I'm really not the number one slacker in Soul Society.

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In short, infiltration is a skill.

In covert operations where the enemy is outnumbered, planning routes, utilizing blind spots, and avoiding detection after taking down an enemy—many details must be considered to achieve the final result. And it's not always as effective as simply storming in through the gate and hacking and slashing at anyone in sight. It's truly a complex undertaking.

And the Soul Society's assassination agency, the Covert Force... isn't exactly respectable either.

This organization, theoretically known for its assassinations, has exuded an air of shady dealings since its inception. The first captain, Chihiro Shihouin, was an arrogant assassin leader who believed in killing openly and honorably. The current captain, Yoruichi Shihouin, is incredibly fast, but her ultimate move is nothing more than a sudden, unexpected attack, clearly unrelated to covert operations. As for the next captain, Soi Fon…

If firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at an enemy counts as an assassination, then Old Man Shan standing still in his Flaming Prison Suit and burning all the enemies to death would probably just be a large-scale assassination.

This situation, where the upper beam is crooked and the lower beam is crooked, directly resulted in the art style of the Hidden Force being somewhat off. Out of curiosity, Yama once visited the Second Division to ask for advice, only to find that the group of bald men who always wore full-body night suits mainly practiced hand-to-hand combat skills...

This meant that if he wanted to learn some proper assassination techniques, he had to study them on his own.

The result of the research was a set of old Beijing assassination methods—nothing else, just damn authentic!

This assassination method mainly consists of three steps: First, use the modified method of digging tunnels to go underground; second, sneak up directly below the enemy; and third, pull the enemy down and stab him in the heart.

Honestly, this method works much better than those fancy, covert mobile gadgets.

The only drawback is that it's difficult to operate in areas with hard soil...

And so, Mima patiently waited underground for a while.

After Quanxi had dispatched most of his men and the rest had set up tents and begun patrolling in different locations, he finally began his attack plan.

By this time, it was getting dark.

As for whether Aizen is getting impatient...

It doesn't matter, this was just meant to disgust him anyway.

Cooperation isn't like recognizing Aizen as your father. Do you expect Yama to be completely subservient to him, or even actively generate results? Don't be ridiculous...

And so, with the movements of a mole, Mima arrived directly beneath a member of the Ninth Division, then quietly rose to the surface. He extended a hand crackling with the eleventh Hadoku technique, Lightning Bolt, from the ground and grabbed the man's ankle. The electric current paralyzed him, rendering him speechless. He then dragged the man into the ground and delivered a swift chop to his carotid artery, giving him a peaceful, infantile sleep.

Then, after repeating the above steps several times, only a handful of people remained in the Ninth Division.

Incidentally, because he had dug all the tunnels in advance, the assassination only took a dozen seconds.

Tosen, who was supposed to be doing this task, received a message from Aizen and withdrew early.

Think about how that guy operated in the original work. Relying on the cover of the Mirror Flower Water Moon, he could openly and honestly kill people. It was cool and convenient. He didn't need to go through the trouble of physical deep diving like he did.

Therefore, the best assassination skill in Soul Society is indeed Kyoka Suigetsu...

Seeing that only Kensei, Kunan Shiro, and four team members remained to deal with, Mima mentally rehearsed the battle before jumping out and openly carrying his sword over.

Upon hearing the footsteps of strangers, a member of the Ninth Division named Toudou immediately became alert.

He instantly drew his sword, assumed a defensive stance, and then shouted—

"Who goes there—Puwa!!"

Before he could finish speaking, Mi Zhen appeared in front of him in a flash, casually parried the arm holding the knife, and punched him in the wide-open abdomen.

The force was well controlled, enough to render the soldier unable to resist on the spot without sending him flying backward.

Then, without waiting for the remaining two team members to react, he fired two Hado No. 31: Red Fire Cannons with his fingers, hitting them squarely on the head and easily knocking them down.

The entire battle ended in the blink of an eye, within two seconds, but the commotion was considerable and was immediately noticed by Kensei inside the tent.

Mizhen stood with her arms crossed in the moonlight, watching the tent flap that was about to be lifted.

"What's wrong!"

With a loud roar, Kensei, wielding his Zanpakuto, and a bald-headed squad member charged out.

They immediately saw the three team members lying on the ground, and then Mima standing to the side, his face practically screaming "I did it."

"Draw your sword! Kasajo! It's the enemy!"

Without hesitation, Kensei drew his Divine Wind Staff and shouted into the tent without turning back, "Bai! Bai! Get up!"

"Nice to meet you, Captain Kensei Muguruma."

Mizhen did not immediately attack, but instead nodded slightly and bowed.

Then he raised his right hand and extended three fingers that were lit up in three different colors: red, yellow, and blue.

"Please accept my gift."

Crimson Fire Cannon, Yellow Fire Flash, and Azure Fire Drop fired in rapid succession!

However, the target of the attack was not Kensei, but the Kasagi crew members beside him.

As expected of a captain-level figure, upon seeing the incoming attack, Kensei immediately and without hesitation unleashed his Divine Wind technique, intercepting all three attacks with exquisite slashing skills. The collision and explosion of the Kido flames and compressed spiritual pressure produced a dazzling light effect that enveloped him.

Kensei immediately realized that something was very wrong!

But it was too late.

The next instant, Kasagi let out a scream.

Kensei leaped out of the blast radius and, sure enough, saw Kasagi, his body crackling with electricity, collapse.

The woman standing to the side then extended her fourth finger.

White Lightning – but a version with reduced penetration and increased paralysis.

Seeing his teammate fall in front of him, Kensei was instantly enraged, but he did not rush forward recklessly. Instead, he roared first.

Who are you! Why are you attacking us!

There is no such person in the Gotei 13...

But since she's wielding a Zanpakuto and using Kido, she must be a Shinigami (death god).

They defeated the guards outside without a sound, and could launch a breakthrough attack without even having to call out their names... Such a master could not appear suddenly. Could it be that someone disguised themselves?

Chapter 49: Quanxi is down!

"Wow, so the captain of the Gotei 13 is actually this gentle?"

The woman in black camouflage chuckled. "To deal with an enemy who attacked your own people, your first choice of tactic is actually dialogue... Oh, I see. You were waiting for her to come out."

Kensei glanced at his side out of the corner of his eye.

Gu Nanbai, who was sleeping in his tent, was awakened by the commotion. Faced with the sudden enemy attack, this usually unreliable guy showed the qualities expected of a vice-captain of the Gotei 13, and stood up in the best fighting posture.

"Kenshi, what happened?"

"I don't know... That woman over there knocked down all the team members." Kensei gritted his teeth angrily. "I don't know who she is, or what her purpose is..."

"In short—they are the enemy!"

There are advantages to being simple, just like Kunan Shiro at this moment. She did not show the kind of confused anxiety that Kensei had. Instead, she looked at Mima with her bright eyes and came to a very simple conclusion.

"If they are the enemy... they must be defeated!"

Jiu Nanbai leaped high into the air without hesitation.

He completed a forward somersault in mid-air, then struck a pose like a tokusatsu protagonist unleashing a powerful attack, delivering a flying kick at Mima's head with astonishing speed—

"Idiot! Don't be impulsive!"

Kensei's shouts couldn't stop this instinctive fighter whose body moved faster than his brain. Just like the protagonist of a tokusatsu film, Kunan Shiro's flying kick was powerful and incredibly accurate. His preemptive use of powerful moves could catch many people off guard. If it were a Gillian or something similar standing here, it would probably have been taken down on the spot.

Unfortunately, Mi Zhen is one of their own and knows Jiu Nanbai's personality very well.

It's out of place, Liuyue.

His true form vanished into the gap of time in an instant, and Jiu Nanbai's flying kick passed through a phantom without any meaning.

Mima should thank her—it was because of the speed and power she poured into that flying kick that Mima was able to dodge the attack with a mere 0.2 seconds of misalignment. Otherwise, he would have consumed much more spiritual pressure. It was also because she used her full strength in the first attack that she was unable to adjust her posture in time after exhausting her strength, thus giving Mima the opportunity.

"A very brave girl." He drew his sword with a backhand motion.

A flash of light, as bright as moonlight, slashed out, leaving a wound of moderate depth on Jiu Nanbai's back.

"But you really should listen to your captain."

"white!"

Seeing Jiu Nanbai lying on the ground, his life hanging in the balance, Kensei's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in an instant.

"You bastard!"

"Thank you for the compliment." Mi Zhen casually twirled his sword, giving Kensei a provocative smile. "What, aren't you going to avenge your vice-captain and the team members?"

Bankai, Iron Fist Severing the Wind!

Kensei's spiritual pressure exploded with a shout.

With a flash of light, the Earth-Shattering Wind, which was only the size of a dagger, transformed into iron armor covering its arms and a pair of short, heavy fist blades.

After completing his Bankai, Kensei leaped forward, and a burst of wind immediately exploded beneath his feet, propelling him to a speed that was almost breaking the sound barrier in a fraction of a second. At the same time, the concentrated spiritual pressure contained in his fist blade was ready to be unleashed. If it even slightly touched an enemy, it could instantly blast that frail body to smithereens!

But Mima only glanced at him with regret.

The Iron Rules of Combat —

Do not be swayed by any provocation from the enemy; losing your rationality is tantamount to courting your own destruction.

Even with the use of Bankai, which increased his power several times over, such a reckless attack was simply...

It's full of flaws.

Because the Iron Fist Wind Breaker's attack carries a lot of lethal air currents, Mima simply activated a two-second "displacement" technique. He stood there, neither swinging his sword nor activating Kido, as if Kensei's fierce charge was just a gentle breeze.

If Kensei were still lucid, he should immediately realize that this is the same tactic he used when dealing with Kunan Shiro. The correct approach would be to maintain distance, probe with ranged attacks, and figure out how the enemy's abilities work.

But he was so blinded by anger and anxiety that he launched such a reckless attack.

So, his punch met the same fate as Kunan Shiro's flying kick, the concentrated spiritual pressure he had been preparing to unleash struck the phantom—but the captain is better than the vice-captain. Seeing the attack miss, Kensei didn't have time to be shocked, and instinctively stopped his attack, then decided to retreat for the time being...

However, Mima did not use her full strength in her battle against Kunan Shiro.

The instant Kensei's attack passed through him, Mima immediately used "Surge".

He pushed his speed to the maximum, seized the moment when Kensei made a mistake, and slashed at his side abdomen.

And so, the battle ended.

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