The moment Yoshimura was blasted out of the building, he immediately stabilized himself mid-air.
High-level ukaku ghouls could achieve flight—though currently, only Yoshimura and Eto were known to reach this level. In other words, one needed to be at least an ukaku-dominant kakuja.
Amaha-kun was right—it was about time. Yoshimura took the opportunity to fly away from the Aogiri Tree stronghold.
But...
How did Amaha-kun recognize me?
Yoshimura appeared unharmed, but he had actually taken damage.
Not from Byakuya—but from Shinohara and Kuroiwa's power release earlier.
Compared to ten years ago, he had aged considerably. Over two decades without consuming fresh human flesh had significantly weakened his RC cells, and since regeneration depended on RC cell strength...
His kakuja form was fine; it was the human body inside that had taken some damage.
Fortunately, it was minor. A little rest would heal it.
"What?!"
Every investigator present was shocked by Byakuya's sudden devastating attack.
They had been evenly matched—then the One-Eyed Owl was suddenly blasted away?
What kind of Quinque was that, capable of launching something that massive so far?!
Mado immediately developed an intense interest in the fan in Byakuya's hand.
Though the retreating One-Eyed Owl should have been their primary concern, without Byakuya to oppose it, they might all have died here. So there was no point dwelling on regrets...
Amon, who already deeply admired Rank 1 Amaha, found his feelings beyond words now.
"He really is a second Arima-san..."
Ui exclaimed.
Though unlike Arima ten years ago, who had severed two of the Owl's kagune arms along with its kakuhou, repelling the One-Eyed Owl single-handedly was a feat no one besides Arima could accomplish.
Even Shinohara and Kuroiwa were incredulous. The kakuja Quinque New Proto hadn't been able to handle the Owl—could Rank 1 Amaha's fan be SS+ or even SSS-rated?!
It wasn't impossible. After all, it had matched—even outperformed—the "strongest" One-Eyed Owl.
Facing the shocked, confused, and admiring gazes of his fellow investigators, Byakuya offered his prepared explanation: "I didn't actually use much force. The Owl probably wanted to retreat anyway—Aogiri Tree's stronghold here is basically lost."
He didn't want the Gunbai's power drawing unwanted attention, hence the deliberate explanation.
Kuroiwa nodded. "I see. But the main reason is that Rank 1 Amaha left the Owl with no other choice."
No one doubted Byakuya's words—from their perspective, deceiving them about something like this would be pointless.
"Exactly. Otherwise we might all have died here. Besides Rank 1 Amaha, no one could threaten the Owl."
Shinohara sighed. "Ten years later, the One-Eyed Owl is still that powerful..."
"Shinohara, the Owl is an SSS-rated ghoul that killed numerous investigators. Several Special Class investigators died back then."
Kuroiwa suddenly spoke meaningfully: "I didn't participate in the Owl Suppression Operation ten years ago because I was recovering from injuries. But I heard that while people were wounded in that battle, not a single person died..."
Shinohara's gaze trembled slightly. "You're saying... today was the same..."
Hearing this, Byakuya fell into thought.
So Kuroiwa and Shinohara were already becoming suspicious.
The inconsistency in the One-Eyed Owl's behavioral patterns had raised doubts.
Eto's One-Eyed Owl form was extremely bloodthirsty—basically killing any investigator on sight. But Yoshimura's disguised One-Eyed Owl was comparatively merciful. He might wound many investigators, but never killed a single one.
Such inconsistent behavior naturally bred suspicion.
Not that these investigators' suspicions affected the bigger picture—what mattered was that the Washuu had already realized there were two "Owls" and knew Yoshimura's child was the natural-born half-ghoul they sought.
"Maru, the Owl has retreated. More precisely, Rank 1 Amaha repelled it directly."
Shinohara reported the situation to Marude, who was stationed outside the stronghold.
"Really? That kid again? So he's the second coming of Arima?"
Marude was astonished.
Shinohara chuckled. "The man himself probably wouldn't like being called 'a second somebody else.'"
He wasn't joking—he meant it.
Amaha was Amaha. Arima was Arima. Constantly calling someone "the second Arima" wasn't appropriate.
"Anyway, we're pressing forward. Their leader, the Owl, has retreated—we shouldn't face much resistance now."
Shinohara said.
Without the One-Eyed Owl blocking them, the CCG's advance accelerated dramatically. All six buildings were soon secured.
Aogiri Tree had left only about two hundred ghouls to hold the Ward 11 stronghold—even so, the CCG had expended considerable effort, since even an ordinary ghoul could take on several regular investigators.
"Report, Special Class Kuroiwa! We didn't find the Bin Brothers. We only spotted another apparent executive—winged ukaku kagune. He's leading a group of ghouls in continued resistance. They're too strong; we can't break through!"
A squad member arrived to report.
"So from start to finish, we've only encountered the Owl and one executive..."
Kuroiwa fell into thought.
Just then, Byakuya spoke up: "I'll handle that executive. Where is he now?"
"Should still be in Building 7!"
The squad member replied.
"Then I'll leave it to Rank 1 Amaha."
Kuroiwa nodded.
With Rank 1 Amaha's abilities, he had no concerns about sending him alone.
Their focus now needed to shift to capturing the command center—the remaining executives were probably there.
Byakuya then headed to Building 7 alone, case in hand.
What a disobedient little brother, he thought. Time for a proper lesson.
...
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