Post-Battle Report

After receiving Liu Hao's report, Kaien Shiba immediately set off for the scene of the battle. When he crossed several blocks and arrived at the area affected by the battle, the sight before him made him gasp in shock.

The streets were littered with the marks of battle—huge craters, charred burn marks, shattered building remains, and several areas of radiation damage clearly caused by Cero attack. The pale moonlight bathed the devastation, creating an eerie post-war scene.

"Although the battle didn't last long, the intensity of it was..." Shiba Kaien muttered to himself. He could feel the residual spiritual pressure fluctuations in the air—the spiritual pressure of the Shinigami and the violent aura of the Hollows intertwined, forming a complex energy spectrum.

Just then, a dozen figures dressed in Shihakushō descended from the sky, landing around Kaien Shiba. These Soul Reaper were clearly drawn by the fluctuations of the battle, and when they saw that the person in front of them was Kaien Shiba, they immediately bowed respectfully.

"Vice-Captain Shiba, hello, what are you doing here?" The one leading the group was a somewhat elderly Soul Reaper, whose eyes scanned the surroundings warily.

Kaien Shiba remained calm and smiled as he said, "I came to the World of the Living on a mission. I sensed a battle between Menos Grande here, so I came. And who are you?"

"We came here after receiving information about the appearance of Menos Grande," the Soul Reaper the team replied, his gaze sweeping over the battle scars around them. "Vice-Captain Shiba, did you deal with the Menos Grande here?"

Kaien Shiba shook his head. "No, the battle was already over when I arrived."

"I see," the Soul Reaper Captain said thoughtfully. "This place is very close to the Quincy families; it's possible they were behind it. It seems we need to investigate."

This made Kaien Shiba frown slightly. He noticed a sense of self-assured suspicion in the other's tone, as if he had already concluded that the Quincy were involved in the matter.

"Who ordered you to come here?" Kaien Shiba's voice turned somewhat cold.

"We haven't received any specific orders," the Soul Reaper Captain replied, a hint of unease in his voice. "We're just a team responsible for monitoring Quincy in the World of the Living; if we notice anything unusual, we'll naturally come to investigate."

Shiba Kaien looked at him coldly. "In that case, obey my orders and do not disturb the Quincy. The battle traces here are clearly caused by the spiritual pressure of the Shinigami. Do not find a reason to target the Quincy. The battle between the Shinigami and the Quincy is over. Do not provoke further conflict."

A tense atmosphere suddenly filled the air. Kaien Shiba began to emanate a powerful Reiatsu. Although it wasn't fully released, the subtle oppressive feeling already made the Soul Reaper present uneasy.

The Soul Reaper the team changed his expression; he could sense the warning in Kaien Shiba's words. As the Vice-Captain of the Thirteenth Division, Kaien Shiba held a high position in the Seireitei, and his strength was undeniable.

"This..." The leader of the Soul Reaper hesitated for a moment, then finally gave in, "Alright, then we'll retreat first."

He waved his hand, signaling his men to leave. A dozen or so Soul Reaper quickly vanished into the night, leaving only Kaien Shiba standing alone in the center of the ruins.

Kaien Shiba watched them leave, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes. He knew that Seireitei Quincy had never truly ceased. Although the war on the surface had ended, prejudice and suspicion remained.

He looked around, carefully sensing the remaining Reiatsu. Liu Hao was indeed very cautious; the Reiatsu he left behind was completely unfamiliar and had no distinguishing features. Even those who knew him best could not confirm his identity through these traces.

"It's been handled very cleanly," Kaien Shiba commented in a low voice, "But is this really enough?"

In the courtyard of the Ishida Family, Liu Hao chatted with Ryūken Ishida and Sōken Ishida for a while about the details of the battle before returning to his room. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see the Imperial Princess sitting on the bed, smiling at him.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating her and making her look like a fairy under the moon. But Liu Hao knew that this "fairy" was actually the materialization of his Zanpakuto.

"How am I supposed to rest with you taking up my bed like this?" Liu Hao said helplessly, pulling over a chair from the corner of the room to sit down.

The Imperial Princess's smile widened, "I just wanted to talk to you."

Liu Hao raised an eyebrow. "Why do you suddenly want to chat with me? Don't you already know about my situation?"

"After you completed your Bankai, I could no longer freely read your thoughts." The Imperial Princess's tone carried a hint of helplessness.

These words stunned Liu Hao: "What does that mean?"

"I am merely a part of your power; you are the master," the Imperial Princess explained. "If there's something you don't want me to know, then naturally I won't know, and that's perfectly normal."

Liu Hao's expression turned serious. "Does that mean we're no longer on the same page?"

"No, that's not it," the Imperial Princess shook her head, "It just proves that you have completely mastered your power, so you can selectively let us know your thoughts. After all, we are merely your power, not the ones who control you."

Liu Hao breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. I thought we weren't on the same page anymore. So what do you want to ask me?"

The Imperial Princess's expression turned serious. "You were clearly holding back in your fight just now. Who were you guarding against? I want to know who our enemy is."

Liu Hao suddenly realized. "Oh, that's it. Those Menos Grande were clearly being manipulated by someone behind the scenes. It wouldn't be difficult to deal with them; in fact, with my strength just now, I could have taken them down with a single blow—after all, those Menos Grande weren't even Gillian. But I need to consider who's behind them. I can't leak my information, which is why I further suppressed my power and couldn't use any techniques that would clearly reveal their identities."

"Then do you know who the enemy is?" the Imperial Princess pressed.

Liu Hao shrugged and smiled, saying, "He shouldn't be considered an enemy. I suspect it's likely Mayuri Kurotsuchi. But who knows if Aizen might have stolen his information?"

"I see," the Imperial Princess said thoughtfully. "I understand. You're afraid that your intervention will draw Aizen's attention to the Ishida Family, aren't you?"

Liu Hao nodded. "Yes. That would cause innocent casualties, which is unnecessary."

After Liu Hao finished explaining, the Imperial Princess's figure gradually became transparent and eventually disappeared completely into the air, returning to the Imperial Sword. Liu Hao smiled as he looked at the Imperial Sword placed beside the bed, then carefully arranged it before lying down to rest.

The moonlight outside the window grew brighter, and the chirping of insects rose and fell in the courtyard. But on this seemingly peaceful night, various forces were acting for their own purposes.

After cleaning up the scene, Kaien Shiba opened the Senkaimon and returned to Soul Society. Instead of going back to his own barracks, he went directly to the First Division Barracks, where Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's office was located.

When he arrived at the First Division, he found Jūshirō Ukitake and Retsu Unohana there as well. The three seemed to be discussing something, but stopped talking when they saw Kaien Shiba enter.

"Captain-Commander, Captain Ukitake, Captain Unohana." Kaien Shiba bowed respectfully.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto nodded. "Vice-Captain Shiba, report on the situation."

Kaien Shiba began to describe in detail what he had witnessed in the World of the Living: "This time, four Menos Grande appeared, as well as several ordinary Hollows, but they were all killed. The surrounding environment was somewhat damaged, but it was all within a controllable range."

Jūshirō Ukitake spoke gently, "According to the report from the on-site investigators, you prevented them from investigating the Quincy family?"

"Yes," Kaien Shiba answered frankly, "Judging from the battle traces at the scene, it was clearly a fight between Soul Reaper and Hollows. I felt it was unnecessary for them to investigate the Quincy. After all, the battle with the Quincy is over, and to avoid further conflict, I told them not to harass the Quincy."

Jūshirō Ukitake turned to Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto: "Captain-Commander, I think Kaien handled this matter very well."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto responded with a soft "Hmm." His fingers tapped lightly on the table, as if he were deep in thought. After a moment, he continued, "We certainly don't need to disturb the Quincy in the present World of the Living too much. So, do you know who dealt with those Hollows?"

This question made Kaien Shiba's heart tighten. He knew who the Captain-Commander was asking about, but he couldn't directly say Liu Hao's name. This was not only to protect Liu Hao, but also because the situation within the Seireitei was complex, and he couldn't be sure that everyone present was trustworthy.

"Well... I'm not entirely sure," Kaien Shiba stammered, avoiding Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's sharp gaze.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto gave him a deep look, but didn't press further, simply waving his hand. "Alright, you can go now."

"Yes." Kaien Shiba bowed, turned and left the First Division Barracks.

After he left, the atmosphere in the meeting room became somewhat awkward. Retsu Unohana chuckled softly, "It seems our Vice-Captain doesn't quite trust us."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's expression remained unchanged; he simply said, "It doesn't matter. After all, he doesn't know what Liu Hao told us. Can you confirm it was him?"

Retsu Unohana nodded. "According to the on-site surveyors' report, although the Reiatsu is unfamiliar, it is undoubtedly Liu Hao. He must have altered his Reiatsu through special means."

"Liu Hao?" Jūshirō Ukitake asked in surprise, "What's going on?"

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto looked at his disciple and slowly said, "Liu Hao's situation is somewhat special. For now, only Captain Unohana and I know about it. You don't need to ask too many questions. Just know that we have enemies within our ranks, which is why Kaien Shiba has been hesitant to say it openly."

Jūshirō Ukitake's expression turned serious. As one of the more senior Captains of the Gotei 13, he knew all too well that the Seireitei was not a monolithic entity.

"I see, I understand now," Jūshirō Ukitake finally said.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto nodded. "Alright, that's settled then. Captain Kurotsuchi should be here soon too."

Retsu Unohana and Jūshirō Ukitake exchanged a glance, both understanding the Captain-Commander's meaning. After bowing, they left the conference room, leaving Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto alone behind the huge desk.

Silence returned to the meeting room, broken only by the soft crackling of the burning candles. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto closed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought. After about fifteen minutes, footsteps sounded outside the door.

The door was opened, and a figure walked in. The person had purple lips and strange makeup, and was wearing the Captain's Haori of the Twelfth Division; it was none other than Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, what brings you here?" Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi tilted her head and said in an almost neurotic tone, "Captain-Commander, I've heard about the Hollow Group attack in the World of the Living. As the head of the Research and Development Institute, I feel it's necessary to investigate."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto tapped his fingers on the table again. "Investigation? What do you want to investigate?"

"Of course, we need to investigate the origins and characteristics of those Hollows," Mayuri Kurotsuchi said with a hint of fervor. "According to preliminary reports, their behavior patterns are abnormal, organized, and disciplined. This is a very rare case and deserves in-depth investigation."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto did not respond immediately, but instead carefully observed Mayuri Kurotsuchi. This Captain of the Twelfth Division had always been an unpredictable figure, and his behavior often exceeded the comprehension of ordinary people.

"Those voids have been destroyed," Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto finally said. "No valuable samples were left at the scene."