Sora's appearance surprised everyone. They never expected the person who triggered the lab's alarm to be Katori Sora.
Hiyosu's face changed dramatically. Katori Sora wouldn't be following him for no reason, especially not at the same time his reishi was being collected.
Without a doubt, he had been exposed.
Hiyosu immediately pulled a sphere from within his body, threw it, and turned towards the elevator. The elevator was the lab's only exit; to escape, he had to take it.
The sphere he threw cracked open in mid-air, exploding into a cloud of white smoke.
This smoke was actually a cloud of floating reishi glue. As it spread over everyone, it stuck them in place.
However, just as Hiyosu turned to flee, he found he could no longer lift his legs.
Looking down, he saw that his legs were entangled by the shadow on the floor.
"Why don't you stay," Sora said slowly.
He had been prepared for Hiyosu's move. His Zanpakutō was already plunged into the shadow, using its binding ability to stop his escape.
"It seems something has happened that I'm not aware of."
Kirio Hikifune's spiritual pressure pulsed, shattering the reishi glue floating in the air. She looked at Hiyosu and Sora with an inquisitive gaze.
Sora explained, "Captain Hikifune, I happened to run into 'Captain Kyōraku' and 'Captain Ukitake' on the road. Their behavior was suspicious, so I followed them."
"From their conversation, I learned that they were actually the Reigai of Captain Kyōraku and Captain Ukitake!"
"And I also witnessed them handing over some collected spiritual pressure to this Mr. Hiyosu."
Kirio's eyes narrowed. She turned to Hiyosu. "Then we'll have to check this thoroughly. Hiyosu, please release your spiritual pressure."
It was impossible to distinguish a Reigai from a normal spiritual body by sight alone. The simplest method was to test their spiritual pressure; a Reigai's was far inferior to the original's.
"No need to test. I am indeed a Reigai," Hiyosu said. Knowing there was no chance of escape, he cracked a smile, revealing a set of white teeth. "Captain Hikifune, thank you for your care and guidance. I hope we can meet again in hell."
After speaking, Hiyosu's lidless eyes bulged even wider.
His already large body rapidly swelled.
"Not good!" Kisuke Urahara's expression changed.
BOOM—
Hiyosu's body exploded, decomposing into reishi that dissipated into the air.
"It really was a Reigai... It seems the real Hiyosu is most likely dead," Kirio sighed softly.
When Hiyosu's body had expanded and exploded, his spiritual pressure was laid bare, and it did not match the original Hiyosu's at all.
"For a Reigai of Hiyosu to possess such intelligence?" Kirio quickly realized a problem. She turned to Sora and asked, "Lord Katori, were the 'Captain Kyōraku' and 'Captain Ukitake' you saw also this intelligent?"
Before the Reigai technology was sealed, she and Shutara Senjumaru were the project leaders for the "Captain Completion Project." She naturally knew what the Reigai created with that technology were like.
The Reigai created with the current stage of technology could only be classified as defective products. They had incomplete minds, and their spiritual pressure could not grow. They had not met the standard for practical use.
Sora nodded. "I heard some things from their conversation. It seems their Reigai technology has been iterated upon, and they have already solved the issue of sentience."
"It seems the person behind this is no simple foe," Kirio said. She understood the difficulties of Reigai technology; achieving this level was not easy.
After a moment of thought, Kirio continued, "I never thought a Reigai would infiltrate the lab. It seems the lab's security systems need an upgrade."
"It's thanks to you stumbling upon their secret, Lord Katori. Otherwise, it could have brought extremely serious harm to the Gotei 13 in the future."
"We can't let the Reigai of 'Captain Kyōraku' and 'Captain Ukitake' escape... there may be even more Reigai mixed into the Seireitei."
"The Seireitei needs a comprehensive search!"
Kirio took out her Denreishinki and notified all division captains and vice-captains to gather at the 1st Division for an emergency meeting.
She did not mention the matter over the Denreishinki, in case any other vice-captains had been secretly replaced like Hiyosu.
"Kisuke, create an instrument that can distinguish Reigai as soon as possible," Kirio said, patting Urahara's shoulder. Her heavy, captain-level spiritual pressure pressed down on him.
"Oh my, oh my, am I being suspected~" Urahara said, scratching his face.
To prevent any accidents, Kirio had personally confirmed his identity.
"After all, you did just come in with the Hiyosu Reigai..." Kirio said helplessly. "It's impossible to tell a Reigai and the original apart by sight or spiritual sense. This is the only way."
"Understood, understood. Just in case," Urahara said, expressing his understanding.
He couldn't help but glance at Katori Sora. He had recently noticed some abnormalities with "Hiyosu," which had made him suspicious.
But he had thought "Hiyosu" was secretly using his researcher status for personal gain, selling out the lab's interests. He never imagined that this "Hiyosu" was actually a Reigai in disguise.
"Hiyosu's" identity as a researcher allowed him to mobilize many resources and access the lab's technical data. If Sora hadn't discovered his true identity, the consequences of him continuing to lurk in the lab would have been dire.
After Kirio and Sora left the lab, they headed directly to the 1st Division's assembly hall.
The other captains and vice-captains did not delay, putting aside their duties to gather at the 1st Division.
Kyōraku Shunsui and Jūshirō Ukitake stepped through the door. "Captain Hikifune, did something urgent happen? You called us over in such a hurry."
Kirio suddenly reached out and placed her hands on their shoulders, her spiritual pressure surging.
At the same time, Kyōraku and Ukitake subconsciously used their own spiritual pressure to resist hers.
"Whoa, whoa—Captain Hikifune, I don't think we've offended you, have we?" Kyōraku was confused, not understanding why she had suddenly attacked.
"My apologies. This was a necessary measure," Kirio explained. "Because Lord Katori discovered the Reigai of Captain Kyōraku and Captain Ukitake moving within the Seireitei, and you two arrived together, I had to be cautious."
"Reigai?"
Confused looks appeared on everyone's faces. The term was unfamiliar to the vice-captains, although several of the captains were aware of the "Captain Completion Project" that the Seireitei had once pursued.
"Wasn't the 'Captain Completion Project' terminated? I remember the Reigai technology was sealed away!" Ginrei Kuchiki asked.
---
Special Announcement: Tomorrow, a free file with chapters 141 to 300 of Naruto: Saving the Uchiha will be uploaded, along with another file for I Have Caught a Pokémon from chapter 300 to 450!
-------------------------------------
Featured projects:
Bleach Getting Stronger, Starting from Teaching 300 chapters
Naruto: Saving the Uchiha 300 chapters
The Crime Value System 120 chapters
I Have Caught a Pokémon — 350 chapters
Goddess Training Manual — 800 chapters
Second Generation Villain (Revised Version) — 90 chapters
Detective Conan Fanfic — 380 chapters
The Heroine Wants to Join My Harem — 1050 chapters
I Am the Villain's Father — 400 chapters
----------------------------------------------------------------
👉 Join and support these projects at: patreon.com/LEYI396
— Don't miss a single chapter or any manga translation done on demand!