Chapter 88

As Though Tumbling Down (転がり落ちるように,) is the 88th chapter of the Bungo Stray Dogs manga.

Summary
As Fukuchi deals a fatal blow to Akutagawa, the mafioso asks Atsushi to escape. Fukuchi prepares to chase Atsushi who has escaped through the VIP evacuation submarine, but some guards arrive, including the one whom Akutagawa previously spared. He calls for reinforcements, upon which Fukuchi tells them that he has killed the terrorist. With the time spent talking with them, Fukuchi's timeframe of cutting into the past has exceeded its limit, asking them to merely trace the other terrorist. The guard then turns to Akutagawa's corpse and apologizes for doing so little as gratitude for sparing his life.

Atsushi swims out of the submarine and is later rescued by Ango, who hears Atsushi's entire story. Though he is confused why Akutagawa let him go, Atsushi muses on how the mafioso kept his promise of not killing anyone within six months, which ultimately led to his successful escape and allowed him to reveal Fukuchi's identity. He wonders whether there was some meaning behind Akutagawa's final stand and asks Ango about it, but he receives no answer.

On the ship, Fukuchi returns with a coffin and states how he has still a job for the now dead Akutagawa. He opens the coffin and introduces the man inside: the fifth member of the Decay of Angels, Bram Stoker. The so-called "undead king" learns from Fukuchi that it has been two weeks since he has last awakened and thus implores him to let him resume his slumber. However, Fukuchi lifts his severed head and commands him to turn Akutagawa into his kind.

Stoker declines to feed on Akutagawa out of his refusal to add more people into his kin, rebuking Fukuchi to burn the world on his own if he wishes so. Hence, Fukuchi threatens to finish him off with the Sword of the Holy Cross if he does not comply, to which Stoker begrudgingly ends up biting Akutagawa.

Two days later, Higuchi encounters Akutagawa back at their base and embraces him from behind. She decides to confess her true feelings for him, but, before she can finish, the undead Akutagawa turns around and bites her, turning Higuchi into his kind.

After two weeks, Tachihara reports to his fellow Hunting Dogs about the bizarre incident he witnessed: the vampiric Higuchi bit Gin and transformed into something inhuman, who in turn bit Hirotsu. He also explains that the latter blasted him off at the last minute to allow him to escape, though Tachihara soon encounters the undead horde of Port Mafia members.

Though she thinks how idiotic Tachihara reacted, Teruko nonetheless believes his story, which coincides with the recent mysterious disappearances of various mafiosi. Jōno conjectures it might be terrorism using an infection-type ability and suggests containment as soon as possible, but Teruko thinks otherwise. She suggests going directly after the source of the infection, whom Tetchō believes is from the Agency; he also thinks that the case might be their next terrorist act.

Teruko tells them that 30% of Yokohama's police forces became the Agency's allies ever since Ranpo's live broadcast, resulting to destruction of evidence and quarrels among the ranks. Jōno quips how Tachihara is most likely among the percentage, though the latter only thinks how the Agency cannot possibly be terrorists, especially after he personally saw how the detectives mentioned being falsely accused numerous times. Believing that there is another mastermind behind the terrorism, Tachihara asks for permission to let him investigate the case once more, to which Jōno asks Fukuchi for his decision.

Abilities

 * Mirror Lion
 * Falling Camellia