Chapter 378: BSUS - 381: Black Blood is Flowing

"There isn’t much time. Begin your operation."

"Yes, Lord Aizen!"

At his command, over twenty Arrancar of varying shapes and sizes poured out of the Garganta. As if rehearsed in advance, they scattered and flew toward different locations across Karakura Town.

Each of them carried an identical stone pillar on their backs, and no two headed for the same destination. However, one thing was certain: these Arrancar were not here to support the Espada in Karakura Town. On the contrary, they carefully avoided the areas where battles were currently taking place.

Aizen, much like Hiroe earlier, observed the familiar Reiatsu scattered around with great interest. Hirako Shinji and his group were indeed hiding here as well, which made him feel a touch of nostalgia.

The Visored were the traces he had left behind in the past, while the Espada carried a fraction of his expectations. This small Karakura Town contained both his past and his present, and their collision seemed to perfectly illustrate the passage of time.

What kind of conclusion would this clash ultimately lead to? Aizen was somewhat curious about it. Unfortunately, now was not the time for that result to surface.

Elsewhere, Szayelaporro, who had been staying out of the fray, suddenly took on a serious expression. At the same time, he called out a loud reminder, "Lord Aizen has arrived, Ulquiorra."

In truth, there was no need for a reminder. An emerald-green light gathered at the tip of Ulquiorra’s finger. The moment Szayelaporro’s words left his mouth, Ulquiorra’s Bala shot forth, detonating in the sky over a distant area.

*So the real target is over there,* Szayelaporro chuckled softly. He turned his head, just about to remind a certain someone who was huddled up in a ball, but upon seeing the empty corner of the wall, it seemed he didn’t need to bother.

*Was I the most sluggish one all along? As for that bastard Abraham, I really don’t know what to say about him...*

Assemble. That was the meaning behind Ulquiorra’s action—an order authorized by Aizen, effective for all Espada!

"I told you, God has already taken a step."

"It is truly a pity that I could not see Mr. Chōzuka. I will be taking my leave now, Shinigami."

Although they were far apart, both Nel and Zommari left quite decisively. There was nothing here that they found difficult to abandon.

Unlike them, Grimmjow was feeling genuinely displeased. He had two chances to destroy Ichigo, yet both times, some annoying person had popped out and reduced his efforts to ashes.

And the guy standing before him right now—whether he was a Shinigami or a Hollow—was even more annoying than Chōzuka Hiroe had been last time. This had nothing to do with Hirako or Hiroe themselves; it was simply because his interest in Ichigo had grown.

Gritting his teeth, he cast a reluctant glance in Ichigo’s direction. Once Ulquiorra’s signal appeared, they had to assemble. This was Lord Aizen’s order, and even he could not disobey it!

"Damn it!"

Yammy probably never would have imagined that Grimmjow, whom he never got along with, was likely the person most similar to him right now. Let alone killing Urahara, he had practically been led by the nose by the man this entire time.

After all, he didn’t just want to kill Urahara Kisuke; he also wanted to kill Yoruichi and Ichigo. This realization pushed him to the brink of madness.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!"

Such roars could not extinguish the fury in Yammy’s heart. Conversely, Lord Aizen’s order became even more deeply ingrained, constantly reminding him of the choice he had to make.

He nearly shattered his teeth from gritting them so hard. Leaving like this was far too unbearable for Yammy; it was an agony akin to a hundred insects gnawing at his heart.

Luppi’s emotions were complicated. He was furious—perhaps even more so than Yammy—but above all else, the word ’humiliation’ hung heavily in his heart.

He looked far too pathetic right now. His entire body was covered in gray scorch marks and shallow blade wounds. Even worse, four of his eight tentacles had been severed, and his right arm was reduced to nothing but a shoulder. The tentacles on his back could slowly regenerate, but his missing arm would never return.

A single move had not only severed four of his tentacles but also sliced off his right arm in the process. To think that bald guy could actually pull off something like that.

A hint of fear was hidden in Luppi’s eyes as he looked at Ikkaku. This man, who was similarly covered in blood, hadn’t weakened from his injuries. The blood he shed seemed to all gather into the crimson dragon on his back, making him fight more fiercely with every passing moment!

The remaining Shinigami, Kaien and the others, had also made significant contributions. Without them keeping him occupied, Luppi wouldn’t have been dragged down to the same state as them—nearing the end of his rope.

He couldn’t understand it. Aside from that bald guy, he could have easily finished off everyone else here, including the other Shinigami capable of using Bankai. Even against Ikkaku at the very beginning, it should have been absolutely impossible for him to be injured.

Yet the result was incredibly hard to believe. Luppi didn’t understand. He didn’t understand what he had done wrong. What had led to his defeat?

As the 6th Espada, this outcome was nothing short of humiliation! In fact, if Lord Aizen hadn’t intervened, he wasn’t confident he could have escaped the Shinigami’s siege.

Luppi’s mind was in turmoil. He knew he had to accomplish at least one thing. The upcoming, still-unknown operation was his only chance at salvation. He knew this, which was why he was desperately rushing in that direction.

However, in his current state, such desperation seemed somewhat futile.

Yammy was the second to last to arrive at the assembly point. Of course, to put it plainly, they all arrived one right after another, so ranking them first, second, third, or fourth held little meaning.

"Let’s begin!"

"Luppi isn’t here yet."

Ulquiorra acted as if he hadn’t heard Yammy’s words. Assembling wasn’t the ultimate goal; the people currently present were already enough.

He suddenly dropped downward. Seeing this, the others followed closely behind, landing together on the deserted street.

At the same time, the twenty-plus stone pillars were simultaneously placed all around Karakura Town. Viewed from above, it looked like a cage without a dome.

And right in the center of this cage stood Ulquiorra and the other six Espada-class Arrancar—the genuine Espada.

Ulquiorra crouched halfway to the ground and pulled a dagger with a white hilt and a black blade from his clothes. As he plunged it into the ground, it formed some sort of connection with the stone pillars scattered everywhere. The widely separated pillars seemed to vibrate in unison.

"What is this?" Grimmjow asked impatiently.

"Everyone, pour your Reiatsu into it," Ulquiorra instructed, a faint emerald-green light flowing across the surface of his body. "Then, open a Garganta."

Grass-green, black-purple, cyan-blue—lights of various colors spilled from the different individuals and converged on the dagger in the center, gradually dyeing its pristine white hilt black.

"The coordinates?"

Szayelaporro was the last to crouch down, his golden eyes seemingly dyed purple by his own Reiatsu.

"Along the direction of the street, spanning half of Karakura Town!"

The entire hilt had been completely dyed black. Under the terrifying Reiatsu of the seven Espada, it suddenly disintegrated, transforming the pristine street beneath their feet into a conduit flowing with black blood.