"Has there been no progress on the investigation into the anomalies within Seireitei?"
Atop the First Division's headquarters, which resembled a temple suspended in the air, Captain Commander Yamamoto gazed out over the anomalies occurring within Seireitei. A hint of unprecedented killing intent shone in his aged eyes.
"We haven't determined the exact situation yet. The only thing we can confirm is..."
Behind him, Akon's expression was tinged with nervousness. Normally, he could remain calm even when facing his own captain, but standing before the Captain Commander... still made him feel somewhat tense.
"The source of the anomaly currently occurring within Seireitei is most likely the Quincy. However, the person who caused this anomaly to manifest is Boss Duan Mu of Yorozuya."
Once the anomaly had appeared, the Technical Development Bureau immediately reported the situation concerning the "mass destruction of Hollows causing an imbalance," as well as the fact that Duan Mu had gone to resolve it.
Although Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri had initially intended to suppress the news and make adjustments in secret before reporting it, no one had expected that... Duan Mu's trip there would make the situation so serious.
Of course, he wasn't blaming Duan Mu.
All the signs had already shown that the anomaly in Seireitei had existed for a very, very long time. Boss Duan Mu had merely caused it to manifest ahead of schedule. For Seireitei, this was undoubtedly a good thing, giving them time to respond.
However, the first to react to this disturbance had instead been Central 46.
It was as if they had been prepared in advance. After the anomaly appeared in Seireitei, before the Gotei 13 even knew what had happened, Central 46 immediately issued an order to evacuate the residents through the secret communication passage. They had even opened the