Chapter 229

Aizen turned around, walked to the equipment next to the laboratory, and brought up a map of Soul Society.

Several special markings are marked on the map, with red crosses distributed in multiple locations north of Rukongai.

It was the location where the unexplained Reiatsu fluctuations had appeared, as reported by Kirio Hikifune at the previous captain's meeting.

"Seireitei has ordered an intensified search."

Aizen's finger lightly traced across the map, heading north from Seireitei and stopping outside the North District 60.

"And the investigations by the Second Division and Twelfth Division have, as we anticipated, shifted towards the Quincy."

"What we need to do next is give them irrefutable evidence."

Aizen looked at the map in front of him and spoke slowly.

"The previous fluctuations in Reiatsu only aroused their suspicion, but the corpses of the Third Seat of the Fifth Division made them focus their attention on the existence of Quincy."

"But this is not enough; it can only increase the vigilance of Seireitei, not enough to make them take real action."

"We need an even bigger event, one that Shigekuni Yamamoto cannot ignore, one that the Gotei 13 must be on high alert."

His finger lightly tapped a section at the northernmost point of the map.

"This is one of the most remote areas of Rukongai, sparsely populated, and Seireitei's patrol coverage is the weakest."

"We will eventually create a large-scale soul disappearance event there, leaving clear traces of Quincy at the scene."

"Most importantly, there was a Quincy was witnessed escaping by manipulating shadows."

Wang Xun's brow twitched slightly.

He thought of the Quincy spy who had been captured by Aizen.

"Loyd?"

"Good."

Aizen's lips curled up slightly.

"We've kept this Quincy imprisoned for so long, it's time to let him make his final use."

"He is indeed stubborn, but with the ability of 'Kyōka Suigetsu,' getting him to talk is still quite simple."

"We have pretty much got the gist of the Quincy's plans."

"Afterwards, I will use the Kyōka Suigetsu to show him what he needs to see, making him believe that he has taken the opportunity to escape."

"Then he appeared at the scene where the Hollowfication residents disappeared, and escaped using the Shadow Domain, witnessed by the captains dispatched by the Seireitei."

"In this way, Seireitei not only has physical evidence, but also witness testimony."

"A Quincy witnessed by the captain himself is more convincing than any other evidence."

Wang Xun fell silent.

The plan was meticulously planned, with each step precisely timed to coincide with the Seireitei investigation's schedule.

The fake Reiatsu fluctuations aroused suspicion, the fake Quincy attack confirmed the direction, the large-scale soul disappearance incident provided irrefutable evidence, and finally, a real Quincy was released for the captains to witness.

Even if the Wandenreich wanted to defend itself afterward, it couldn't explain it.

Moreover, the two sides are mortal enemies.

"But to do this, we need to plan ahead."

Aizen walked back to the lab table and took out a new document from the drawer. "After all, the disappearance of ordinary souls isn't enough to alarm Captain-level figure."

"If the advance team dispatched by the Gotei 13 is ambushed in the North District 80 Rukongai, with multiple members injured or even killed..."

The situation is so critical that Captain-level must personally go to provide support.

"By then, the arriving captain will have the opportunity to witness the Quincy escape from the scene."

"And behind all of this, of course, lies the conspiracy of the Quincy lurking in the shadows."

Aizen looked at the two of them.

"I have given the Hollowfication potion to Tōsen; he will go to the designated area to release it."

"The large-scale disappearance of residents from Rukongai will inevitably attract the attention of the Seireitei."

"After the advance team members inhaled the drug, they experienced symptoms of forced Hollowfication within a short period of time."

"When the captains arrive, they will find a devastated battlefield, their team members blurred into Hollowfication, and..."

"A Quincy emerges from the shadows and flees in Quincy."

As he spoke, Aizen looked at Wang Xun.

"The plan is to be carried out tonight. Get ready, and we can set off."

After Aizen finished speaking, he gestured for Wang Xun to go and prepare the things.

Wang Xun was taken aback; he hadn't expected things to develop so suddenly.

Despite Aizen's repeated emphasis that his goal was to expose the existence of the Wandenreich.

However, Wang Xun vaguely sensed that Aizen's actions were not simply about exposing the Wandenreich; there was clearly a deeper scheme hidden within.

The souls of the Rukongai residents are dissipating... It seems more like a harbinger of the Captain Hollowfication Incident.

Wang Xun finally realized that, judging from all these signs, Aizen was probably about to take action against the captains.

However, out of caution, Aizen did not inform Wang Xun of these matters, but instead chose an opportune moment to strike suddenly.

The time period that Aizen chose was much earlier than in the original work.

Currently, Kisuke Urahara's anti -Hollowfication agent is under development, but the progress is not yet mature.

After all, as long as he doesn't say anything, no one will connect these things with his later actions against the team leaders.

Aizen's move was truly ingenious...

However, it takes time for the information to reach Seireitei and for the team to be dispatched for patrols.

Wang Xun still has time to send a message.

Gin Ichimaru, standing to the side, tilted his head; he had been standing quietly in the corner since earlier.

Then, Yin's voice drifted over.

"I didn't expect to be given such an important task so soon after joining. Lord Aizen really thinks highly of me."

"Of course, since we've joined, we must shoulder the corresponding responsibilities."

Aizen looked at Gin and smiled slightly.

He then took out the Hōgyoku from the core of the container and sealed it into the transparent prism he carried with him.

Under Aizen's arrangement, the group prepared to depart for their designated location outside the District 60 Rukongai.

Scattered across the wasteland are many wooden houses, inhabited by a considerable number of spirits, mostly refugees who have drifted here from remote areas.

The cold moonlight spilled across the wasteland, illuminating the crooked wooden houses.

There, Kaname Tōsen had already completed the task assigned by Aizen.

He held the Hollowfication potion in his hand and wore an isolation mask on his face. By injecting Reiatsu into the potion to activate it, he could release the power of the Hōgyoku contained within.

A strange energy spread outwards, like ripples on the surface of water, spreading in concentric circles.

Wherever it passed, the Reiatsu inside the wooden house disappeared one by one.

The refugees in those dilapidated wooden huts were decomposed by the energy of the Hōgyoku in their sleep, and the rudiments of bone masks emerged from their mouths, followed by...

The body then transformed into the most primordial Reishi, silently dissipating into the air.

A few breaths later, the entire area became completely quiet.

The wooden houses were now empty except for clothes scattered haphazardly on the makeshift beds.

On a distant hillside, Wang Xun Aizen and Gin Ichimaru behind him, watched quietly.

They then placed Loyd, whom they had brought out, in a nearby grove of trees, and everything proceeded according to plan.

After using the potion in his hand, Kaname Tōsen, who was far away, felt the deathly silence surrounding the village, remained silent for a moment, and then turned and disappeared into the night.

At dawn, news of the mass disappearance of souls in this area reached Seireitei.

The Twelfth Division was the first to discover the anomaly: the soul fluctuations at a settlement had completely disappeared overnight.

The message was relayed up the command system of the Gotei 13.

Due to the large scale of the disappearances, it is suspected to be Menos Grande, and the report has been given the highest priority.

Upon receiving the report, the First Division immediately activated its emergency procedures, issuing orders to the Ninth Division members closest to the relevant area.

These ten advance team members of the Ninth Division were the first to enter that area.

As they stepped into the desolate settlement through the morning mist, a strange, indescribable smell lingered in the air.

There was no trace of Menos Grande, no Reiatsu, no sound, only a chilling silence.

The doors of the cabins were open, clothes were neatly folded beside the beds, and in some rooms, there were even unfinished dinners on the tables.

There was no blood, no signs of a fight, only clothes scattered on the bed and floor.

The residents seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving only the clothes they were wearing.

The advance team members began checking each house one by one.

Soon, the first team member stopped. His hand suddenly began to tremble, Zanpakuto slipped from his fingers, hitting the ground with a crisp metallic clang.

The teammate next to him turned around to ask what was wrong, and then saw that a layer of white bone structure was growing on the man's face, spitting out from his mouth and instantly covering half of his face.

"You..."

Before the second person could finish shouting, the same symptoms appeared on him.

The mask emerged from beneath his skin, and an eerie Reiatsu surged wildly within him.

Their forms expanded violently as they Hollowfication, and their skin was torn apart.

Then, like those vanished refugees, their bodies began to disintegrate as the Hollowfication reached its peak, with Reishi gushing from their torn skin and dissolving into tiny specks of light in the air.

In the end, only the empty shihaka suit and pairs of shoes lying in the dust were left scattered on the path between the wooden houses.

The news reached Seireitei half an hour later.

The Reiatsu of the advance team of the Ninth Division, including one Seated Officer, a total of ten people, all disappeared.

When Kensei Muguruma, the Captain of the Ninth Division, received the second report, he was already standing at the exit of the north gate of Seireitei.

Without waiting for the decision of the brigade meeting, he led his deputy captain Mashiro Kuna, and several trusted Seated Officer at full speed toward the scene of the incident.

When they stepped into the settlement, the morning mist had dissipated, and the midday sun cast the shadows of the wooden houses onto the dirt road.

Everything was unrealistically quiet.

Kensei Muguruma walked through the narrow alley between the wooden houses, his gaze sweeping over the clothes scattered at the doorways. His pace quickened, and his breathing became heavier.

He pushed open one door, then another.

Behind every door was the same scene: an empty room, a messy bed, and clothes piled on the floor.

And the scattered Death Knight outfits on the road.

"Kensei..." Mashiro Kuna stood behind him, his voice lacking its usual lightness, "What exactly is going on?"

Kensei Muguruma did not answer.

He crouched down, picked up a piece of death armor, and frowned as he examined it.

Just then, Kensei sensed an unusual fluctuation of Reiatsu at the edge of his perception.

Kensei Muguruma suddenly stood up, his gaze fixed on the direction from which the Reiatsu was coming—the edge of the withered forest on the north side of the settlement.

A white figure was standing there.

The person was wearing a pure white uniform, the hem of which swayed gently in the wind.

His face was hidden in the shadow of the withered tree, making his expression impossible to discern.

Then, the figure vanished instantly beside the woods.

"Stop!"

With Kensei charged forward.

Mashiro Kuna followed closely behind, and the other Seated Officer wanted to catch up, but Kensei was too fast and left them behind in just a few breaths.

The white figure was fast, but Kensei was just as fast.

The two chased each other at high speed through the dead forest, the dead trees along the way trembling under Kensei's Reiatsu.

Kensei's speed increased, and the distance closed, finally reaching the white figure.

He swung his sword, cutting off the man's retreat, while Mashiro Kuna attacked from behind, forcing him to the ground from both sides.

The next moment, Kensei Muguruma's pupils suddenly contracted.

He saw the other person's figure and face change in an instant.

The white uniform disappeared, replaced by a shihaka outfit.

And through the sunlight filtering through the trees, Kensei Muguruma saw that it was his own face.

The other party watched him warily, ready to attack at any moment.

Kensei Muguruma froze for a full second.

"You bastard... are you kidding me!"

Then his body reacted before his brain could, his Zanpakuto sweeping across, the wind from the blade carving a furrow in the ground.

However, his attack missed.

His opponent retreated at the exact same speed as him, avoiding the attack.

The way he adjusted his center of gravity while retreating was exactly the same as his.

Kensei gritted his teeth, his Reiatsu surged again, Zanpakuto instantly Shikai, transforming into a short blade called Tachikaze, unleashing an attack like a storm.

The opponent also used his Shikai, fighting and retreating while blocking all of Kensei's attacks.

However, at this Mashiro Kuna seized the opportunity, gathered Reiatsu in his leg, and kicked Loyd hard when he found an opening.

Loyd rolled down into the woods, realizing the situation was getting difficult. His injuries were severe, and continuing the fight was pointless.

From his perspective, he seized the opportunity to escape from Aizen's base, only to be discovered by these two Soul Reaper who belonged to Aizen.

Under the influence of the Kyōka Suigetsu" ability, he thought they were just two ordinary minor Soul Reaper.

He originally intended to silence the two Soul Reaper, but he didn't expect them to be such formidable and troublesome characters.

At this point, he no longer cared about hiding; saving his life was the priority.

Loyd leaped backward to create distance, a dark shadow rising from the ground behind him.

The shadows surged, like churned black water, slowly engulfing his figure.

Kensei charged forward, his Zanpakuto at the edge of the shadow, but the blade only pierced through a dark shape.

The shadows returned to calm; the person had vanished into the Shadow Domain.

Kensei stood rooted to the spot, his chest heaving violently, staring intently at the now calm ground.

"White."

"Exist!"

He turned around and looked at Mashiro Kuna.

"Return to Seireitei and report to the Captain-Commander: the enemy possesses the ability to disguise themselves as others and manipulate the Shadow Dimension."

"Ten members of the Ninth Division's advance team have died in the Rukongai have gone missing."

"It's suspected... to be related to the Quincy incident previously reported by the Second Division."

"Learn!"

Mashiro Kuna responded loudly, then suddenly turned and sped off towards Seireitei at full speed.

Kensei listened to Bai's departing voice until the wind swallowed up the last trace of footsteps.

He cautiously surveyed his surroundings, waiting for a moment, when suddenly Kensei sensed something strange.

Why haven't his Seated Officer followed yet?