Village

It was precisely because the Soul Reapers stationed in the Human World from the Thirteenth Division had suffered such heavy casualties that Hollows ran rampant in many places.

And it was precisely because there were so many Hollows that the Quincies hiding in the Human World could no longer remain hidden and began stepping in to destroy them.

When Soul Reapers killed Hollows, they primarily purified the Hollows' souls.

A Hollow slain by a Soul Reaper would still have its soul reincarnate within the cycle of the world.

But the Quincy's power originated from the power used by the Spirit King to destroy the most ancient Hollow. It could utterly annihilate a Hollow's soul, completely dissolving it into the world.

Soul Reapers of the Soul Society might turn a blind eye to other matters.

But when it came to the balance necessary for the world's existence, they watched it with the utmost vigilance.

In the world of Soul Reapers, the number of souls was fixed.

At the same time, the souls in the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the Human World had to maintain an extremely delicate balance for the three worlds to remain stable.

When humans in the Human World died, most of their souls entered the Soul Society, while a small portion fell and became Hollows, entering Hueco Mundo.

Among them, the Soul Reapers of the Soul Society bore the responsibility of safeguarding the world's stability.

When the number of Hollows in Hueco Mundo exceeded the balanced limit, the Soul Reapers would have the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force stationed there slaughter Hollows and send some of their souls into reincarnation, maintaining the stability of the three worlds.

If the number of Hollows in Hueco Mundo suddenly decreased drastically, the Soul Reapers would also use certain methods to make some of the souls in the Soul Society disappear...

Of course, Ailin only knew these secrets because of his memories from Blue Star before his death.

Even in the Seireitei, the only people who truly knew these secrets were likely a limited few, such as the Five Noble Clans, Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Shunsui Kyōraku, and Jūshirō Ukitake.

The Quincies hidden in the Human World had killed Hollows, directly annihilating their souls. There was no reincarnation, nor did they go to the Soul Society, reducing the total number of souls in the entire world. The Soul Society quickly discovered this anomaly and traced it to the remnants of the Light Empire.

The troops who had come with Yoruichi this time were the Punishment Corps of the Second Division.

Under Sui-Feng's leadership, they quickly found the markers left by the intelligence unit and confirmed the direction of the remaining Quincies from the Light Empire.

Having found their target, Ailin and Jūshirō Ukitake stopped talking and led the Thirteenth Division members after them.

To Ailin's surprise, Jūshirō Ukitake showed no confusion over Shihoin Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke's departure.

Clearly, Ukitake had known about Shihoin Yoruichi's earlier departure.

"Ah, I really am still too young..."

Following behind Sui-Feng, Ailin shook his head.

This time, Yoruichi and Ukitake had probably used him as a shield.

It would be fine if nothing happened on Yoruichi's side, but if something did happen, Jūshirō Ukitake would have an excuse ready.

Yes, that was right. The excuse was that Ailin had held him up with some inconsequential questions.

He could only hope he would not get screwed over this time.

Soul Reapers possessed extraordinary powers, but perhaps to buy time for Shihoin Yoruichi and the other, the Punishment Corps led by Sui-Feng were dozens of times less efficient than when Ailin had still been in the Punishment Corps as they searched for the clues left by the intelligence unit.

The distance was only twenty li, yet Sui-Feng had the Punishment Corps lead everyone around for two full days before reaching their destination.

"Yo, you really took your time, Captain Ukitake, Captain Ailin."

At the end of the road, Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke stood there as though they had been waiting for quite some time.

"We've finished investigating. The Eighth Division's intelligence was correct—there are indeed Quincies here."

Ailin and Jūshirō Ukitake stepped forward. Beyond the muddy path lay more than thirty dilapidated thatched huts.

Fields surrounded the huts.

Most of the men and young women were working in the fields.

A few children were playing in the village as well.

Their clothing resembled that of the residents of the Rukon District in the Soul Society.

Clearly, this era was "ancient" even by Ailin's standards.

Looking at these humans, who were no different from ordinary people, Ailin frowned slightly.

"Captain Ukitake, do all these people have to be exterminated?"

Ailin had just sensed roughly two hundred and thirty people in this village.

That included more than thirty children under ten and over twenty elderly people above sixty.

Since becoming a Soul Reaper, Ailin had never raised his blade against a child.

He did not want today to be an exception.

"No. Our objective is to eliminate the Quincies of the Light Empire. Ordinary people are not within the scope of our purge."

As though he knew what Ailin wanted to say, Jūshirō Ukitake directly explained the objective of this mission.

"Is that so? Then how do we determine which of these people are Quincies?"

Quincies were experts at manipulating spirit particles.

For powerful Quincies, concealing their spiritual pressure was a basic ability.

Moreover, Quincies excelled at manipulating spirit particles into arrows to attack their enemies. Even with low spiritual pressure, they could possess formidable offensive power.

Unless they actively released their spiritual pressure, Soul Reapers could not distinguish Quincies from ordinary people.

"That is simple."

Before Jūshirō Ukitake could answer Ailin, Urahara Kisuke, standing beside Yoruichi, spoke up and drew everyone's attention.

Urahara Kisuke took a small glass bottle from his robes. It was half-filled with liquid, which sloshed about as he moved his wrist.

"I discovered this by chance. Once it comes into contact with the air, it releases an aura similar to that of a human soul."

With that, Urahara Kisuke pulled out the small glass bottle's stopper and tossed it toward the village below.

The bottle spun through the air, and white liquid spilled from its mouth, rapidly evaporating into the air.

"This little bottle of medicine gives off an odor equivalent to the soul aura of about a thousand humans."

"I imagine that with so many soul auras gathered here, the Hollows in Hueco Mundo will soon be drawn here."

"Then, whoever attacks the Hollows will be the targets we need to erase this time."

Ailin noticed that when Urahara Kisuke said the word "erase," Yoruichi showed no reaction whatsoever.

Something Ailin did not know must have happened here, giving Yoruichi convictions of her own.

To avoid alerting the Quincies in the village, Ailin's group withdrew into the forest and merely observed the village from afar.

"Roaaar—"

Ailin's group did not have to wait long. Less than ten minutes after the medicine Urahara Kisuke had thrown evaporated, the roar of a Hollow reached their ears.

In the sky above the village, visible only to those with spiritual pressure, black rifts began appearing one after another.