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Aozaki Reiji's expression remained unchanged; it didn't matter how many people came. The moment they witnessed the Kyōka Suigetsu hypnosis ritual, it was impossible for them to escape.
An unconscious cognitive change occurred in everyone's minds.
Half of the guards and Squad members present began to show green through their skin, and their orange-red eye sockets were the symbol of monsters. Their bodies were instinctively consumed by fear.
They didn't even notice the abnormality of the scene change, only raising their swords with all their might to hack at their own teammates.
In everyone's sight, in the shadows at the end of the hallway, Aozaki Reiji retracted his Zanpakuto, and his figure gradually faded into nothingness.
Overwhelming storms and swarms of monsters—every single one of the guards and Squad members was in such an environment, with no retreat.
The guards and Squad members swarmed forward. The fear of death sent their adrenaline soaring, and they leaped up, a series of gleaming Zanpakuto crisscrossing the air. Their Reiatsu pierced the air, and scattered blue reishi adhered to their blades.
Their madness allowed them to unleash extraordinary combat power, but unfortunately, their slaughtering blades were aimed at the wrong people. No matter how hard they fought, it was never Aozaki Reiji who was injured.
Aozaki Reiji moved through the crowd, avoiding the guards' chaotic battle, occasionally using the power of the Hōgyoku to Hollowfy the fallen guards.
It was something he did casually.
Anyway, they were going to die, so they might as well contribute their remaining usefulness to him before death.
The attic's structure was hollow. Aozaki Reiji jumped out of the hallway and into the empty air, where reishi quickly gathered beneath his feet, forming footholds.
He used these footholds to walk in the air, guided by his Reiatsu perception that covered the entire attic.
Facing these Shinigami who had gone mad because they didn't want to die, it would be easier for him to act, but there was absolutely no need.
Letting them kill each other would have the same effect; the outcome of death would completely befall them.
A smile tugged at the corner of Aozaki Reiji's mouth. A guy whose Reiatsu was comparable to his two senior brothers was approaching.
He had just overlooked a strange thing: the Tsunayashiro Family was missing an important combatant.
To be precise, in the current situation, this combatant was indispensable.
The air was faintly white, like thick fog.
It was pouring rain, yet walking in the rain made one feel muggy.
Even in midsummer, the air shouldn't be this hot.
The Metastacia didn't run away. They ignited with explosions and fell down, turning into ash that scattered in front of Tsunayashiro Tokinada. For a moment, he felt refreshed.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada slightly raised the corner of his mouth. This scene felt familiar, using the power of the strongest Shinigami to kill Shinigami.
He suddenly caught a familiar scent, a cold and sinful scent.
The day he lost that woman's corpse, he smelled the same scent, the stench emanating from those expressionless old men.
A chill of ice and snow came from beneath his feet.
That woman's corpse should have belonged to him; she was his toy, but she was taken by those old geezers, and then, on a snowy day decades ago, she disappeared forever.
Terror suddenly exploded in Tsunayashiro Tokinada's heart. The falling raindrops seemed to soften, only hitting his face, yet feeling as gentle as a lover's caress.
That gentle woman was truly annoying!
Why couldn't she integrate into this ugly world?
Tsunayashiro Tokinada suddenly realized that woman was still in this world, but she had transformed from a corpse into a part of this world.
...Making this world even more annoying.
Twelfth Division, Shinigami Research and Development Institute.
Under the continuous rainy sky, a black hooded cloak draped over a person, a distorted light curtain enveloped the slender figure, stopping by a white building in an open area.
It was a detached building made of pure white giant stones, surrounded by patrolling Shinigami, with surveillance bugs almost everywhere.
Surprisingly, this heavily monitored building only had three Squads of guards responsible for patrolling.
The hidden figure in the shadows stepped forward, lightly leaping onto a tall building.
"Aizen-sama, this is the map of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. The laboratories in this building belong to ordinary Squad members like me. The truly important data is hidden in the underground research facility."
Inside the white building, in a simple laboratory, a young man named Yushima Oushu patiently explained, "That is the core of the entire Shinigami Research and Development Institute."
"You've done very well, Oushu. I've also prepared what you need."
Aizen Sōsuke pulled back a gap in the curtains and looked out.
"I have high hopes for your research. I hope you can achieve useful results."
"To be valued by Aizen-sama, it is truly an honor," Yushima Oushu smiled. "However, your research is the truly great creation. I look forward to the day you succeed."
"Hey! Kurotsuchi Mayuri-san, how's your research coming along?" A lazy man strode in, opening his arms to the mad scientist. "Looks like it's progressing well. I remember you looking troubled a while ago."
"You truly are an unpleasant fellow, Urahara Kisuke." Kurotsuchi Mayuri glanced at him, stepping a pace away. "Have you finally given up on that nonsensical research?"
"After all, he's a man who took everything from me then kicked me aside. He's truly ruthless, isn't he?"
"Having a special attachment to experimental products—that's an emotion only you possess, isn't it?"
Urahara Kisuke put a hand on Kurotsuchi Mayuri's shoulder, looking intimate. If an outsider saw them, they might mistakenly think they were close friends.
"So, what exactly are you here for?"
"Of course, I'm here to call you for a meal. You haven't left the lab in a long time, have you? I can't keep bringing you food; I'll get annoyed."
"Why not just have that kid Vice-Captain bring it?" Kurotsuchi Mayuri said. "That kid holds the title of lab director; shouldn't she be given something to do?"
"How can that be? You two would definitely fight, and you might even blow up the entire underground research facility. It would cost a lot to repair then."
Urahara Kisuke waved his hand, "I'm not Reiji, who can get the Captain-Commander to pay to fix my Squad Barracks."
"Are you implying that you see me as an idiot like Hiyori...?" Kurotsuchi Mayuri said calmly. "I'm not a child who goes crazy at the drop of a hat."
"But Hiyori is..."
Before Urahara Kisuke finished speaking, the alarm in the laboratory rang, and the alarm sound echoed throughout the entire underground research facility.
"Oh, looks like there's no time to eat."
"Still thinking about eating at a time like this, it's truly you, Urahara Kisuke."
"It's a pity Reiji isn't willing to bring me food; it's too much." Urahara Kisuke said sadly, opening the laboratory door and walking out.
"He got involved with that woman Hikifune Kirio using methods like these, didn't he?" Kurotsuchi Mayuri said with displeasure.
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