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"This person is severely injured and cannot be treated with first aid; he must undergo surgery as soon as possible."
"Then a few people go over and set up a Pure Spirit Barrier. After the eighth stage of the surgery is complete, transfer him to the Comprehensive Relief Station."
"This Squad Member's life was saved, but after he's transferred back, have a Seated Officer issue him a 'Squad Leave Recommendation.' His Soul Binding is completely destroyed; he can only be a normal person when he wakes up."
"He's beyond saving…"
"…"
Under Kotetsu Isane's command, the rescue efforts proceeded in an orderly fashion. Some people survived, some… Ishikawa and Kotetsu Isane couldn't save even when working together, and some completely lost their Shinigami abilities.
The irony was…
Whether it was those who died or those who lost their Reiatsu, it was all done by their own people. On the contrary, the four Giant Hollows, whose strength rivaled that of elite Shinigami, did not cause any Squad Member deaths.
"It really goes to show, the people who know your weaknesses best are always those closest to you."
It was precisely because they were fellow Shinigami that they knew what kind of attacks could completely strip a Shinigami of their ability to retaliate.
"The reason for the low casualties caused by the four Giant Hollows is also largely due to the fact that the Squad Members of the combat Squads are already accustomed to fighting Hollows."
Kotetsu Isane, who was bandaging a Third Division Squad Member nearby, showed a complex expression on her face: "But apart from the Onmitsukidō and the Eleventh Division, very few ordinary Squad Members are good at fighting Shinigami."
"Indeed."
Ishikawa Katori nodded, looking out from the tent entrance into the distance. Although the battle was still ongoing, two of the four Giant Hollows had already been eliminated, and the remaining two were severely wounded by the coordinated efforts of the Third Division Squad Members.
"Hmm?"
Just then, Ishikawa Katori suddenly saw a sneaking figure appear in the distant forest, constantly waving at Ishikawa Katori, who was standing in front of the tent.
Seeing this, a hint of confusion flashed in Ishikawa Katori's eyes, and he muttered, "Ōmaeda??"
"Ah?"
Kotetsu Isane walked out of the tent and looked in the direction Ishikawa Katori was looking, only to see an empty forest. She couldn't help but ask in confusion:
"Mr. Ishikawa, are you looking for Vice-Captain Ōmaeda? He just left with the Punishment Force to pursue the renegade Third Division Squad Members."
"Uh, it's nothing."
Ishikawa Katori shook his head, then smiled: "You continue to be busy. I'll go see if there's anything I can help with at the Third Division's second line of defense."
"No, that's too dangerous." Kotetsu Isane's expression changed when she heard this.
"Don't worry, I'm quite confident in my Shunpo."
Ishikawa Katori's words made Kotetsu Isane recall the situation when they rushed to the Senkaimon earlier, and a hint of hesitation appeared on her face.
Ishikawa Katori smiled slightly and whispered, "The battle over there is almost over, and there's nothing for me to do if I go now. Besides, this is my first time seeing a Hollow, so I want to observe this creature up close."
"I see."
Kotetsu Isane looked up at the distant battlefield and saw that one of the two Giant Hollows had been eliminated again. Only then did she nod: "But you must be careful. If you find something wrong, return immediately. I'll come over after I finish handling things here."
Although Ishikawa Katori's previous performance suggested his Reiatsu should be stronger than what he showed, Kotetsu Isane didn't think Ishikawa Katori was good at fighting.
After all, he had only been in Soul Society for nearly six years. For him to master Kaido to its current extent in such a short time was already quite unbelievable to her.
Bidding farewell to Kotetsu Isane, Ishikawa Katori walked towards the second line of defense formed by the support troops. However, the moment he was out of everyone's sight, he turned and plunged directly into the forest.
However, Ishikawa Katori didn't notice that as he entered the forest, Retsu Unohana in the camp slightly turned her head, looked in the direction he went, and a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Hey, over here… over here…"
As soon as he entered the forest, Ōmaeda poked his head out from behind some lush vegetation.
Ishikawa Katori walked closer and his mouth twitched slightly, because Ōmaeda, who had been stern-faced in the camp earlier, was now curled up behind the vegetation with his massive body, and behind him…
The dozen or so Punishment Force members were also squatting there, mimicking him, completely losing their previous cold, intimidating aura.
"…Aren't you going to chase the traitors? What are you doing squatting here?"
The dozen or so Punishment Force members all looked away when they heard this, while Ōmaeda sat down on the ground with a smile on his fierce face:
"Let's discuss something, okay? You come with us to chase down those few tra—…"
"No deal!"
Ishikawa Katori interrupted directly, then turned to leave.
"Wait…"
But before he could leave, Ōmaeda grabbed his arm.
"Listen to me. Those three Seated Officers were originally your Supervisors. Their defection this time can be said to be your Supervisory Team's mistake. I've even brought the Punishment Force to help you clean up, so you won't even help me with this small favor?"
"There's one thing you need to understand: I'm not a member of the Supervisory Team. What does the Supervisory Team's mistake have to do with me, a temporary worker?!"
"…Now you're a temporary worker."
Ōmaeda's mouth twitched slightly, and he said speechlessly, "When you were freeloading in the Supervisory Team, occupying the Supervisory Team Captain's private room in the cafeteria, and using the Supervisory Team Captain's identity to flirt with female Supervisory Team members… why didn't I hear you say you were a temporary worker?"
"One thing at a time. Taking advantage is one thing; taking responsibility is another. How can someone like me, who gets paid per job and only gets money when I work, compare to you guys who get paid every day for doing nothing?"
"Can you be any more shameless?"
"Besides, are you, a Vice-Captain, afraid of three Seated Officers?"
"My Vice-Captain position is inherited, you know that."
Ōmaeda said indignantly, "How many years has it been since I've been in actual combat? When I received the order, I didn't expect three Seated Officers to lead a defection. I'd never heard of it before… That's why I only brought this many people."
Heh, then you should be glad that their Captain Ichimaru didn't defect with them.
"Figure it out yourself."
Ishikawa Katori shook his head and turned to leave.
"Five million Kan!!"
Ishikawa Katori paused.
"After it's done, don't you want an office to take on commissions? I can find a few servants from my family to set up a shop for you to take on tasks in the Commercial Street."
"And I'll equip you with two Denreishinki. After receiving a commission, it will be directly reported to your Everything Store in West 38th District for registration."
"God!!"
Ishikawa Katori abruptly turned around, a signature smile on his face: "You're too kind! Although I'm not a member of the Onmitsukidō, but… God… cough cough, Vice-Captain Ōmaeda, you've always taken such good care of me. Of course, I'm duty-bound to help with this little favor!!"
"However, I came with the Fourth Division this time. It wouldn't look good if they couldn't find me."
"Don't worry, I'll report this to Captain Unohana later. I'll say that to ensure the execution is foolproof, our Punishment Force took a Fourth Division member along for treatment."
"Deal!!"
Seeing that the two had reached an agreement, the dozen or so Punishment Force members couldn't help but sigh in relief. They were just ordinary Squad Members. They were very confident against those nine ordinary Squad Members.
But against two high-ranking Seated Officers (ranked within the top ten) and one Low Level Seated Officer (ranked outside the top ten), they had no confidence at all, especially since one of them was a 4th seat who had severely wounded a Third Seat.
If they rashly pursued, those three Seated Officers would have to be handled by Vice-Captain Ōmaeda alone, which was precisely why Ōmaeda came to find Ishikawa Katori.
Although it was a bit embarrassing for the Punishment Force to ask for help with an execution, this person was different. Because, apart from not having the corresponding treatment and authority, in the eyes of the Onmitsukidō members, he was basically no different from the Supervisory Team Captain.
Is asking one's own people for help considered asking for help?
No…
This is called promoting camaraderie!!
Ōmaeda took out a tablet-like device and explained to Ishikawa Katori: "This is a tracker developed by the Technology Development Bureau. I've already extracted residual Reishi from the wounds of those Third Division Squad Members. With this device, we can locate them even if they hide in a Gigai."
Ishikawa Katori leaned in, looking at the route map on the tablet, his expression a bit strange: "I must say, seeing something so advanced in the hands of a Shinigami suddenly is really a bit unaccustomed."
"There are many advanced things."
Ōmaeda looked at the display and replied, "Those guys in the Technology Development Bureau have developed a lot of outrageous things… Hmm, this location, are they escaping towards Kagamino?"
"Then let's go!" Ishikawa nodded.
"Yes."
All the Punishment Force members responded in unison.
"Uh…"
Ishikawa Katori's mouth twitched slightly. I just said it casually; you don't have to cooperate with me so much…
After confirming the location, everyone didn't hesitate any longer and directly sped towards Kagamino.
"Oh, by the way, Vice-Captain Ōmaeda, after the mission is over, can I buy some things in the Human World and bring them back?" Ishikawa Katori asked Ōmaeda beside him while on the way.
"Buy things from the Human World?"
Ōmaeda shook his head: "I advise you to give up. If you want Human World currency, I can help you exchange some at a one-to-one ratio."
"But you can't buy things without a Gigai, and even if you buy them, you can only use them in the Human World. You can't bring them back to Soul Society."
"Because to bring items from the Human World to Soul Society, you must 'Reishi-fy' the items you want to bring in the Human World before you can take them through the Senkaimon."
"That troublesome?"
Ishikawa Katori couldn't help but click his tongue when he heard this. He thought he could just buy things and take them back. He was even thinking about whether to take this opportunity to get some manga, game consoles, and other things to pass the time when he was bored in Soul Society.
"It's not entirely impossible. If there's anything you want, I'll give you a list later. You can secretly contact the people on the list."
Ōmaeda laughed heartily: "Because there's no written regulation, only a verbal prohibition against bringing Human World items to Soul Society, many people in the Twelfth Division's Technology Development Bureau hire Shinigami stationed in the Human World to Reishi-fy Human World items and bring them into Soul Society."
"Then they secretly sell them to people from other Squads. Although we Onmitsukidō know about it, we're too lazy to bother."
"However, only the Technology Development Bureau possesses this technology, so those guys are incredibly exploitative. Even though Human World currency and Soul Society currency have the same purchasing power, items Reishi-fied by them will have their prices quadrupled or quintupled. Some things are even ridiculously marked up nearly tenfold."
"…" Ishikawa Katori's mouth twitched.
Good heavens, so there's smuggling in Soul Society too?
And the profit is too terrifying!!
Ishikawa Katori asked somewhat confusedly, "Then how do you get money in the Human World?"
"Exchanged at a one-to-one ratio, of course."
"Ah?"
Ōmaeda chuckled: "I don't know what others do, but all my Human World money is exchanged one-to-one from newly deceased people. Most of these people had hidden wealth during their lives. I give them Soul Society currency in exchange for their wealth from their lives."
"Actually, if you really investigate, Shinigami who frequently come to the Human World actually have Human World bank accounts, especially Thirteenth Division Squad Members, after all, the two worlds are not completely unrelated."
"…"
Ōmaeda said indifferently, "If you want to exchange some, I can exchange some for you too. But I only exchanged it as a precaution, and I didn't exchange much, just over a billion."
Ishikawa Katori: "…"
What the hell is 'just' over a billion? Every time Ishikawa Katori talked about money with this fat Shinigami, he'd feel the urge to kidnap him and then kill him after getting the money…
He knew that his total savings were only a little over six million, and ever since entering Seireitei, the rise in prices had significantly increased Ishikawa Katori's expenses, and he had recently been running at a deficit.
This was even with him freeloading meals at the Second Division and Comprehensive Relief Station while working in Seireitei.
Damned capitalists!!
As the few of them talked, they had already arrived in a town. They didn't take a detour but passed directly through the center of the town.
Anyway, the ordinary people below couldn't see them.
Even if they encountered humans with some spiritual power, it didn't matter. At their current speed, the other party wouldn't be able to see them at all.
Everyone moved through the tops of buildings. Ōmaeda looked at the tracker in his hand and said, "After this town, we'll enter the Kagamino area. Let's try to stop them before they enter the city, otherwise, fighting in the city could easily cause a large number of casualties, which would be extremely disadvantageous for us."
After leaving the town, there was an extremely vast mountain range. According to the route on the tablet, after crossing this mountain, they should be able to see the outline of Kagamino, and the defectors were at the end of the mountain.
At Ishikawa Katori and the others' current speed, it was still possible to catch up to them before they entered the city limits.
After Ōmaeda finished speaking, his Shunpo accelerated again, and Ishikawa Katori immediately followed.
The dozen or so Punishment Force members gritted their teeth and barely managed to keep up with the two's speed. Unlike the Fourth Division, the Punishment Force, as executioners, often chased fleeing traitors, so everyone was extremely proficient in Shunpo.
"Hmm?"
And just as they reached the center of the mountain range, Ishikawa Katori's brow suddenly furrowed, and he looked ahead.
"Awooo—"
A beast-like roar echoed. As the roar sounded, the void opened like a huge maw, and a strange, nearly two-meter-tall figure emerged from it, directly blocking their path.
"A Hollow?"
Everyone stopped in their tracks, pausing.
This was a Hollow that looked like a wolf, its head covered by a bony mask. As soon as it appeared, it excitedly let out a long howl to the sky, but… its howl abruptly stopped the next second, its crimson eyes falling on Ishikawa Katori and his group.
"It's a small Hollow."
"Hmm, a trash Hollow."
"What do we do?"
"What else can we do? It's right in front of us. Why keep it if not to kill it?"
"…." The wolf-shaped Hollow.
Looking at the dozen or so Punishment Force members in front of it, whose powerful Reishi surged around them and who exuded a cold aura, a hint of confusion flashed in the wolf-shaped Hollow's crimson eyes. Its initial excitement at arriving in the Human World instantly turned into terror.
The next second, it abruptly turned around and desperately tried to re-enter the still-unclosed Hollow cavity.
However…
"Hadō No. 4: Byakurai."
Ishikawa Katori raised his hand and pointed forward. Dazzling lightning shot out amidst a thunderous roar, directly reducing the wolf-shaped Hollow's upper body to ashes, and its lower body also dissipated shortly after.
This scene made everyone's mouths twitch.
"…No need to waste so much Reishi on it." Ōmaeda said.
Ishikawa Katori also felt a bit speechless when he heard this. He just wanted to penetrate the Hollow's mask; he didn't expect this Hollow to be so fragile.
"Let's go, don't waste time here."
Ōmaeda finished speaking and was about to continue their journey when a voice came from a distance.
"Hey, hey, hey!!"
Following the sound, they saw a Middle-aged Shinigami in a shinigami uniform running quickly towards them, shouting as he ran, "Who are you all? Who cast that Kido just now? This is my assigned area; how can you just interfere… Uh…"
When he got closer and clearly saw everyone's attire, the Middle-aged Shinigami's footsteps abruptly stopped, and his face instantly turned pale.
A Punishment Force member next to Ishikawa Katori glanced at the newcomer and said in a cold tone:
"Onmitsukidō business. Get lost!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Middle-aged Shinigami's expression changed, and he turned around, running back even faster than he came, disappearing from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.
"…"
Ishikawa Katori looked at the Punishment Force member beside him with a strange expression.
Is it that overbearing?
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