High-Reishi Unit

The battle ended faster than expected.

The Steel-Skinned Hollows looked intimidating in number, but once they truly clashed, Shuichi found them far less threatening than that Gillian.

Their defenses were indeed formidable. Ordinary slashes left only white marks on their bone armor, while Kidō below Hado Thirty felt like a tickle.

But that was for mid-ranking lieutenants or high-seated officers below Spiritual Might Rank Six. Every Steel-Skinned Hollow was a hard battle for them, requiring several people to coordinate and repeatedly restrain it before they could wear one down. For those below Spiritual Might Rank Ten, Steel-Skinned Hollows were nightmares.

To senior lieutenants above Spiritual Might Rank Five and captain-class fighters, these Steel-Skinned Hollows were merely oversized targets that needed a few extra cuts.

The first Steel-Skinned Hollow to charge was struck head-on by Shuichi, his blade cutting into the center of its chest armor. The stationed Soul Reapers behind him surged forward, Zanpakutō and Hado striking the wound at once. It was dealt with within a few breaths.

The remaining Steel-Skinned Hollows were scattered.

Shuichi's Shunpo leaped through the ruins. Every landing carved a crack into a Steel-Skinned Hollow, and every crack was followed by the attacks of Soul Reapers.

The stationed Soul Reapers were not especially coordinated. They came from different garrisons and had never undergone systematic joint training, but they had numbers, courage, and no intention of backing down.

Some held the enemy in check, some attacked, and some stepped into place when their comrades were knocked back. Their formation was not pretty, but it was effective.

Shuichi took down four. The stationed Soul Reapers brought down three together. The last tried to flee, but a wave of sword energy caught it from behind, pierced its bone armor, and dropped it at the edge of the ruins, where the pursuing Soul Reapers delivered the final blow.

The ruins of Kaimachi finally fell silent.

Shuichi stood in the middle of the ruins and sheathed his sword.

The garrisoned Soul Reapers also sheathed their weapons and adjusted their breathing.

Thirteen.

During the battle, many Soul Reapers had clearly seen the number on the back of Shuichi's haori.

Captain of the Thirteenth Division.

In the distance, the Quincy camp was still lit.

"The Hollows have all been dealt with," one Quincy said.

"They have. As long as they're dealt with, that's enough," another said.

They did not like Soul Reapers. The Quincy and Soul Reapers of the Soul Society had gone to war, and those in the World of the Living had heard some reports as well.

They did not know what a Gillian or a Hollow disaster was. They only knew that the scale of the Hollows this time was abnormally massive, and if they were not dealt with, many people would die.

The soldiers of the mortal army felt the tremors stop, and some cautiously poked their heads out from their shelters.

The sound of the wind suddenly changed.

It was Shunpo—extremely fast, extremely light, and traveling an extremely short distance.

A figure landed one step in front of him.

Dressed entirely in black.

A black mask covered the lower half of his face, while a black headwrap covered his forehead and hair, leaving only his eyes exposed. His black bodysuit clung to his frame, without the loose hem of standard Soul Reaper uniforms or any excess cloth. A short sword hung at his waist, its sheath black as well, without a single ornament.

He dropped to one knee before Shuichi.

His right knee touched the ground, his left leg bent, one hand clenched into a fist with its knuckles pressed against gravel and dirt as he lowered his head.

"Captain Shuichi."

His voice was muffled by the mask, but every word was clear.

"A Menos Grande would not appear in the World of the Living without cause. There must be a High-Reishi Unit attracting it."

He did not speak quickly, yet he did not pause at all, as though reciting words rehearsed countless times. "Judging by how long the Menos Grande lingered here, the High-Reishi Unit should still be present. Search with utmost caution."

The moment he finished speaking, he moved cleanly and decisively, vanishing with Shunpo before he had even fully risen.

Shuichi stood where he was, watching the direction in which the man had disappeared.

Mask, headwrap, short sword... Onmitsukidō. Captain Shihōin seemed to have mentioned that the Second Division's uniforms would be changed to this style afterward.

It seemed Onmitsukidō's intelligence was faster than anyone else's.

Shuichi's brow furrowed slightly.

High-Reishi Unit.

Onmitsukidō.

The other Soul Reapers had naturally heard the order as well. "Captain!"

"Have everyone remain on alert,"

Shuichi said. "Do not leave combat readiness."

The Soul Reapers immediately gathered their Reiatsu again. No one complained, and they formed a dispersed skirmish line around Shuichi.