Situation Is Not Right, Requesting Support

The Thirteenth Division's Third Seat, Shiba Kaien, certainly didn't look happy.

His gaze swept over the two Onmyoji corpses on the ground, then lingered on the foul spirit particles left behind after the Hollows had dissipated.

He noticed that the souls of those two individuals hadn't appeared as they normally would in a natural death.

Clearly, they had been completely devoured by the Hollow just now, with no chance to even enter the cycle.

He didn't offer any direct opinions or accusations regarding Yan Si's "late arrival" leading to the deaths of the humans.

He simply shifted his gaze from the corpses to Yan Si.

"Fifth Seat Yan Si," Shiba Kaien began, his tone serious.

"When we Shinigami descend to the Human World, our duty isn't solely to perform Soul Bur

Yan Si's heart sank.

Ever since the battle began, he had vaguely felt that the black crescent moons in the sky were a bit jarring. Now, recalling and observing carefully, one fact became clear.

A considerable amount of time had passed since they arrived on the battlefield, and those dozen or so black cracks in the sky had never truly disappeared!

Even if one or two occasionally looked like they were closing, they would quickly be reopened by new Hollows, or stabilize on their own, maintaining that peculiar state of being almost closed.

They were like a dozen unhealing wounds, stubbornly embedded in the sky of the Human World, spewing out monsters endlessly.

Something was wrong! This was absolutely not normal!

Yan Si immediately stopped the Soul Burial he was performing and, with a few flashes of movement, arrived beside Ashido, who was not far away.

"Lieutenant Ashido," he said directly, speaking a little faster, "I've discovered an anomaly."

Ashido, who had just flicked away a Hollow's mask with the tip of his sword, paused his wrist at the words and turned his head to look at him.

Yan Si pointed to the sky: "These cracks haven't truly closed since we arrived.

The frequency and number of Hollows appearing also far exceed the range that could be attracted by normal soul aggregation.

New souls are rarely generated now, but the outflow of Hollows shows no sign of slowing down. This is abnormal."

Ashido followed his finger and looked up at the dozen or so high-hanging black crescent moons.

His brow furrowed, and his eyes quickly flashed with memories and comparisons.

As a Lieutenant of the Eleventh Division, experienced in fighting Hollows for years, he was intimately familiar with their habits and patterns of appearance.

It was just that he had been too busy fighting and commanding earlier to pay special attention to the "background" of the sky.

Now, with Yan Si's reminder, he immediately realized the problem.

"You're right," Ashido's voice was lower than usual, carrying a clear solemnity.

"Normally, the temporary dimensional rifts opened by Hollows close quickly after the Hollows pass through, due to the world's own restorative power, and their duration is very short.

I have never seen or read about a cluster of rifts maintaining a stable open state for such a long time."

His gaze swept across the battlefield, quickly locking onto the position of his Captain.

He saw Kurayashiki Kenpachi fighting with great fervor on the other side of the battlefield, a small circle of fallen Hollows already piled up around him.

Ashido's eyes were cold. He didn't rush over to inform him immediately. Kurayashiki Kenpachi, immersed in the thrill of battle, might have his rhythm disrupted, or it might be too late.

He decisively took out a delicately crafted metal box from his pocket.

He crouched down, placed the box on the relatively flat ground, and quickly pressed several raised parts on the lid.

"Click... hum..."

A faint sound of mechanisms and the hum of spirit particles activating could be heard.

The lid slid open to both sides, and the internal structure unfolded like petals, forming a miniature communicator on the ground in an instant.

Ashido knelt on one knee beside the device, his finger pressing on the input node in the center of the array. He injected his spiritual pressure and will into it, and began his report in a clear, urgent voice:

"This is Lieutenant Ashido of the Eleventh Division, calling from the Eastern Sector battlefield of the Human World! Reporting abnormal situation:

Observed a cluster of stable, unconventional spatial rifts. The frequency and quantity of Hollows emerging are severely abnormal, exceeding normal logical ranges. There are unknown interference factors or induction mechanisms at play on the battlefield.

Requesting technical analysis support, and suggesting immediate preparation of reserve forces, ready to intervene at any time!

Repeat, requesting technical and combat support!"