Alwayswithyou

"Alright then..."

Byakuya really didn't have anything urgent to take care of right now. Just lying down to rest sounded like a good option.

With the death of the Dragon and the scattering of its Dragons Orphans, the so-called Dragon War, also known as the Battle for Tokyo, was finally over.

Although a massive number of buildings had been destroyed—and even some parts of the landscape had been altered—there were barely any human casualties. That alone was already the best possible outcome.

The destruction of the terrain and infrastructure could be partly blamed on the Dragon that had burst forth from the underground, but another large part was due to Byakuya unleashing his Susanoo, slicing through the beast.

It was basically a trade: Tokyo's rebuilding fund in exchange for highly valuable dragon cells with revolutionary potential in the field of medicine.

And this wasn't just theoretical value.

In the original timeline, even someone like Shinohara — left a complete vegetable — was brought back thanks to medical breakthroughs. Without such advancements, who knows how long he would have remained comatose?

Many formerly incurable diseases were also on the verge of being eradicated.

Just like how ghouls possessed absurd regenerative capabilities, science had now gained a tool of equal power.

As for the funds to rebuild Tokyo? Not a problem. The Washuu Clan had more than enough money, and the Prime Minister had both the resources and the political will.

Back when the First One-Eyed King sank all of Tokyo into the depths below, people still managed to build a whole new Tokyo on the surface.

Compared to that disaster, this situation wasn't nearly as catastrophic.

"The battle's over. Leave the rest to others for now. You need to take a break."

Eto gently brushed Byakuya's forehead, which was now free of sweat.

She thought that using that terrifying kakuja form must've drained him completely—and it had—but she didn't realize that Byakuya's recovery rate was just as insane.

Honestly, he didn't need a long break. By tomorrow, he'd be back to full strength.

"Mmh…"

Byakuya didn't argue. He really did want to rest right now.

Today had been his first attempt at unleashing the Tengu-Form Susanoo, and all things considered—it went pretty well.

It was rough, sure, but at least he managed to summon it.

To awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, there were still three system tasks left. Two were kind of annoying: slay 999 Pure Titans and 33 Abnormal Titans. The third one was to use the Tengu-Form Susanoo to cut down the Ape — most likely referring to the Beast Titan.

Today, he'd tested the waters by cutting down the Dragon. It worked. So he wasn't too worried about that last task anymore.

That said, it was probably time to start thinking about traveling to the next world—Attack on Titan.

Right now, the only available world in the system's portal was that one, and the task to unlock the Eternal Mangekyō was tied directly to it.

But there was a problem.

He didn't want to leave Eto behind and go to Attack on Titan alone.

Maybe it was time to let her in on the bigger picture—at least a little.

"Eto… soon, I might have to go somewhere far away…"

Byakuya suddenly spoke.

"Somewhere far? You mean… you're going alone?" Eto asked quickly, eyes narrowing.

"Well… how should I put this? I'd prefer not to go alone. With my abilities, I can come back any time."

Byakuya explained.

The system had already mentioned it—his double Kamui ability allowed him to freely travel between the worlds of Tokyo Ghoul and Attack on Titan via Kamui's dimensional space.

"Then why not let me come with you? Or… do you think I'm too weak to be of use?"

Eto wasn't one to back down from a challenge.

But in front of Byakuya, even she had to admit her strength was nowhere near his level.

Today, she'd witnessed his terrifying true power—probably not even his full power. Who knew what else he was still hiding?

This wasn't the first time. Every time she thought she'd seen everything he had, he shattered her expectations all over again.

"Of course not. I'd never think that. I'm not in a rush to leave anyway. When the time comes—if you're willing—we'll go together."

Byakuya said softly.

"Is that even a question? No matter where you go, I'll always be with you."

Eto answered without hesitation.

"Mmh…"

Byakuya had already begun forming a plan. He'd start by gradually introducing her to what that other world was like.

He wasn't sure how Eto would react to being thrust into a completely different reality like Attack on Titan, so it made sense to ease her into it.

Meanwhile, Yoshimura and the others at the 20th Ward were busy cleaning up the remains of the dragon orphans. 

Thanks to Eto's demonstration, they'd realized that these creatures could be eaten — and even used to enhance their own abilities.

They now planned to preserve the bodies and see if they could be used as a substitute for human flesh.

CCG Side

The CCG Investigators and the Ghouls of Aogiri Tree had joined forces and successfully driven back a wave of the dragon orphans.

Cheers erupted from both sides.

But the truth was, across all of Tokyo, these creatures were still everywhere.

"Even though the Dragon is dead, these monsters don't seem to be affected by that. The battle's far from over…"

Marude stood watching as some of the creatures fled into the distance, his expression grim.

"Thankfully they're not too strong. But we don't know if they might mutate further."

"Looks like we'll have to keep working with Aogiri Tree for now. CCG alone can't handle this many monsters."

"Not to mention, our Chairman is also their boss—it makes coordination easier."

"…"

Most of the CCG had come to the same conclusion: they had to continue working with Aogiri Tree. Infighting now would only make things worse.

If they weakened each other, the remaining dragons orphans would wipe them both out.

The Ghouls under Aogiri Tree felt the same.

After all, their One-Eyed King—Byakuya—was now also the head of the CCG, which made trusting the Investigators a little easier.

"Looks like… we're not going to settle this anytime soon" said Houji as he glanced at Tatara.

"…"

Tatara was silent for a moment. Then he said:

"Let's clean up first. We'll deal with the rest later."

And so, the alliance between the CCG and Aogiri Tree remained—for now.