He had thought he would return empty-handed and be scolded by his Captain, but to his surprise, things took a turn for the better.
The arrogant woman's younger brother actually knew the whereabouts of the culprit, and, to his misfortune, let it slip, which his subordinate accidentally overheard.
Although they didn't hear everything, as long as they could pinpoint a general area, with the capabilities of the Onmitsukidō, there was no way they wouldn't find the person!
"Hahahaha! As expected, rich people always have good luck! Otherwise, how could they be rich people?!"
"Wait until I capture the culprit and bring him before you. Let's see if you can still be so arrogant then!"
Ōmaeda rubbed his palms together, exceptionally excited.
He immediately gathered all his subordinates and rushed towards the destination indicated by the clue.
It was less about fearing the culprit escaping and more about his eagerness to see Shiba Kūkaku's sour face.
As he set off, Shimiya Takeru and the others followed close behind.
"He runs really fast. If we didn't know the exact location, we might have lost him."
Ichigo clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Footwork is the Onmitsukidō's specialty, so this level is normal. It's strange that you all can keep up."
Shiba Kūkaku was somewhat surprised by the skillful Shunpo of Shimiya Takeru and the three others.
Not to mention current Spirit Arts Academy students, even most registered Shinigami of the Gotei 13 couldn't achieve this level.
"At this rate, you could all graduate early. Have you thought about which Division you want to join?"
Hachihara: "Haven't really thought about it yet~"
Rindo: [Anything works].
"I'll go to the Fifth Divsion."
Shimiya Takeru said nonchalantly.
"Is this really the time to be talking about such things?"
Ichigo retorted.
"Being a Shinigami is not an easy job. Dealing with death will ultimately not lead to good outcomes. If you don't find some fun for yourself, life would be too dark."
Shiba Kūkaku's indifferent remark changed the atmosphere within the group.
The pervasive night seemed to weigh heavier on them, and the hazy moonlight in the night sky was squeezed by shadows, almost hiding within the clouds.
The moment the atmosphere shifted, it felt as if there was no place for life in the outskirts of Runlin'an.
"—Is that so? If this is the current state of Shinigami, then when I become a Captain, what needs to be done will be beyond doubt."
Similarly, just one sentence.
It turned the atmosphere around again.
Except for Shimiya Takeru, everyone instinctively looked at Ichigo.
Behind the arrogant statement was not an arrogant face.
Instead, it was the expression of a true man—one who knows the difficulties he faces, yet can still smile.
The darkness made his orange hair appear dull, causing Shiba Kūkaku, who had originally intended to mock his overestimation of himself, to momentarily lose focus, as if she saw a familiar figure overlapping with him.
"???"
Ichigo could accept being scolded or mocked, but he couldn't stand Shiba Kūkaku's strange gaze, as if she saw a female ghost clinging to his back.
It made his scalp tingle, so he quickly spoke to his friend to change the subject.
"Shimiya, you've always had a unique mind. You must have some strange ideas; tell me about them."
"No ideas. I just know that with you around, there's bound to be fun."
Shimiya Takeru replied lightly.
He never turned his head, continuing to press forward.
It was as if this task alone occupied all his attention.
It was also as if he was well aware of Ichigo's reaction and therefore didn't care much.
"Hey, you're mocking me, aren't you?"
"You're noisy. Is this really the time to be talking about this?"
Blocked by his own words, Ichigo was instantly speechless.
Shimiya Takeru didn't give him a chance to think of a counter-strategy, directly calling a halt to the group.
"What's wrong?"
Shiba Kūkaku expressed everyone's confusion.
"Ōmaeda and his men have slowed down, which means they're very close and preparing to launch an encirclement. If we just casually follow, appearing before both sides doesn't seem very useful."
Shimiya Takeru mused.
"What are you trying to say?"
Shiba Kūkaku cleared her mind and asked calmly.
"My point is, since we're already using Ōmaeda as a scout, why not make the most of him and use him as bait again?"
As Shimiya Takeru said this, everyone was speechless but also vaguely understood his underlying meaning.
"I see…"
Shiba Kūkaku stroked her chin, her eyes growing brighter.
"If Ōmaeda can't defeat the enemy, given his personality, he'll flee immediately. And we just need to ambush along his escape route, waiting for the enemy to pursue, then we can catch them off guard."
"But what if the enemy doesn't pursue?"
Hachihara blinked curiously.
"Ōmaeda will make the enemy pursue."
Shimiya Takeru's answer was full of hidden meaning.
…
The cave had no name, nor any special features. There were countless such places in Rukongai. If it weren't for the culprit being inside, Ōmaeda would never have held his nose and stepped onto the muddy ground into the sunless depths of the cave.
"Damn culprit, making Lord Ōmaeda go through so much trouble! Wait until you're in jail, then I'll teach you a lesson…!"
Despite his thoughts, Ōmaeda still maintained the demeanor of the Onmitsukidō, cautiously exploring with his subordinates, his attitude very professional.
This also earned him high praise from the "culprit" when he saw him.
"I thought it was a beast, but it's a Shinigami. To find my whereabouts so quickly, it's not to be underestimated. As expected of…"
By the end, his voice was barely audible.
But Ōmaeda didn't bother to investigate what the other party had said.
His face was extremely grim at this moment.
Because what appeared before him was an "alien."
Three meters tall, nearly humanoid, with three dog-like heads adorned with sharp bull horns, its face was terrifying, as if wearing a skull mask.
Perhaps feeling there was no longer any need to conceal it, the ethereal, faint aura around its body gradually changed, becoming cold and dense, like air turning into mercury, gushing out from within as if a floodgate had opened.
The atmosphere within the cave, and indeed the entire space, vibrated, roared, and echoed.
Under this immense pressure, it wouldn't be surprising if it shattered like a mirror at any moment.
Ōmaeda and his subordinates were drenched in cold sweat, their bodies trembling slightly.
They didn't collapse to the ground, not only because their strength wasn't that terrible, but also thanks to the spiritual pressure baptism released by their own Captain's occasional cold-faced outbursts, which was quite similar, so they had some tolerance.
That being said…
Standing here now was not their Captain.
But a Hollow with Captain-level spiritual pressure!
"No mistake, it's a Menos Grande! And an intermediate Menos Grande, an Adjuchas!"
Ōmaeda's face twitched, and he roared in his heart.
What the hell is the Technical Development Bureau doing?!
An Adjuchas invaded to the very gates of Seireitei and they didn't even notice.
Of course, he also knew that this was likely due to the opponent seemingly possessing methods to hide spiritual pressure and erase its own traces.
But this reason only made him feel more indignant and wronged.
After all, he had encountered such a rare event.
He had thought his luck was good before, but now, his luck had only brought him here to his last breath.
"Hey, Hollow, state your name!"
"My name is…"
"Smash him! Gogonmyo!"
Before the opponent could finish speaking proudly, Ōmaeda suddenly released his Zanpakuto, swinging the spiked iron ball, like a chained hammer, to smash the cavern ceiling, causing the cave to collapse. Then he released a "Bakudo #21: Sekienton" to block vision with falling rocks and dust.
After doing all this, he unhesitatingly turned and ran, his actions flowing like water.
"Faster, faster! Everyone run!"
He didn't need to shout; his subordinates clearly realized this was not an enemy they could handle.
However, just as they ran out of the cave, a crimson beam of light struck from the depths.
If Ōmaeda and his group hadn't reacted quickly enough to drop to the ground, some would certainly have perished under the Cero.
Boom!
The missed Cero landed in the distance, causing a violent explosion.
The light first dyed the earth red, then washed the night white.
Ōmaeda and the others' faces were even whiter than that.
"Agile movements, full of vigilance… It seems you are not nobodies among Shinigami. Meeting such opponents truly does not displease me."
The Menos Grande flew out of the cave, standing in mid-air, contentedly observing its prey.
Ōmaeda vaguely felt something peculiar about its gaze, but he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong at the moment. He only knew that if he didn't do something soon, all dozen or so of them would surely sleep here forever.
Chapter Fifteen: The Hollow that Hunts Swords
"Split up and break through to contact for rescue!"
"Yes!"
Without much time to consider a strategy, Ōmaeda gave the order, and everyone scattered, dashing in different directions.
Ōmaeda specifically chose a route completely opposite to Seireitei.
During his escape, he hastily looked back and, sure enough, the white body of the Menos Grande flew through the night, pursuing relentlessly like a bat.
This also meant his strategy was correct.
Higher-ranking Shinigami were more tempting as prey.
So he simply used this to draw fire, allowing his subordinates to escape to safety.
The subordinates who miraculously survived would naturally not betray his "sacrifice," and would certainly call for aid to Seireitei via their Soul Pager at the first opportunity.
Runlin'an was so close to Seireitei.
By using his superior Shunpo to contend with the enemy, he would surely be able to stall until reinforcements arrived.
However, running in the opposite direction initially allowed the enemy to pursue without worry, but it wouldn't allow him to rendezvous with the approaching reinforcements, so he had to change his route.
Just as Ōmaeda was turning, the Menos Grande suddenly fired a Cero.
Its purpose was not to kill, but to block the path.
The sudden explosion and shockwave severely hindered Ōmaeda's Shunpo.
The Menos Grande seized the opportunity and rapidly closed in.
"Gogonmyo!"
Ōmaeda heavily swung his large iron ball, but this move was effective against ordinary people, and this Menos Grande was clearly no ordinary enemy.