In the Rukongai area hardest hit by the soul disappearances, Kensei Muguruma, captain of the 9th Division, and several of his subordinates a
In the Rukongai area hardest hit by the soul disappearances, Kensei Muguruma, captain of the 9th Division, and several of his subordinates arrived, their faces grim.
"These Shinigami uniforms belong to our squad members. They left the Seireitei just this morning. What happened?" one of his lieutenants asked grimly.
He held a Shinigami uniform; the obi was still tightly tied, clearly indicating the wearer hadn't removed it before vanishing.
At his feet lay more than a dozen more uniforms and pairs of footwear, the laces of the shoes also securely fastened.
Though deeply saddened by his squad's inexplicable disappearance, Muguruma couldn't show weakness.
Steeling himself, Muguruma said, "Since they vanished here, we'll establish a base camp. We're bound to find clues."
Muguruma and his subordinates quickly set up camp, assigned watch rotations, and then Muguruma returned to his tent to rest and strategize.
However, shortly after, screams erupted from outside the camp.
Alarmed, Muguruma rushed out to investigate, finding several guards lying lifeless in pools of blood, including his vice-captain, Hisagi Shūhei.
"There's definitely a mastermind behind these disappearances! Tōsen, we'll split up to find the culprit. If you find them, don't engage; signal me for backup."
Eyes flashing with killing intent, Muguruma drew his Zanpakutō, attempting to sense the culprit's spiritual pressure to prevent a surprise attack, while instructing his remaining 3rd Seat, Kaname Tōsen.
But before he finished speaking, darkness enveloped his vision.
A blade pierced his chest from behind, accompanied by the sound of steel meeting flesh.
Muguruma grunted, kneeling, barely supporting himself.
His vision slowly returned, revealing Tōsen standing over him, Zanpakutō still dripping with blood.
"Tōsen, it was you? Why?" Muguruma asked, his breath ragged and his voice laced with disbelief.
Before Tōsen could answer, Muguruma felt something strange within him; a strange energy was assimilating his spiritual power.
"Aaaaaargh!!!"
He roared, white spiritual particles erupting from his mouth, nose, and eyes, forming a Hollow's bony mask.
Overwhelmed by the drastic spiritual pressure shift, Muguruma lost consciousness and collapsed.
After Muguruma fell, footsteps approached, and three figures in Shinigami uniforms emerged from the nearby woods.
They were Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, and Hegawa Miler, Aizen's newest recruit.
"As expected, a captain-level Shinigami can achieve stable Hollowfication, unlike ordinary souls or Shinigami with weak spiritual pressure, who would suffer soul collapse from the strain," Aizen said with a smile.
Gin Ichimaru said calmly, "The 9th Division's spiritual pressure has vanished. The Captain-Commander will surely notice and send more captains and vice-captains to investigate."
Aizen smiled. "Perfect. Hopefully, Kisuke Urahara is among them; shifting the blame to him will be much simpler."
Looking at the fallen Muguruma, Gin Ichimaru asked, "Should we eliminate him?"
Aizen shook his head. "I sense a strong spiritual pressure approaching—Hiyori Sarugaki, the 12th Division's vice-captain. It's a good opportunity to observe the power of a captain-level Hollowfied Shinigami. Let Muguruma play with Sarugaki for a while."
A girl in a Shinigami uniform, with light brown hair in twintails, carrying a crate much larger than herself, hurried towards the 9th Division's camp.
This was Hiyori Sarugaki, the 12th Division's vice-captain, carrying equipment provided by Kisuke Urahara.
"Damn it! I fell for it again! Why did I agree to collect samples? I'm the 12th Division's vice-captain, not the Research and Development Bureau's deputy director!"
Despite her complaints, Sarugaki didn't slow down.
She was determined to complete her mission, unaware of the imminent danger.
Back in the Seireitei, those monitoring the 9th Division quickly discovered their complete loss of contact; special spiritual pressure detection devices couldn't sense them.
This was immediately reported to Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai, who promptly summoned all captains to discuss sending reinforcements.
In the Captain's meeting hall, all captains except the missing Kensei Muguruma were present; Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai's expression was grave.
The disappearance of the entire 9th Division vanguard was unprecedented in recent years.
"The 9th Division's disappearance is known to you all. This was clearly planned. I'll dispatch three captains to find them and uncover the mastermind," Yamamoto Genryūsai declared solemnly.
After Yamamoto Genryūsai finished speaking, Kisuke Urahara and Retsu Unohana both volunteered to participate in the investigation.
Kisuke Urahara's reason was his concern for Hiyori Sarugaki, whom he had sent to investigate.
Retsu Unohana anticipated fighting and casualties, wanting to provide medical assistance as head of the 4th Division.
However, both were refused; Yamamoto Genryūsai chose Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi (3rd Division), Shinji Hirako (5th Division), and Rabu Aikawa (7th Division).
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