Casting the Cage

The Star-Extermination Force had only just entered the forest. It was quiet all around, and aside from the unfamiliar darkness, there wasn't the slightest sign of danger.

There wouldn't be any danger right now. But if Hongjiang had taken another five meters forward, there would now be a fresh Negacion and a group of hungry Hollows.

Though he couldn't see it, Hongjiang could sense that five meters ahead was the spiritless zone protecting the Sternritter Fortress. He called it the Spirit-Nullifying Membrane.

The membrane meant the Sternritter Fortress wasn't far away. Once they passed through, the Star-Extermination Siege could begin.

But they couldn't just force their way through. Hongjiang and Old Man Yama had no intention of taking a stand and fighting the Quincy head-on. The Quincy absolutely must not discover the Star-Extermination Force before the two sides engaged.

Hongjiang slowly reached his right hand forward. The moment he felt it touch the Spirit-Nullifying Membrane in the air, he stopped.

As everyone watched, the scenery around Hongjiang gradually blurred and grew slightly brighter than its surroundings. It was as if some unknown liquid had been smeared across an invisible wall in the air, eventually forming a circular archway wide enough for ten people to walk through side by side.

Keeping his right hand where it was, Hongjiang extended his left hand forward by less than five centimeters. Another circular archway appeared. He turned toward the troops behind him and nodded. "You can go through now. Just follow the route we practiced."

Getting through the Spirit-Nullifying Membrane wasn't hard, but it wasn't easy, either. The basic principle was to use spirit energy to open a gap in the membrane, then fill that gap with an appropriate amount of spirit energy. That was what the two circular archways really were.

Whenever a Soul Reaper passed through, all they had to do was match the pace of the person crossing and make sure the spirit-energy barrier didn't leave a gap all at once. Eventually, the spirit energy would gradually cancel out against the Quincy power that formed the membrane. Since the gap they opened was small, the membrane would ultimately wear the spirit energy away and return to its original state. Though its strength would be greatly reduced, it would still maintain the spiritless zone for a while.

The principle wasn't complicated, but carrying it out was difficult. It required precise control over spirit energy. But that wasn't a problem for Hongjiang, who had been skilled at developing Kido since childhood. Spirit-energy control was one of his specialties!

That was what he said, but he didn't truly relax until every member of the force had made it through. To cross those mere five centimeters, neither he nor a single member of the Star-Extermination Force could afford to make a mistake. Fortunately, the troops didn't lose their rhythm, and he didn't let his nerves throw him off, either.

The forest stretched about thirty kilometers deep. Based on Hongjiang's repeated reconnaissance, the Quincy inside the Sternritter Fortress rarely came here unless they happened to be heading out.

Even so, Hongjiang, at the head of the force, stayed intensely alert for any Quincy who might appear. Thankfully, he wasn't a jinx. The Star-Extermination Force encountered no Quincy troops and made it safely to the forest's inner edge.

From here, a small mound rose just above the horizon ten kilometers away. That was the Star-Extermination Force's target: the Sternritter Fortress.

From here to the fortress, the terrain was completely open. It was impossible for a large force to approach without being noticed.

Hongjiang had already prepared for that. They would send an advance team toward the Sternritter Fortress while the main force stayed here. Once the operation began, the main force would charge the fortress. Now, he was giving the advance team its final instructions.

The advance team was small. It consisted of the four captains known as the "Strongest Four": Hirako Shinji, Otoribashi Rojuro, Aikawa Love, and Muguruma Kensei; the Kido Corps' head and deputy head, Hachigen Ushoda and Hachigen; the new deputy commander of the Onmitsukido, Shihoin Yoruichi, and her four squad leaders; and, finally, Hongjiang himself, the overall commander—Ao. Twelve people in all.

The Sternritter Fortress was circular, with a radius of ten kilometers, and about one-sixtieth the size of Seireitei. It was divided into outer, middle, and inner districts. No one knew exactly how many Quincy were inside, but there were certainly more than a thousand stationed there.

The inner district was especially important. Not only did most of the Sternritter Fortress's strongest fighters live there, but a Senkaimon connecting to the World of the Living stood in the central plaza.

It was hard to believe that something only Soul Reapers knew how to make would be found in the Quincy stronghold. But that was the truth. According to Hongjiang's investigation, the Quincy in the World of the Living used it to travel directly to the Sternritter Fortress. There was nothing like it anywhere else, so it was likely that the group led by Azashiro had helped the Quincy build it.

The Senkaimon's existence made the Soul Reapers of Seireitei grind their teeth in frustration. They couldn't launch a direct assault on the Sternritter Fortress—or rather, they couldn't do so before dealing with the Senkaimon. Otherwise, if the Quincy in Soul Society returned to the World of the Living, the cost of dealing with them afterward would be far too high. That wasn't an outcome the Soul Reapers were willing to accept.

Of course, to avoid tipping off the Quincy who lived in the World of the Living, most of whom were gathered in one place, and prompting them to scatter, protecting the Senkaimon in the Sternritter Fortress from attack was another crucial consideration for the Star-Extermination Siege.

So, with that damned Senkaimon at its center, the twelve members of the advance team would carry out three separate tasks to ensure the operation went smoothly. These three tasks were called the Cage, and the operation itself was called Star Extinction.

The first layer of the cage would be set up outside the Sternritter Fortress and encompass the entire fortress. The main participants in this task were the two Kido Corps leaders, Hachigen Ushoda and Hachigen.

First, they would work with Hongjiang to cast the large-scale Bakudō Triple Seal Triple Gate, one kilometer from the Sternritter Fortress. This Kido, created by Hongjiang, sealed off the space around Soul Society. It could be cast by one person or divided among several people, making it ideal for this situation.

However, this Kido couldn't restrict the Senkaimon. Its main purpose was to stop the Quincy from escaping the Sternritter Fortress and spilling into Soul Society.

Before the Triple Seal Triple Gate was completed, Yoruichi and the four Onmitsukido squad leaders would sneak into the Sternritter Fortress. Their tasks were different, though: the four squad leaders would help construct the second layer of the cage.

Each of the five carried a Boundary-Breaking Talisman, an extremely weakened version of the Senkaimon. It could only transport its user across a distance of about ten kilometers within Soul Society.

The four squad leaders had to reach the border between the middle and inner districts and wait. The moment the Three Locks Sealing Three Gates outside began, they would activate their Boundary-Breaking Talismans and keep them running.

That was the second layer of the cage, designed to trap people in the middle district.

"Don't push yourselves too hard. You only need to reach the middle district. The one thing you absolutely must not do is give yourselves away ahead of time." Hongjiang had revised the mission requirements on the spot. Turning to Yoruichi, he continued, "You're the most important one. Staying hidden is the priority, but you need to reach the inner district and get as close to the Senkaimon as you can to protect it. And when I arrive, make sure I can reach it within a single breath!"

Hongjiang had lowered the requirements for Yoruichi as well, but her mission was still extremely dangerous, because she would help construct the third layer of the cage.

The Senkaimon was the key to the operation. They couldn't let the Quincy use it to leave Soul Society, nor could they let the Quincy destroy it and alert the Quincy still in the World of the Living, causing them to scatter among the human settlements.

Yoruichi was responsible for the operation targeting the Senkaimon. Hongjiang had originally planned to have her father, Shihoin Dozo, carry it out, but the old man said Yoruichi's infiltration skills and Flash Step had surpassed his. So Yoruichi had no choice but to take on this heavy responsibility.

Yoruichi and the other four carried Boundary-Breaking Talismans. Hirako and the other three, as well as Hongjiang, each had a corresponding talisman of their own.

When the Three Locks Sealing Three Gates began, Hirako and the other three would use their talismans to travel directly into the middle district of the Sternritter Fortress. They would stir up trouble and cause destruction, drawing the attention of the inner district's Quincy elites and ensuring the Kido could be cast without interruption.

Once the Kido was complete, Yoruichi would activate her Boundary-Breaking Talisman. Hongjiang would use it to reach the plaza directly, seal the Senkaimon with Kido, and stand shoulder to shoulder with Yoruichi to defend it in the inner district.

That was the final layer of the cage: sealing off the Senkaimon, the only possible escape route for the Quincy.

The start of the Three Locks Sealing Three Gates would be the signal. At that point, the main force of the Star-Extermination Force would rush in. Their priority would be to capture the Quincy alive, but they would kill them if necessary, beginning their frontal assault from the outer district!

The Star-Extermination Force in the outer district would make up the main body, pushing inward and dealing with most of the Quincy. The four captains in the middle district would serve as pivots, ensuring constant support between the inner and outer districts. Hongjiang and Yoruichi in the inner district would hold the line, leaving the Quincy no choice but to fight. That was the operation's main body: Star Extinction.

And now, Hongjiang was making the final adjustments to that plan.

"There aren't many enemies capable of holding all of you back. Based on my years of reconnaissance, two Quincy in the Sternritter Fortress are known as the Holy King and the Holy Queen. I figure only those two could tie you down."

Hongjiang instructed the four captains, "Hirako and Love, you two handle them. Otoribashi and Kensei, cover them. Don't let the other Quincy interfere with Hirako and Love, and try to push the battlefield into the inner district. The more commotion you cause, the better!"

"Of course, if the enemy tries to retreat, you only need to keep the key figures in the middle district. Yoruichi and I can deal with the stragglers. But if you don't feel pressured, two of you must head to the inner district immediately. For now, that means Hirako and Love. If anything unexpected happens, we'll adjust based on the Kido as our signal!"

The four of them nodded in unison. Hongjiang then called over the eight vice-captains of the Star-Extermination Force who were available—all except Chōjirō, the vice-captain of the First Division—and gave them a few instructions. They would take command of the Star-Extermination Force after the advance team left.

The Star-Extermination Siege—the success of Star Extinction depended entirely on whether the twelve of them could build their cage.