The Enemy Is in Withered Bamboo Hamlet

[Third day after the end of the operational meeting—Day 3 · Operations command room]

Intelligence poured into a large strategic intelligence conference room in the Fon Clan like an endless tide.

The room, deep within the Fon Clan grounds and usually empty, was now packed with people. The two sides were clearly divided: on the left were the Fon Clan's attendants, dressed in matching uniforms and rapidly logging the documents in their hands; on the right were members of the Onmitsukidō, clad in black combat attire, their faces expressionless, every piece of intelligence in their hands bearing a hidden weight.

Cilian stood in the center of the room, his arms folded.

Several enormous intelligence walls surrounded him.

Nearly ten years of records of people entering and leaving Bamboo Creek Plain, residents' accounts of unusual sightings, the financial records of powerful local families, intercepted secret letters, fragments of information from covert sources—all of it was pinned to the walls and connected with red string, forming an enormous web.

"In the western part of District Two, a resident witnessed unusual Reishi activity at night three years ago."

"On the outskirts of Withered Bamboo Hamlet, a merchant caravan reported hearing inhuman howls last November."

"Secret letters intercepted by the intelligence squad mentioned several suspicious matters, including the 'transfer of experimental subjects.'"

One piece of intelligence after another was brought in, pinned up, and linked with red string.

Cilian narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze moving slowly across the walls. His thoughts drifted back to the operational meeting.

[Day 1 · Fon Clan conference room]

Fon Shaoling sat at the head of the table, a thick stack of documents spread out before her.

"Cilian."

Cilian bowed slightly.

"You'll command the front line for this operation." Fon Shaoling's voice was calm, but every word carried unquestionable weight. "Starting today, establish real-time contact with Second Division headquarters. All Fon Clan attendants and stationed Onmitsukidō personnel in Bamboo Creek Plain are under your command."

Cilian raised his head.

"Whoever you want to use, however you want to use them, it's yours to decide."

Fon Shaoling looked at him, the light from outside the window reflected in her golden eyes.

"Compile all the intelligence and work with the intelligence squad to pinpoint the exact location of the enemy's Hollowfication testing grounds and identify the enemy."

Cilian fell silent for a moment, then bowed deeply.

"Yes, ma'am."

[Day 3 · Operations command room]

Cilian came out of his recollection, his gaze settling on the wall.

The point where the red strings crossed was gradually becoming clear.

"Keep going," he said. "Don't overlook a single lead."

The attendants and Onmitsukidō members answered in unison, and the room filled once more with the sound of rustling paper.

Cilian stood with his arms folded, motionless as a statue.

His eyes took in every new piece of intelligence. The enemy's past thoughts, past locations, and every past action slowly took shape in his mind.

[Day 10 · Outskirts · Rainy night]

A light drizzle fell from the night sky.

Sakiro stood beneath an old tree, watching the corpse of a Hollow disintegrating into Reishi nearby. Rain ran down her bangs, slid over her cheeks, and dripped to the ground.

Onmitsukidō members busied themselves around her, gathering remaining intelligence and recording data from the scene.

"Squad leader, that's the thirteenth one."

A deep voice came from behind her.

Sakiro did not turn around.

Over ten days of exhaustive searches, they had ferreted out the experimental subjects hiding, lurking, and fleeing in every corner of Bamboo Creek Plain. Some briefly regained their humanity after their masks were shattered and accepted their fate of dissolution after leaving a few words about their final wishes; some struggled madly until death after hearing they could not be saved; and others—

A scene from three days ago flashed through her mind.

The Hollow that could use Bala.

Though it was no match for a Menos Grande, the Bala it fired without warning had wounded two members of the squad. More frightening still, the thing had mastered Sonído—a skill only high-level Menos Grande could use.

If they hadn't set up an encirclement beforehand, if the squad hadn't developed its coordination through years of fighting...

Sakiro closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Rain dripped from her eyelashes.

She remembered that moment at the operational meeting ten days ago...

[Day 1 · Fon Clan conference room]

"Sakiro."

Sakiro raised her head.

"This time, lead my Onmitsukidō guard squad in a thorough search of Bamboo Creek Plain." Fon Shaoling's voice was steady. "See whether any experimental subjects like the one Hu encountered earlier slipped through the net."

"If there are any," Fon Shaoling paused, "don't kill them for now. Shatter their masks, release their humanity, and draw out information."

Sakiro nodded.

"Hu's ability parameters will be updated in the detection equipment shortly." Fon Shaoling tapped the table lightly. "If they meet the separation threshold, restrain them and bring them back for separation. If they don't..."

Her voice faltered.

Sakiro looked at her.

Fon Shaoling bit her lip, then raised her head.

"If they don't, do your best to hear and fulfill their final wishes, and grant them that last mercy. Executing Hollows made from ordinary Pluses who did nothing wrong is agonizing, and not everyone will accept it calmly after regaining their humanity. Shakiro, this task is agonizing and dangerous. Can I ask you and your squad to do it?"

Sakiro fell silent for a moment, then bowed deeply.

"Understood."

[Day 10 · Outskirts · Rainy night]

Sakiro opened her eyes and looked at the corpse, which had completely dissolved.

The last mercy...

She tightened her grip on the notebook in her hand. Recorded in it were the original names of those thirteen Hollows, along with the faces beneath their masks.

"Captain," an Onmitsukidō member said as he approached, "we've finished gathering intelligence. Judging from the memories this Hollow left behind, there are at least thirty experimental subjects still alive inside Withered Bamboo Hamlet. And..."

He paused.

"A considerable number of them are called 'Completed Forms.'"

Sakiro frowned slightly.

"Completed Forms?"

"Yes. They retained their consciousness after being transformed into Hollows, and they possess considerable combat power. A few have even mastered Bala and Sonído."

Sakiro was silent for a long time.

Then she turned and looked in the direction of Withered Bamboo Hamlet.

In the rainy night, the area was pitch-black, like a giant beast lying low on the ground.

"Wrap up," she said. "Put together a briefing on tonight's results and submit it to command."

The Onmitsukidō members gathered around her without a word.

Sakiro took one last look toward Withered Bamboo Hamlet, a quietly burning anger showing in her eyes. Then she turned and disappeared into the curtain of rain.

[Day 7 · Training grounds · Afternoon]

Blades flashed and crossed, and the roar of colliding Reiatsu echoed over the training grounds.

Two figures fought at a speed the naked eye could scarcely follow, blinding sparks bursting forth with every clash.

Cilian held his sword in one hand, his steps steady and every strike precise and deadly. His sword had not undergone Shikai; it was merely in the most ordinary form of a Zanpakuto. Yet the ferocity of his swordsmanship was enough to strike fear into any opponent.

Hu faced him, fighting with all his strength.

Jiku'a, in its Shikai, sent spatial slashes at him again and again from tricky angles. Beowulf's blue light gathered around Hu's fists as he combined it with Shunpo to unleash a flurry of blows. Phantom Blade flickered in and out of sight in his left hand, ready to deliver a fatal strike at any moment.

He switched between the three styles in turn.

But Cilian still kept him firmly suppressed.

"Too slow!"

Cilian's blade swept past Hu's shoulder, slicing off a strip of fabric.

Hu dodged sideways and slashed with Jiku'a in his right hand, while lightning gathered around Phantom Blade in his left—both blades came down at once.

Cilian neither dodged nor retreated. He swept his sword horizontally, breaking straight through Hu's attack.

Boom—!

Hu was sent flying backward and crashed heavily to the ground.

He struggled to get up, only to find that all the strength had been drained from his body.

Cilian walked over to him and slowly sheathed his sword.

[Day 1 · Fon Clan conference room]

"Hu!"

Fon Shaoling called out to Hu.

"Here!"

Hu looked firmly at Fon Shaoling. "What do you need me to do?"

Fon Shaoling looked at Hu's unblinking gaze, a little embarrassed. Suppressing her bashfulness, she said, "I... I need you to continue studying Kidō—Hadō, Bakudō, and Kaidō—and pass the examination as soon as possible. Then master a way to use Phantom Blade to integrate Reiatsu of different natures as soon as you can, and save all twenty-seven of them. Now that Cilian is back, supervising your Zanjutsu meditation, training you in the practical use of Phantom Blade, and improving your combat skills will still be left to him. As for your Kidō training..." Fon Shaoling blushed slightly and looked away from Hu. "If... you don't... don't mind, I can still be your Kidō teacher... What do you think?" Hu stared for a moment after hearing her, then smiled. "Then I'll be counting on your guidance again, Teacher Shaoling!" Fon Shaoling looked at Hu again. "Hmph, I'll train you more strictly than ever before, so be prepared!"

[Day 7 · Training grounds · Afternoon]

Hu lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath. Sunlight shone on his face, too bright for him to open his eyes.

There were quite a few new holes in Cilian's clothes as well.

He looked down at the holes, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"To improve your combat power this much in such a short time, you're a genius seen only once in a thousand years."

Hu grinned between breaths.

Cilian looked at him and continued, "I heard Her Highness announced yesterday that you passed the Demon Examination. It seems you weren't thinking of nothing but flirting during Her Highness's lessons either. I'm very gratified."

Hu's grin turned wry.

The Demon Examination...

He recalled the bloody mess in the Kidō Practice Room over the past few days. He didn't know which damned bastard had inspired Fon Shaoling to come up with practicing Kaidō on fish, but the entire room had ended up in shambles. The first day of training had practically been a bath in fish guts! Those fish heads, scales, innards... Hu would bet there were still a few fish heads stuck in the nooks and crannies of the Training Room, missed during cleanup.

"Not at all," he said weakly. "Yesterday, I only just managed to channel Kaidō into the fish without it dying. I barely scraped by. But—"

He paused, his wry smile deepening.

"I probably won't be able to eat any fish for a while. Ahahaha."

Cilian said nothing, simply watching him.

Hu stopped smiling, his tone growing serious.

"But now, I can finally be a source of strength for Shaoling, right..."

Cilian looked down at him.

Sunlight fell on the boy's face, illuminating the gleam in his eyes.

It was something he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Hmph!" Cilian snorted. "As you are now, you're barely good enough."

Hu froze for a moment.

Then he smiled.

He smiled like a child.

"What are you smiling at? I said barely. And let me tell you, I still haven't gotten over you making Her Highness cry. Hurry up and get back on your feet, we're continuing!"

[Day 15 · Fon Clan conference room]

Everyone gathered again.

Cilian stood before the intelligence wall, now densely covered with leads and documents. The red strings ultimately converged on one place—

Withered Bamboo Hamlet.

Fon Shaoling sat at the head of the table, her gaze sweeping over everyone present.

Cilian spoke.

"The investigation is complete. The target has been located."

He pointed to a red circle on the wall.

"The enemy's Hollowfication testing grounds and headquarters are in Withered Bamboo Hamlet. Inside are the so-called 'Completed Form experimental subjects.' The preliminary count puts them at no fewer than one hundred and three."

The room fell silent for a moment.

One hundred and three.

Not ordinary Hollows, but "Completed Forms"—the kind that retained their consciousness and could use Bala and Sonído.

"The enemy has already detected our investigation," Cilian continued. "They're gathering their forces now, preparing to resist to the bitter end."

Fon Shaoling said nothing and turned her gaze to Sakiro.

Sakiro stood and opened her records for one final confirmation.

"All experimental subjects that escaped into the Bamboo Creek Plain area outside Withered Bamboo Hamlet have been cleared out."

She paused.

"The Onmitsukidō guard squad is ready to launch a surprise attack on Withered Bamboo Hamlet."

Fon Shaoling nodded, her gaze finally settling on Hu.

Hu stood.

"Separation has been performed on all twenty-seven people, with no deaths." His voice was steady. "Ten of them were below the separation threshold, so Phantom Blade was used to integrate their Reiatsu. They still have some Hollow power and Reiatsu left in their bodies, but it won't affect their normal lives."

Fon Shaoling's eyes brightened slightly.

Not a single death.

She lowered her head and looked at the documents on the table, silent for a few seconds.

Then she stood.

Everyone stood up.

Fon Shaoling looked around, each person's face reflected in her golden eyes.

Her gaze swept over Cilian—the veteran retainer who had served the Fon Clan for four hundred years, yet stood straighter than anyone.

It swept over Sakiro—who had spent the past fifteen days searching around the clock, regardless of wind or rain, and had documented every one of the dozens of test subjects in detail.

It swept over Hu—the young man from the World of the Living who had gone from a nameless soul to where he was today in just one month.

It swept over the members of the Onmitsukidō—who stood in the shadows, yet were more loyal than anyone.

It swept over the attendants—who could not take part in a battle of this level, but had contributed to every piece of intelligence, every record, and every transmission over the past fifteen days.

Fon Shaoling took a deep breath.

"Everyone."

Her voice was quiet, but every word was clear and strong.

"Fifteen days ago, I sat here and assigned each of you a task."

"Fifteen days later, every one of you has delivered."

She walked up to the intelligence wall and looked at the dense web of red lines.

"Cilian pinpointed the enemy's location. Sakiro cleared out the threats on the perimeter. Hu rescued those twenty-seven people. The Stealth Force General Corps in Seireitei has also laid its net in the shadows."

She turned to face them.

No one spoke.

Fon Shaoling raised her voice slightly.

"That means we're no longer the ones taking hits without fighting back. It means those people hiding in the shadows, treating souls as experimental materials and lives as numbers—are finally going to pay!"

Her fists tightened slightly.

"One hundred and three 'Completed Forms.' Are they strong?"

She gave a cold laugh.

"But do they have a warrior like Cilian? A captain like Sakiro? Someone like Hu... someone so..."

She paused, her cheeks reddening slightly, but quickly recovered.

"Do they have comrades as dependable as all of you?"

She looked around.

"They're hiding in Withered Bamboo Hamlet, struggling to survive by turning innocent people into monsters. We stand here openly and honorably, relying on our trust in one another and fighting side by side!"

Her voice rose higher and higher.

"They'll pay for what happened at Sizhuzhai! We'll get justice for the innocents who were turned into Hollows! Those beasts who think they can hide in the shadows forever—"

She spoke word by word:

"We'll send them to hell ourselves!"

The room fell silent for a moment.

Then—

"Yes!"

No one knew who shouted first.

A second voice followed, then a third.

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

The shouts rose one after another, making the windows tremble.

Fon Shaoling raised her hand, and the shouting gradually died down.

She looked at them, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.

"The enemy is in Withered Bamboo Hamlet!"

Her voice was soft, but steady.

"Tomorrow night, we launch a surprise attack."

"We commit all our fighting strength."

"The first battle—"

She paused, then spoke word by word:

"Will be the decisive battle!"

"We'll wipe out every enemy in one stroke and capture the leader of Withered Bamboo Hamlet alive!"

She raised her hand.

"Stealth Force—"

Everyone snapped to attention.

"Victory is certain!"

Their thunderous shout shook the heavens.

Outside the window, the afternoon sunlight streamed in, falling on the gathered people.

Tomorrow would be the decisive battle.