Uchiha Yato froze for a moment, then turned and left.
Was this a joke? Half her name had been cut away? Now she was called Zai Laosi?
You're carrying far too much trouble, lady!
"Hah-" The woman's voice carried a note of mockery. "What a coward. Is this really the Captain of the Ninth Division?"
Without a word, Uchiha Yato sprinted back the way he had come.
But the woman's next words stopped the young captain in his tracks.
"Uchiha Yato, you've dreamed of that sea, haven't you?"
The deep, lightless prison of Muken lay in deathly silence.
Ever since he had achieved Bankai and become a captain, Uchiha Yato had gone a long time without feeling the emotion called fear.
Now, however, his chest felt tight, and a bead of cold sweat slid over his wrist.
Yato knew why this woman knew his name and rank.
While Sakibe Kyōga was still alive, they had discussed the dream about the sea, along with a few other things. Naturally, they had let some basic information slip.
But nearly a thousand meters of rock separated the Seventh Layer, [Great Scorching Heat], from the eighth layer, [Muken]. Muken's exterior was also completely sealed by immensely powerful Kidō, blocking all information. How could she possibly have heard them?
Uchiha Yato took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Amid the woman's inscrutable chuckling, he walked toward her.
Once he had made his decision, Yato cast aside all hesitation and quickly approached.
Before long, illuminated by Kidō No. 20, [Illuminating Sky Sphere], he saw the woman.
She knelt on one knee, her long purple hair spilling over her shoulders, dressed in a tattered white haori. Her figure resembled a young girl's, and a black eyepatch covered the left eye of her pretty face,