As the One-Eyed Owl prepared to unleash her kagune's bladed attack, Byakuya quickly allocated all his available attribute points to "Physical Strength" to increase his speed for dodging.
[Current Attribute Points: 39]
[Ding! Host has successfully added points!]
[Physical Strength: +]
[Attribute Points -39]
Even so, Byakuya's physical strength was only slightly more than double that of an average person. However, he had anticipated the trajectory of the attack and could move just fast enough to stay ahead of the kagune blades.
Seeing her blades miss their mark, Eto was somewhat surprised.
'Well, this guy actually has some skill...'
She realized he was stronger than most investigators she had encountered. From what she had overheard from the female investigator, this guy was only a Second-Class Investigator, though his abilities far exceeded what was expected at that rank.
'So, he's one of those young people from the Sunlit Garden...'
Watching from afar, Kasuka couldn't help but be amazed at Byakuya's impressive abilities. Every new recruit class at the CCG seemed to have a few from the Sunlit Garden. These recruits bypassed regular training to directly become Second-Class Investigators and showed exceptional potential, far beyond most regular recruits.
Yet even Kasuka knew little about what the Sunlit Garden actually was or where it was located. This was a mystery not just to her but to other CCG members as well, those from Sunlit Garden never spoke of it.
After dodging the kagune blades, Byakuya fearlessly charged toward the Owl. He knew that her was still injured, unable to use her full power. Additionally, this version of the One-Eyed Owl was quite different from the one in the original timeline, who had further enhanced her powers after a decade of cannibalism, putting her on an entirely different level.
Without hesitation, Byakuya thrust his quinque spear at the Owl arm. Although the S Rated quinque could injure the kagune arm, it wouldn't have a lasting effect due to the formidable regenerative abilities of an SSS rated ghoul, especially one at the kakuja stage.
Only by damaging the kakuhou, the core organ of the kagune, could he significantly injure a ghoul of this level.
This was why Eto hadn't fully healed yet. However, Byakuya had no chance of reaching the kakuhou on her back unless he used his Mangekyou Sharingan's special abilities, which could reveal his eyes. If both Eto and Kasuka mistook him for a ghoul, it would lead to trouble.
His real goal was not to injure the One-Eyed Owl, but rather to rescue Kasuka and drive her back.
The Owl sidestepped the quinque spear with ease. Despite her large size, her movements were faster than Byakuya's, owing to the explosive power and speed granted by her kagune-formed body.
She then swung her kagune arm like a massive blade toward Byakuya, aiming for his arm as though she had read his mind.
In fact, Eto had intended all along to sever one of Byakuya's arms.
Noticing the start of her attack, Byakuya anticipated her target—his left arm—and dodged right, evading her blade.
After an intense bout, neither side had sustained any injuries.
Sensing it was time, Byakuya called out to the One-Eyed Owl saying, "Since we can't seem to harm each other, how about we call a truce?"
"…"
Eto remained silent for a moment, then turned and walked into the depths of the maze. She realized it was unwise to linger, as the investigators who had initially withdrawn would likely call for reinforcements, leading to her being surrounded. Being still injured, she had to be cautious.
Eto hadn't come to the 24th Ward to hunt CCG investigators, this encounter was mere coincidence.
Relieved that Eto accepted the truce, Byakuya took a quiet breath. His stamina was waning, and even though his physical capacity was double that of an average person, it was exhausting to face an SSS rated ghoul, especially one regarded as the CCG's most powerful enemy.
Had Eto refused to retreat, Byakuya would have abandoned the system mission to "Repel the One-Eyed Owl" and taken Kasuka to safety.
Fortunately, it hadn't come to that.
[Ding! Host successfully completed "Quest 2: Repel the SSS Rated Ghoul, One-Eyed Owl]
[Reward: 50 Attribute Points!]
[Quest 2 complete, activating Quest 3]
[Quest 3: Escort Kasuka Safely Out of the 24th Ward]
[Quest Reward: 10 Attribute Points]
At that moment, the system's voice echoed in his mind.
While they hadn't outright defeated the One-Eyed Owl, the system counted her retreat as a successful repulsion, likely because Eto had left first.
However, according to the quest, he still needed to escort Kasuka. Since the 24th Ward was a ghoul haven, other encounters could arise.
But aside from her, the remaining ghouls posed little threat, so the task was relatively easy, which explained the modest reward of attribute points.
...