Night fell over Soul Society,
and compared with the noisy, dangerous Rukongai, Soul Society was so peaceful and serene at night.
Apart from the Soul Reapers on night patrol, there wasn't a sound.
Nara Dan sat cross-legged in his Dormitory,
This was one of the few times when he wasn't training with Spiritual Power Self-Weight Armor. Instead, he used meditation in place of sleep to get some highly efficient rest.
But tonight, Nara Dan wasn't training.
He sat with his eyes open, the Dharma Blade resting across his legs, as if he were waiting for something.
Time passed slowly. When midnight came and all the Soul Reapers had fallen into quiet sleep, Nara Dan's eyes instead gleamed brightly, showing not the slightest trace of drowsiness.
That was because tonight, Nara Dan had something important to do.
"It's about time..."
"Time to hit the road."
Nara Dan slowly rose to his feet, Dharma Blade in hand.
And by "hit the road," he didn't mean that he was going to die. He meant it literally.
"Hueco Mundo."
Yesterday, Nara Dan had sensed that the presence of his Flying Thunder God Mark had suddenly grown much fainter.
He immediately understood that the task he'd entrusted to Gin Ichimaru had been completed.
Gin Ichimaru had placed the stone engraved with the Flying Thunder God Mark somewhere in Hueco Mundo.
But Nara Dan hadn't gone there right away.
What if Aizen was still there, or somewhere nearby? He'd have walked right into the man's arms. How awkward would that be?
So Nara Dan patiently waited through the night, and only set out for Hueco Mundo the next day.
"Flying Thunder God—"
"Formation!"
Spiritual Power gathered at Nara Dan's fingertips as he inscribed runic marks in the air. The space-time marks imbued with Spiritual Power darted