Furuta and Rize deeply remembered Byakuya's final instructions.
Following what he had told them, they ran straight toward the 6th Ward.
As for why Byakuya had specifically directed them there, it was because the "warden" of the 6th Ward was Kamishiro Matasaka.
In a certain sense, Matasaka was actually a very responsible father.
Given his personality, Byakuya was sure that Matasaka would help both Furuta and Rize.
At the same time, the V operatives who had been tailing Byakuya in the shadows panicked.
They no longer stayed hidden and instead moved with full force to try and capture Furuta and Rize.
However, Byakuya stood in their way, holding a platinum-colored briefcase, wearing a calm expression.
The men in front of him were all members of V, wearing identical black coats and matching black hats. Each of them wielded a Quinque as their weapon.
"Uchiha, do you even know what you're doing?"
"Hand over those two brats now, and when we return, we might be able to plead for leniency on your behalf. Otherwise, you'll suffer an even worse fate."
"You'd better think carefully about what it means to go against the Washuu clan."
They tried to intimidate Byakuya with their words but made no immediate moves.
Because they were well aware of Byakuya's strength, even with their numbers, they had no absolute confidence in taking him down.
Besides, they were trying to deceive him. Their so-called "pleading for leniency" was nothing but a lie.
In reality, the moment Furuta and Rize had left the 1st Ward, nearly the entire Washuu clan had been informed.
From that moment on, Byakuya had been deemed a "traitor" who had to be eliminated no matter what.
As a Washuu with the purest bloodline, Rize's importance to the family was beyond question; even if that didn't necessarily mean she held a high status.
Right now, the V operatives were merely stalling for time, waiting for reinforcements so they could take Byakuya down in one fell swoop.
"I know exactly what I'm doing."
Byakuya replied calmly, unwilling to waste any more words on them.
He preferred to finish battles quickly, so he immediately chose to wield his SSS-rated Quinque; Owl.
Compared to other Quinques, Owl had an extreme stamina drain. However, these opponents were all special-class fighters.
If he used S-rank Quinques like STK or Nitta, his efficiency would drop significantly, and he'd end up consuming even more stamina in the long run.
After all, his enemies were strong, and their Quinques were undoubtedly S-rank or higher. Taking them down wouldn't be easy.
Without hesitation, Byakuya launched the first attack, summoning one of his Owl Quinques. The other Owl remained inside the briefcase, which he swiftly transferred into the Kamui dimension.
The instant his Mangekyō Sharingan appeared, the black-clad operatives froze in shock.
Their first reaction was disbelief.
A half-human like Byakuya… had a kagugan?!
Seizing the opportunity, Byakuya immediately went for the kill, slashing the throat of the foremost V operative.
The man clutched his neck in agony, but blood spurted uncontrollably like a fountain.
Unlike ghouls, half-humans didn't possess incredible regenerative abilities. In terms of physical durability, they were no different from normal humans.
[Ding! The host has defeated a "Special-Class Half-Human."]
[Reward: 50 Attribute Points.]
"Damn it! Do not let your guard down, this guy has been hiding a lot from us!"
The remaining black-clad operatives started to panic, especially after witnessing those kagugan just now.
Byakuya, however, no longer cared about exposing his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Previously, he had kept his blood-red eyes hidden to avoid Washuu's notice, but now that he had completely severed ties with them, what was there left to hide?
The V operatives immediately launched a coordinated assault, attacking from all angles to completely seal off Byakuya's escape routes.
But the key word here was almost.
With the insight of his Mangekyō Sharingan, Byakuya could perceive everything.
In an instant, he predicted all of their attack trajectories, effortlessly finding an incredibly tricky opening in their formation.
With Owl, he sliced off one operative's wrist and snatched the koukaku Quinque from his severed hand. In the same motion, he flipped the shield-shaped Quinque around and used it to block the attacks from the other operatives.
From that point on, he systematically took them down one by one.
Unless these guys could achieve absolute, flawless teamwork, leaving no openings for him to exploit; they were doomed to be picked off one at a time.
But perfect coordination was easier said than done.
At least, these guys weren't capable of it.
Before long, sweat drenched their faces.
They soon realized they couldn't even touch him.
As operatives above special-class in strength, they had never experienced such a crushing sense of helplessness before.
"This is insane! Switch to defense, we need to stall for time!"
The black-clad operatives changed their approach. Instead of going head-to-head with Byakuya, they focused on delaying him until reinforcements arrived.
Of course, Byakuya knew exactly what they were trying to do.
But he wasn't in a hurry.
If he were in a rush, he could have just used Double Kamui for a complete dimensional suppression.
His goal was to conserve stamina, ocular power, and RC cells; otherwise, dealing with the entire Washuu Clan would be much harder later on.
Besides, by staying here and keeping the fight going, he was buying Furuta and Rize more time.
If he weren't holding these V operatives back, Furuta and Rize would never be able to outrun V; not when the average operative was at special-class level. They'd have been caught in no time.
As long as he remained here, Washuu's attention would stay on him.
And since he had absolute confidence in protecting himself, he could leave the moment he felt the timing was right.
Gradually, only one operative with any combat ability remained.
But just then, at least twenty more black-clad figures appeared from all directions.
It was practically a full-scale mobilization of V.
Among them was also V's leader; Kaiko.
"Hahaha! You're so dead, kid!"
The last surviving operative burst into triumphant laughter.
"You should be saying that to yourself."
Byakuya didn't even spare him a glance.
With a casual flick of his blade, he slit the man's throat.
The laughter was cut off instantly.
[Ding! The host has defeated a "Special-Class Half-Human."]
[Reward: 50 Attribute Points.]
"Byakuya, you've really disappointed us."
Kaiko sighed slightly.
"I had high hopes for you. I trusted you. But you… you chose to follow in Kuzen's footsteps."
Byakuya's actions had been a huge letdown for him.
Although, in a way, they weren't entirely unexpected.
After all, Byakuya has always had a blood vendetta against them.
But choosing to go against Washuu alone?
That, in Kaiko's eyes, was the most foolish decision possible.
"..."
Byakuya couldn't be bothered to reply.
Instead, he simply raised Owl and pointed the blade straight at Kaiko's forehead.