Rescuing Tōsen

Wang Xun and Urahara pressed themselves against the wall, moving deeper into Silbern along a narrow alley.

The hood of the black cloak was pulled low, covering most of his face, leaving only his eyes visible.

At the same time, the Reiatsu concealment effect minimized their presence.

"The side gate of Silbern is just ahead."

Urahara's voice came from under his hood, kept very low.

"There are fewer guards than at the main gate, but they're not nonexistent. We need to find the right opportunity..."

His words suddenly stopped.

Wang Xun sensed it too.

At the end of the alley ahead, a white figure was slowly walking towards them.

He wasn't a patrolling Quincy; he was alone, and his pace was slow and casual, as if he were taking a stroll.

The man's entire body was covered by a large white cloak.

The hood was pulled down low, obscuring the face; only two faint points of light could be seen peeking through from beneath it.

Those were eyes like light bulbs, emitting a dim, yellowish glow, which looked quite eerie.

Urahara's brows furrowed slightly.

"This person doesn't seem like an ordinary Quincy; his Reiatsu is very strange."

Wang Xun remained silent, his gaze fixed on the man's feet.

On the ground beside the man, a tiny speck of light was drifting down from the hem of his cloak.

The light from those points was completely different from ordinary Reiatsu Fragment, and Wang Xun happened to have seen such fragments not long ago.

It landed next to Jūshirō Ukitake in the Gotei 13.

A system notification flashed before his eyes.

[Unknown fragment detected, parsing... Parsing complete]

[Homologous substances have been detected and automatically categorized]

[Hōgyoku Awakening Level +1%]

[Current Hōgyoku Awakening Level: 3.8%]

Wang Xun narrowed his eyes slightly.

The Hōgyoku Awakening Level has increased again.

This is no ordinary fragment; it is a fragment of the Soul King.

His gaze fell on the white figure again, his mind racing.

Soul King Fragment, hidden within the Wandenreich, are small in stature, concealed beneath a white cloak, and possess eyes that glow like light bulbs.

All the clues converge, pointing to one name.

Pernida Pakaja.

The Soul King's left hand.

Urahara's voice rang out again, tinged with a hint of solemnity.

"Wang Xun, don't act rashly. This person is not simple; let's take a detour."

But as soon as he finished speaking, he realized that Wang Xun had already moved.

His figure slid out of the shadows silently.

The Reiatsu -concealing cloak suppressed his presence to a minimum, and he didn't even make a sound.

Wang Xun appeared silently behind Pernida, reached out and gently patted the man's shoulder.

Urahara's eyes widened in shock at Wang Xun's sudden action.

What is Wang Xun doing?!

Pernida paused slightly.

Those light bulb-like eyes slowly turned, then slightly turned their heads, looked around, but found nothing.

At this moment, Wang Xun had already retreated into the shadows.

Urahara watched Wang Xun retreat, his heart leaping into his throat. Looking at Wang Xun hiding beside him, he almost cursed out loud.

But the next moment, he suddenly looked at Wang Xun's right hand.

The hand that had just patted Pernida's shoulder was now twisted at an eerie angle.

First, the joints dislocated, then the bones deformed, the skin and flesh tore apart in the twisting, and blood dripped from the fingertips.

Wang Xun's fingers seemed to be twisted into a pretzel by an unseen force, gradually extending to his entire arm.

But Wang Xun's expression remained calm.

He didn't utter a sound, nor did he even frown.

Shackle Lotus had already completed his Shikai long before he even prepared to touch Pernida.

The system notification is flashing in your field of vision.

[Unknown capability intrusion detected, analyzing...]

[Parsing progress: 10%...30%...60%...]

[Analysis complete]

Wang Xun's right hand stopped twisting.

That eerie power seemed to have been severed by something.

Pernida's abilities are indeed dangerous.

If Shackle Lotus hadn't analyzed his ability in time, this power would have spread from his arm to his entire body.

Fortunately, Shackle Lotus analyzed it quickly enough.

Wang Xun activated the Kaidō, and pale green Reiatsu flowed through his fingertips, repairing the damaged tissues.

The bones realigned, the muscles Regeneration, and the skin healed. Moments later, his right hand was back to normal.

Urahara stood in the shadows, watching it all unfold.

His expression changed from anger to shock, and from shock to silence.

The person under the white cloak possesses extremely strange abilities.

Wang Xun, however, was corrupted by that power the moment he touched that person.

But Wang Xun withstood it, relying on some even more peculiar power.

Is it the power of his Zanpakuto?

Pernida slowly turned her head, her bulbous eyes scanning the alleyway.

A dim, yellowish light swept across the darkness, like a searchlight, scanning every inch of space.

But Wang Xun and Urahara had retreated into deeper shadows, their cloaks completely concealing their Reiatsu, even their breathing was suppressed to a minimum.

Pernida looked at it for a moment, then looked away.

He seemed somewhat puzzled, but quickly stopped thinking about it, turned and left, his steps still slow and casual.

The white cloak gradually blurred against the greyish-white sky, eventually disappearing into the depths of the alleyway.

Urahara let out a long breath and turned to look at Wang Xun.

"What you just did was too dangerous. If we're exposed, we'll both be in big trouble."

Wang Xun moved his right hand to confirm that it had fully recovered.

"I know."

"But didn't you think that person was strange?"

Urahara's eyes narrowed slightly.

"What's the meaning?"

Wang Xun stared in the direction where Pernida had disappeared, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

"He carries the aura of Soul King."

Urahara's pupils contracted sharply.

"What did you say?"

Urahara opened his mouth slightly, looking at Wang Xun as if re-examining the person, and then looked again at the place where the figure had disappeared.

"But... how did you know?"

Wang Xun did not answer.

He simply looked away and pulled his hood up.

"Let's go, don't linger too long."

Urahara looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then sighed.

He turned and walked towards Silbern.

Wang Xun followed behind him; his right hand had fully recovered, leaving no scar.

At that moment, a system notification flashed before his eyes.

[The Glutton ability activated, Spiritual Might experience points +1]

A moment later, a special notification of the Glutton appeared.

[The Glutton ability activated, Hōgyoku Awakening Level +0.01%]

It worked!

It seems I can visit Jūshirō Ukitake's place again sometime.

Wang Xun snapped out of his thoughts and quickened his pace to catch up with Urahara.

The towering white walls cut the sunlight into narrow strips, casting it onto the stone pavement like the bars of a cage.

The two evaded the patrol and moved forward in the shadows.

"The entrance to the underground prison is just ahead."

Urahara's voice was very low, coming from under his hood.

Wang Xun followed his gaze.

A low-rise building sits in the northwest corner of Silbern, contrasting sharply with the towering towers around it.

The building's exterior walls are undecorated, consisting only of gray-white stone bricks and a few narrow windows.

Two guards stood at the entrance, dressed in white uniforms with swords at their waists, their faces stern.

There aren't many guards.

Wang Xun said.

"Perhaps it's because it's unnecessary."

Urahara took the telescope-like device out of his pocket and pointed it at the building.

"The walls and floor of the underground prison have been specially reinforced, and Reiatsu detection barrier covers every inch of space. We'll need to use our brains."

Wang Xun's brow twitched slightly.

Do you have a solution?

Urahara put away the equipment, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Solutions can be found by people."

He took out a small device from his pocket, which looked like a coin, with intricate magical patterns engraved on its surface.

"The Reiatsu jammer can temporarily disrupt the perception of the detection barrier, creating a brief blind spot, but it's enough for us to get in."

Wang Xun took the device and glanced at it.

How do I use it?

"It's placed on the barrier node. I've checked; it's three steps to the left of the entrance, in the gap between the third stone brick on the ground."

Urahara's voice was calm.

"I'll distract the guards; you take care of attaching the device."

Wang Xun nodded.

Urahara's figure vanished from the spot, and the next moment, he appeared on the other side of the building.

He deliberately stepped on a stone slab, making a crisp cracking sound.

The two guards turned around curiously, exchanged a glance, and then walked towards the direction from which the sound came.

Wang Xun did not hesitate.

He Shunpo to the left side of the entrance, crouched down, and felt his fingertips through the cracks in the stone bricks.

The third stone brick has a tiny groove in its seam, which is a boundary node.

He attached the device, Reiatsu seeped in, and the device emitted a faint blue light.

A ripple appeared on the surface of the barrier, like a pebble being thrown into water, before quickly returning to calm.

The blind spot has been opened.

Wang Xun flashed into the building, and soon after, Kisuke Urahara also entered using Shunpo.

The interior of the building was darker than the exterior.

The corridor was lined with thick stone walls, and every few steps there was a Reishi lamp emitting a faint, cold light.

The air was thick with a damp, musty smell; the prison was small, and prisoners were rarely seen.

The two walked deeper into the corridor.

At each corner, Urahara would use his instruments to detect Reiatsu fluctuations ahead to confirm that there were no enemies.

"The third level, the deepest part."

Urahara said in a low voice.

"According to the information provided by that Quincy, it's just two more floors down."

They found the stairs leading downwards.

The light from the Reishi lamps became even weaker here, barely illuminating the path beneath our feet.

Soon, they arrived at the third floor.

Aside from the guards at the entrance, they didn't see any other people watching over the place.

The fluctuations of the Reiatsu detection barrier were several times stronger than the two layers above, as if countless unseen eyes were watching them in the darkness.

Urahara took out another device and stuck it on the wall of the corridor, temporarily blocking the perception of the barrier.

"The deepest part, the last room."

His voice was very low.

The two walked to the end of the corridor.

The iron door of the last cell was thicker and heavier than the others, and the sealing patterns on the door were more complex.

There was a small window in the center of the door; through that window, one could barely see what was inside.

This is exactly the cage that Kaname Tōsen.

Urahara took out a special device from his pocket and attached it to the door lock.

As Reiatsu seeped in, the sealing patterns lit up one by one, and then went out one by one.

After a series of actions by Kisuke Urahara, the door lock clicked slightly and popped open.

The two exchanged a glance, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door.

The only Reishi lamp was installed high on the wall, emitting a faint, cold light that enveloped the entire room in an eerie blue-white hue.

The air was thick with the stench of blood, mixed with disinfectant and some indescribable putrid smell.

Kaname Tōsen was hung from an iron chain in the center of the room.

His hands were shackled and locked in the air, and a Reiatsu sealing ring was around his neck, with the spell patterns on the ring still slowly flowing.

His shihata suit was torn, revealing his scarred skin underneath.

Some wounds had scabbed over, while others were still bleeding, staining his clothes red.

But his breathing was still going, weak and steady.

Urahara walked over to Kaname Tōsen and examined the shackles and sealing rings.

"It will take about fifteen minutes to access these devices. These sealing techniques are very complex, and forcibly removing them will trigger an alarm."

Wang Xun stood up and walked to the door.

"I'll stay here; you hurry."

Urahara nodded, took out tools from his pocket, and began to remove the shackles.

He moved swiftly, his Reiatsu flowing through his fingertips, breaking through the sealing patterns one by one.

Fifteen minutes later, Urahara stood up.

"Alright."

The shackles fell to the ground with a crisp metallic clang.

Wang Xun wrapped Kaname Tōsen in a black cloak that also concealed Reiatsu, and carried her on his shoulder.

Kisuke Urahara then took the Stand Gigai out of the package, freed it, and placed it on the iron chair.

The Reiatsu of the Gigai is exactly the same as that of Kaname Tōsen, and their appearances are also completely identical.

Kisuke Urahara replicated the wounds on Kaname Tōsen's body onto this Gigai body one-to-one.

In the dim light, the difference is almost indistinguishable.

He then breathed a sigh of relief; his mission was accomplished.

Looking at Kisuke Urahara's masterpiece, Wang Xun nodded and carried Kaname Tōsen the door.

The two walked through the corridor and up the stairs.

Urahara walked at the front, using his instruments to detect the Reiatsu fluctuations ahead and confirm that there was no ambush.

They made their way smoothly to the entrance.

Urahara peered out to make sure there were no guards outside, then slipped away.

Wang Xun helped Kaname Tōsen behind.

The moonlight spilled down, and the shadows of Silbern gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

Urahara led them through the alleys, avoiding patrols, and towards the designated evacuation point.

"The evacuation point is just ahead."

Urahara said in a low voice.

Wang Xun looked up and saw a secluded corner not far ahead.

That was the location they marked when they entered, one of the weakest points in the spatial barrier.

Urahara took the circular device out of his pocket and pressed it onto the node.

As Reiatsu seeped in, the black six-pointed star slowly unfolded.

Let's go.

Urahara said.

Wang Xun followed closely behind, and the two stepped into the vortex.

After a dizzying spin, the two opened their eyes and found themselves back in the secret laboratory of the Maggot's Nest, the light from the Reishi lamp illuminating the entire space.

Wang Xun took a deep breath.

Looking at Kaname Tōsen beside him, wrapped in a black cloak and barely breathing, Wang Xun felt as if he had been transported to another world.

"It actually succeeded!"

"So, how should people deal with this?"

Kisuke Urahara took off his cloak and looked at this hot potato.

Wang Xun pondered for a moment.

"I'll heal his wounds first, and then let him out when he's needed to perform."

"Now that the seal is complete, let's imprison him in this Maggot's Nest."