"Where does this kid get such nerve! How dare he mock our Aogiri Tree like this?!"
"Even the CCG wouldn't dare call us a childish game. Who gave him the courage to insult us?"
"Tatara-san! Please let us make a move! He's literally standing on our faces and spitting on us!"
"Exactly! Otherwise, won't Aogiri Tree become a laughingstock?"
"..."
Nearly every ghoul present was seething with rage.
If Eto hadn't given Tatara advance notice, he too would have been displeased.
After all, he believed in Aogiri Tree's ideals—otherwise, he wouldn't have cooperated with Eto. Yet that person's words just now were undeniably an insult to Aogiri Tree.
Though Eto hadn't been entirely clear when she'd briefed him earlier, he was willing to trust her.
However, under everyone's requests, Tatara's gaze turned toward Eto, as if seeking her opinion.
Eto nodded slightly.
Tatara then spoke. "Fine. Do as you please."
At this moment, Eto was waiting to see Byakuya's next performance.
She had certainly noticed that Byakuya hadn't brought any Quinque on this visit. Was he planning to demonstrate his power as a "ghoul"?
She was quite curious to see how Byakuya planned to break through this situation.
With Tatara's permission, numerous ghouls immediately surrounded Byakuya, first ensuring he and Rize had no escape route.
"Everyone step aside! Let me go first!"
At that moment, Naki pushed forward to take the lead.
Since he was one of Aogiri Tree's executives, the other ghouls had to make way for him.
The three great executives—Eto, Tatara, and Noro—simply stood watching. Shachi only cared about Rize's situation. Miza decided to wait and see for now.
Ayato continued staring at the surrounded Byakuya. Though the voice had been deliberately lowered and those "blood-red eyes" were misleading, he still felt this person seemed too familiar.
The scent aside, even the tone was remarkably similar.
So he didn't want to join in. He had been beaten badly enough last time.
If this really was that guy, unless Tatara-san, Noro-san, and Kamishiro-san all attacked together, they probably couldn't keep him here. The rest didn't have the ability to fight him.
Ayato had overlooked Eto because she was like a mascot who had never once made a move.
Little did he know that Eto was actually the strongest of Aogiri Tree's public members. After all, Arima had never had the opportunity nor dared to fight openly as Aogiri Tree's One-Eyed King until his death.
In the end, only Naki dared to lead a group of ghouls not even at S-rating to try to teach Byakuya a lesson.
Naki still suspected his Big Bro Yamori had been killed by the man before him. If this guy were really Big Bro's friend or acquaintance, he definitely wouldn't have called Big Bro's Aogiri Tree a childish game!
"Big Bro Yamori! I'll avenge you!"
Shouting about revenge, Naki attacked Byakuya with his koukaku kagune.
He even imitated Yamori's gesture—cracking his fingers like Yamori used to, pressing his thumb against his index finger and bending it to an almost bone-breaking angle, producing that satisfying cracking sound.
"Rize..."
At that moment, Byakuya murmured softly and grasped Rize's hand.
Facing the threat from Naki and the numerous ghouls, he didn't hesitate to unleash the ultimate technique of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
The Third Power—Susanoo!
After all, he hadn't brought any Quinque for defense, and his goal wasn't to slaughter Aogiri Tree anyway.
In that instant, the massive amount of chakra within Byakuya's body seemed to "awaken," pouring out and materializing.
Susanoo—the combined offense and defense known as the power of the gods—was essentially the materialization of one's internal chakra, forming what appeared to be a "war god."
Without question, the Susanoo Byakuya activated was completely Uchiha Madara's version. Both the form and color were identical to Madara's Susanoo.
A massive ribcage extending above his head enveloped his entire body. Naturally, Rize beside him was also within its protective range.
The pale blue Susanoo ribcage wasn't completely solid, giving off a translucent appearance with what seemed like gaseous fluctuations.
This was Susanoo's initial form. Besides this giant ribcage, he could also summon Susanoo's arms as a means of attack if he wished.
The moment Susanoo appeared, even in just its initial form, it made all the surrounding ghouls tremble.
Their first thought was "half-kakuja"—yet it seemed even more complete than a half-kakuja...
Could this be... a kakuja?!
"What?!"
Naki realized the situation was dire, but it was too late to stop.
CLANG—!
His koukaku collided violently with the Susanoo ribcage. He felt as if he had struck something incomparably hard, then was sent flying in the opposite direction.
But Byakuya wasn't about to let Naki fly away so comfortably. He immediately summoned a Susanoo arm—a giant hand whose palm alone was larger than half his body appeared out of thin air. It grabbed Naki like catching a mouse, crushed him casually, then tossed him away like garbage.
Naki's body was nearly flattened. Coughing up blood violently, he flew through the air like a kite with its string cut, crashing through a wall of the abandoned factory before collapsing on the ground, barely clinging to life.
[Ding! Host has defeated S-rated ghoul "Naki." Reward: 25 Fusion Points!]
Seeing Naki instantly destroyed—and destroyed so brutally—the other ghouls were scared witless.
Not only did they not dare advance another step, they couldn't help but retreat in fear.
Tatara's expression grew grave. "Half-kakuja? No... Kakuja? But it doesn't quite seem right either..."
He himself was a kakuja, but he had never seen a kakuja form like this before.
Yet due to limited understanding, the people of this world could only explain Byakuya's Susanoo as a "kakuja."
Eto examined Byakuya's kakuja form with great interest, showing no concern for the half-dead Naki.
Byakuya-kun, how many more surprises will you bring me~?
...
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