"That… that's Special-Class Uchiha?!"
"Isn't Special-Class Uchiha supposed to be dead? Why was there news of his sacrifice?"
"It seems the higher-ups had already determined Special-Class Uchiha was dead. They even scheduled a funeral for tomorrow… This is turning into a massive blunder…"
"This is great! Even if there are two 'Owls,' they're no match for Special-Class Uchiha and Associate Special-Class Arima!"
"..."
The investigators were stunned at first, but their shock quickly turned into joy.
The sudden return of Uchiha Byakuya was an immense morale boost.
However, what they failed to realize was that Byakuya wasn't here to help them fight the 'Owls', if anything, it was quite the opposite.
"Manager, sorry for making you all worry."
At that moment, Byakuya addressed Yoshimura Kuzen.
But Yoshimura Kuzen had yet to undo his kakuja transformation.
The investigators, still caught up in their own emotions, didn't notice that Byakuya was speaking directly to the Owl.
Not that it mattered; even if they did notice, it made no difference.
After all, Byakuya was about to declare all-out war against the Washuu Clan.
"Eto… she's in danger…"
Yoshimura Kuzen's voice was grave.
He hoped Byakuya would hurry to Eto's aid.
"I understand. I'll go right away."
Before leaving, Byakuya left one final message for Arima Kishou.
"Arima, do whatever you think is right."
The reason he made a point to say this was because he knew Arima might not fully believe in their cause just yet.
It was hard to believe that such a small force could possibly overthrow the entire Washuu Clan.
And if they failed, Arima Kishou and Uruka Minami would both be in grave danger.
This was an important decision; would Arima Kishou choose to stand firm, or continue his allegiance to the Washuu Clan?
Even if Arima chose to remain loyal to the Washuu Clan, Byakuya could understand.
"…Alright."
Arima Kishou nodded slightly.
The next second, Byakuya vanished into thin air, having actually teleported into the Kamui dimension.
It was only after his disappearance that the investigators finally sensed that something was off.
"Wait… why did Special-Class Uchiha disappear all of a sudden?"
"Yeah… and Associate Special-Class Arima's movements, as well as Owl's reaction, all seem strange…"
"It's like… they reached some kind of agreement?"
"Could it be that 'Owl' surrendered the moment Special-Class Uchiha appeared? I don't see a single trace of fighting intent on him…"
"..."
Although they sensed something was wrong, they hadn't yet grasped the full severity of the situation.
At the same time, Yoshimura Kuzen remained in his kakuja form.
He wasn't sure whether the blue-haired young man in front of him was a friend or foe.
From the conversation between Byakuya and this blue-haired youth, it was clear that his stance was still uncertain.
If a fight broke out, Yoshimura Kuzen was prepared to stall him for as long as possible.
However, in the very next moment; Arima simply retracted his quinque and placed it back into his briefcase.
"Let's go inside and support Byakuya."
Arima made his decision without the slightest hesitation.
Even though, in his eyes, this entire operation seemed reckless; starting a war with the Washuu Clan despite being severely outnumbered and without a proper plan…
But given his personality, once Arima had decided to join forces with Byakuya and Eto, there was no turning back.
So, he didn't even need to make a choice.
If they failed, he would simply protect Uruka Minami in his own way.
Yoshimura Kuzen was somewhat surprised by Arima's stance and resolve.
Shortly after, Yoshimura Kuzen and Arima moved deeper into CCG headquarters.
The investigators, who had already retreated inside, were completely dumbfounded.
They couldn't believe their eyes; Arima Kishou was actually walking alongside 'Owl' toward them?!
"What the hell is going on?! Owl doesn't look like he surrendered at all; he's still in his kakuja form!"
"I have no idea! It's impossible… There's no way Associate Special-Class Arima has betrayed us, right…?"
The investigators were in a complete panic.
If Arima really had defected, they wouldn't stand a chance against Owl.
In fact, they didn't even need to consider the Owl, Arima alone could slaughter them all.
Terror-stricken, they instinctively retreated step by step. Faced with an overwhelming power gap, who would dare to stop Arima Kishou and Yoshimura Kuzen?
They genuinely believed they were going to die here.
Fortunately, Arima and the Owl didn't seem interested in attacking them.
"Associate Special-Class Arima… What is going on…?"
At that moment, one of the braver investigators mustered the courage to ask,
"I don't understand anything anymore… You're still on our side, right?"
"... The Owl is not our true enemy; the higher-ups of CCG; the entire Washuu Clan, they're all ghouls. They've been using all of us."
Arima paused briefly before speaking in an emotionless tone.
"As for whether I'm still your ally… that's for you to decide."
To the investigators, this was nothing short of an earth-shattering revelation.
The entire Washuu Clan… were ghouls?!
He has to be joking… right?!
Their eyes widened in shock, their pupils visibly trembling.
The CCG was supposed to be the Ghoul Countermeasures Bureau.
And the Washuu Clan founded CCG.
A clan of ghouls created an organization dedicated to exterminating ghouls?
Who would believe something so absurd?!
They wanted to deny it but coming from Arima Kishou, these words held an undeniable weight.
At that moment, every investigator stood frozen, their minds spiraling into utter chaos.
If Arima Kishou was telling the truth, what were they supposed to do next?
Who was their real enemy?
The "human" Arima Kishou… or the "ghoul" leaders of the CCG?
Meanwhile, Yoshimura Eto had already infiltrated deep into CCG headquarters.
However, before she could reach the upper echelon of the Washuu Clan, she was intercepted by a squad of black-clad operatives from V.
At the forefront of the group was Kaiko.
"If the 'Owl' fighting Arima right now is Kuzen, then that would make you his child, wouldn't it?"
Kaiko spoke with an air of absolute confidence, as if everything was within his control.
"Kuzen really is impressive… For decades, the Washuu Clan has failed to create another naturally born one-eyed ghoul yet he somehow succeeded."
"Fighting is such a waste of time."
"Just submit to the Washuu Clan. That way, both you and Kuzen can live. You'd be spared the suffering."
Kaiko's tone carried a faint sense of arrogance.
Eto let out a scornful laugh.
"The ones who killed the person I love… I will never forgive them!"