"If there's nothing else, you are all dismissed," said Yamamoto Genryūsai in a deep voice.
After returning to the Soul Society, it was as if he had once again transformed into the strict Head Captain, his face was serious once more.
"Yes, Captain–General!"
Everyone bowed and withdrew, each heading toward their own division.
Rangiku was already about to drag Arata home, but Shiba Isshin grabbed her by the collar.
"Rangiku, the paperwork in the division is nearly overflowing off my desk," Shiba Isshin forced a smile. "If you don't come back with me to sort it out, don't even think about going home after work for the next few days!"
"Captain! At least let me take Arata home first..." Rangiku blinked pleadingly, trying to get out of it.
"Don't try those tricks!" Shiba Isshin mercilessly dragged her toward the Tenth Division. Before leaving, he waved to Arata: "Arata, I'm borrowing Rangiku for a while. I'll definitely return her to you tonight!"
"No! You're exploiting your subordinates!"
"I'm exploiting you? Didn't you see who's been signing the documents these past two weeks? If I hadn't been working day and night, how would they have even gotten done?"
"You're the one exploiting me!"
Arata laughed and watched as Rangiku was dragged away until her protests faded completely down the street.
He stretched, turned, and walked toward his courtyard.
Although the seven-day vacation in the World of the Living had been pleasant, upon returning to the Soul Society, that familiar spiritual "air" made him feel comfortable throughout his body.
An hour later, Arata stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed.
"Huh... it's still most comfortable at home."
He entered the living room, intending to make some tea and relax, when he suddenly sensed an unusual fluctuation of spiritual pressure from the other side of the house.
"Shhh—"
Arata opened the door leading to the courtyard.
Three dark shadows silently appeared in the center of the courtyard, all dressed in black tight uniforms and special masks.
Onmitsukidō ? Arata raised an eyebrow slightly.
Onmitsukidō was a unit directly under the Second Division, responsible for secret operations and executions in the Soul Society, and they rarely acted publicly.
Even stranger was why they had appeared at his doorstep?
The leading member of the Onmitsukidō stepped forward, his voice under the mask cold and official:
"Mr. Saito, Captain Yamamoto urgently summons you. Please accompany us immediately to the barracks of the First Division."
"The Captain?" Arata's confusion deepened. "Why is the message being delivered by the Onmitsukidō? Where's the usual messenger from the First Division?"
"I'm only responsible for relaying the order." The voice of the Onmitsukidō soldier remained calm. "The Captain emphasizes that this matter is top secret. Please do not disclose it."
Top secret? Arata's eyes narrowed slightly.
His gaze calmly swept across the three members of the Onmitsukidō and discovered that, although their spiritual pressure was well concealed, there was something tense about it, as if they were ready to respond to a sudden situation at any moment.
Something's wrong. Did something happen in the Soul Society during the few days they were away?
"I understand." After a brief thought, Arata nodded. "Lead the way."
The three immediately turned and moved swiftly toward the First Division.
Arata followed closely, while various possibilities cycled through his mind.
Old Yamamoto suddenly used the Punishment Force to deliver an order, clearly to bypass the eyes and ears of regular channels.
Was it something to do with Kizokugai again? Or was it... related to Aizen?
After traversing several secluded paths, the Onmitsukidō didn't lead him to the main gate of the First Division, but instead bypassed the building and stopped at a secret entrance behind the headquarters.
That place was surrounded by high-level barriers that ordinary Shinigami couldn't even detect.
"Please." The Onmitsukidō member stopped in front of the barrier and gestured with his hand.
As soon as Arata stepped inside, the scenery before him changed suddenly.
The rear courtyard of the ordinary division building transformed into an old-style Japanese garden. In the pavilion at the center stood Yamamoto Genryūsai with his back turned, and beside him – someone Arata didn't expect.
Soi Fong, Captain of the Second Division.
"Captain." Arata approached and bowed. "You summoned me?"
Yamamoto slowly turned around, and the wrinkles on his face looked especially deep under the moonlight.
He didn't respond immediately, but instead shifted his gaze to Soi Fong.
"Mr. Arata, this summons was decided upon jointly by the Captain and myself." Soi Fong understood and stepped forward, saying: "The reason we asked the Onmitsukidō to bring you here in secret... is because we've discovered something extremely serious."
Her tone was unusually solemn, which made Arata tense. "Captain Soi Fong, what happened?"
Soi Fong took a deep breath, pulled a broken metallic fragment from her chest, and handed it to Arata.
"This, Arata-kun."
Arata looked closely – within the metal shard was a sealed thread of dark red spiritual pressure, slowly writhing like something alive.
"May I touch it?" Arata looked at Yamamoto and Soi Fong, as if seeking their approval.
"You may." Yamamoto Genryūsai nodded and added: "But it's best to be careful, this thing is somewhat strange."
As soon as his fingertips got within an inch of the metal fragment, the dark red spiritual pressure suddenly surged up like a venomous snake and coiled tightly around his fingers.
"Shhhh—"
A sharp pain spread from his fingertips to his entire arm. Arata instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but discovered that the spiritual pressure had clung to his skin like a malignant growth.
Even more terrifying – he clearly felt the spiritual energy in his body being frantically drained, at such speed that veins like a spiderweb appeared on the back of his hands.
"What is this?!" Arata abruptly activated his spiritual energy to shake off the foreign energy, and only after leaping three steps back did he manage to stabilize himself.
The scattered dark red spiritual pressure twisted in the air into a distorted demonic face, and after a silent scream, retreated back into the metal fragment.
The air in the pavilion instantly froze.
Captain Yamamoto struck the ground forcefully with his staff, and an invisible barrier instantly enveloped the entire courtyard.
Soi Fong already had her right hand on the hilt of her zanpakutō at her waist; the slightly drawn blade gleamed with a cold light in the moonlight.
"As we suspected." Yamamoto's voice was colder than winter ice. "This thing can devour spiritual pressure even from you."
"What does that mean? Didn't the Captain–General and Captain Soi Fong already…" Arata asked in surprise.
Soi Fong nodded and said seriously: "Correct. The Captain–General and I had already tried touching this fragment long before you arrived."
"As for the result, it was exactly the same as your reaction just now."
Arata stared at the burn that remained on his palm, and a faint glow of Kaidō appeared on the wound.
"Captain." He slowly clenched his fist. "Where did this come from?"
Soi Fong stepped forward half a step. "Three days ago, while we were on vacation in the World of the Living, the Onmitsukidō discovered that all residents of an entire alley in the 80th district of Rukongai were dead during a patrol."
She tapped the metal fragment with her fingers, and the dark red spiritual pressure immediately stirred. "The spiritual energy in all the bodies had been drained, and only this remained – embedded in a wall."
At that moment, Arata suddenly noticed the lines along the edge of the fragment – they weren't natural cracks formed from forging metal, but…
Some kind of artificial pattern.
That realization struck Arata's mind like a bolt of lightning.
He suddenly recalled a weapon that appeared in one of the original story arcs of the anime – Bakkōtō.
A biological weapon secretly developed by the noble Kasumiōji family of the highest class.
Bakkōtō, through a "core" within itself, devours the spiritual pressure of its user to enhance its own power, and has no concept of shikai or bankai like a regular zanpakutō.
If the user lacks sufficient spiritual energy, the Bakkōtō will turn on them, rob them of their will, and even their life.
It was highly likely that the residents of Rukongai had lost their lives because their spiritual pressure had been drained by a Bakkōtō.
A rare concern appeared on Yamamoto Genryūsai's face.
"Just half an hour ago, the Department of Technological Development discovered through testing that this fragment actively seeks targets with a high density of spiritual pressure. What's even more problematic is..."
He waved his sleeve, and three more metal fragments, each also containing a flicker of dark red spiritual pressure, floated into the air. "In the past seven days, four more similar incidents have occurred."
The four fragments slowly rotated in the moonlight, and the cracks formed a complete pattern of an animal skull.
Arata's pupils contracted sharply, this was clearly the core of some Bakkōtō sword!
However, in the original, the Bakkōtō only turned against the host when they actively used its power, and could never hunt independently.
Does that mean his arrival triggered some unknown changes in the storyline?
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