Tokyo Ghoul: Starting with Mangekyo Sharingan

The 2nd Ward CCG branch had been invaded by the Owl and the entire area was locked down to prevent civilians from being caught in the chaos.

When the support squad arrived at the branch, they were met with scenes of utter destruction and chaos, as well as some wounded investigators who hadn't yet evacuated.

Although the injured had sustained varying degrees of harm, none of the wounds were life-threatening. They could afford to wait for treatment.

However, the support squad didn't have time to assist them. Their objective was clear: confront the Owl deep within the branch.

Moments later, the squad reached the area where the Owl was located.

A large number of investigators had already fallen in battle. Even the elite squad led by Kimura, despite sustaining heavy injuries, was still desperately holding the line.

"Investigator Kimura, you've done well. Please take a break now" Byaakuya said calmly as he stepped forward.

His gaze locked onto Yoshimura, fully transformed into his kakuja form. As expected, in this period, Yoshimura's kakuja form was larger than that of Eto.

"Investigator Byakuya, it's up to you now" Kimura said with a wry smile, finally allowing himself to breathe a sigh of relief.

They had managed to hold out long enough for Byakuya to arrive.

Little did they know, Yoshimura had been holding back. He was fighting carefully, ensuring not to kill anyone. If not for this, they would have been wiped out long ago.

Byakuya nodded slightly and approached the Owl, carrying two quinque suitcases in his hands.

Even in the face of an SSS rated ghoul, he showed no trace of fear.

The Owl —more accurately, Yoshimura— looked at the young investigator before him and felt a twinge of familiarity.

Wasn't this the human teenager who had wandered into Anteiku just days ago?

At the time, Yoshimura hadn't realized the boy was a CCG investigator, let alone the strongest member of the team now confronting him.

"Investigator Kasuka, should we assist Byakuya?" asked Shinohara, concerned as he watched Byakuya face the Owl alone.

"No need. Just stay back and observe" Kasuka replied firmly.

"If we act recklessly, we'll only hold him back"

She was the only one present who had witnessed Byakuya battle the One-Eyed Owl in the 24th Ward. She knew full well that his strength was on an entirely different level from theirs.

If even she had been a liability back then, how could the others now fare any better?

"Understood" Shinohara replied, feeling a wave of awe.

How terrifying was Byakuya's strength, if even someone like Kasuka acknowledged they'd be a burden to him?

By now, Byakuya had opened his suitcases, revealing two quinques: "Moonshadow" and "Wind Spirit". 

Although one was a katana and the other a rapier, he adeptly wielded both simultaneously.

Unleashing astonishing speed and power, he charged at Yoshimura. However, Yoshimura's kagune arms — massive and even larger than Eto's — easily blocked his attacks.

The A rated quinques were far more potent than B rated ones, but against Yoshimura, they still weren't enough.

Yoshimura's regenerative ability was monstrous. If Byakuya's damage output was an 80, his regeneration was at least a 100, far outpacing the inflicted damage.

For example, the moment Byakuya severed one of Yoshimura's kagune arms at the elbow, the severed limb didn't even have time to fall before it regenerated completely.

This was why, despite battling countless investigators, Yoshimura's body appeared completely unharmed.

Even in the original timeline, an aging, weakened Yoshimura with declining strength could withstand the combined efforts of two Special-Class Investigators.

It was clear that during the "Owl Suppression Operation" Yoshimura had allowed himself to be defeated. Even then, it had taken a massive CCG effort to bring him down.

Yoshimura's reputation as the strongest pure-blooded ghoul remained undisputed.

"If attacking the kagune arms is useless, I'll have to aim for the kakuhou..."

Byakuya thought to himself, analyzing the situation.

There was no other choice. Without damaging the kakuhou, it would be impossible to even injure Yoshimura, let alone repel him.

At that moment, Yoshimura swung one of his kagune arms toward Byakuya in a devastating strike. Byakuya predicted the trajectory with his mangekyo sharingan and dodged cleanly.

Taking advantage of the kagune arm's raised position, he delivered a precise upward slash with the 'Moonshadow' katana, aiming for the vulnerable area beneath the arm.

The kakuhou was located there—the ghoul's weak point and its most fragile area.

The strike was effective. Wounding the kakuhou slowed Yoshimura's regeneration significantly, as this was the hardest part of a ghoul's body to heal.

"..."

Yoshimura was visibly surprised that this young investigator had managed to wound one of his kakuhou.

However, a single kakuhou injury wasn't a significant issue for him, who had multiple kakuhou across his body.

He quickly retaliated, firing a barrage of projectiles from his ukaku at close range. His goal wasn't to kill but to incapacitate the young investigator.

Normally, ukaku projectiles were considered "light attacks" but in the hands of Yoshimura — and his daughter Eto — they became devastating, with forms that varied depending on range.

At close range, the projectiles resembled spears, capable of destroying even S rated quinques unless they were heavily reinforced.

Fortunately, Byakuya's sharingan allowed him to predict the attack. He leaped backward, narrowly evading the deadly assault.

Meanwhile, the investigators watching from the sidelines were in awe.

The precision and daring of Byakuya's maneuver — attacking the kakuhou at such a dangerous angle and close proximity — were remarkable. Only someone with absolute confidence in their skill, accuracy, and reflexes could attempt such a feat.

Kimura began to realize that Yoshimura had been holding back during their earlier battle. The ukaku projectiles alone could have shattered their quinques...

Wait!

Kasuka and Kimura exchanged glances, their expressions turning grave.

Was Byakuya actually trying to defeat the One-Eyed Owl?

But their mission was only to buy time! Why was he fighting so aggressively?