"I don't want to kill anyone needlessly, even if they're a ghoul"
Byakuya said calmly, "Surrender now, and I won't kill you"
"Oh, I get it. You're one of the 'Doves' aren't you? How brave of you to come here without your quinque"
Ignoring Byakuya's attempt to make him surrender, the ghoul scoffed.
Since CCG investigators usually wear a badge resembling a dove, they are often called "Doves" by ghouls
The quinque is a weapon developed by the CCG from ghoul's kagune, specifically designed to combat ghouls. The RC cells in a ghoul's kagune make it both exceptionally tough and extremely dangerous, resistant to standard weapons, even bullets.
Thus, CCG investigators always carry a quinque when engaging ghouls, only those armed with it have the power to stand a chance in battle.
One of the CCG's cardinal rules warns investigators never to engage a ghoul alone unless armed with a quinque. Otherwise, they should retreat immediately.
This was precisely why the ghoul in front of Byakuya felt confident enough to mock him.
To a ghoul, a CCG investigator without a quinque is just a lamb for the slaughter—usually, that's the reality.
"I've been wanting to taste you 'Doves' for a while now. And here you are, delivered to my door. Prepare to die!"
The ghoul's kakuhou was located just below the shoulder blade, and a larger kagune emerged from his back, as he seemed ready to unleash all his strength against Byakuya.
Seeing this, Byakuya sighed and shook his head slightly.
He raised his right hand to shield his eyes, hiding the brief moment when his two powerful, Mankegyou Sharingan appeared.
In an instant, a white briefcase containing his quinque materialized out of the space-warping vortex.
He placed his hand on the briefcase's handle, which only responds to him via biometric securit, preventing anyone else from using his quinque if it's taken.
Opening the briefcase, his quinque compressed itself into the form of a katana, a weapon known as Eric, a B rated quinque made from a ghoul named Eric.
He had previously stored it in the Kamui's Dimension, a private space isolated from the "Tokyo Ghoul" world.
"A quinque? When did that appear?!"
The ghoul was visibly shocked, having no idea when the quinque had appeared.
However, his surprise lasted only a moment before he rushed Byakuya with even greater ferocity, desperate to devour him after going days without food.
"I gave you a chance…"
Byakuya quickly leaned back, dodging the kagune that came directly at his face. When the ghoul's attack missed, and he was now behind him, Byakuya turned and slashed at the kakuhou, severely damaging it.
The kakuhou is a ghoul's most critical organ, once damaged, it's difficult to heal, unlike other parts of their body that regenerate quickly.
With just one stroke, Byakuya rendered the ghoul incapable of fighting.
Not giving his opponent any chance to recover, he followed up with another strike to the heart, delivering a fatal blow.
[Ding! Host has defeated a "B rated ghoul." Award: 3 attribute points!]
"Oh… I didn't actually have to kill him to get attribute points…"
Byakuya realized he could gain points merely by defeating an opponent, though this ghoul had left him no choice.
If the ghoul had surrendered, he could have brought him to the ghoul detention center. Though not a pleasant place, it would have kept him alive.
With the battle over, Byakuya returned Eric to his briefcase and contacted the 2nd Ward CCG branch's on-duty personnel.
"This is Second Class Investigator Uchiha Byakuya. The mission target has been successfully neutralized. I'm currently at..."
"Understood. We'll dispatch a team to handle the scene immediately. Please remain there temporarily to prevent any civilians from accidentally wandering in and causing unnecessary panic."
"Alright"
After giving a brief report, Byakuya hung up, glancing at the body of the ghoul he'd just defeated.
Technically, this was his first kill, or, more accurately, his first ghoul kill—and it left him feeling a bit unsettled.
In his view, there wasn't much difference between ghouls and humans.
But this world was more ruthless than the one he'd come from, with even harsher survival rules. If he wanted to survive here, he couldn't afford to be overly sensitive about these matters.
The best he could do was adhere to his principles, to avoid killing either ghouls or humans unless absolutely necessary.
Taking a life is a grave act, but at times, it's unavoidable…
Within ten minutes, CCG personnel arrived at the scene, consisting of Third-Class Investigators and their assistants.
Third-Class Investigators rank below Second-Class, and assistants are lower still. These personnel typically handle support tasks, lacking significant combat ability.
Investigators ranked below Second-Class aren't even authorized to use a quinque. Only after passing stringent assessments can they wield one.
Third-Class Investigators and assistants are limited to Q Bullets—ammunition crafted from ghoul kagune that, while less powerful than a quinque, still has some effect on ghouls.
"Investigator Byakuya!"
"Thank you for your hard work, sir!"
They greeted Byakuya with respect.
He nodded. "The scene is yours. I'm heading back to rest"
"Yes, sir"
"Understood"
With that, Byakuya took his quinque and casually left the scene.
The CCG team began examining the ghoul's body.
After inspecting it, one Third-Class Investigator exclaimed, "This guy has only two wounds—one on the kakuhou and one on the heart. Both are precise and lethal!"
After most battles with ghouls, the scene is often chaotic. It's rare to find so few signs of struggle.
It shows that Byakuya defeated the ghoul instantly, with precise attacks and no unnecessary wounds. This is beyond what most Second Class investigators can achieve.
His true strength clearly exceeded that of an ordinary Second Class!
"No wonder he's regarded as a genius from 'that place.' It makes sense, he entered the CCG directly as a Second Class…"
"Yeah, and he seemed completely unscathed. His combat skill is truly something!"
"We still have two years to go in the Investigator Academy before we can try for a second-class promotion. The gap between us and this genius is hard to ignore."
The third-class investigators and assistants were all about the same age as Byakuya, so they greatly admired this prodigy among their peers!