Chapter 227

"Captain-Commander."

Unohana bowed slightly.

"Regarding the death of the Third Seat of the Fifth Division, I conducted another thorough investigation on my own."

"The deaths of the Third Seat of the Fifth Division were not, as the report stated, caused by a feint attack."

Yamamoto's gaze sharpened slightly.

What's the problem?

Unohana's tone gradually became serious.

"The fatal wound on the victim's chest appeared to be a laceration caused by a phantom's claws, but deep within the tissue lay a very concealed penetrating wound."

"The characteristics of the penetrating wound closely match those of the Reishi Arrow."

There was a moment of silence in the reception room.

"Reishi Arrow... Unohana, I believe you can't be mistaken about this wound."

Upon hearing Unohana's words, Yamamoto's expression gradually became serious.

He finally learned the reason for Unohana's unusual visit.

Yamamoto was fully aware of what Unohana meant.

Of course she wouldn't admit her mistake.

"Yes."

Unohana continued.

"The wound has smooth, neat edges, is circular, and about three millimeters in diameter, with slight traces of Reishi burning."

"These characteristics all point to the Quincy's attack methods."

Yamamoto remained silent for a moment.

Quincy.

His tone was calm, but a hint of reminiscence flickered in his eyes.

"It's been a long time since I've heard that title."

Unohana nodded, and then explained why she had discovered this change.

"We were able to discover this thanks to Captain Hirako of the Fifth Division and my vice-captain Wang Xun."

"It was Wang Xun noticed the abnormality of the corpse and notified me."

Yamamoto raised his eyes and his gaze fell on Wang Xun behind Unohana.

"This is your new vice-captain?"

Unohana turned slightly to the side.

"Yes."

Wang Xun stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"Greetings, Captain-Commander."

Yamamoto sized up Wang Xun, his gaze lingering on his face for a few seconds before he nodded slightly.

"Young man, looks very energetic."

"I've heard a bit about your performance recently. To be promoted from a regular student to vice-captain in such a short time shows that you have some unique and outstanding qualities."

"Work hard and prove that Unohana didn't misjudge you."

Upon hearing Shigekuni Yamamoto's words of encouragement, Wang Xun responded politely.

"Thank you for the commendation, Captain-Commander. I will certainly do my utmost to live up to your expectations."

Yamamoto withdrew his gaze and looked back at Unohana.

"Alright, let's get back to what we were talking about earlier. If this matter really is related to the Quincy, then what's your opinion, Unohana?"

"Unohana answered in a deep voice."

"If the death of the Third Seat of the Fifth Division was indeed the Quincy, then it means that the Quincy not only exist, but have also infiltrated Soul Society, and may even be lurking around Seireitei."

"But as far as I know, the Central 46 ordered the extermination of the Quincy a hundred years ago. Apart from a very small number of Quincy in the World of the Living who were granted special permission to remain, there should be no Quincy alive."

"They wouldn't come to Soul Society to do something like this unless... they don't want to live anymore."

Unohana's tone was soft, but the words "I don't want to live anymore" carried a faint hint of murderous intent.

"Therefore, in my opinion, either there are still hidden Quincy intending to take revenge on Soul Society."

"Either someone is using Quincy methods to kill people in an attempt to mislead the public."

"But someone Quincy, I can't imagine who else in Soul Society is secretly researching Quincy?"

Yamamoto closed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought.

The meeting room fell silent again.

A moment later, Yamamoto opened his eyes.

"Could the unexplained Reiatsu fluctuations reported at the daytime meeting also be related to this matter?"

"I have the same question."

Unohana nodded.

"The characteristics of the Reiatsu fluctuations are similar to those of Kidō barrier technique, but they don't match any known Kidō types. If those fluctuations were left behind by Quincy, then it would make sense."

"The Quincy manipulate Reishi in a completely different way than the Soul Reaper; their techniques are unfamiliar to us, which makes sense."

Yamamoto pondered for a moment.

"This seems to offer another direction for the investigation into this unusual Reiatsu fluctuation."

"Good."

Unohana bowed her head slightly.

"This information can be simultaneously sent to the Second Division and the Twelfth Division, so they can look for relevant clues during their investigation."

"If it really is related to the Quincy, perhaps it can prevent people from falling into danger."

"Alright."

Yamamoto finally nodded.

"Sasakibe."

"Exist."

The voice of the Vice-Captain Sasakibe came from Yamamoto.

"Organize the information and notify the Second Division and Twelfth Division to include the possibility of Quincy appearing in their investigation."

"Clear."

Yamamoto looked at Unohana again.

Is there anything else?

"There is none left."

Unohana stood up.

"Please forgive me for disturbing you so late at night, Captain-Commander."

"It's alright, it's important after all."

Yamamoto waved his hand.

Unohana bowed slightly, then turned and walked towards the door.

Wang Xun followed behind her, and as they were about to leave, he couldn't help but look back.

Shigekuni Yamamoto remained seated in his chair, his hair white and his face aged.

The strongest Soul Reaper in Soul Society, despite his advanced age, still deserves this title.

If only I could have the chance to follow it and pick up the fragments.

Wang Xun withdrew his gaze and followed Unohana out of the reception room.

On the way back, the night breeze was even cooler.

Unohana walked ahead, her pace quickening compared to when she arrived.

Wang Xun followed behind, his mind churning with thoughts.

He plotted to kill the Third Seat of the Fifth Division, leaving behind a disguised but easily recognizable corpse.

With this trigger, coupled with the unexplained Reiatsu fluctuations reported at the daytime meeting, the investigation naturally points to the Quincy.

Once this conclusion is accepted, the Seireitei will intensify its search efforts in the surrounding area.

Those Quincy lurking in the shadows of Seireitei are now in danger of being exposed.

But if the Wandenreich is exposed, wouldn't that also expose Aizen 'Aizen plans, given their alliance with him?

After all, both sides have something on each other that the other can use against them.

Unless, Aizen now has a more comprehensive plan to avoid exposing himself.

Wang Xun sighed. The ability of "Kyōka Suigetsu" was still too useful.

If Aizen truly distanced himself from the situation, allowing the Seireitei and the Wandenreich to clash...

At this point in time, Yhwach should still be in the process of waking up.

Even if the Quincy of the Wandenreich developed a new Vollständig, without Yhwach's Auswählen, it would be difficult for them to have the same powerful combat strength as they have shown since.

Thinking about this, Wang Xun became somewhat uncertain again.

Have the Quincy mastered the techniques to steal Bankai yet?

However, even if it exists, it will probably be cracked by Kisuke Urahara very soon.

Moreover, the current timeline is still far removed from the era of the Thousand-Year Blood War.

If they were to directly clash with Seireitei at this stage...

They'll probably be wiped out one by one by Old Man Yamamoto.

It is highly likely that the Wandenreich will choose to avoid war, do everything in its power to delay, and wait for Yhwach to awaken.

It's unclear what Aizen's current plans are; does he truly intend to instigate Quincy and the Seireitei...?

Or perhaps they just want to muddy the waters and then take advantage of the situation to do something else.

"Wang Xun."

Unohana's voice came from ahead, interrupting Wang Xun's thoughts.

What are you thinking about?

"I was thinking about the Quincy."

Wang Xun answered truthfully.

"Before today, I had rarely heard of this name. I never imagined that such power existed outside the Soul Society."

Unohana didn't turn around, she just said something indifferently.

"The Quincy are nothing to fear."

"As the vice-captain, you need to have a broader perspective."

Wang Xun nodded.

"I see."

Unohana continued walking forward.

"Ryoka' are common occurrences. The deaths of Captain-level Soul Reaper are not uncommon over the years."

"This matter may not escalate into a major incident."

Unohana's words are quite apt.

But since Aizen has already chosen to take action, he must also want to assess the strength of the Quincy.

If he finds that the Quincy's power is insufficient to pose a threat, he may adjust his strategy.

If it is discovered that the Quincy's power is strong enough...

Who knows, an even bigger storm might be brewing next.

However, Wang Xun cannot say these things for the time being.

He simply followed behind Unohana, walking along the streets of Seireitei towards the Fourth Division.

The night wind blew across the eaves of Seireitei, swirling up a few fallen leaves.

In the distance, the lights on the First Division's tower remained bright.

It was nearly midnight when they returned to the Fourth Division Barracks.

Unohana stopped at the door and turned around.

"You've worked hard today, get some rest."

"The captain too."

Unohana nodded and turned to walk deeper into the barracks.

Wang Xun stood at the door, watching her figure disappear at the end of the corridor before turning his gaze away.

He returned to his room, where the night outside the window was as dark as ink.

After resting, Wang Xun lay on the bed, processing all the information he had received that day.

Tomorrow, the Second Division and Twelfth Division will receive notification to investigate the Quincy.

I wonder how those Quincy will react.

Thinking this, Wang Xun a deep sleep.

The next day, Fourth Division.

Wang Xun was sitting in his office when a knock came at the door.

"Please come in."

The door was pushed open, Kisuke Urahara walked in.

"Hey, Vice-Captain Wang Xun."

Urahara drawled out the last syllable, sat down in the chair opposite him, and casually placed the documents on the table.

"Congratulations on your promotion, although it's a bit late."

"Third Seat Urahara, you came to the Fourth Division, surely it wasn't just for this?"

Wang Xun put down his pen and his gaze fell on the document.

The document's cover bore the insignia of the Second Division's Stealth Force, clearly indicating it was a confidential document circulating internally.

Urahara's smile faded slightly as he pushed the document in front of Wang Xun.

"During yesterday's captains' meeting, Captain Yoruichi and Captain Hikifune secretly discussed the matter and asked me to assist the Twelfth Division in their analysis."

"The captain also gave me the Twelfth Division's reconnaissance data."

He opened the document and lightly tapped one of the pages with his fingertip.

"I've examined those so-called unexplained Reiatsu fluctuations closely."

"The characteristics do resemble the Kidō Path Barrier Technique, but it doesn't match any of the known types. That's the conclusion Captain Hikifune reached at the meeting."

He paused, then looked up and met Wang Xun's eyes.

But I know what it is.

Wang Xun's brow twitched slightly.

"That's not Quincy's Shadow Domain."

Urahara lowered his voice.

"I've been studying the spatial fluctuation characteristics of the Shadow Domain for quite some time now. The fluctuations recorded in yesterday's report were just ordinary spatial spells."

He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.

"To put it bluntly, someone used rudimentary spatial Kidō to create some traces, deliberately making them appear as some kind of unknown, suspicious fluctuation."

Wang Xun nodded slightly; this conclusion was not unexpected.

"There's another question: the cause of death of the Third Seat of the Fifth Division."

Wang Xun spoke, his voice calm.

"There is an extremely well-hidden penetrating wound inside the fatal wound, and the characteristics of the wound match those of the Quincy's Reishi Arrow very closely."

"Captain Unohana reported to the Captain-Commander last night, and Captain-Commander Yamamoto ordered the Second Division and Twelfth Division to include the possibility of Quincy in their investigations."

Urahara's eyes narrowed slightly.

"In this way, the arrow wound on the corpse and the unexplained Reiatsu fluctuations reported at the meeting become two mutually corroborating facts."

"One points to an unknown spatial technique, the other to a Quincy attack method. Taken together, the Seireitei's high command..."

The conclusion will then be drawn.

He picked up a pen and drew a rough diagram in the blank space of the document.

"This scheme was meticulously planned; it only required enough coincidences to be piled up so that the investigators could draw their own conclusions."

Wang Xun nodded.

"Aizen is pushing for the Quincy to be exposed."

Urahara put down his pen and leaned back in his chair.

"This isn't necessarily a bad thing for us."

"The existence of the Wandenreich is ultimately a hidden danger. It's better for the Seireitei to become aware of their existence sooner rather than later when they emerge from the shadows to attack us."

Wang Xun pondered for a moment.

"However, we should consider how the Wandenreich will react."

"Aizen probably knew this too. He pushed for the Quincy to be exposed just to muddy the waters and then fish in troubled waters."

"Aizen's ultimate goal has always been the Hōgyoku. The Quincy were just pawns in his plan, used to distract the Gotei 13."

Everything he's doing now serves this goal.

"We must be on high alert. Once the Seireitei discovers the Quincy, Aizen might take action very soon."

Kisuke Urahara nodded.

"By the way, how's the situation with the fake Kaname Tōsen?"

"He's been taken under Aizen's control and is locked in a secret room."

Kisuke Urahara nodded, his expression not changing much, but Wang Xun could tell he was quickly processing the information.

"What will Aizen do with that spy next?"

"The temporary detention is probably to try and extract more information about the Wandenreich from that Quincy."

"But how much information can be extracted from him is an unknown."

Urahara put the documents away and walked towards the door.

"I have to go back to the Twelfth Division. Captain Yoruichi is still waiting for my analysis report."

As he reached the door, he paused slightly and turned to look at Wang Xun.

"The Wandenreich, it's time to expose itself to the Seireitei's view."