"And now, allow me to introduce our next 'item'; an Associate Special-Class Investigator from the CCG. I'm sure all of you hold a mixture of hatred and fear toward investigators of the Special-Class and Associate Special-Class ranks."
"But tonight, you have the opportunity to play with a living, breathing Associate Special-Class 'Dove' at your leisure."
The "item" the host was introducing at this moment was none other than Arima Kishou.
"No way, seriously? Even an Associate Special-Class Investigator can be auctioned off here?"
"Is it safe though? I have a really bad feeling about this…"
"Relax. Any 'item' that makes it here has already been stripped of their Quinque. Without their Quinque, 'Doves' are nothing to be afraid of."
"..."
As the murmurs of discussion spread through the crowd, two figures suddenly emerged from backstage.
Naturally, they were Uchiha Byakuya and Arima Kishou.
What's more, they were both carrying Quinque cases in their hands.
"...Huh?"
The host and the auctioneer were instantly dumbfounded, unable to process what was happening.
The guests below the stage were also frozen in shock.
"What… the hell is going on?!"
"Is this some kind of joke? Why is the previous 'item' coming out again? And why do they seem to have Quinques in their hands?!"
"This is bad… something's very wrong here!"
Before the ghouls in attendance could fully grasp the situation, Byakuya pressed a small concealed button on his body.
A signal was immediately transmitted to the CCG investigators waiting outside.
At the same time, Byakuya calmly turned to Arima and said, "Kishou, I'll leave these two to you."
"Understood."
Arima Kishou replied indifferently.
The Quinque case in his hand instantly transformed into a deep crimson katana, an S+ class Quinque he had recently acquired from the CCG's research facility.
A perfect opportunity to test its power on the host and auctioneer.
Meanwhile, Byakuya charged directly into the guest seating area.
From the moment he had stood on the auction stage, letting the ghouls bid on him, he had already locked onto the "Madam" who had been working with Eto.
This "Madam" had to be eliminated first.
She was only now beginning to realize that she had been completely played by the "One-Eyed Owl." But she couldn't understand why.
Why would the "One-Eyed Owl" not only betray her but even help the CCG's Doves?
At this point, however, it was far too late for questions.
Byakuya had already reached her. His Quinque Shinden, in its spear form, pierced through her eye and destroyed her brain.
Of course, that alone wouldn't be enough; he still needed to destroy her Kakuhou.
[Ding! Host has defeated an 'S-Rank Ghoul.']
[Reward: 15 attribute points.]
On the auction stage, Arima had already taken care of the host and auctioneer.
Two S-Rank ghouls were instantly eliminated by him.
In the next moment, Byakuya's gaze locked onto Big Madam.
Just moments ago, she had been bidding to buy him as a pet. He wasn't the kind of person to tolerate that kind of insult.
No matter how patient he was, there were always limits.
"Damn it! I should've recognized him sooner; that guy is CCG's newly promoted Special-Class Investigator! Which idiot brought a Special-Class Investigator in here?!"
"I think it was the Branch Chief of the 2nd Ward? The CCG actually deployed such a large force, we need to run now, or we won't get another chance!"
"..."
The auction hall instantly descended into chaos. The quicker-reacting ghouls were already retreating under the cover of their bodyguards.
This auction venue had numerous hidden escape routes precisely for situations like this.
At the same time, dozens of CCG investigators stormed into the hall from the outside.
Some of them prioritized heading backstage to protect the kidnapped victims.
Amidst the confusion, Byakuya used his Mangekyō Sharingan to precisely lock onto Big Madam's location.
She was guarded by three bodyguards who all appeared to be formidable fighters.
"Damn it! Stop him!"
Big Madam ordered the three bodyguards to intercept Byakuya while she turned to flee in a panic.
She knew better than to fight a Special-Class Investigator head-on, especially with more investigators pouring into the venue.
If she didn't escape now, it would be too late.
Byakuya easily evaded the bodyguards' attempts to block him and unleashed Owl, once again displaying its unique abilities.
A portion of Owl detached and burrowed underground while the other part continued launching winged projectiles.
Countless razor-sharp blades shot toward Big Madam. She hastily used her Bikaku Kagune to defend herself against the barrage.
In her desperation, she failed to notice the far greater threat about to erupt from beneath her feet.
Boom!!
Half of Owl burst out from underground, detonating within Big Madam's body. She fell silent in an instant.
[Ding! Host has defeated SS- class ghoul 'Big Madam']
[Reward: 30 attribute points.]
Big Madam's danger level was officially rated as SS-, but her combat ability was somewhat inflated.
Her infamy stemmed more from the numerous heinous crimes she had committed and her status as the head of the Madam syndicate, hence why the CCG had classified her so highly.
Right after, Uchiha Byakuya used Owl to swiftly eliminate the three bodyguards as well.
[Ding! Host has defeated an 'S-Class Ghoul']
[Reward: 15 attribute points.]
[Ding! Host has defeated an 'S+ Class Ghoul'...]
[...]
When it came to efficiently mowing down enemies, an SSS-Class Quinque like Owl was undeniably the best tool.
Before long, the entire auction was completely shut down.
Most of the high-class ghouls had managed to flee, but many of their bodyguards had been subdued by the investigators while covering for them.
Some investigators had sustained injuries, but there were no fatalities.
Additionally, all of the kidnapped victims were successfully rescued.
Overall, the operation had been a great success.
[Ding! Host has successfully completed 'Mission 1: Disrupt the Auction and Rescue Suzuya Juuzou']
[Reward: 100 attribute points.]
Just then, a CCG investigator approached Byakuya.
"Special-Class Uchiha, there's a kid named Suzuya who refuses to leave with us. He said he's waiting for a 'Nii-san in black clothing', so we figured that might be you."
Hearing this, Byakuya paused for a moment.
"...I'll go check."
It was highly likely that the child was indeed waiting for him.
He made his way backstage.
The moment Suzuya Juuzou saw him enter, he immediately asked, "You came to save me?"
"Yes, though they're also here to save you," Byakuya replied patiently. "Is there somewhere you want to go next?"
Suzuya Juuzou thought for a moment.
"...I want to go with you."