That ghoul could no longer even hear what Yoshimura Eto was saying as he had been completely scared senseless.
His comrades were equally dumbfounded.
Was this… a kakuja?!
Due to the generally weaker combat strength on Okinawa Island; on both the human side and the ghoul side-
Let alone a kakuja, even a half-kakuja was something these ghouls had only encountered once or twice at most.
Now, a kakuja over ten meters tall suddenly appeared right in front of them. How could they not be scared stiff?
At the same time,
The sudden appearance of such a massive monster on the beach startled quite a few ordinary people in the area as well.
But they quickly realized that this big monster seemed to be helping them deal with the ghouls. Then again… this big monster seemed to be a ghoul too…?
Although being helped by a ghoul felt rather strange, this wasn't the time to overthink it. No one dared to act recklessly, they could only watch in fear.
"Everyone, there's no need to worry. I'm former CCG Associate Special-Class Investigator, now TSC Dragon General, Arima Kishou. You can take cover behind me."
At that moment, Arima had somehow already retrieved his Quinque suitcase.
The so-called "Dragon General" was the highest rank in the current TSC, an equivalent to the former Associate Special-Class of the old CCG.
Given Arima's strength, he was undoubtedly the most deserving of the title "Dragon General" in the entire TSC.
Quite a few people around recognized the Quinque suitcase. Someone immediately shouted: "That's a Quinque! Only powerful investigators have those! He's a real investigator!"
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly tried to hide behind Arima.
But there was no way Arima alone could shield so many people behind him, he had just said that in passing. The more important thing now was to eliminate the ghouls around them. That was the most effective way to ensure the crowd's safety.
Arima immediately took out the Quinque from his suitcase and charged toward the ghoul closest to him.
Koma Enji, Irimi Kaya, Uruka Minami, Yomo Renji… and all the others also joined the fight.
Any one of the "20th Ward" team members alone could completely overwhelm these ghouls.
At that moment, seeing that the situation was going south, one of the enemy ghouls simply snapped and began a massacre. He figured he'd kill as many humans as he could, since he probably wasn't getting out of this alive anyway.
That over-ten-meter-tall kakuja was simply not in the same league as them. So he figured that before he died, he'd at least drag a few others down with him!
Just as this ghoul was about to stab a little girl with his koukaku kagune, a tall figure blocked his path.
He stabbed the person's arm instead, but was struck with a strange feeling.
It was Yoshimura Kuzen. He had used his own arm to shield the little girl.
Immediately after, several of the kakuhou on his body began rapidly producing kagune. His already tall frame at least doubled in size, transforming in an instant into the "Non-Killing Owl."
Though Eto's current "One-Eyed Owl" appearance was already different from his own, he had never changed his kakuja form. He felt there was no need as this one suited him just fine.
Seeing this, the ghoul across from him was so frightened he started backing away repeatedly.
Yoshimura Kuzen immediately pursued, slicing off that ghoul's koukaku kagune and also severing one of his arms.
A piercing scream rang out on the spot.
At that moment, Yoshimura Kuzen turned to look at the little girl. He could see the child staring back at him with a terrified expression in her eyes.
He could understand, after all, he was a ghoul, and a ghoul in this terrifying form no less.
Yoshimura Kuzen immediately reverted back to his human form and walked toward the little girl, his face full of a kind and gentle smile. "There's no need to be afraid anymore."
Though the little girl was scared, she understood clearly that it was this uncle who had saved her. She immediately spoke: "Thank you, Oji-san!"
"No need to thank me," Yoshimura Kuzen replied with a gentle smile.
At that moment, someone nearby suddenly recognized Yoshimura Kuzen.
"I remember now! He's that coffee shop owner who fought against those Dragon Orphan things during the Tokyo Defense Battle!"
"I remember too! So you're saying all these people who saved us are members of that coffee shop?"
"Yes, yes, yes! I remember the 'Demon Ape' and 'Black Dog', this is exactly what they look like!"
"No wonder they helped us. So they're from Tokyo. I heard that most ghouls in Tokyo have already started coexisting peacefully with humans."
"..."
As Yoshimura Kuzen was recognized, the fear among the surrounding crowd gradually faded away.
Because they knew the members of this coffee shop wouldn't harm them.
At that moment, Byakuya was observing the surrounding situation. As soon as he spotted anyone in danger, he would instantly teleport to their location and save them.
In just a short while, this entire ghoul organization was easily eliminated by the members of Anteiku.
Eto had also finished off that boastful ghoul. But she felt that guy was way too weak and didn't even bother to eat him. She just casually crushed his head and then returned to her human form.
Afterwards, she skipped and hopped back over to Byakuya's side.
The people around them looked at this green-haired girl as if she were an adorable little sister, but once they remembered what they'd just witnessed, they instantly erased that thought.
Even though they knew this green-haired girl probably wouldn't hurt them, the image of that terrifying monster from moments ago still sent chills down their spines.
Now that the entire beach was safe, Byakuya, Eto, and the others had all become great benefactors in the eyes of everyone present.
A few minutes later, the local relevant authorities finally sent in investigators to clean up the scene.
Of course, this organization wasn't the CCG. It was a local group that had formed in imitation of the CCG.
Every region needed an agency to regulate local ghouls, it was just that the CCG only governed the Tokyo area, other regions simply weren't under their jurisdiction.
As for the sluggish response of these investigators, Byakuya didn't bother to say anything.
After all, these agencies weren't the CCG. In every aspect, they couldn't be compared to the original CCG. There was no need to force them to live up to CCG standards and besides, the CCG had already changed its name.
And as one of the key figures involved in the incident, Byakuya had to undergo a basic inquiry.
Byakuya was willing to cooperate.
But when he stated his name, the investigator in front of him was stunned for a moment.
"You… you wouldn't happen to be that Uchiha Chairman from Tokyo?"
That investigator asked in an excited tone.
"That's right. I came here with a few friends for a vacation, didn't expect something like this to happen."
Byakuya responded calmly.
"My apologies, it was our dereliction of duty. You shouldn't have had to step in personally."
The investigator immediately offered a solemn apology.