In the 65th ward of South Rukongai, Byakuya and several minor noble Soul Reaper loyal to the Kuchiki Clan were stationed there for three months, which could be considered one of their training missions.
With his abilities, completing this small task would be no problem at all, but unfortunately, he performed exceptionally well last time, which Zero noticed.
"Shigure, go buy a house. We'll stay here for a while."
"Yes."
Byakuya Kuchiki gave an order to one of his four henchmen, who agreed to immediately use Shunpo to leave. Their small team consisted of five people.
Apart from Byakuya, everyone else was dressed in flamboyant attire, with symbols of nobility on their bodies.
For a border region, this town is not small, with at least Yachiru souls living here. Its commercial development is very low and chaotic, with frequent gang fights and brawls.
The environment here is quite nice; a river flows through the left side of the town, although the surrounding farmland remains as abandoned as ever.
However, some people planted fruit trees on the hillside so that hungry people in the town could pick the fruit, and the river next to it was suitable for fishing, Reiryoku awakeners did not face much survival pressure.
Shigure returned quickly after searching for a place to stay. He led Byakuya and the others towards their temporary encampment. Shigure had bought the house from a few delinquent youths who were local thugs or similar figures.
They saw several people dressed as Soul Reapers, each answering Shigure's questions, including about the recent Hollow attacks on the town...
This is a dilapidated courtyard. More than a dozen buildings around it have been destroyed, as if a battle had taken place. The courtyard itself is also somewhat damaged, but it can still be inhabited for a short period of time.
Although it might not be in line with their noble status, it is the most suitable place for them during their missions. After all, this place is a bit remote, making it less likely for them to be discovered by those with ulterior motives, and in case of emergencies, it will not involve the ordinary Pluses in the vicinity.
"According to the information provided by those young men, less than half a month after the rotating Soul Reaper left, several Hollows have been appearing here in groups every two to three days, which matches the report from the Research and Development Institute."
Shigure respectfully reported to Byakuya that they were not only Kuchiki's Vassal, but also members of the Sixth Division, whose status was below Byakuya's.
"Let's rest for the night and search for the Void first thing tomorrow morning; they might even come tonight..."
After giving an order, Byakuya left the temporary base alone without anyone following him.
Walking along the riverbank, Byakuya saw claw marks and giant handprints on the ruins, deducing that the area had been attacked by Hollows, causing few people to dare to live there.
"Oh! Kuna, give me back my konpeito. My older sister gave it to me."
"Haha, Nobuta, it's time you grew up. Stop bringing up your older sister for everything!"
"That's right, that's right..."
Just when Byakuya thought there was no one there, laughter and cheerful voices came from a courtyard that was twice as dilapidated as their temporary residence. It was clearly a group of children.
"Kuna, shouldn't you be the one who needs to grow up? Always trying to steal other people's things, really."
A mature and gentle female voice came from inside the courtyard, silencing the group of unruly children. The children's voices also quieted down, indicating that the owner of the voice had resolved the situation.
'Is there really a reconstituted family of Pluses in such a remote place? It would be safer to go to town!' Byakuya thought to himself.
Having entered the dilapidated courtyard, Byakuya was unable to see what was inside. He suppressed his Reiatsu and walked over, only to find a woman standing in front of him, warning him with her eyes not to come closer.
Around the corner behind the woman, seven children, both boys and girls, were peering out, curious as to why the older woman had suddenly run out.
The woman was dressed in a clean kimono, with short hair reaching her shoulders. She possessed a gentle and reserved elegance, and her large, Water Spirit eyes were now focused. Upon closer inspection, one could see a dagger at her waist.
Seeing this, Byakuya remained unmoved, thinking to himself: 'With such a frail body, what good would a dagger do?'
To be honest, the woman's threat didn't frighten Byakuya at all. He simply paused for a moment because it was the first time he had seen a woman in Rukongai with such an aura that rivaled that of the Seireitei nobility.
Due to his status, there weren't many women in the Seireitei who could look Byakuya in the eye directly, and the woman Byakuya interacted with most often was probably Yoruichi was of similar status.
'Compared to the cat demon's unrestrained nature, her gentleness is what a normal woman should be like!' Byakuya was slightly taken aback, and in his heart, he compared this woman to Yoruichi...
"Don't be nervous. I'm the Soul Reaper in charge of this area. I won't harm you. I have something I'd like to ask you. Why don't you stay in the town center? It's more dangerous here." Out of politeness, Byakuya took the initiative to speak.
His voice was less indifferent, a well-intentioned reminder, but his tone still carried the haughty arrogance of Great Noble.
When the two looked at each other, Hisana could tell from Byakuya's attire that the man before her was not only Soul Reaper, but also a nobleman.
She was also taken aback by Byakuya's aura and demeanor. Unlike the vulgarity of the Rukongai riche and gang leaders in Rukongai, this man possessed an innate pride.
'Nobles are nobles, they have no idea about the darkness of Rukongai!'
Hisana was pulled back to reality by Byakuya's question. After a sigh, she replied, "If we could go, we would have gone long ago. It's just that the people there are ganging up on the children..."
Hisana hesitated, saying that what she called 'rejection' was actually about having some elderly, weak, women and children live on the outskirts of the village, so that when Xu came, he would devour them first.
After consuming enough souls, the Ragged Hollows will temporarily leave, returning once it has digested the remaining souls and its power has increased. During this time, it will not attack anyone within the village or town...
In this way, the rejecters can survive the vacuum period when Soul Reaper arrives, and they won't be the ones eaten by the Hollows.
This isn't just the case here; it's the same in many places. There are very few thugs like Zero who aren't Soul Reaper but can still confront Hollows directly. Therefore, when the Gotei 13 recruits, they also look at the courage of Shin'ō graduates.
"Rejection? I understand..."
Byakuya was very clever; he understood without Hisana explaining it to him in detail. However, he didn't harbor any resentment towards those thugs; it was just a means for them to survive.
Not good at flirting, Byakuya turned and left. He wasn't suited to stay close to this girl with weak Reiryoku for long; if he lost control of his Reiatsu, it could harm her.
Moreover, given the current situation, as Soul Reaper, he couldn't interfere in the struggle for survival among the Pluses. All he could do was fulfill his duty and clear away the void in the vicinity...
The following day, Byakuya's squad cleared the forests and caves outside the town, where dozens of Ragged Hollows of varying sizes were hiding.
Over the next few days, Byakuya and his group used their base as the center to conduct a sweeping operation across the entire South 65th District. Except for a few Ragged Hollows with special escape abilities, they basically cleared everything out.
Next, they only need to stay here for a while to ensure safety before they can go back and report.
A night breeze swept by, and Byakuya awoke from his dream. He had dreamt of his grandfather's death and the decline of the Kuchiki Clan under his rule... This made Byakuya clench his fists and secretly vow: none of this will, and cannot, happen.
"Enemies! Ugh!!"
A roar came from the Vassal and teammate on lookout duty, followed by screams and the sound of objects crashing together. Byakuya grabbed his Zanpakuto out.
Vassal named Tsukawa Yuzuru was found lying in a corner, his chest gaping open, his eyes beginning to glaze over.
Byakuya remained expressionless, but his aura was icy. The death of his Vassal had filled him with rage, but he had simply learned to control his emotions.
Byakuya rushed forward with a Shunpo, his Zanpakuto at the attacking Menos Grande, but it was dodged by the Hollow's Sonído. This guy was Sharp-level Adjuchas with superior combat power.
"Trying to hit me, Tain'geru? You're too slow! According to the latest rankings within the Arrancar Army, I'm Sharp-level Adjuchas!"
The humanoid, hunched-over Tain'geru scoffed, his hands transforming into two sharp iron whips that lashed out at Byakuya. The attack was fierce, and Byakuya engaged him in a fierce battle...
"This Reiatsu is... Menos Grande?"
"There's a weakness there too."
On the other side, the remaining three Vassal, though a little slower, were also ready for battle. Not far away, there happened to be some Ragged Hollows chasing a few children, and they rushed over to stop Ragged Hollows.
"My Soul Reaper, please hurry and save Hisana! She and Nobuta are still in the house."
Instead of feeling joy after being rescued, the little brat cried and begged Byakuya's Vassal to continue their efforts.
"I'll go save him. You all stay here and help Lord Byakuya."
Shigure finished speaking, she Shunpo to rush over. In the dilapidated courtyard where Hisana was, the Hollow's Reiatsu quickly disappeared, Shigure succeeded.
He led Hisana and a child out of the courtyard. Originally, there were four children who escaped, and now with one more, there were only five. The remaining two... were swallowed whole.
This brat named Nobuta was only saved by Hisana using a dagger to slash the Ragged Hollows...
Byakuya pulled away from Tain'geru, glanced at his three Vassal, and his eyes seemed to hint at something. The three subordinates immediately led the six of them away quickly.
Shigure began using the latest technology created by the Research and Development Institute to contact Headquarters and request support, while one of them went to the town to carry out evacuation.
At this point, they didn't care whether it would cause panic; the priority was to get the Pluses away from the battle. What Byakuya had meant earlier was that ordinary people would be caught in the crossfire if they didn't leave.
"Heh heh, afraid those ants will get dragged into our battle? Don't worry, I'm just here to kill you. Following orders, taking your corpse back will make me Arrancar, heh heh heh."
After laughing heartily, Tain'geru suddenly turned serious. Sonído and approached Byakuya, saying in a deep voice, "Die! Heavenly Maiden Flying Flower Funeral!"
The four protrusions on its back turned red, and then it threw four red Reiatsu balls into the sky. The Reiatsu balls then exploded, and each of them broke into more than a dozen smaller balls that fell down like hail.
Unlike other types of hailstones, these red ones explode upon impact without harming the caster... Bang! The dull bangs continued, and Byakuya's clothes were ripped apart as he dodged the attack.
"Not dead? Hmph, watch me... what's this?"
Tain'geru was puzzled. When he Sonído after Byakuya again, Byakuya left once more. At this moment, his waist was pierced by six yellow Kidō, rendering him unable to move.
That's not the main point, the main point is that he was surrounded by pink cherry blossom petals... The petals swirled around him, and under the Moonlight, it was so beautiful!
But as the petals spun faster, Tain'geru was startled, for a petal cut his hand... Before he could react, the petals covered him all at once.
"Ugh, no!!"
In an instant, Tain'geru went from smugness to shock, and then to terror as he was enveloped and covered by pink cherry blossom blades—his expression changed faster than an actor's.
"You'll regret coming here to kill him!"
After the battle with Tain'geru ended, Byakuya uttered these words, venting some of his grief over the death of his Vassal... Throughout the entire battle, he hadn't even looked Tain'geru in the eye, only killing him in a fit of rage.
Las Noches.
"Good, let Luppi go! Dordoni, Nel, and Nnoitra, get ready to provide backup. Let's see how many people this guy can summon to save him."
"Yes."
After giving the order, Zero kept shaking the wine glass in his hand, because Szayelaporro had obtained some information while researching the Shadow Domain, and he needed to go to the Seireitei to verify it.
Byakuya was merely a pawn in the game.