Chapter 44

is the forty-fourth chapter of the Fire Force manga series.

Plot
Soon after Konro's battle against the demon Flame Human, the 4th Special Fire Brigade appears to aid the people in need. Sōichirō Arg stands before Konro and Benimaru, stating that the emperor of Tokyo has decreed that they form a Special Fire Force, to which Benimaru initially resists as he wants nothing to do with the emperor's laws, but Konro thinks about the idea. After finishing telling his story and feeling better, Konro stands up, asking Shinra not to blame Benimaru for his illness. Shinra responds by saying Konro should call on him whenever he's in trouble, as he wants to be a hero and save everybody in need. They then decide to go out and search Benimaru, as the 7th Commander investigates what had happened that caused the feud between the two brigades. As Benimaru ventures the streets, he sees an increased amount of people arguing, falsely accusing each other of doing things. As Konro and the others search for Benimaru, they come across Hinata and Hikage in the streets, fighting and calling each other fakes. Akitaru and Shinra tell them to stop arguing, but Arthur suddenly knees Hikage in the face, throws her into a wall, and kicks her in the face repeatedly, to which Hinata laughs. The 8th start hitting Arthur calling him an idiot, soon only to find the unconscious Hikage's face gradually change into that of a strange-looking man. Takehisa proposes that a Third Generation is using his ability to impersonate people, and therefore tricking both the 8th and 7th brigades. On the same night at a different location, a man in a white hood is seen playing with somebody's face, saying that his face is his canvas and that his face will be transformed into art. When he's done, he's unimpressed with the transformed face, and instead makes his head explode, to which the man rubs the blood in his face sadistically. Another man beside him dressed in white tells him to calm down as they do not have a lot of followers to begin with. He then states that the Bug is prepared and that they will cover Asakusa in a sea of flames just like they did two years ago.