In front of Central 46, two Shinigami were yawning. There was still an hour left until shift change, making the wait somewhat agonizing.
One of them turned his head, just about to chat with his comrade, only to see half a human figure emerging from the wall behind the other man. More importantly, the figure was holding a blade, resting it right against the neck of that nodding idiot!
"Watch your ba...ck!"
The last word was nothing but an inaudible, breathless whisper. But that didn't matter anymore, because the last sight he saw was his comrade's throat being slit—and naturally, his own as well. Danger falling only upon those nearby was a stroke of luck; it gracing everyone equally was the true norm.
The half-figure in the wall slowly stepped out, coalescing into a complete person in front of the Central 46 entrance. The faint glow of the candlelight reflected on his face. It was actually Azashiro Sōya, someone who absolutely shouldn't be here. With a light tap of his index finger, the corpses of the two Shinigami spontaneously combusted out of thin air, turning into two charred husks.
"[Hadō #96・Ittō Kasō]!"
A massive pillar of fire erupted from the ground, piercing through the vast Seireitei from below like a sharp blade. It instantly swallowed the Central 46 building before him, adding a trace of warmth to this cold night. Even Azashiro Sōya, who had orchestrated all of this, gradually melted away like a wax figure, fusing into the earth beneath his feet.
[Hadō #96・Ittō Kasō]—a high-level spell of destruction that could only be activated using a charred body as a catalyst. And for this strike, Azashiro had used two charred corpses to unleash two near-simultaneous blasts of Ittō Kasō. Its sheer power was so immense that the temperature alone caused the walls a whole street away from Central 46 to crack and collapse.
Over at Squad 1, which was closest to Central 46, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi and Kōe had been staring each other down, arguing over whether they should go see Azashiro Sōya tomorrow. The sudden fluctuation in Reiryoku caused both of their expressions to change drastically, and they hurried out of the lieutenant's office one after the other.
Upon arriving in the courtyard, Yamamoto and Sasakibe's figures also appeared in front of the main hall. The giant, blade-like pillar of fire in the sky had yet to fully dissipate. It was coming from the direction of Central 46.
"Sasakibe, stay here and command. Kōe and Kuruyashiki, follow me!" Yamamoto ordered briefly. His figure vanished from the courtyard in a flash. Seeing this, Kōe and Kuruyashiki Kenpachi immediately followed suit without a word.
Barely a moment after the three left, the urgent, rhythmic clacking of wooden clappers echoed throughout the entire Seireitei. Originating from the Royal Weaving Facility, a purple Kidō light orb trailed across the sky, flying toward the airspace above Central 46. Massive stone slabs materialized in midair and slammed into the ground, enclosing the Seireitei from the perimeter and completely isolating it from the Rukongai outside.
An alarm forcibly triggered across the Seireitei—especially within the Gotei 13—by the Royal Weaving Facility signified that the Seireitei had entered a Shutara-level lockdown. This was currently the highest state of alert in the Seireitei. The subsequent Kidō light flares pointed directly to the primary location of the alert: Central 46.
Right now, every single member of the Gotei 13 within the Seireitei was being awakened one by one. Over half of the squad members had never experienced a genuine Shutara-level lockdown before.
All they knew was that from this moment on, the Gotei 13 was taking full control of the Seireitei. The sword ban for lieutenants and below was automatically lifted, granting them permission to release their Shikai within the Seireitei.
At the same time, all unauthorized personnel were forbidden from going outside. With the exception of the various squad Captains and the Kidō Corps Commander and Vice-Commander, anyone found wandering outside was to be arrested immediately. Those who resisted could be executed on the spot!
At this moment, the thirteen Captains and the Kidō Corps leadership were rapidly converging on Central 46 from different locations and directions. The lieutenants left behind would begin organizing their squad members to conduct sweeps along all the main and branch roads of the Seireitei.
By the time all the key personnel arrived, the flames that had swallowed Central 46 had completely dissipated. The outer perimeter walls were entirely gone, leaving only the charred, blackened main structure standing isolated in the very center like an octagonal fire poker.
"Ittō Kasō. Judging by the destructive power, two blasts were released, and they were unleashed simultaneously." Tsukabishi Tessai, the Kidō Corps Commander, offered his assessment. "There aren't many with this kind of strength!"
"It seems none of us caught anything on our way here either. Did the culprit slip away too fast, or are they hiding nearby?!" Kyōraku Shunsui deduced, stroking his chin.
"Keep an eye on him, Kōki!" Hearing this, Kōe immediately released his Zanpakutō. A black Hannya mask silently materialized, covering his face.
This was Kōki's fourth form. Through this mask, the world in Kōe's eyes consisted solely of Reiryoku. This meant he could anticipate an opponent's hidden killing moves by tracking the shifts in their Reiryoku. Naturally, it was also highly effective for search operations.
However, due to the limitations of the human eye and the fact that Soul Society itself was saturated with Reishi, this vision had its flaws.
"There are no suspicious individuals hiding around us other than ourselves!" Kōe answered with absolute certainty.
Around Central 46, aside from the Squad 1 barracks, there were almost no residential structures. Since Yamamoto and Kōe had just come from Squad 1, it was impossible for them not to have noticed if someone had rushed back in that direction.
The other Captains were somewhat skeptical, as they didn't fully understand Kōe's Shikai. But at that moment, a single sentence from Yamamoto dispelled everyone's doubts. "Begin an outward search. The Captain-class sword ban is hereby lifted. In necessary situations, all Captains—with the exception of Kuruyashiki—are permitted to use Bankai within the Seireitei!"
The Captain-class sword ban, especially the restriction on Bankai, was incredibly difficult to lift, particularly within the Seireitei. After all, their Bankai would undoubtedly cause massive collateral damage to the Seireitei itself.
But an opponent capable of casually unleashing a spell on the level of Hadō #96 was not to be underestimated. Lifting the sword ban now was entirely reasonable, and it also served as a stark warning to the Captains not to be careless.
Just as he finished speaking, dozens of red smoke pillars rose from various locations across the Seireitei.
*Did they find suspicious tracks? Could there be more than one assailant attacking Central 46?* Just as everyone was thinking this, another Kidō flare shot up from the direction of the Royal Weaving Facility, finally coming to a halt above the Senzaikyū.
"Something happened at the Senzaikyū?" Kuruyashiki muttered. As if realizing something, his face suddenly darkened. Without a word, he executed Shunpo and vanished, clearly rushing toward the Senzaikyū.
"Kōe, you go there as well!" Yamamoto glanced at Kōe and continued, "When you arrive, use Kidō to inform all members of the Gotei 13 about the situation there!"
Arriving at the Senzaikyū in the north, Kōe noted that unlike Central 46, the area didn't appear to have suffered any devastating attacks—at least from the outside. But once he stepped inside, he realized how wrong he was.
White-clothed jailers lay haphazardly across the floor. Starting from the first deep prison on the ground floor, every single cell door had been thrown wide open. The prisoners inside were long gone.
"Sōya!"
Kuruyashiki's furious roar echoed from above. Kōe hurried up the stairs, only to see Kuruyashiki Kenpachi standing in front of a cell, his fists clenched in absolute rage.
"Sōya? Was Azashiro Sōya locked in this cell?"
"Exactly!" Kuruyashiki snarled, slamming his fist fiercely into the ground. The floor trembled violently, and Kōe genuinely feared the White Tower might crumble under the force of that punch!
"So Azashiro Sōya had accomplices on the outside?"
"With his personality, he would never entrust his life to others!" Kuruyashiki rubbed his brow, his voice filled with remorse. "It's my fault for realizing it too late. Kōzō... how could he not care about Kōzō's life?!"
*He escaped the Senzaikyū all by himself? And without his Zanpakutō?* Kōe was somewhat skeptical. Shaking his head, he stepped out of the cell.
"[Bakudō #58・Kakushitsuijaku]!"
"[Bakudō #77・Tenteikūra]!"
Kakushitsuijaku to sense Reiatsu and locate the target's position, paired simultaneously with Tenteikūra to broadcast a message to multiple recipients. Through this, Kōe's voice echoed across the entirety of the Seireitei!
"I am Squad 1 Lieutenant, Shihouin Kōe. The Senzaikyū has been breached. All prisoners have escaped!"
At the exact moment Kōe broadcasted his message, Azashiro Sōya had already brought his younger brother, Azashiro Kōzō, to the Seireitei's East Gate—Shōryūmon. The Squad 10 members guarding the gate had all been slaughtered.
Cleaving the giant gate before him in half with a single strike, his feet seemed to tread upon a lake. Every step kicked up a splash of white water that seemed to follow in his wake, trailing him until he stepped through the empty gateway, finally leaving behind the Seireitei where he had resided for hundreds of years.
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