After wiping out the stronghold of the Dragon Orphans, the situation in the 22nd Ward was still far from resolved.
Aside from the Dragon Orphans, a small, violent ghoul faction had recently emerged.
According to intel from TSC, this was a newly formed ghoul group. Normally, if such a group stayed under the radar, TSC might've turned a blind eye. But they were blatantly challenging TSC authority now — there would be no tolerance for that.
Since TSC hadn't yet located the group's exact hideout, they increased patrols in zones where the ghouls were most active.
"Do they have any behavioral patterns?" Byakuya asked one of the TSC operatives.
Though the young man was equipped with a Quinque, he was a ghoul—one with a particularly strong will. Nowadays, Quinques were usually reserved for humans since their combat abilities were lacking compared to ghouls. And many ghouls still harbored resistance toward Quinques, especially considering where their materials came from...
This ghoul's own Quinque, for example, was forged from his father's kakuhou. But his father wasn't killed by CCG agents or even current TSC members—it had been other ghouls.
Six months ago, his father had been ruthlessly cannibalized. The boy barely survived. He was saved at the last moment by a human — now a rising commander within TSC.
Sadly, his father was beyond saving. With the boy's consent, the remnants of his father's body were turned into the Quinque he now wielded.
Because of that past, this ghoul boy had developed a rare, objective view toward both ghouls and humans.
"They target young human women, mostly" he said grimly. "And they've got twisted tendencies. They leave the victims' heads on the street, or at the doorsteps and windows of their homes—just to terrorize people."
Disgust twisted his expression. The brutality reminded him of the ghouls who had slaughtered his father.
Joining TSC was his way of gaining the power to protect his mother.
"Then there's no need for debate" Byakuya said flatly. "They're all execution targets."
Whether a ghoul was executed on the spot depended on their crimes and their value. If they had no intel to offer and were guilty of heinous acts, execution was the standard. But valuable ghouls were sometimes spared and imprisoned in Cochlea for intel or experimentation.
The former CCG had always worked this way. Take the Priest for example. He ran an orphanage and devoured countless children. Still, as an SS rated ghoul with vital intelligence, he was imprisoned instead of killed.
There were others like Matasaka Kamishiro and Roma Hoito, who were too useful to eliminate.
Even ghouls with no intel value were sometimes kept alive for experiments. Arata, for example, became an experimental asset after his transformation into a kakuja—used to craft powerful Quinques like the early armor Shinohara and Kuroiwa wore.
Of course, since the rebranding to TSC under Byakuya's leadership, live ghoul experimentation was abolished. It was inhumane—and with the push for peace between humans and ghouls, such practices were no longer acceptable.
Still, the intelligence policy remained—because it worked. The Priest was essentially serving a life sentence. TSC would occasionally visit him for information. He didn't always cooperate, but when he did, it often cracked open entire cases.
"So what's our next move?" the ghoul boy asked.
"We bait them out" Byakuya said. "Actively hunting them might take forever."
"They like young women, right?" He turned to look at Eto.
Eto caught his glance and immediately understood. "You mean... you want me to be the bait?"
As much as she didn't like the idea, Eto really was perfect for it. She was young, beautiful, and her scent had long been masked from prolonged contact with humans.
"Exactly" she smiled. "But I won't be the only one—Minami will join me."
"But Eto" Rika said nervously, "you're famous now. Wouldn't they recognize you?"
After all, the identity of Takatsuki Sen as the One-Eyed Owl had long been exposed. Her real appearance wasn't a secret anymore either — especially after appearing at literary events.
"It's fine. I'll go in disguise."
At that, Byakuya wordlessly opened a portal into Kamui's dimension. Eto vanished inside to change.
To Arima and Minami, this was nothing new. But the newer members stared in shock. Moments later, Eto emerged, completely transformed.
Now wearing gothic fashion — black frills, twin tails, and a face mask — she looked nothing like the infamous One-Eyed Owl.
"How do I look?" she asked Byakuya.
"You look great. Honestly, you never look bad in anything."
Eto smirked. The other TSC agents, stunned into silence, were looking at a side of her they'd never imagined.
The operation began.
Eto and Minami wandered through the alley where the ghoul group was most active, while Byakuya and Arima followed from the shadows.
For a while, nothing happened.
Then masked ghouls began to appear, blocking their path.
Eto and Minami played their parts convincingly, feigning fear.
"Are... are you ghouls?" Minami asked, pretending to panic.
"Of course, sweetheart," one of the ghouls sneered. "You've seen us on TV, haven't you?"
Eto grabbed Rika's hand and tried to flee—only to find more ghouls behind them.
"This is funny," said one. "Didn't TSC already post warnings all over the 22nd Ward? And yet you two still stroll around here?"
"Maybe they're with TSC," another said. "But who cares? TSC's useless. We've got our boss."
"Yeah, our boss is a half-kakuja. No one in the 22nd Ward can take him."
They laughed, underestimating the two "girls" before them.
Byakuya and Arima didn't move yet. They wanted more of the group to appear—for a clean sweep.
Then sounds of combat erupted from a nearby alley.
"What the hell?! Are we ambushed?"
"No—wait! That's where the boss is!"
Eto and Minami dropped the act.
A pink tail-like kagune pierced through a ghoul—Minami's kagune. Her red eyes lit up with a manic glint.
"You... you're with TSC!" one of the ghouls yelled—right before he went silent.
Eto, though not fully transformed, unleashed a torrent of abstract, horrifying kagune from multiple kakuhou. The sight alone was enough to terrify anyone.
Together, Eto and Minami made quick work of the ambushers.
Meanwhile, Byakuya and Arima were already on a nearby rooftop, watching the commotion.
In the alley below stood a familiar face—Mo Mo. He was engaged in fierce battle with a half-kakuja— the gang's leader.
Wielding a dark sword-like Quinque, Mo Mo held the upper hand.
"So he's actually an investigator from Eastern Nations..." Byakuya murmured.
Only an investigator from the Eastern Nations could wield a Quinque with that level of skill—and overwhelm a half-kakuja.
Unlike Tokyo, which rebranded CCG into TSC and abandoned the "investigator" title, most of the world kept using the old system.
"Looks like he doesn't need our help" Arima said, his unopened Quinque case still in hand.
Unless the ghoul tried to escape, they wouldn't interfere.
Below, Mo Mo struck decisively — slicing through the half-kakuja's armor and delivering a fatal blow to its kakuhou. The ghoul collapsed to its knees, dying instantly as Mo Mo delivered the final strike.
Not the kind of guy you'd expect from a university club leader.
From below, Mo Mo looked up and spotted Byakuya and Arima on the rooftop.
He smiled and waved at them.