Ishikawa Katori had a headache.
He had a headache because of the two large fat men in front of him…
"Give me back my wife and my daughters!"
"Where's my mom? Where's my sister? And my little sister, Mareya?"
Looking at the furious Ōmaeda father and son in front of him, Ishikawa Katori's mouth twitched: "Vice-Captain, Uncle, please calm down first. I'm also…"
"Calm down?"
Ōmaeda's fat face trembled: "You have the nerve to tell us to calm down? My mom was swallowed by the monster that came out of your body, my sister was swallowed too, and even my little sister Mareya was swallowed… I went to ask the Captain for help, and it turned out the Captain was also swallowed. Almost all the female Squad Members of the Onmitsukidō were swallowed. And now you're telling me to calm down?"
"… …" Ishikawa Katori.
"And Mr. Gonda, our neighbor's wife and sister-in-law, and the Jinman family's daughter… When did you get to know them?!"
"… Uh, when I visited your house, I called on… well, I just visited a few times."
The more Ōmaeda spoke, the uglier his expression became. Beside him, Ōmaeda Nozomi looked at Ishikawa Katori with a complex gaze, revealing a strange meaning.
"Speaking of which, who told you that the dog… uh, fox, that swallowed them, was my Zanpakuto's materialized form?"
Ishikawa Katori said this, his expression a little nervous: "This matter hasn't already spread throughout Seireitei, has it?"
"Who needs to tell anyone? Do you really think the Onmitsukidō is useless?"
Ōmaeda glared at Ishikawa Katori in annoyance and explained: "Initially, I didn't think of you, but when I was counting the missing people, I found that the monster had swallowed not only members of the Gotei 13 but also many nobles, especially the Nagano family, who had the most people swallowed."
"Not only Nagano Kasyuu, who works in the Supervisory Team, but also Kasyuu's mother Nagano Lan, and her sister Nagano Caike… all were swallowed by that monster; and from the Ukitake family, those swallowed were Ukitake Hiro's mother and aunt and sister, etc… The Hachi Family only had two people swallowed, one was Captain Soi Fon, and the other was Hachiun Hane's mother."
"These three are closely related to you, and their swallowed family members also frequently interacted with you."
Ōmaeda paused, then continued: "If it were just that, it would be fine, but after statistics, I found that almost all female Squad Members of the Onmitsukidō and the Ninth Division were wiped out… The number of swallowed female Squad Members far exceeded the total of all other Squads."
"The Squad Members swallowed from other Squads were also those well-known for being very close to you."
"Combining this with the intelligence Captain Soi Fon brought back about your Zanpakuto's abilities after coming to support you, it's natural to deduce… that it's your Zanpakuto swallowing those who are close to you."
"… …" Ishikawa Katori.
So…
Why didn't that bastard just swallow people I don't know?
"However, even so, I'm still a bit uncertain, because among the swallowed people, there were also three female sages from the Central 46."
"Among them, Lady Amakado is your sworn sister, which can be explained… but the other two ladies, let alone interacting with commoners, they rarely even interact with nobles."
Ōmaeda said with a puzzled expression, completely unaware that his father, standing beside him, looked at Ishikawa Katori with an even more complex gaze after hearing his words.
As Ōmaeda Marechiyo said, the two ladies, as sages of the Central 46, generally would not have much contact with the Gotei 13 and nobles, let alone make friends with them.
Because in their eyes, the only people qualified to be their friends were other members of the Central 46!
Ōmaeda Nozomi thought of this and couldn't help but pull the furious Ōmaeda, trying to signal him to calm down…
"Dad, you can talk later. I'm going to teach this brat a lesson today, no matter what."
"… …"
Hichika looked at Ishikawa Katori's apologetic smile and finally gave up trying to stop him.
Let him do whatever he wants!
His wife and children were swallowed, what else was there to worry about?
And Ishikawa Katori was a good kid, never acting arrogant, so he probably wouldn't mind his son's rudeness.
"Don't worry, Vice-Captain, the swallowed people are fine."
Ishikawa Katori comforted the agitated Ōmaeda, but Ōmaeda's reply was somewhat unexpected.
"I know they're fine!"
Ōmaeda rolled his eyes: "If something had happened, it wouldn't just be me here now."
"Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute confirmed immediately that the swallowed people were not in life-threatening danger, but were imprisoned in a gray forest. They felt no discomfort inside, but rather a sense of peace, like entering their own spiritual world…"
"This information was relayed by Lieutenant Nemu of the Twelfth Division; she is also on the list of swallowed Squad Members, and Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi states that he can monitor Lieutenant Nemu's every condition and communicate with her."
Ishikawa Katori immediately breathed a sigh of relief. If Ōmaeda could find out so easily, it was destined not to be hidden.
If the relatives of the swallowed people came enraged, Ishikawa Katori, even if he talked until his mouth was dry, might not be able to convince them that their family members were safe.
But Mayuri Kurotsuchi was different. Although he was a pervert, he was a trustworthy pervert!
Ōmaeda's words truly made Ishikawa Katori relax. Previously, his belief that the swallowed people were not in danger was merely his own guess.
But what Mayuri Kurotsuchi investigated confirmed this point!
Thinking of this, Ishikawa Katori asked: "What about Captain Unohana?"
"Captain Unohana?"
Ōmaeda said with a puzzled expression: "How would I know? Seireitei is in chaos right now, but it's said she's gone out. It's strange, though, the Fourth Division's report only lists Vice-Captain Kotetsu as swallowed; everyone else is safe and sound. Did you fall out with the Fourth Division?"
Ishikawa Katori frowned upon hearing this. From Ōmaeda's words, Captain Unohana had not returned to Seireitei.
Still chasing?
Or did Kokumei escape?
Whichever it was, it indicated that Kokumei was no longer so easy to deal with, at least its escape ability was extremely strong!
Thinking of this, Ishikawa Katori said to Ōmaeda: "Captain Unohana is currently chasing my Zanpakuto. Go back and tell Seireitei to search for it. I've already mobilized people in Rukongai to gather clues, and I expect to soon determine where my Zanpakuto has fled."
Ishikawa Katori paused, then continued: "The priority now is to find my Zanpakuto. As for anything else, I will personally apologize to everyone afterwards."
Ōmaeda nodded upon hearing this, saying nothing more.
Because he also understood that a Zanpakuto going rogue was an uncontrollable force. Even Commander Yamamoto only recently subdued his own Zanpakuto, so Ishikawa Katori, having lost his spiritual pressure, naturally couldn't prevent his Zanpakuto from going rogue.
Ōmaeda came here, in fact, only to ask Ishikawa Katori to mobilize the residents of Rukongai to provide clues for Seireitei's search.
As the first person in Seireitei to know Ishikawa Katori, he was well aware of how much influence Ishikawa Katori had in Rukongai.
From the news coming back from the east, his Zanpakuto disappeared into the outskirts after leaving East 1st District and has not passed through any inhabited areas so far.
Is it trying to avoid my pursuit?
If so, then it's really troublesome.
Searching the uninhabited areas of Soul Society is not an easy task.
If…
If it shook off Captain Unohana, where would it go?
It probably wouldn't go to Seireitei again in a short time.
But the people who could maximize its strength were mostly in Seireitei.
And outside Seireitei…
Ishikawa Katori's face suddenly sank, and he abruptly stood up.
"What's wrong?"
Ishida Soken, who was nearby, asked with some confusion.
"I'm going out!"
Ishikawa Katori didn't answer, dropped a sentence, and headed out of the Everything Store.
He had contacted Ganju earlier, and according to Ganju, his escaped Zanpakuto had not gone to the Shiba family, located in the remote outskirts, so Sister Kukaku was not swallowed by his Zanpakuto.
If it wanted to increase its strength outside Seireitei, then the Shiba family was undoubtedly the best choice.
Because not only was Sister Kukaku there, but also Yoruichi Shihouin, who was temporarily staying with the Shiba family. If his Zanpakuto shook off Retsu Unohana, it would definitely go to the Shiba family.
Leaving the Everything Store, Ishikawa Katori didn't care about the spiritual pressure consumption. As the Reiatsu Crest on his body glowed, he instantly vanished from the street.
Whoosh—!
The wild wind, like a knife, exploded in his ears. Ishikawa Katori went straight towards the direction of the Shiba family, his terrifying speed distorting everything around him.
And this speed surged again after he left the residential area!
In less than ten minutes, he had already crossed nearly twenty areas.
The Shiba family was located at the junction of the west and north, and horizontally, it was between West 1 District and West 2 District, which could be said to be extremely remote.
The closer he got to the Shiba family, the more desolate the surroundings became.
After crossing West 9 District, Ishikawa Katori, moving in a straight line towards the Shiba family, found no signs of human habitation on his path.
Soon, Ishikawa Katori arrived in front of a mountain range. As long as he crossed this mountain range, he could basically see the Shiba family's unique large chimney.
But the moment he stepped onto the mountain range, Ishikawa Katori's brows furrowed slightly, instinctively feeling something was wrong.
It wasn't that he sensed anything, but rather a strange sense of incongruity.
Ishikawa Katori's figure suddenly paused, stopping his Shunpo, and he vigilantly looked around.
Almost the instant he stopped, a dull whistling sound suddenly came from the void.
Looking up, he saw an incredibly huge claw, striking down directly at Ishikawa Katori.
Buzz—!
Without hesitation, Ishikawa Katori's right foot plunged into the ground, and with a turn of his body, he directly flung himself backward.
Rumble~!
Almost the instant Ishikawa Katori retreated from the area, the claw struck down, countless soil flew into the sky, and the immense force made the entire mountain range tremble.
"Not bad."
In the violent wind, Ishikawa Katori moved with the wind, looking at the colossal object gradually condensing in the void, a grim look flashing in his eyes:
"You actually know how to ambush me here?"
As he spoke, Ishikawa Katori pushed his sensory nerves to the extreme, but he did not find any trace of Retsu Unohana nearby.
However, Ishikawa Katori believed that Retsu Unohana had not been swallowed by Kokumei; Kokumei must have shaken off Retsu Unohana through some means.
"Hmm?"
Just as Ishikawa Katori was pondering how Kokumei had shaken off Retsu Unohana, the striking claw suddenly exploded, and countless gray gases instantly enveloped the entire area.
Its spreading speed was so fast that Ishikawa Katori had no time to react, and he was directly enveloped by the gray gas.
This gas was extremely strange. Being enveloped by it felt like being trapped in a deep sea; every movement became incredibly heavy.
Moreover…
Unable to perceive!
The gas acted like a barrier, obscuring all of Ishikawa Katori's perception of the outside world.
Ishikawa Katori glanced around, his brows furrowing.
The next second~
He took a step forward, and his entire body shot out like a cannonball.
Hundreds of meters vanished in an instant, but no matter how Ishikawa Katori ran, the mist seemed endless.
Indeed!
Ishikawa Katori stopped, not too surprised in his heart.
Because after being enveloped by the mist, he vaguely felt that it wasn't just simple mist, but a…
Domain!
If it were just a simple mist, he would have already rushed out of this area. But after his observation just now, although he had run very far, the surrounding environment hadn't changed at all, as if he had just been treading water in place.
Suddenly, the mist swirled~
White claws reappeared. This time, the claws were several times larger than before, and their dark nails looked like towering pillars.
Before it even reached him, Ishikawa Katori felt an incredibly terrifying pressure descending from the sky.
Strength?
Not just strength. As the giant claw struck down, the entire world seemed to be targeting him, and Ishikawa Katori felt as if everything around him was constantly pressing down on him.
Every wisp of mist seemed to have gained substance, becoming incredibly heavy.
Crack, crack, crack—
Before the giant claw even descended, Ishikawa Katori's legs from the knees down had already sunk into the ground, and all the bones in his body groaned under the unbearable weight.
Even with Ishikawa Katori's physique, it was difficult to bear, showing how terrifying this pressure was.
However, the next second, Ishikawa Katori exhaled deeply and, instead of dodging, performed a squatting motion.
Then…
Boom~
Amidst the explosive roar, Ishikawa Katori actually actively met the giant claw striking down from the sky.
This scene was extremely bizarre. The hundreds-of-meters-long giant claw was immense, and Ishikawa Katori, in front of it, was as insignificant as an ant.
His fist, compared to it, was even more negligible.
However, the moment Ishikawa Katori and the claw approached, an earth-shattering roar echoed, and even the incredibly heavy mist around them was driven to churn wildly by the sound, as if it could explode at any moment.
The two got closer and closer, the roaring whistle almost replacing all other sounds in heaven and earth.
The next moment, they collided, and the world seemed to stand still, then… a terrifying boom brought forth endless ripples.
The sound was too intense; the air itself vibrated, and turbulence immediately generated, the rampant ripples dispelling all the gray mist, creating a momentary brightness in the surroundings, but it was immediately filled in by the surrounding mist.
At the same time, the giant claw in mid-air trembled violently, and explosive sounds echoed wildly within the giant claw.
In just an instant, the incredibly massive giant claw collapsed with a roar, re-merging into the mist.
On the other side, accompanied by a loud bang, the surrounding ground collapsed and caved in as if it had crumbled.
And Ishikawa Katori's calm voice then rang out from within.
"Since it's my Zanpakuto…"
Ishikawa Katori stood in the giant pit, his twisted right hand shook slightly, then returned to normal:
"Then it should be very clear that this kind of attack cannot kill me!"