With Higher Mind destroyed, Tanakamaru slumped in place, questioning his very existence.
He looked up at the enemy before him—wearing a black robe from some unknown ghoul organization, with a pair of strange "kakugan."
Who... who is this guy...
A ghoul with this level of strength was definitely more dangerous than the Devil Ape or Black Dog. Did Anteiku really have a ghoul of this caliber besides the Owl...?
Tanakamaru wanted to urgently report this to the Director and command post, but he felt he wouldn't get the chance. A single strike from this opponent could end his life!
Yet to his utter surprise, the figure before him vanished in the blink of an eye!
Along with the Devil Ape, who had been lying on the ground.
Byakuya was now carrying Koma as he raced across rooftops. "Koma-san, are you still alright...?"
Of course, this was just a Wood Clone—but it was still enough to crush a Special Class Investigator.
"You're... Amaha?!"
Koma, recognizing him by voice, exclaimed in surprise.
He'd just witnessed Byakuya's skills—instantly incapacitating that Special Class Investigator. Such overwhelming strength left him stunned.
"Mm... at least I won't die."
Coming to his senses, Koma responded. "Never thought the Devil Ape's cradle would be your embrace..."
From here, Koma and the surviving members of his Devil Ape faction were left in this Wood Clone's care.
"...He... spared my life...?"
Meanwhile, Tanakamaru remained slumped where he was, unable to believe it.
His opponent was a ghoul, yet hadn't finished him off?!
Snapping out of his shock, Tanakamaru forced himself to recover—he needed to report what happened here to the Director immediately!
"This is Tanakamaru! A mysterious ghoul far stronger than the Devil Ape just appeared and rescued the dying Devil Ape!"
On the other end, Yoshitoki Washuu and Deputy Commander Marude at the command post received Tanakamaru's message.
"Far stronger than the Devil Ape? Could Aogiri Tree have shown up?"
"It might be from that organization First Class Amaha is facing. We don't even know how his battle is going!"
"Should we try contacting First Class Amaha? Though I'm worried about interrupting his fight..."
"..."
The news from Special Class Tanakamaru threw the investigators in the rear into a panic.
Yoshitoki's expression grew even more grave. The situation was spiraling increasingly out of control.
"Bad news! Word from Squad Three's Squad Leader Hirako—a mysterious kakuja ghoul rescued the Black Dog and severely wounded Associate Special Class Hachikawa with a single blow!"
Just then, another piece of serious bad news arrived.
"What?! The Black Dog was rescued too?"
"This is terrible! What kind of ghouls have come out to interfere?!"
"Director, shouldn't we bring Squad Zero up from underground? Otherwise the surface situation might become uncontrollable!"
For a moment, the investigators were thrown into chaos.
Facing unknown ghouls—even stronger than the Devil Ape and Black Dog—and more than one of them, how could they not panic?!
"...No. Squad Zero still has an important mission. For now, let's check on Squad Leader Amaha's situation."
Yoshitoki's expression was grave as he spoke.
Intercepting ghouls fleeing through the underground V14 route was merely incidental. The One-Eyed Owl, who might come through the underground passage to rescue the Non-Killing Owl, was the real concern. Squad Zero was his trump card against the One-Eyed Owl—he absolutely couldn't bring them to the surface unless absolutely necessary.
The logistics investigators guarding the temporary command post also quickly learned of this news.
"The front line situation seems dire. The Devil Ape and Black Dog were both rescued by mysterious ghouls who suddenly appeared—one of them is even a kakuja!"
"Seriously, how many allies does this Owl have? And each one is stronger than the last. Is our operation going to fail?"
"Stop spreading panic! We still have Squad Leader Amaha and Special Class Arima! Special Class Arima is the 'Undefeated Reaper,' and Squad Leader Amaha can fight the Owl one-on-one. We won't fail!"
"But... but... First Class Amaha is being held down by several powerful ghouls that suddenly appeared. Our situation is still dire..."
"You! Keep running your mouth and see if I don't punch you!"
"..."
Since logistics duty was relatively idle, they had time to argue.
Akira's expression remained anxious. Her intuition told her the mysterious ghouls who'd rescued the Devil Ape and Black Dog were very likely from the organization First Class Amaha was facing.
She had no idea what was happening on First Class Amaha's end right now, and she didn't dare think too deeply about it...
Actually, the Director had already learned of First Class Amaha's situation—he just hadn't shared it with logistics yet.
"I've pinned them down, but I can't break away..."
This was the only response Yoshitoki had received from Byakuya.
But this actually made Yoshitoki more uneasy. If Squad Leader Amaha had indeed pinned down the kakuja Binge Eater, Shachi, the Gourmet, and the others—then who had rescued the Devil Ape and Black Dog?
He only knew it wasn't Aogiri Tree. Could they also be allies of the group Squad Leader Amaha was fighting?
Yoshitoki was deeply anxious. The situation had deteriorated to a seriously uncontrollable level.
He was debating whether to bring Arima to the surface...
What Yoshitoki had no idea about was that the one who'd just responded to him was merely one of Byakuya's Wood Clones...
...
[Ding! The host has successfully saved the "Devil Ape" and "Black Dog." Reward: 100 Fusion Points!]
[Ding! The host has defeated a Special Class Investigator "Tanakamaru Mougan." Reward: 70 Fusion Points!]
As Byakuya was talking with Irimi, he heard these system notifications, confirming that one of his Wood Clones had successfully rescued Koma-san.
Moreover, defeating Special Class Tanakamaru through the Wood Clone also triggered the system's reward mechanism. That was quite nice.
It was about time for his main body to make a move...
"Irimi-san, I'm leaving now."
"Mm. Don't push yourself too hard. Make sure to stay alive..."
Irimi emphasized.
Byakuya nodded slightly, then vanished in a flash.
If nothing unexpected happened, the Non-Killing Owl would be on the verge of defeat under the combined assault of multiple Special Class, Associate Special Class, and First Class Investigators—and the One-Eyed Owl would make her entrance by descending from the sky.
That's right—"descending from the sky."
The One-Eyed Owl's entrance method exceeded Yoshitoki's expectations. He'd anticipated the One-Eyed Owl would appear either from the surface or through the underground passage—with the underground route being highly probable, which was why he'd stationed Arima's Squad Zero underground.
He'd completely failed to consider the third possibility—that the One-Eyed Owl could fly...
Ukaku ghouls could fly once they reached a certain level of power. Though the Non-Killing Owl could only manage brief low-altitude flight, the One-Eyed Owl—now even more powerful than the Non-Killing Owl at his peak—had superior flight capabilities.
However, it wasn't just the One-Eyed Owl who could fly—Byakuya could fly too...
He'd saved his true power for the strongest ghoul about to take the stage—the One-Eyed Owl—and the strongest investigator, Kishou Arima. Facing these two "strongest," this was his way of showing respect!
...
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