Mount Lifu, Rukongai.
Despite it being broad daylight, the streets remained desolate. Not a single soul was in sight. Clearly, the news of the missing Soul Reapers had reached the local residents; they had collectively chosen to stay behind closed doors to ensure their own safety.
This time, the group heading out included not only Aizen and Naraku Sora, but also a squad of Soul Reapers. As veteran members, while their raw strength might have been slightly lacking, they scored full marks in other areas—scouting for clues, tracking trails, and calming the public. Moving with this group provided ample opportunities to learn.
The party came to a halt before a wooden house, the designated residence for the governing Soul Reaper of the area. Generally speaking, most souls living in Rukongai lacked spiritual talent and thus had no need for food, surviving solely on clean water. In the lower-numbered districts, Soul Reapers were stationed to manage and distribute these resources.
Of course, this did not account for all the water resources in the region. Rukongai was home not just to commoners, but also to a significant number of nobles and their various industries. The Gokuyu House, which Naraku Sora and Aizen had visited previously, was once a pillar industry for the Araki family, providing a steady stream of wealth and resources. Naturally, it likely no longer existed.
An accompanying Soul Reaper took the lead, pushing open the door and stepping inside, followed by the others in single file. The interior was sparse, leaving little to see. After a thorough inspection, a Soul Reaper approached Aizen and bowed respectfully.
"Ninth Seat Aizen, we've searched every nook and cranny. It appears the governing Soul Reaper left this place of his own accord before disappearing."
Another added, "Judging by the remaining footprints and Reishi traces, he seems to have headed in that direction."
Ten minutes later.
Led by Aizen and Naraku Sora, the squad arrived in a silent, nameless forest. Places like this were scattered all over Mount Lifu with nothing particularly special about them, yet strangely, the group had been walking for a long time without sensing any abnormalities.
"Something's wrong. This is beyond suspicious," Naraku Sora suddenly stopped, his brow furrowed.
"It is indeed strange," Aizen nodded. "It's too quiet."
"In a forest like this, even if no people come by, it shouldn't be completely devoid of activity. No bird calls, no insects, no movement of beasts. Nothing."
"If I'm not mistaken, the thing responsible for the Soul Reaper's disappearance should be a Hollow..."
However, as soon as the words left his mouth, a heavy pressure instantly blanketed the entire area. A pair of crimson eyes slowly emerged from the shadows, accompanied by a voice thick with greed.
"I didn't expect the Soul Reapers to be so efficient. It's been less than a day, yet you tracked me directly here. It looks like you'll be even more delicious than the last one."
The moment the speaker revealed itself, the expressions of the Soul Reapers turned grim. It was a true monster. Standing nearly five meters tall, its massive frame was like a small mountain looming before them. Shaped like an overgrown lizard, its entire body was covered in scale-like white bone. It was hideous and terrifying.
From start to finish, no one had detected its Reiatsu; they hadn't even noticed its giant body until it appeared. This Hollow seemed to have manifested out of thin air.
Powerful Reiatsu poured down like liquid mercury, transforming into a heavy weight that pressed equally upon every Soul Reaper. The surrounding air vibrated, and the ground hummed under the unbearable burden. The Soul Reapers stared wide-eyed at the behemoth, their bodies trembling as they struggled to stay standing.
They were ordinary members, not even elites. Facing a Menos-class monster, the fact that they didn't collapse instantly was a testament to their mental fortitude.
"A Gillian appearing in a place like this... and a rare intelligent type at that," Aizen muttered, his brow tight as he took a deep breath. "An enemy of this caliber isn't something we can handle. We must immediately—"
Before he could finish, a black shadow blurred past him. Cloaked in crimson Reiatsu, it streaked across the sky like a meteor, crashing violently into the mountain-like body.
Boom!
A violent shockwave exploded at the point of impact. Fierce winds swept in all directions, kicking up clouds of dust that obscured the center of the collision. A massive tail, thick as a stone pillar, surged up to meet the incoming blade. Sparks flew with a sharp, metallic clang.
"Devouring Soul Reapers is a hobby of mine, but devouring powerful ones is what truly intoxicates me," the Hollow hissed. Its body twisted nearly ninety degrees as its serrated tail locked against Naraku Sora's Zanpakutō. Its hideous face was inches away, and its bloody maw slowly opened as if to swallow him whole.
Naraku Sora dropped into a low lunge, his body tensed like a drawn bowstring. The low sound of straining muscle erupted from his torso as a surge of Reiatsu exploded outward. Glowing, circuit-like patterns surfaced on his hands.
"Hadō 33: Sōren Sōatsuhō!"
Brilliant red flames flared up, engulfing the ivory blade. In an instant, the sword parried the tail and struck down like a crashing meteorite!
In a flash, the hardened Hierro was sliced away. The foul-smelling flesh beneath shriveled and blackened instantly under the concentrated high temperatures. The fusion of Kidō and Zanjutsu shone brilliantly in this moment.
Relying on his strength alone, Naraku Sora had managed to wound an intelligent Gillian. By the looks of it, he intended to cut the monster down single-handedly.
Aizen dismissed the subordinate Soul Reapers, ordering them to contact the Seireitei for reinforcements. These members weren't foolish; the moment the order was given, they turned and fled toward the edge of the forest without looking back. A battle of this scale was not something they could interfere with.
To be fair, that Lord Naraku from the Shino Prison was incredibly fierce. Despite holding a lower seat than their own officer, he had been the first to charge in. Even more shocking was that he was fighting a Menos to a standstill with only the strength of a seated officer.
Watching Naraku Sora battle the Menos, Aizen's frown did not soften; instead, it deepened. For some reason, ever since they stepped into this forest, an uneasy feeling had been gnawing at his heart. Even with the culprit behind the disappearances right in front of them, that unease didn't dissipate—it grew stronger.
It felt as though another pair of eyes was watching them from the shadows.
Outside the forest.
Several corpses with terrified expressions lay at the feet of a figure. Murky blood stained the earth as a pair of cold eyes stared fixedly toward the direction of the erupting Reiatsu.
"Target confirmed."