The One-Eyed Owl's speed was beyond what the human eye could track.
For Uchiha Byakuya, however, it was no problem at all, his Mangekyō Sharingan allowed him to follow every movement with ease.
Mado Kasuka, of course, was no ordinary human either. Even against the Owl's relentless attacks, she could still barely keep up.
But the most terrifying thing was; The One-Eyed Owl hadn't even entered kakuja form yet.
Mado Kasuka had no time to waste on convincing Byakuya to flee.
Right now, her only priority was protecting him while holding off the Owl.
With her S-rated quinque-a long spear-like weapon; she positioned herself between Byakuya and the Owl.
CLANG!
Their weapons clashed.
The One-Eyed Owl failed to land a direct hit, but Kasuka's quinque had already begun to crack.
It wouldn't last long-maybe a few more hits at best before it shattered completely.
The sheer force behind the impact sent Kasuka stumbling backward, barely regaining her footing.
And then, The One-Eyed Owl fully transformed.
From the depths of its kagune, an overwhelming mass of Rc cells surged forth, forming an enormous, monstrous figure towering three to four meters high.
Its cloak remained draped over its form, concealing most of its grotesque kakuja body.
But its face; A mask entirely composed of kagune.
A single, blood-red right eye gleaming through the darkness.
This was the legendary One-Eyed Owl.
Byakuya stared at Yoshimura Eto's kakuja form, and sure enough-it matched the image in his memory.
But at this point in time, it was still not as twisted and grotesque as the one from the original story.
That was to be expected.
Ten years later, Eto would have undergone countless cannibalistic evolutions, further mutating her kakuja into an even larger, more monstrous form.
Her current kakuja-however was nearly identical to the one that belonged to her father, Yoshimura Kuzen-the "Non-Killing Owl".
After all, Kuzen had intentionally modeled his kakuja after Eto's, to mislead their enemies and protect her identity.
But as Eto continued devouring ghouls over the years, her strength far surpassed that of her father.
Mado Kasuka's grip on her quinque tightened.
This was her first time facing the One-Eyed Owl's kakuja form.
And the pressure it exuded was unlike anything she had ever encountered before.
Without warning; the Owl's massive kagune arm swung toward her with terrifying force!
Now that it was fully transformed, its attack speed and power had skyrocketed.
This time even Kasuka couldn't react in time.
Byakuya moved instantly.
With blinding speed, he intercepted the attack, raising his B-rated quinque, "Erik", in an attempt to block it.
CRACK!
The impact was devastating.
Byakuya's quinque was instantly shattered-his weapon far too weak to withstand an SSS-rated ghoul's full force.
Realizing this, Byakuya immediately retreated, avoiding being completely crushed in the process.
However, his efforts were not in vain.
By intercepting the strike, he had weakened its impact significantly.
Kasuka managed to brace herself, raising her quinque for a final block.
BANG!
The impact sent her skidding backward, her weapon flying out of her grasp and landing directly between her and the One-Eyed Owl.
Kasuka's eyes widened in horror.
This was bad.
For a CCG investigator, losing their quinque was equivalent to losing their life; Especially against an SSS-rated ghoul like the One-Eyed Owl.
For a brief moment, the Owl suddenly paused and turned to glance at Uchiha Byakuya.
Yoshimura Eto had originally planned to kill Mado Kasuka and leave, sparing Byakuya's life.
She hated CCG investigators, killing them on sight without hesitation.
And even though Byakuya was also a CCG investigator, he had helped her before.
She could make an exception for him.
But now; This guy actually had the nerve to fight her.
Was he not afraid of death...?
Compared to Mado Kasuka, Byakuya seemed completely at ease.
He casually tossed aside what was left of his broken quinque, Erik, letting out a slight sigh; "What a shame."
He had barely even used this quinque, and now it was already destroyed.
"Excuse me, I'll be borrowing this for a bit."
Without hesitation, Byakuya picked up Mado Kasuka's S-rated quinque from the ground.
The moment he gripped it, he could immediately tell- This quinque was far superior to his previous B-rated Erik.
"Second Class Uchiha..."
Mado Kasuka's gaze flickered slightly.
Technically, she should not allow anyone else to use her quinque.
But given the circumstances, even if she retrieved it from Byakuya, she still wouldn't be able to deal with the One-Eyed Owl.
The gap in strength was simply too vast.
And Byakuya...
She had just witnessed something strange.
His reactions against the Owl, they were even better than hers.
Maybe;It wouldn't be a bad idea to let him try.
Byakuya spun the spear-like quinque twice in his hands, adjusting to the weight, then pointed it directly at the Owl's chest.
"Come on, One-Eyed Owl..."
It was a clear challenge.
His expression and stance didn't carry a single trace of recognition-as if he had no idea that the One-Eyed Owl was actually Yoshimura Eto.
In return, Eto didn't think that Byakuya had recognized her either.
And so, she responded.
SHING!
From her back, an array of razor-sharp, feather-like projectiles shot forward at incredible speed, streaking toward Byakuya like a storm of blades.
Her kagune was originally ukaku-type, just like her father, Yoshimura Kuzen.
And the feathered blades were one of its deadliest traits-
Fast, sharp and unyielding.
Powerful ukaku ghouls could annihilate entire squads of investigators in an instant.
And now, the One-Eyed Owl was unleashing this upon Byakuya alone.
She had changed her mind.
Instead of killing him outright, she would turn him into a pincushion, leaving him alive but completely helpless.
Then, as punishment; She would cut off one of his arms.
A reminder and lesson.
She had already given him a chance to run.
But instead of escaping, he chose to fight her.
Gratitude?
Perhaps she felt a little of it toward Byakuya.
But after spending her entire childhood surviving in the hellish depths of the 24th Ward, her mind had long since twisted into something far more monstrous than any kagune.
To her kindness meant nothing.
Even if Byakuya had helped her before, she could still maim him without hesitation.
But just as her feathered blades launched toward him; Byakuya had already moved.
With his Mangekyō Sharingan, he had predicted the attack before it even began.
The instant her kagune flexed, he had already calculated the exact trajectory of every single projectile.
And so, by the time they shot forward, Byakuya had already vanished from their path.
Swiftly dodging all incoming blades with seemingly effortless precision.