Chapter 61

The cold, damp alleyways of the slum reeked of decay.

Three menacing-looking grim reapers, carrying the coordinate map and equipment sent by Kaname Tōsen, descended upon this lawless land like three vultures that had caught the scent of blood.

"It's around here. The directions you gave me, sir, are accurate. Look, the mission objective is right there."

One of the leading Grim Reapers looked at the girl huddled under the dilapidated eaves not far away, on the verge of death from days of hunger, and a cruel glint flashed in his eyes.

The three of them made no attempt to conceal their intentions and strode over.

The girl, who was already extremely weak, struggled to lift her head upon hearing footsteps.

When she saw the three men in black who exuded a menacing aura, a look of fear flashed in her eyes. Out of the instinct for survival, she tried to struggle and crawl backward.

But what chance does a little girl on the verge of starvation have against three death gods who wield spiritual power?

"Behave yourself, kid!"

A grim sneered, stepped forward, and roughly grabbed the girl's long golden hair like a chick, lifting her up abruptly.

The girl let out a weak scream from the excruciating pain, but the Grim Reaper showed no mercy, pressing her heavily onto a muddy stone slab beside him.

"Stop dawdling, hurry up and set up the equipment to extract what the adults need! I don't want to stay in this awful place for another second!" Scarface Death urged.

The other Grim Reaper immediately took out the specially made "Reishi Extractor" from his pocket.

As spiritual energy was injected, the instrument emitted a low, piercing beep, and several sharp Reishi probes popped out, emitting a cold blue light.

As the sharp probe drew ever closer, the girl's grey-blue eyes filled with a deathly despair.

Now she didn't even have the strength to call for help; she could only feel the chilling aura of death slowly engulfing her.

Everything was proceeding perfectly according to Aizen's predicted script.

Pity.

Even the Sōsuke Aizen could never have foreseen that at this critical moment, an unexpected variable would occur!

Whether it was the will of the Soul King or not, at this moment, in the wilderness just a few blocks away from the slum alleys...

Shihoin Genshin was wearing a large white Captain's Haori, his hands tucked into his sleeves, a blade of grass he had casually broken off from the roadside dangling from his mouth, and his face clearly showed his boredom.

Behind him followed a group of people dressed in brand-new Shinigami uniforms, their faces bearing the excitement typical of 'newcomers'.

Normally, such routine patrols on the outskirts of Rukongai would never be something that the captain of a squad would personally handle.

However, since the 11th Division recently recruited a large number of overly enthusiastic new recruits, and in order to enhance the sense of belonging of these new recruits to the Division, Xuanxin reluctantly agreed to "personally lead the expedition" after the vice-captain's sincere advice and persistent pleading. He brought these new recruits to the outskirts of Rukongai to keep watch and also to clear out a few low-level Hollows wandering around.

"Ugh... this is so boring. I wonder what Yoruichi is doing right now?"

Xuanxin yawned, spat out the grass stalk in his mouth, and was about to order the new recruits to return the way they came, ending this boring outing.

Just when Xuanxin was feeling utterly bored...

His senses, sharp as a wild animal's, suddenly twitched slightly!

From the direction of the slums, less than two kilometers away from them, three waves of deathly Reiatsu suddenly emanated! Moreover, among these three waves was a weak yet exceptionally conspicuous Reishi wave!

"Um?"

Xuanxin abruptly stopped, and a sharp glint flashed in his previously languid eyes.

"In this desolate wilderness, the sudden appearance of three furtive Grim Reapers doesn't seem like they're up to any legitimate business."

Xuanxin's "Kenpachi" intuition told him that something was definitely happening ahead!

"You all stay here and maintain the defensive formation. Don't wander off. Wait for my message."

Xuanxin gave orders to the new recruits behind him without turning his head, and then his figure blurred instantly.

"Whoosh--!"

With a soft sonic boom, Xuanxin immediately used Shunpo, heading straight for the location of the three Reiatsu!

In the alleyways of the slums at this moment.

The probe of the Reishi Extractor was already pressed against the blonde girl's chest. Just half an inch lower, and the piercing blue light would slice right through her soul.

The girl closed her eyes in despair.

However, just as the Grim Reaper was about to press the start button!

"Boom--!"

A powerful Reiatsu, almost tangible, crashed into the narrow alley like a falling meteorite!

The violent Reiatsu storm directly ripped the surrounding dilapidated buildings to smithereens! Mud and debris swirled wildly in the air!

Who goes there?!

When they struggled to lift their heads and looked through the swirling dust at the figure slowly walking into the alleyway, their pupils shrank to pinpoints in that instant!

With her flamboyant long silver-white hair and a striking white Captain's Haori, she directly told the three of them the answer.

"The captain of the 11th Division... the captain of the Shihoin Genshin?!!" The scarred-faced Shinigami let out a bloodcurdling scream, as if he had seen a ghost!

Despair!

An unprecedented despair instantly engulfed these three people!

They simply couldn't understand why, on a secret theft mission in this godforsaken place, they would unexpectedly run into the most terrifying killer of the Seireitei!

"In broad daylight, three Grim Reapers are hiding in this stinking ditch, abusing a little girl who's about to starve to death? And look at that weird thing you're holding... it seems like you're performing some kind of shady ritual."

Xuanxin crossed his arms and looked down at the three trembling Grim Reapers, his voice as cold as the Siberia wind:

"Who gave you the audacity?"

"Run!!"

Faced with a Captain-level expert of unfathomable strength, the three of them didn't even have the courage to draw their swords and fight back.

The leader of the Grim Reapers roared decisively, and the three of them immediately released the girl on the ground and unleashed their fastest Shunpo in three different directions, attempting to escape for their lives!

Clearly, they had underestimated Xuanxin's abilities. Xuanxin watched the three flee like stray dogs, a cold, disdainful smirk playing on his lips.

"Whoosh!"

Xuanxin didn't even draw his Zanpakuto; his figure flashed three times in mid-air like a white lightning bolt!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Accompanied by three dull thuds of flesh colliding.

The three Grim Reapers, who had just escaped less than a hundred meters away, were sent flying back like flies being swatted, crashing heavily at Xuanxin's feet like three dead dogs, completely incapacitated.

Xuanxin dusted off his hands, walked up to the Grim Reaper who looked like the leader, and stepped on his chest.

"Speak! Who are you working for? Who sent you to this place to perform this bizarre ritual on a girl?"

However.

To Xuanxin's surprise, despite the fear in their eyes when faced with his terrifying pressure, a resolute glint flashed in their eyes after they exchanged a glance!

"Click."

A faint cracking sound rang out simultaneously in the mouths of the three men. Without any hesitation, they bit down and crushed the highly poisonous capsules that had been hidden in their back teeth!

"Not good!"

Xuanxin noticed something was wrong and immediately reached out to pinch the three men's chins, but it was too late.

In less than two seconds, the faces of the three Grim Reapers turned ashen, their pupils dilated, and black, poisonous blood spilled from the corners of their mouths.

They actually committed suicide!

Looking at the three corpses at his feet that were rapidly cooling down, Xuanxin frowned, his expression turning somewhat grim.

I was careless.

Clearly, his long service in the 11th Division had made him accustomed to the straightforward nature of combat, causing a significant decline in his vigilance when it came to the delicate task of interrogation.

"Captain! Are you alright?!"

Just then, the new recruits who had been waiting in place finally arrived, panting, following the trail of the burst of Reiatsu.

Upon hearing this, Xuanxin composed himself and pointed to the several completely cold corpses on the ground, saying:

"What could possibly be wrong with me? Search them and see if there are any clues on them."

"Yes!"

The team members immediately stepped forward and carefully searched the three bodies, which had not yet completely dissipated, in the mud and water.

However, nothing was found.

These three people had no squad badges or identification documents; they were as clean as blank sheets of paper.

"Captain, we found nothing on the body. However, we found this thing nearby."

As he spoke, the team member carefully handed the "Reishi Extractor" that he had picked up from the mud to Xuanxin.

Xuanxin took the strangely shaped instrument and examined it from top to bottom with a furrowed brow. Suddenly, his gaze froze on an inconspicuous corner at the bottom of the device.

There, a clan emblem, though small, was secretly engraved, one that Xuanxin would never mistake!

"Tsunayashiro Clan?"

Upon seeing the symbol representing the head of the Five Great Noble Clans, Xuanxin's eyes instantly became incredibly deep.

"These insects confined to the main house... it seems they haven't all died out. They actually dare to conduct such shady experiments in Rukongai?"

Clearly, Aizen's ingenious tactic of diverting trouble to the east had come into play at this moment.

Xuanxin subconsciously connected this incident with the Xuanxin Tsunayashiro Clan, which he already considered to have a notorious reputation.

"Seal this instrument and take it back to Captain Urahara for analysis." Xuanxin tossed the extractor to his adjutant.

Then, he turned around, wading through the muddy puddles, and slowly walked towards the girl who had collapsed under the eaves.

At this moment, although Rangiku Matsumoto had not been cut by the extractor, the successive and intense Reiatsu shocks had pushed her, who was already on the verge of starvation, to her physical limit.

She felt her consciousness gradually fading away, and her vision becoming increasingly blurry.

Just as she was about to completely sink into the boundless darkness, she slightly opened her gray-blue eyes and, through the misty, cold rain, vaguely saw...

A tall, imposing figure stood before her, shielding her from the cold rain, like a god.

It was a head of long, silver-white hair that looked out of place in the dark slums, and a Captain's Haori that fluttered in the wind.

Although the person's face was not clearly visible, the image was etched into the deepest part of the girl's soul like a branding iron, indelibly and irrevocably.

Chapter 61

Shortly after Xuanxin left with the unconscious girl, a thin figure hurriedly ran back to the dilapidated alley.

A boy with short silver hair and a similarly thin face ran over.