have sent a member for an infiltration request on the mafia to investigate Mori who knows several military secrets. Tachihara appears and reveals himself as the infiltration agent and the fifth Hunting Dogs member.

Impact

 * Nikolai Gogol was introduced.
 * The agency was framed as terrorists.
 * The Hunting Dogs were introduced.
 * Dazai was arrested and was taken to the Justice Department then to Public Welfare, and eventually taken into Meursault.
 * Mitchell was healed by Yosano.
 * Tachihara reveals to be a Hunting Dogs member.