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

Chapter 103: Aizen's Underhanded Tactics

An immense spiritual pressure, far exceeding that of an ordinary captain-level officer, erupted in an instant.

To be specific, it's roughly ten Kenshin's.

The old man's expression changed drastically in an instant!

He, who was originally the most composed among the barrier maintainers, instantly lost all composure, screaming and scrambling to escape as if a second later would have been fatal...

Instead of "just like", use "indeed".

With Shihouin Hyakugetsu's brief command, the silver star beside her head suddenly expanded and deformed, growing a thousand times larger in less than half a second. Then, as if exploding, it lost its round shape and transformed into dozens of ferocious mouths with black patterns, charging towards the old man with overwhelming force.

"Don't come any closer... Don't come any closer!!!"

The old man from the Wencang family let out a bloodcurdling scream, as he ran and drew his knife in an attempt to fight back.

However, limited by their strength, these actions were almost indistinguishable from the ants' baring their teeth and claws—the slashing couldn't even leave a white mark on the silver mouth, and their escape speed was as slow as a tortoise.

Three breaths later, a huge mouth bit his shoulder, then his limbs, torso, and even his head. In an instant, his aged body was submerged in the silver torrent.

Then, these large mouths retreated in different directions.

The foul-smelling blood and fragments of internal organs exploded everywhere.

The sounds of chewing and smacking mingled together.

The old man from the Wencang family became food for the giant mouths, and was devoured in seconds. Those giant mouths that failed to get any body parts even ate the splattered blood along with the soil and gravel on the ground.

The entire process took less than five seconds, and a high-ranking official died under the attack of Shihōin Hyakugetsu.

Although the intensity of the attack wasn't very high, the momentum was quite impressive—about ten times stronger than Kensei's.

After all, this kind of scene usually only appears in B-movie splatter movies...

Watching the old man from the Bunkura family being eaten, Aizen showed an expression of great interest, while Mima turned his gaze to the other seven people.

As expected, they trembled like quails, but dared not move.

"It looks like... we could try to do something."

Aizen walked up step by step and stood directly next to Shihouin Hyakutsuki.

Hidden under the cloak, she was completely unaware of it.

Aizen then directly lifted Kyoka Suigetsu upside down and softly recited—

"Break it into pieces, Jing Hua Shui Yue."

A sound like shattering glass rang out.

Mima: "?!"

Holy crap, why did you suddenly start driving this thing?!

Is it really okay to be so uncivilized?

So Mizhen raised her knife and slashed away the few seconds that had just passed, even cutting away a few extra seconds, before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

But perhaps because the release of Kyoka Suigetsu caused Aizen's spiritual pressure to leak out for a moment, Shihouin Hyakugetsu immediately raised his hand as before and said with difficulty, "Red Dragon... Hundred Slashes".

The red star beside her lit up and then shot into the sky, emitting a blazing red light like the sun.

Then it expands, expands, and expands again!

Then, a chaotic series of dragon roars resounded.

Dozens or even hundreds of red dragons with black stripes on their bodies surged out of the red star aimlessly, rushing indiscriminately towards everything within their attack range like a tsunami. They used the most brutal impacts and bites to tear up the earth, break dead trees, and even cause the barrier to fluctuate violently, almost shattering it.

However, this kind of haphazard area-of-effect (AOE) attack obviously won't hit anyone.

Not to mention Aizen and Yama who retreated precisely, even the remaining seven barrier maintainers stood up with talismans and dodged in a small group, thankfully managing to avoid losing their lives.

It's not a big deal if one or two of these guys die, but if too many die and the barrier can't be maintained, that would be a real problem. He doesn't plan to officially start a war with Shihōin Hyakugetsu right now; he'll have to wait until he has a clearer understanding of the situation.

After a period of commotion, Shihouin Hyakugetsu, having failed to find her target, gradually quieted down. One by one, the red dragons flew back into the red star, which gradually shrank, landed, and began to rotate above Shihouin Hyakugetsu's head again.

Aizen stopped and looked at Mima with a slightly surprised expression.

Mima: "..."

He was 100% certain that Aizen had used Kyoka Suigetsu on him just now, but it had no effect, which was why he had this expression.

However, there's no need to bring this up in public; let's just tacitly let it slide.

I wonder if Shihouin was hit by Kyoka Suigetsu during Hyakugetsu. If he was, would the Soul King's power be able to fight against Aizen, who has not yet reached the limit of a Shinigami?

If she were to fall under an illusion spell and be completely fooled, it would save us a lot of trouble.

"Such a big commotion?" Mima casually started a conversation.

Aizen smiled and replied, "The objective has been achieved. Now we just need to see what these people will do."

"Then I'll look forward to it." Mima crossed her arms and watched as Shihouin Hyakutsuki continued to wander around inside the barrier, which lasted for nearly ten minutes before she slowly returned to the wooden house.

She entered the wooden house, and the door closed automatically. The "flowing" fabric that had transformed into clothing dissipated and returned to a swamp-like pattern, wriggling around the house.

A little later, the red mist also drifted out of the wooden house, and soon filled the entire barrier.

It looks like a robot that follows fixed logic.

Come to think of it, she doesn't even have a Zanpakuto, yet she can use so many abilities... Is it the power of Susanoo, or has this girl also followed the path of Shikatori Hakunsai?

Interesting.

After experiencing that terrifying moment, the barrier maintainers were almost scared out of their wits.

They quickly gathered together, with a middle-aged man speaking first. They discussed why the old man from the Wencang family had died (they attributed it to the talisman being old and in disrepair), then instructed the other six to continue maintaining the barrier, while he himself planned to go out and contact his superiors to request assistance.

Mima and Aizen immediately followed.

Like I said before, the "illusionary beauty" feature is just too useful!

He's just a little bit of a stalker/pervert in terms of behavior.

Considering he might knock this person unconscious and then use various methods (referring to mind beacons and time travel) to toy with him to his heart's content, the title of "stalking pervert" is indeed not unjustified...

..........................................

Some time later, in Seireitei, at the Shihouin family residence.

"Reporting to the head of the family, news has come from the Tsunayo family."

The captain of the Hidden Mobile Force knelt before Rokuki Shihouin and respectfully said, "Lady Hyakugetsu killed Ayakura Jiro, who was in charge of the barrier. Her condition is becoming increasingly unstable. According to their speculation, she may be about to 'wake up'."

"This is normal."

Rokuki Shihouin calmly waved his hand: "She can't stay asleep forever; it's only a matter of time before she wakes up."

"Master, the Tsunayo family demands that we initiate the plan immediately."

The captain of the Riting team continued, "According to them, the 'Dark Azure Guardian' has been fully tested and is ready to perform the awakening ritual at any time. This is the third time they have urged us to send the 'Divine Sword' over as soon as possible."

"Hmph, they're really impatient." Shihōin Rokuki sneered. "Then grant their wish—go and make the arrangements, as soon as possible, before the Gotei 13 discovers anything amiss."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll send someone to deliver it right away."

"Wait a moment." Shihōin Rokuki pondered for a moment, then added, "Send another team to take 'Bone Eater' with them. If things don't go well, return it directly to Ancestor Hyakugetsu."

After the captain of the Riting team was ordered to retreat, another member of the Covert Force rushed in, panting, and said to Shihouin Rokuki, "No... something bad has happened, Master... something terrible has occurred!"

Shihōin Rokuki frowned: "What's going on?"

"The team sent to capture Watanabe Yama," a member of the Covert Force said in a panic, "the team leader led the attack, but disappeared shortly after approaching Watanabe Yama... It's very likely... he's been captured alive!"

"What did you say?!"

.............................................

Meanwhile, inside the Seireitei, at the headquarters.

Captains Yamamoto Genryusai, Kyoraku Shunsui, Ukitake Jushiro, and Shiba Isshin sat in a small conference room, their expressions all showing a hint of heaviness.

Although the truth of the matter is still unclear, the Shihouin family's actions at this time are certainly not unrelated.

Kuchiki Ginryo did not participate in this meeting.

Unlike Isshin, the head of a declining noble family, the Kuchiki family is the head of the noble families who govern the laws of Soul Society. But precisely because of this, they are not in a position to get involved in noble-led criminal activities when the situation is unclear. Otherwise, the social obligations between nobles alone would make it difficult for the Kuchiki family to move forward.

After much deliberation, the old man decided to exclude him altogether.

“Old man Shan,” Chunshui said, pulling down his hat brim. “If I’m not mistaken, Shihōin Hyakugetsu should be hiding in the 42nd district of South Rukongai. Otherwise, they would have no reason to take Mima there.”

"Teacher, I agree with Kyoraku's opinion,"

Ukitake nodded: "The most urgent thing is to send someone over to check it out—but it's not appropriate for you or any ordinary member to go. It would be better if Kyoraku and I went ourselves. The affairs of the team can be temporarily handed over to Kaien and the others."

"..."

Yamamoto Genryusai pondered for a while, then made up his mind and spoke:

"Captain of the 8th Division, Shunsui Kyoraku; Captain of the 13th Division, Jushiro Ukitake—"

"In addition to Captain Shiba Isshin of the 10th Division, the three of you shall immediately and secretly proceed to the 42nd Ward of South Rukongai to investigate. Remember, this is a 'secret mission,' and you must not alert anyone!"

Chunshui smiled and said, "I understand."

Ukitake nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, teacher."

"It feels like I'm about to face some really troublesome things..." Isshin sighed. "I just have to do my best."

The secret meeting, which lasted only a few minutes, was adjourned.

Without notifying anyone, the three captains quietly left Seireitei and headed towards the hiding place of Shihouin Hyakugetsu.

The turbulent storm is about to reach its climax!

Chapter 104: Godslayer?

As is well known, in horror movies, those who stray from the group usually don't have a good ending.

Although Bleach is actually a shonen manga, considering that more than 90% of the characters are spirits, it's not unreasonable to consider it a horror movie.

As a result, the friend who went out of the barrier to deliver the message immediately met with tragedy!

Presumably because the barrier would block the communication signal, he needed to leave the barrier and go to a specific contact point nearby to report the situation to the Tsunayo family. So the two villains following behind him seized the opportunity when he was about to return and launched a sneak attack, dragging him into a small grove of trees.