Rukongai, Koi-Fushi Mountain.
Even though it was daytime, the streets were completely empty—no sign of a single soul.
Clearly, word of the missing Shinigami had already reached the locals. They'd all chosen to stay inside and keep their doors shut to stay alive.
This time it wasn't just Aizen and Naraku who'd gone out—there was also a small Shinigami squad with them.
They were veteran rank-and-file: not the strongest in terms of combat power, but full marks in everything else.
Tracking clues, following trails, calming civilians…
Working with people like that was a good way to learn.
The group stopped in front of a wooden hut—the assigned residence of the district's responsible Shinigami.
Normally, souls living in Rukongai didn't have spiritual power and thus didn't need food. Clean water alone was enough to sustain them.
In the inner districts, stationed Shinigami handled the management and distribution of those water resources.
Of course, that wasn't the only source of water in a given area.
Rukongai wasn't just commoners. Plenty of nobles lived here too, along with their businesses.
Like Elysium House, the place Naraku and Aizen had visited last time. That had been the Araki family's main "legit" revenue stream, bringing them endless money and resources.
Well… not anymore.
One of the accompanying Shinigami took the lead, pushing the door open and stepping inside. The others followed.
The interior was bare and completely within view. Not much left to examine.
After searching every corner, a Shinigami approached Aizen, bowed his head, and reported respectfully:
"Ninth Seat Aizen, we've checked all edges and corners. The managing Shinigami appears to have left of his own will, then gone missing."
Another added:
"Judging by the remaining footprints and reishi traces, he likely headed that way."
Ten minutes later.
Led by Aizen and Naraku, the squad arrived in a quiet, nameless stretch of forest.
Places like this were everywhere on Koi-Fushi Mountain—nothing special about it on the surface. But strangely, they'd been walking for a long time and hadn't found anything unusual.
"Something's off. Really, really off," Naraku muttered, suddenly stopping in place with a deep frown.
"It is off," Aizen agreed. "Way too quiet."
"In a forest like this, even if there are no people around, it wouldn't be this silent."
"No birds, no insects, no beasts at all."
"If I'm not wrong, whatever made the managing Shinigami disappear is probably a Hollow…"
He didn't finish.
A crushing pressure suddenly blanketed the whole area. A pair of blood-red eyes slowly opened in the shadows, and a greedy voice came with them:
"I didn't expect the Gotei to be this efficient. It's been less than a day, and you've already tracked me here."
"Good. You should taste even better than the last one."
When the owner of the voice stepped out, all the Shinigami's faces went dark.
Because what stood before them was a monster in the truest sense.
Nearly five meters tall, it loomed like a small mountain, a giant lizard magnified many times over. Bony plates covered its entire body like scales.
Hideous. Terrifying.
From start to finish, no one had felt its Reiatsu coming. Not a single one of them had even noticed that massive body.
It was like this Hollow had just blinked into existence.
Its powerful Reiatsu poured down like mercury, spreading evenly over every Shinigami and pinning them in place.
The air itself trembled. The ground wouldn't stop humming under their feet, as if unable to bear the weight.
The Shinigami stared up at it, bodies trembling, barely managing to stay on their feet instead of collapsing under the pressure.
They were just ordinary Shinigami—not even elites.
To face a Gillian-class Hollow and not break immediately was already proof of very strong nerves.
"A Gillian here, of all places… and a rare intelligent one at that."
Aizen frowned, inhaled, and said quietly, "An enemy of this level is beyond what we can handle. We need to—"
He didn't get to finish.
A shadow shot past him.
Wrapped in crimson Reiatsu, it streaked across the air like a meteor and slammed brutally into the "mountain" in front of them.
Boom!
The impact detonated in front of the Hollow. A violent shockwave rolled outward, dust soaring into the sky and hiding the point of collision.
A massive, pillar-like tail blocked the incoming blade with a shower of sparks, the sound ringing like clashing metal.
"Devouring Shinigami is one of my favorite pleasures. The stronger they are, the more intoxicating the taste."
The Gillian's body bent almost ninety degrees. Its iron-like tail pressed hard against Naraku's Zanpakutō.
Its grotesque face was right in front of his own. The massive, toothy maw slowly opened, as if ready to swallow him whole.
Naraku sank into a low stance, body taut like a drawn bow. His muscles creaked under the strain, and a surge of Reiatsu erupted from him.
Circuit-like lines flared to life along his hands, glowing faintly.
Hadō #31: Shakkahō!
Brilliant red flames roared to life, wrapping around the white blade. In the next instant, the sword slipped past the tail—
And then crashed down like a falling meteor.
In a single instant—
The hard "steel skin" split apart. The reeking flesh beneath charred black and shriveled under the sudden, intense heat.
The fusion of Kidō and swordsmanship blossomed in full.
Naraku, alone, had managed to wound a rare intelligent Gillian.
From the way it looked, he might very well be able to bring it down by himself.
Aizen sent the squad's Shinigami away, ordering them to contact Seireitei and call for reinforcements.
The squad members weren't stubborn. The moment the order was given, they bolted for the forest's edge without even looking back.
A fight of this scale was way out of their league.
That said, the Central Prison's "Lord Naraku" was terrifyingly bold.
His rank was lower than Aizen's, but he still charged in first.
Even scarier—he was actually holding his own against a Gillian.
Watching Naraku locked in fierce combat, Aizen's frown didn't ease. If anything, it deepened.
For some reason, ever since they'd entered this forest, he'd had a persistent sense of unease.
Even now, with the killer of the missing Shinigami right in front of him, that feeling hadn't gone away. It had only grown stronger.
As if another pair of eyes was watching them from behind.
Outside the forest.
Several bodies lay at someone's feet, frozen in terror. Dark blood soaked the ground.
Cold eyes stared straight toward the source of the raging Reiatsu.
"Target confirmed."
~~~
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