Chapter 22: The Mantis Tries to Catch the Cicada
At the same time, in the 79th District of Rukongai East.
On a hill a little distance from the cavern, Mizuma's clone wearing Ryugetsu's visage had dug out a small hollow and sat inside it, shaping a display of kido-energy into various windows.
Muffled voices and images came through—signal interference, apparently. After tinkering for a while, the dark block finally produced coherent audio and video.
It was members of the Tsunayashiro family, deep in a tight, urgent conversation.
Intelligence work really matters.
Mizuma had built this little utility himself and called it the Surveillance Technique. Tap a spot with your finger and an invisible pinhole camera goes up: it streams video, records audio, and can even adjust its viewing angle. For stealth reasons the kido cam only lasts a few hours, signal degrades with distance, and complicated reiatsu in the environment can kill the feed.
"Let's see what you clowns are plotting—"
He toyed with the image, centering the feed on Tsunayashiro Yōki and the man beside him—Aizen Sosuke.
…Alright, if you want to eavesdrop properly, you gotta be on-site. Also, Urahara had been fiddling with his gadget down in that cavern for ages; nobody sane would trust he hadn't rigged something.
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"Lord Tokinada, the 'Guardian' has started its action!"
A plain-faced Tsunayashiro aide watched the red scale in his palm begin to glow and announced the news with too much enthusiasm. He was the kind who would self-destruct by speaking too freely.
Because the group was surrounded by their own people, he dropped the act: with a quick tug he peeled a middle-aged mask off his cheek to reveal a younger face beneath. The mask was a trick-device that changed voice and reiatsu too—Mizuma sucked in a breath even from the hill, and Aizen actually smiled.
"Contact Katani," Tokinada said, glancing at the scale. "Have his people ready. Dealing with two captains and a lieutenant will drain even that Guardian a lot of energy. That's when we take the Divine Sword."
Mizuma bristled. So they scoff at captains and lieutenants but don't even consider me? Of course they'd keep a trump card. Their attitude showed intimate knowledge of the cavern—Central 46's briefing that only four could enter was clearly false or at least incomplete.
On Tokinada's command, one of the Tsunayashiro men immediately backed away from the cave. The "Katani" mentioned had to be Katani Shinno, a member of Central 46—deploying him like this was a bold move.
The cave went silent. Mizuma clicked his tongue, planning to prod them into more mistakes—then a gift-wrapped solution arrived.
Aizen.
Standing by Tokinada, Aizen seemed impatient at the chatter being cut short. He cold-punched an underling, knocked him senseless, tossed him aside, and stepped into the Tsunayashiro group as if he belonged there. Mizuma had to admire that move.
"Lord Tokinada, are you sure the 'Guardian' is reliable? What if Urahara Kisuke… or Kensei Muguruma defeat it?"
There was a brief, awkward pause. Aizen—who surely had just forgotten Kensei for a split second—hadn't counted on being so obvious. The thought of Kensei risked spiking Mizuma's sympathy; Kensei had just saved him.
"That's impossible," Tokinada replied without hesitation. "The Guardian is a creature personally brought back from the West Branch by the Soul King. From the ancestral records, even members of Squad Zero would struggle to beat it. Two captains and a lieutenant are insufficient."
Aizen's expression shifted. He prodded further, "But—if the Guardian is that powerful, how do we actually take the Divine Sword from its protection?"
"Hmph. The Guardian is strong, but it's bound. Katani has its restraining device; he can immobilize the beast for a short time. If we seize the sword during that window, we can neutralize the Guardian."
Tokinada looked at the scale in his hand—its light breathing like a heartbeat—and smiled coldly. "Let Urahara, Kensei, and Lisa struggle. We'll use the scales taken from the Guardian to verify its condition. If we time Katani's intervention correct, we can amplify their losses. Then we simply take the Divine Sword from them."
"I see, that makes sense…" Aizen feigned revelation and put on a worried face. Then he asked, quietly, "But if we do this, won't—"
He didn't finish; he only pointed subtly upward.
"You mean Squad Zero?" Tokinada shrugged carelessly. His men were so tightly loyal that he'd become blunt. "They know, but they don't care. Maybe the Watcher is watching us right now. Hmph—Squad Zero guards the Soul King itself; why would they fret over one sword?"
Aizen raised an eyebrow and moved to the back of the group. Up on the hill, Mizuma exhaled.
Their plan was thorough—almost too thorough. It occurred to him: what if Urahara Kisuke was far stronger than they imagined? What if their whole calculation underestimated him?
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〔TL〕
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