"You're saying Squad Leader Amaha held off the enemy's assault and successfully wore them down until they retreated from exhaustion?"
Yoshitoki Washuu was quite surprised when he received the news.
Squad Leader Amaha had actually been able to handle that colossal kakuja. Even if it was by wearing the enemy down, that already far exceeded his expectations.
At least the CCG hadn't suffered a complete rout. Otherwise, there would be a "crisis of confidence"—public trust in the CCG would waver, including the Washuu family's position.
And as the commander-in-chief of this operation, Yoshitoki Washuu would have borne the greatest responsibility.
In the end, Byakuya had inadvertently saved Yoshitoki.
Yoshitoki relaxed slightly. Though he would probably still face consequences when he returned, at least they wouldn't be as severe.
He had Byakuya to thank for that...
Yet even now, Yoshitoki hadn't realized that Byakuya was actually the mastermind behind all the unexpected incidents.
If not for Byakuya's intervention, aside from failing to anticipate the One-Eyed Owl's descent from the sky, Yoshitoki had actually performed quite admirably as commander-in-chief.
...
[Ding! Host has defeated SSS-rated "One-Eyed Owl." Reward: 400 Fusion Points!]
[Ding! Host has successfully rescued "Yoshimura Kuzen." Reward: 100 Fusion Points!]
[Ding! Host has intervened in the entire "One-Eyed Owl Suppression Operation" under the Akatsuki Organization's identity. Reward: 500 Fusion Points!]
[...]
With the Non-Killing Owl and One-Eyed Owl both vanishing, the largest suppression operation in CCG history came to an end. Byakuya's System was now processing his post-battle rewards.
Everyone understood that this operation had been a failure. Though they had defeated the "Owl," they hadn't managed to capture or eliminate it. There was also another unexpected Owl. Most investigators below Special Class didn't even know that two SSS-rated Owls had existed since ten years ago—people like Byakuya and Koori Ui being exceptions.
Not only that, but the SS-rated Devil Ape and Black Dog had also escaped.
The only gains from this operation were defeating one of the Owls and driving away some ghouls from the Devil Ape and Black Dobers groups.
Still, no one felt particularly pessimistic.
After everything that had happened, simply surviving felt like something worth celebrating...
Amon's incapacitated squad had been taken to the hospital. They would probably wake up safely before long.
Among the other wounded, Shinohara Yukinori's injuries were the most severe. Having had most of his leg eaten by the One-Eyed Owl and been disemboweled, even immediate hospitalization could only barely save his life.
...
[Ward 20 "One-Eyed Owl Suppression Operation" (From subsequent internal operation report)]
[Special Merit Recipients]
Amaha Byakuya (First Class)
Kishou Arima (Special Class)
Koori Ui (Associate Special Class)
Kuroiwa Iwao (Special Class)
Shinohara Yukinori (Special Class)
Juuzou Suzuya (Rank 2)
Houji Kousuke (Associate Special Class)
Koutarou Amon (First Class)
[Severely Wounded]
Kuroiwa Iwao (Special Class)
Juuzou Suzuya (Rank 2)
...and many others.
[Incapacitated]
Shinohara Yukinori (Special Class)
Koutarou Amon (First Class)
...and many others.
[Deceased]
...and many others.
...
After the operation ended, Byakuya immediately headed to where the Manager and the others were hiding.
Manager Yoshimura, Kaya Irimi, and Enji Koma were all here. The ordinary members of the Devil Ape and Black Dobers had been temporarily settled elsewhere—once this blew over, they could resume their normal lives.
As for Eto Yoshimura, she was confined in a dark little room, watched over by Byakuya's Wood Clone.
Given the absurd power the Wood Clone had displayed, Eto sat obediently in the room without making any rash moves.
No matter what she said, the Wood Clone ignored her. She understood it was just a clone, so she stopped wasting her breath.
When Byakuya's main body arrived, the Wood Clone dissipated.
"Takatsuki-sensei, we meet again."
Byakuya smiled at Eto.
Eto had long since released her kakuja form. Now she sat there with bandages wrapped around her entire body.
"Amaha-kun..."
Eto's tone was cold.
This time, her plans had been completely disrupted by Byakuya, and she was being held prisoner here. She certainly wasn't going to show him a pleasant face.
"Don't be like that. It feels like Takatsuki-sensei really hates me now."
Byakuya said casually.
"What exactly are you trying to do...?"
Eto asked, unable to comprehend his purpose.
"Isn't what I did quite simple?"
Byakuya replied evenly. "Rescue everyone from Anteiku, and stop you from harming the Manager. My methods might have been a bit excessive, but that's what I was acting for."
"...You have that kind of power, yet you did all this just for that?"
Eto found it hard to believe.
But what he said wasn't false. He really had rescued Yoshimura and those two employees one after another.
But still... using such overwhelming power for something like this...
"What else?"
Byakuya said. "Before achieving world peace, you should also protect the people around you. If everyone around you is gone by the time the world is at peace, what's the point?"
Another reason he couldn't accept Eto and Arima's approach was that these two had not only sacrificed everyone around them, but in the end, even themselves.
Of course, in the original world, they had no other choice.
But Byakuya felt that since he had the power to change all of this, there was no need to let those two continue their reckless course.
"I was going to say your thinking is naive, but considering your strength, I suppose you're entitled to say such things."
Eto immediately retorted.
When someone weak or limited in power said such things, it was naive. But for someone like Byakuya who possessed absolute power, it was an entirely different story.
"I can see it clearly now. You absolutely have the ability to change this world. I want you to become the true 'One-Eyed King'—not just of Aogiri Tree, but the One-Eyed King of this world."
Eto immediately extended her invitation.
She was certain he had the ability. The true One-Eyed King had appeared so many years earlier than she and Arima had anticipated!
...
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