Kurona and Nashiro understood their position. The strength Byakuya had just displayed was beyond what they could handle.
They hadn't expected that even as one-eyed ghouls, the gap between themselves and Byakuya would remain so vast.
Still, they steeled themselves to fight. These were "Father's" orders. Even knowing they couldn't win, they refused to give up.
Seeing them waver between hesitation and determination, Byakuya knew they wouldn't be easily reasoned with.
He could at least observe what their kagune looked like.
"Release Madam A. We only want to take her—we don't want to fight you."
Kurona deliberately adopted a cold expression as she spoke.
"She's my capture target. Why would I just release her?"
Byakuya shook his head slightly.
"Then don't blame us!"
As her words fell, Kurona charged at Byakuya, Nashiro moving almost simultaneously.
Kurona's left eye and Nashiro's right eye transformed into crimson kakugan, and from their waists emerged four red rinkaku tentacles each—nearly identical to Rize's.
Rize had been at Byakuya's side almost constantly, so these couldn't be hers. That meant some Washuu Clan ghoul must have become the experimental donor.
Kagune had hereditary characteristics among ghouls.
Just as Yoshimura had passed his ukaku kakuhou and highly similar kagune to Eto. Though Eto's kakuja form now resembled a monster, her early kakuja form had looked nearly identical to Yoshimura's "Non-Killing Owl." Even though Yoshimura had deliberately altered his kakuja form to match his daughter's earlier appearance to protect her, such perfect mimicry wouldn't be possible without a genetic connection.
All Washuus were pureblooded ghouls—half-humans were relegated to branch families. Theoretically, all Washuu kagune would be similar.
[Ding! Host activating quest. Divine Selection initiated!]
[Option 1: Forcibly take Madam A, ignoring Kurona and Nashiro. Reward: 1 Fusion Point!]
[Option 2: Capture Kurona and Nashiro, imprison them in "Cochlea," and expose Kanou's plans. Reward: 50 Fusion Points!]
[Option 3: Help Kurona and Nashiro escape their current predicament of being deceived by Kanou. Reward: 100 Fusion Points!]
Byakuya chose without hesitation—Option 3.
He'd always intended to help the sisters see Kanou's true face before they committed too many crimes under his direction.
Not that Kanou's face was evil, exactly. He was extremely rational, willing to sacrifice anything to achieve his goals. He'd never truly considered the sisters as daughters and didn't care whether they lived or died.
"I should be the one saying... don't blame me..."
Byakuya spoke quietly, then moved to end the fight quickly.
He shifted "Jason" to shield form. The massive shield easily blocked the sisters' kagune without leaving a single mark.
Washuu kagune were top-tier, especially rinkaku with its high attack power. But the sisters' control over their kagune was still too poor, nowhere near their full potential.
Like how Kaneki couldn't use his kagune at first in the original timeline. It wasn't until Yamori's "mentorship"—that brutal torture—that Kaneki awakened and instantly reached "S+" levels or higher, conservatively "SS-."
Byakuya simply switched back to sword form and thrust forward, severing the fragile rinkaku tentacles. The blade also wounded Nashiro's kakuhou.
Kakuhou damage was extremely dangerous for any ghoul with only one. Regeneration failed, kagune couldn't be released—essentially a sitting duck. For Nashiro, who hadn't yet mastered her body, this was life-threatening.
The severity depended on the extent of damage. Above seventy percent meant no recovery was possible, unless you were a half-kakuja or kakuja with multiple kakuhou who could sacrifice one.
"Nashiro!"
Seeing Nashiro critically wounded, Kurona threw all other thoughts aside. All she wanted was to save her sister.
Byakuya stopped there. He would never push the sisters to their deaths. Injuring Nashiro was unavoidable.
Because without doing so, they wouldn't face reality.
"..."
Byakuya sighed internally. He approached the sisters and left a business card with his contact information.
"If you trust me, you can ask for my help anytime."
With those words, he walked away from the sisters.
He knew clearly: the current Kurona and Nashiro wouldn't fully trust him. They still held unconditional faith in their "Father"—Kanou. Only when he ruthlessly abandoned them would they finally understand. That's why he'd been harsh with Nashiro.
Even if he hadn't done this, when the CCG eventually raided Kanou's underground laboratory, the sisters would still be injured by Suzuya or other investigators.
Suzuya would actually be the better outcome—at least he'd show some mercy. Other investigators might kill the sisters outright.
At least compared to Suzuya's sadistic torture, Byakuya had been quick about it. His goal was to help the sisters break free sooner and use his abilities to prevent Nashiro's tragic death.
Hearing Byakuya's words, Kurona simply held Nashiro without turning around or responding.
Finding that Nashiro's condition, while terrible, wasn't fatal, and that Byakuya showed no intention of finishing them off, Kurona immediately fled with her sister.
As for Madam A—Kurona couldn't care less. All that mattered now was Nashiro's safety.
She had to get Nashiro back to "Father." He could definitely save her!
But before leaving, Kurona's gaze flickered with uncertainty as she took the contact information Byakuya had left.