Akane Youka / A Midnight Horror Story ...

All the Grim Reapers present assumed that the woman's voice must be extremely sinister and terrifying, like that of a wrongfully murdered female ghost.

But when this mysterious woman spoke, her voice stunned everyone, because it didn't sound scary at all.

If I had to use one word to describe her, it would be "weak," like a girl who has been bullied for a long time.

What was going on? For a moment, Chiharu Reika thought there was something wrong with her ears.

"You... you're blocking my way, could you please move aside?" the mysterious woman said in a very low voice. If it weren't for the quiet surroundings, none of the group would have been able to hear what she was saying.

"Just because the road is blocked? That's such a stupid excuse!" a male Grim Reaper muttered.

Chiharu Reika didn't know where the other party came from, but they still had a mission to complete, so they tried their best to avoid any unforeseen complications.

"Everyone, make way for her," Chiharu Reika whispered. The Grim Reapers, not wanting to cause trouble, could only get up and make way for her.

One of the Grim Reapers muttered to himself, "Couldn't they have just gone around? It's only two steps!"

Although he thought he was speaking very softly, everyone could hear him clearly in the quiet environment.

The mysterious woman walked quickly past everyone with her head down, but Chiharu Reika soon realized something was wrong. They were camping here, and in the middle was their bonfire, but now, this mysterious woman was walking straight into the bonfire.

Chiharu Reika tried to reach out and grab the mysterious woman, but when she grabbed the woman's arm, she realized that despite the woman's thin body, she was incredibly strong. Chiharu Rika couldn't hold onto the mysterious woman with her own strength and was almost pulled into the fire by the mysterious woman herself.

Left with no other choice, Chiharu Reika Chiharu Reika had to let go, but when she looked up, she saw an extremely bizarre scene.

The mysterious woman walked through the fire as if nothing had happened, though there were some scorch marks on the edges of her clothes.

"What kind of monster is this?" Chiharu Reika stared in astonishment at the mysterious woman's retreating figure.

Is this woman mentally unstable? Has she suffered some kind of trauma? Did she lose a lover or a child? Is that what caused her to become like this?

Judging from the other person's behavior, this woman really just wanted them to make way. Doesn't this woman know how to turn corners?

What if she bumps into a big tree? Many strange and wonderful ideas popped into Chiharu Reika's mind, and sure enough, the mysterious woman actually did bump into a big tree.

It looked painful. The mysterious woman rubbed her head, her slender fingers reaching out to grab the large tree in front of her. With a casual flick of her wrist, she uprooted the tree, which had been growing for at least several decades, and tossed it away like a toothpick.

Chiharu Reika was completely stunned. This strength was terrifying! What kind of monster was this?

Moreover, judging from the woman's movements, she was probably heading up the mountain.

"Oh no, it's very dangerous up in the mountains now. We should bring her back immediately and send her down the mountain tomorrow. Judging from her appearance, she definitely has mental problems." Chiharu Reika said to the mysterious woman, "Um, how about staying for the night?"

Although she knew it was inappropriate to leave a stranger behind, she couldn't bear to watch such a pitiful woman die.

The mysterious woman turned slightly and looked at Chiharu Reika.

What reason should I give her to stay? Judging from her mental state, telling her that it's dangerous up in the mountain probably won't work.

"I have some food here, would you like to share?" Chiharu Reika launched a food offensive, thinking it wouldn't work, but to her surprise, the mysterious woman froze, her throat moving as if she was swallowing.

"So you're really hungry?" Chiharu Reika looked helplessly at the mysterious woman in front of her. She was so thin that she was skin and bones, and it was obvious that she was malnourished.

The team members did not object and handed over the dry rations they carried with them to Chiharu Reika.

Chiharu Reika carefully handed over the dry rations as if she were teasing a puppy. The mysterious woman took the rations without any suspicion, held them in both hands, and began to chew them. While eating, the mysterious woman curled up into a ball, which looked quite cute.

Chiharu Reika gently wiped the grime from the mysterious woman's face. She underestimated the woman's age; she looked to be no more than sixteen or seventeen, younger than herself.

"What's your name? Who else is in your family? We'll take you home after we finish our mission," Chiharu Reika asked.

The mysterious woman, her mouth stuffed with food, paused for a moment before saying, "My name is Akane Youka. I have no family; my parents don't want me anymore!"

After speaking, the mysterious woman continued eating, her head bowed. Although it was just ordinary dry food, she ate with great relish, as if she hadn't tasted anything so delicious in a long time.

From the conversation, I learned that the girl who called herself "Akane Youka" was not a bad person. After being kicked out by her family, she had been living in the mountains, eating wild fruits and wandering aimlessly until today.

"Miss Huo Ying, where did you get that sword you're carrying? It looks really heavy!" Chiharu Reika reached out to test how heavy the sword really was.

Without hesitation, Huo Ying handed over the sword. Chiharu Reika was already mentally prepared, but when she Hand Muff, she was still shocked by its weight. Even with both hands, she couldn't lift it at all, only raising it slightly. Her initial estimate was that the sword weighed about 300 pounds.

"Miss Huo Ying, where did this sword come from? It's completely impractical!" Chiharu Reika said with great difficulty. The Zanpakuto used by Shinigami is actually a large katana, and it's difficult for an ordinary girl to wield with one hand, but it only weighs a few kilograms.

A weapon weighing 300 jin (approximately 150 kg) is practically impossible to wield in actual combat; it's likely that only a very few strong members of the Gotei 13 can use a weapon of this caliber.

"This is the best sword in our village. The village chief said that whoever could lift this sword would be a warrior. No one could lift it, and in the end, only I was able to draw the sword. That's how I became a warrior representing the village and roamed the country," Huo Ying said while eating.

"This is just an excuse your villagers made up to kick you out, isn't it?" Chiharu Reika thought to herself.

However, this child does have a rather large appetite. The rations carried by the Grim Reapers are all compressed, and one piece can provide enough energy for a day's activities.

The child has already eaten three packets, but still looks like he wants more.

You weren't kicked out by the villagers because you eat too much, were you?

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Nightmares

This girl is so naive; Chiharu Reika is afraid that someone might trick her away with a bag of cookies.

The initial sense of oppression it brought has completely disappeared.

"How about I find you a place to eat?" Chiharu Reika said.

Akane Youka suddenly looked up and stared straight into her eyes, making Chiharu Reika feel a little uneasy.

"Okay!" Huo Ying nodded in agreement.

Putting everything else aside, with that greatsword she wields, being a Shinigami shouldn't be a problem. And since meals are free in the Gotei 13, she should be able to eat her fill, right?

"You'll sleep in my tent tonight, and tomorrow... tomorrow you'll wait for me here. We'll come to pick you up after we finish our mission," Chiharu Reika said.

This child is very strong, but strength does not equate to ability. If this child has zero combat experience, he will not be able to save himself if he encounters danger.

Huo Ying nodded as if she understood, but she still didn't know what danger was.

"Alright, get some rest. Everyone take turns keeping watch. I'll take the first watch," said Chiharu Reika.

Huo Ying's clothes were tattered, and she was so thin that she was just skin and bones. Lifting her outer garment, her ribs and spine were clearly visible, a shocking sight.

Chiharu Reika knew why the child was so thin; it was definitely due to long-term malnutrition. The child ate too much, which meant the body needed a lot of nutrients. Eating only fruit every day would definitely lead to malnutrition.

Even though Huo Ying is a head taller than Chiharu Reika, when she sleeps, she curls up into a tiny ball, just like a baby.

I wonder what this child has been through.

I wonder how long she's been in these mountains.

The night was very quiet, and nothing happened. The next morning, the Grim Reapers woke up; they had to complete the tasks assigned to them.

Searching for traces of the missing Grim Reaper.

"You wait for us here, and don't leave. I've left you three days' worth of food. If we don't return in three days... then follow this road north. You'll come to a very high wall. Show this to the gatekeeper, and they will receive you." Chiharu Reika handed over her armband.

The team members complained, "It sounds like we're giving our last words! Isn't that incredibly unlucky?"

"Shut up!" Chiharu Reika left Huo Ying behind while she led her team deeper into the territory.

Because this is a barren mountain, no ordinary people live here, and it's impossible to find someone to ask for directions.

A day passed quickly, and there was still no clue. Chiharu Reika was getting anxious. After reporting her situation to the Hell Butterfly, she prepared to continue deeper into the mountains.

"Chiharu-chan, how about we split up tomorrow? That way, our chances of finding clues will be higher," one of the team members suggested.

Chiharu Reika hesitated. There were definitely unknown threats lurking in these mountains. What if they were attacked by the enemy if they split up?

After much deliberation, Chiharu Reika decided that the twelve people would split into three teams and head in three different directions.

"If there's any news, notify me immediately using the Hell Butterfly. If there's no development, everyone gather here in one day, understand?" Chiharu Reika said.

Although Chiharu Reika is a girl, she is very reliable in times of crisis. After the team members were divided into groups, they headed in three different directions.

It was already dusk, but the sunset was not clearly visible in the dense forest; it only seemed that the sunlight was fading away at an extremely fast pace.

Within minutes, the entire jungle would be plunged into darkness. Although Chiharu Reika was a little afraid of the dark, she remained calm in front of her teammates.

"Setting up camp here and moving around in unfamiliar woods in the dark is too dangerous," said Chiharu Reika.

Four people took turns keeping watch at night. Each of them had a whistle. If anything happened, the person on watch would immediately blow the whistle. The whistle had a very piercing sound, and unless someone had drugged them, they would be woken up immediately no matter how deep their sleep was.

Following the previous order, the first person to keep watch was Chiharu Reika herself, and nothing unexpected happened for about two hours.

"Tired? Girls get wrinkles if they stay up late, go to sleep!" The Death Squad member took the whistle and yawned at the same time.

After two days and one night of wilderness exploration, Chiharu Reika was indeed a little tired, but she could still hold on.

"Be alert when you're on night watch; danger might be lurking in the shadows. Blow the whistle immediately if anything happens," Chiharu Reika said wearily.

After returning to her tent, Chiharu Reika quickly fell into a deep sleep.

She didn't know how much time had passed when a cold wind blew into the tent, waking Chiharu Reika from the cold. Was it still not dawn? She should be able to sleep a little longer!

Just as she was about to go back to sleep, a sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen, and she felt an urgent need to urinate!

Chiharu Reika opened the tent to go to the grove to relieve herself, only to find the fire still burning, but the night watchman was nowhere to be seen.

"These kids, all they do is slack off," Chiharu Reika thought unhappily. Had the night watchmen gone back to their tents to sleep?

Chiharu Reika pulled back the first team member's tent, wanting to ask who should be on night watch now.

But when she pulled back the tent flap, she found it was empty.

Chiharu Reika's heart tightened, and she quickly reached out to touch the blanket. The blanket was still warm, which meant that the people in the tent hadn't gone far.

Then, Chiharu Reika opened the second tent, which was also empty.

At this point, Chiharu Reika realized something was wrong and immediately opened the third tent, but the last tent was also empty.

Not only that, Chiharu Reika also found something incredible in the third tent: a warning whistle was placed on the blanket.

But the person wearing the whistle was nowhere to be seen.

Chiharu Reika gripped her knife, her breathing becoming rapid. What had happened while she was asleep?

The three Grim Reapers vanished without a sound, and he hadn't heard a thing.

Even a regular Grim Reaper can still scream loudly no matter what danger they encounter, but his three teammates had just disappeared right beside him.

Suddenly, Chiharu Reika felt something land on her neck and tickle. She quickly reached out and pinched it, only to find a small white insect dead in her hand.

What on earth is this thing? Could my teammate's disappearance be related to this little bug?

Chapter 40: The Gamble

Because too much force was used, the little insect was squeezed into a ball, and its original shape was no longer visible; all that could be seen was that it had grown many legs.

Chiharu Reika dared not call out the names of her teammates, so she took out the Hell Butterfly and immediately notified the Gotei 13.

"This is Chiharu Reika. Something's happened! My three teammates have disappeared. Something's wrong. Requesting backup."

"I am Yamabuki Chidori. Please explain clearly what happened on your end."

Upon hearing the name of the Chief Strategist, Chiharu Reika felt a sense of relief, as if she had found her pillar of support.

She recounted everything that had happened, Yamabuki Chidori listened quietly to Chiharu Reika's description.

"So, during your rest period, something silently snatched away the three Grim Reapers, right?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.

"Excuse me, why is it 'abduction' instead of 'murder'?" Chiharu Reika asked, somewhat confused.

"There were no bodies, no bloodstains, and no signs of a struggle at the scene. To be able to take away three Grim Reapers silently, either the opponent's strength is far superior to yours, at least at the Lieutenant-level, or the opponent possesses the ability to put people into a deep sleep," Yamabuki Chidori calmly analyzed.

Lieutenant-level of strength... Chiharu Reika felt a deep despair at the thought of this possibility.

For most Grim Reapers, the Lieutenant is an insurmountable obstacle.

"Don't panic. Try to notify the other two teams of Grim Reapers and have them join you. We'll send out a rescue team soon. Stay put and wait for rescue," Yamabuki Chidori said.

Although she hadn't seen what the enemy actually looked like, Yamabuki Chidori could roughly guess that this enemy probably had the ability to hypnotize or put people into a deep sleep. If they really had the power of Lieutenant-level to deal with a few ordinary Shinigami and the Tenth Seat Officer, they wouldn't need to hide it at all.

"Okay, I'll have the team members come back right away." Chiharu Reika immediately used Hell Butterfly to notify the other team members.

But the news disappeared without a trace.

Chiharu Reika's heart sank lower and lower; had all the other team members already met with misfortune?

Just then, news came from the other members of the Hell Butterfly team.

"Is that Chiharu-chan? The situation is a bit tricky. I... I need to rescue everyone who's been captured. Listen carefully, the enemy's abilities are..."

Before she could finish speaking, the communication abruptly ended. Chiharu Reika swallowed hard; she genuinely hoped that her teammate had only been shattered by the Hell Butterfly.

But the conversation just now didn't end badly; the missing team members were only captured, not killed. It seems the Chief Strategist's prediction was correct.