Kapitel 229: The Ambush

Kageroza Inaba, or rather, the half of him carrying the memories of Ōko Yushima, was a cautious man. He feared that releasing his other half prematurely might lead to complications during their eventual fusion, a rejection that could jeopardize his meticulously crafted plan. Therefore, Inaba had kept his other half sealed within the Dangai, slumbering in the dimensional void.

As a mere fragment of Ōko Yushima, Inaba's spiritual pressure differed significantly from his progenitor. However, guided by the memories imprinted upon his soul, he had spent centuries secretly collecting the reishi of powerful Shinigami, crafting artificial bodies known as "Gikon" to house his creations. To avoid suspicion and ensure the success of his plan, Inaba would only gather reishi after a captain had used a Senkaimon to travel to the World of the Living, collecting the residual energy left behind.

The faint blue reishi swirling within a test tube on a circular platform before Inaba showcased his meticulous planning. It was the remnant of 5th Division Captain Sōsuke Aizen's spiritual pressure, collected after Aizen had slain a medium-sized Hollow in the World of the Living just a few days prior. The moment the Shinigami and students from the Shin'ō Academy graduation exam had returned to the Soul Society, Inaba had ventured into the World of the Living to gather his prize.

Now, with a symphony of crackling electricity and the hum of machinery, he meticulously extracted a specific substance from the reishi. It flowed through a network of tubes, undergoing a series of reactions within various instruments, ultimately coalescing on another platform, forming a small, yellow pill. The experiment complete, Inaba, his back hunched with age, approached the platform, carefully sealing the pill within a tiny glass vial. He then scribbled a few words on the vial's label before shuffling over to one of the dozens of incubation tanks lining the laboratory walls.

He manipulated a control panel below the tank, and a drawer slid open. He placed the vial within, closed the drawer, and turned to leave, a faint whisper escaping his lips.

"Soon… Soon, all that remains is…"

The laboratory plunged into darkness, leaving only Inaba's hushed words hanging in the air. As the last vestiges of light faded from the computer screens, a figure within the incubation tank became faintly visible. It was a middle-aged man with brown, curly hair and black-rimmed glasses, clad in a white captain's haori.

Sōsuke Aizen!

And within the laboratory, over twenty similar incubation tanks housed their silent occupants.

…

Swoosh!

Under the cloak of night, a shadowy figure darted ahead while being pursued by over a dozen Shinigami.

"Hurry! I saw it head this way!"

"Third Seat, over here!"

One Shinigami, spotting the fleeing figure, called out to his superior. A calm voice responded.

"Hadō #31 - Shakkahō!"

A red fireball erupted, striking the spot where the shadowy figure had stood moments before. However, the figure had already moved, its speed exceeding that of the fireball.

"There!"

Another Shinigami, positioned ahead of the fleeing figure, saw it approaching. He alerted his comrades, but instead of retreating, he drew his Zanpakutō and swung it with all his might.

"Aaaargh!"

A chilling scream pierced the night that shocked the pursuing Shinigami.

"Alberto!"

They recognized the voice. It belonged to one of their own. However, their calls went unanswered.

"Everyone, spread out! I'll handle this!"

The calm voice from before now held a chilling edge. A female Shinigami with long, black hair emerged from the trees, followed closely by the other Shinigami. Their eyes widened in horror as they saw their fallen comrade.

"Alberto!"

Their third seat, Miyako Shiba, called out softly, but the Shinigami named Alberto didn't respond.

"Grrr…"

Alberto's body twitched, then he raised his head, letting out a guttural growl. In the pale moonlight, Shiba and the others saw that Alberto's eyes had been stretched wide, their sockets now grotesquely large, consuming almost a third of his face. They were surrounded by a halo of bloody cracks, resembling a macabre flower. His mouth hung open, drool dripping from his chin, his tongue lolling out, nearly touching his chest.

"Be careful! That's not Alberto anymore!" Seeing this scene, Shiba was immediately shocked and hurriedly reminded everyone.

However, Shiba's warning was unnecessary. The sight before them made them gripped their Zanpakutō tighter.

"Roar!"

Alberto charged towards them.

"Get out of Alberto's body, you monster!"

One Shinigami, close to Alberto, couldn't bear the sight of his friend's defiled body. He raised his Zanpakutō and swung it down.

"Roar!"

Alberto didn't even attempt to dodge. The moment the blade touched him, it dissolved into thin air.

Sizzle!

Before the Shinigami could recover from his shock, Alberto's hand pierced his chest.

Seeing her subordinate injured, Miyako reacted swiftly. She raised her right hand towards Alberto and chanted an incantation.

A triangular shape materialized in the air before her, formed from yellow reiatsu. Three canine teeth, glowing with yellow light, extended from the triangle's corners.

"Bakudō #30 - Shitotsu Sansen!"

Three yellow beams shot out, two striking Alberto's arms, one piercing his abdomen. He was lifted from the ground, flung backward, and pinned against a large tree.

"Die, you monster!"

With Alberto restrained, the other Shinigami surged forward, eager to avenge their fallen comrade and destroy the creature that had defiled his body.

However…

Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!

As each Shinigami's Zanpakutō touched Alberto, it vanished into nothingness.

Before they could even register their shock, the three yellow canine teeth holding Alberto in place cracked and black lines spread across their surfaces.

"Get back! Everyone, run!"

Miyako, sensing the imminent danger, urged everyoneto flee. She then raised her hand towards Alberto.

"Hadō #33 - Sōkatsui!"

A blue fireball erupted from her palm, striking Alberto before he could break free.

Boom!

A wave of blue flames engulfed the area, incinerating everything within a five-meter radius. The Shinigami, caught in the blast, were flung backward, landing heavily on the ground.

"Huff…"

Miyako let out a sigh of relief, watching the flames consume Alberto. While the creature hadn't been particularly strong, its ability to nullify Zanpakutō was unsettling.

"Is everyone alright?" she asked, approaching her subordinates. "I saw that the restraints were about to be broken, so I didn't have time to wait for everyone to evacuate, and directly released the Kidō attack."

"Don't worry, Third Seat. We're fine."

The Shinigami before her struggled to his feet. He had suffered some burns, but nothing life-threatening. With a quick trip to the 4th Division, he'd be back on his feet in a few days.

As Shiba conversed with the Shinigami, another, who had just risen from the ground, suddenly gasped in horror.

From the heart of the blue flames engulfing Alberto, a figure, wreathed in blue fire, emerged and charged towards Shiba.

"Third Seat, look out!"

"What?!"

Hearing the warning and seeing the blue flames reflected in the eyes of the Shinigami before her, Miyako reacted instinctively. Without time to chant an incantation, she drew her Zanpakutō and swung it behind her.

Swish!

The burning figure was cleaved in two, collapsing to the ground. However, Shiba's expression, instead of relief, was one of dread.

From their previous encounter, she knew that the creature they had been pursuing could nullify Zanpakutō. The fact that her blade had cleanly severed the burning figure meant it wasn't the creature itself.

Where was it now?

"Swoosh…"

As Shiba frantically searched for the creature, a black shadow descended from the sky, landing before her.

…

Later that evening, Rukia, having completed her daily tasks within the 13th Division, stretched her limbs and headed towards the secluded training grounds behind the barracks.

While she had yet to spar with any of her fellow Shinigami in the 13th Division, hampering her progress in gathering information for her "Data Kendo" database, she never neglected her training.

Her teacher, Ailin, had emphasized that the core principle of "Data Kendo" was to "know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated."