Chapter 364: BSUS - 367: Eight?

In the Seireitei of Soul Society, the 12th Division’s Department of Research and Development was a place where busyness was an eternal theme, even more so since Aizen’s departure.

The department responsible for monitoring Reiatsu in the World of the Living was the most idle, but only relatively speaking. A job like this, waiting for ages just to make a single report, didn’t require much brainpower, but it also offered no sense of accomplishment and was hard to get motivated for.

A frantic alarm suddenly blared. The squad member on monitoring duty jolted upright. This specific alarm only sounded when Espada-level Arrancars invaded Karakura Town.

Looking closely, eight red dots resembling bloodstained eyes appeared on the screen. Even these researchers, usually known for their composure, sprang up from their seats and slammed their hands heavily onto the buttons in front of them to broadcast to the entire Seireitei.

"Attention all Divisions! Eight Espada-level Reiatsu signatures have been detected in Karakura Town in the World of the Living! Repeating..."

Before the second broadcast could finish, Kurotsuchi Mayuri arrived in a rush. "Begin charging the backup Senkaimon."

"Yes, sir!"

"Send the relevant intelligence to the World of the Living, and give Urahara Kisuke a copy as well. Also, has the spatial freezing begun?"

"It is already underway, Captain."

The tasks the Department of Research and Development could currently handle were being assigned one by one. Whether this pre-established emergency strategy could handle eight Arrancars remained to be seen.

But that wasn’t Mayuri’s concern. Even if adjustments were needed, it was none of his business. He had more important matters right now. "Tell Chōzuka Hiroe that if he captures an Espada alive, he must send it to me for research. Tell him this has already received the Head Captain’s approval!"

*Did you really get his approval?* The squad member tasked with relaying the message harbored doubts but sent Mayuri’s words anyway.

*Besides, given the personality of the man on the receiving end, even with the Head Captain’s approval, he probably still wouldn’t hand them over.*

The flurry of activity began with the 12th Division. Elsewhere, Ukitake was directing his squad members to adjust the Senkaimon before rushing off to the 1st Division for an emergency meeting.

"Ukitake."

"Kuchiki, you’re here." Ukitake greeted Byakuya. "The space and the Dangai around Karakura Town are still being stabilized. You’ll need to wait a moment."

"As long as I can depart at the first possible moment, that is fine," Byakuya replied coolly, as if recalling something unpleasant. "However, I will not waste my time waiting here just because someone is late."

"Are you talking about Captain Zaraki?" Ukitake’s question went unanswered. The only person who would miss an emergency deployment because they got lost was Zaraki Kenpachi.

"I’ve already sent Sentarō to fetch Captain Zaraki. It won’t delay the operation. You don’t need to worry either, Kuchiki. Rukia can hold her own now, not to mention Kaien and Hiroe are there too. Nothing will happen to her."

Amidst such a tense atmosphere, a rare and commendable sense of calm emanated from Byakuya.

Ukitake’s words were like a letter blown away by the wind. It took a while before Byakuya finally responded, "I am... not worried."

*Not worried?* Looking at the message "Take good care of Rukia" on his screen, Hiroe couldn’t help but feel a wave of disdain for Byakuya. Given that ice block’s tsundere nature, typing those few words probably made his face cramp up.

Of course, he didn’t have the time to mock Byakuya right now. He had already received the message from the Department of Research and Development. Ignoring Mayuri’s idiotic ravings, the invasion of eight Espada in Karakura Town caught his attention.

This wasn’t an intelligence error. In Hiroe’s perception, there were indeed only eight Espada-level Reiatsu signatures present. The results detected by Roka’s neural network were the same.

*So, is Aizen’s true killing stroke hidden with the Espada who hasn’t appeared yet?*

Hiroe felt things weren’t that simple. Right now, Ichigo, Inoue, and the others were all in Karakura Town. An ambush meant there was only one target. Trying to take that person away while he was on guard was simply laughable.

If it was about the element of surprise, the easiest move would be for this unrevealed Espada to stay in the Dangai and directly ambush the Captains sent as reinforcements from Soul Society.

Setting aside the fact that the most likely reinforcements—Zaraki and Byakuya—weren’t simpletons who could be dispatched in a few moves, such a coldly utilitarian approach just didn’t seem like Aizen’s style.

*I’ll just continue to wait and see. At the very least, I need to force that hidden Espada to make a move and see exactly what Aizen has up his sleeve this time.*

*What exactly did Lord Aizen want to do? Grab a few lucky humans and obliterate everyone else in the way. It was that simple.*

At least, that was what Luppi thought as he stepped out of the Garganta, making no effort to conceal his Reiatsu. He dramatically raised a sleeve to his brow and looked around. "There are a lot of nice Reiatsu signatures here. Where should we start?"

"Oh, right." Luppi seemed to remember something and excitedly asked Grimmjow, "That Chōzuka Hiroe who almost captured you alive? Which one is he?"

Grimmjow smirked disdainfully, not wanting to entertain this boring guy in the middle. If Luppi really overestimated himself and ran up to that terrifying Shinigami, he wouldn’t mind watching the clown throw his life away.

"The guy I want to kill isn’t here!"

Leaving those words behind, Grimmjow kicked off the air with his right foot, his silhouette quickly vanishing into the horizon. Everyone knew the one he wanted to kill was Kurosaki Ichigo.

"That brat. Lord Aizen doesn’t want that Kurosaki Ichigo kid dead."

"Just ignore him, Yammy," Luppi said nonchalantly. "He’s no longer an Espada. He can’t possibly accomplish anything anyway."

*Not to mention, after this operation, Lord Aizen will see my abilities. There won’t be any need to keep Grimmjow around!*

Yammy couldn’t be bothered with Grimmjow either. "You’re pretty fired up, Luppi. That works out best. I’ll leave that boring kid named Sado Yasutora to you. The people I want to kill aren’t here either."

"Oh? Are the people you want to kill the one who cut off your arm, the one who beat you to a pulp, or the one who deflected your Cero?"

"All of them!"

Yammy’s eyes gleamed with ferocity. In his eyes, the dilapidated Urahara Shop in the distance seemed to have already been leveled to the ground.

However, at this moment, a pair of eyes above the clouds was staring down at him. Ayasegawa Yumichika slowly drew his Zanpakutō, waiting for the perfect moment to launch a sneak attack.

Below, Yammy suddenly looked up, the corner of his mouth curving as if to say he had spotted him ages ago. At the same time, Yumichika dove downward, thrusting his Zanpakutō straight toward the space between Yammy’s eyebrows.

Yammy grinned, swinging his massive hand to grab Yumichika’s blade directly. "Since when did Shinigami turn into little mice hiding in the shadows?"

Yumichika tried to pull his sword back but found it completely impossible. Meanwhile, Yammy’s other hand, as large as a palm-leaf fan, swatted toward him. If that hit connected, he’d break seven or eight bones, if not die outright.

But at that moment, Yumichika made a bold decision. He stepped his right foot onto Yammy’s large bald head, abandoned his Zanpakutō, and flipped backward in midair, narrowly dodging the heavy, powerful palm strike.

Yammy instantly flew into a rage, wishing he could grab Yumichika and tear him in half!

Just as he turned around, a terrifying chill suddenly rose from beneath his feet, accompanied by a clear, crisp female voice.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"