197: Chapter 197 Silver Starts an Undercover Career

The next morning, at the 13th Division barracks.

"You want me to take Rukia to the World of the Living?" Kaien Shiba was holding a tray and almost knocked over his miso soup upon hearing this. "Captain, why the sudden decision?"

Jushiro Ukitake coughed a few times, a gentle smile on his pale face.

"Yes, Rukia needs experience as a new member, and..." His gaze swept briefly over the young girl practicing her zanpakuto Shikai in the courtyard. "Captain Kuchiki also supports this arrangement."

"...Alright then." Kaien scratched his head. "Though the World of the Living hasn't been very peaceful lately."

"That's why I'm having Miyako go along as well."

Ukitake's words made Kaien's eyes light up. "Really? That's great! Speaking of which, Kukaku wrote a few days ago saying she wanted to go to the beach..."

"Cough, cough..." Ukitake couldn't help but cough again. "Just stay safe."

Not far away, on a cherry blossom tree, Mia leaned against the trunk, quietly watching everything.

Once she confirmed Rukia had safely received the mission, she prepared to leave using Xu Step—

"So you're just going to leave the little white rabbit in a pack of wolves like that?"

A teasing voice came from above. Mia looked up sharply to see Yoruichi, in her cat form, perched on a higher branch, her golden slit pupils shining in the morning light.

"It's all because of what you and Kisuke Urahara did!! It's better than letting her stay in the hunter's den." Mia snorted. "And you, since when did you start caring about these things?"

The black cat flicked its tail elegantly. "After all, a certain idiot Soul Reaper hasn't even noticed the 'monitor' yet~"

Mia immediately looked around warily and indeed caught a trace of abnormal spiritual pressure residue in the shadows of the eaves—it was Monitoring Kido! She cursed her carelessness for not noticing someone was remotely monitoring the 13th Division.

"Aizen?" she whispered.

The black cat made an expression similar to a smile. "It could also be my lovely little Lieutenant."

With that, she nimbly jumped away. "By the way~ Urahara asked me to tell you that he found some... interesting records."

As the last syllable fell, Yoruichi's figure had already vanished into the dawn.

Mia walked back, frowning as she pondered the deeper meaning of those words, when her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a series of hurried footsteps.

"Captain Mia!" A member of the 9th Division ran over in a panic. "The Department of Research and Development sent an emergency notice! They've detected the spiritual pressure of a Great-class Hollow in West Rukongai! Captain-Commander Yamamoto orders you to lead a team there immediately!"

"What?" Mia straightened up abruptly. "The exact location?"

"District 78! And..." The member hesitated. "The monitoring shows that the Hollow's spiritual pressure is mixed with the aura of a Soul Reaper..."

Mia's heart skipped a beat. "From which squad?"

"The... the organization." The member stammered. "And it seems to match... Captain Gin Ichimaru's spiritual pressure signature!"

Mia's gaze instantly turned sharp.

—Aizen has finally made his move!

The twilight sky was dyed an ominous dark red. A heavy, foul stench wafted through the air, and the ground was scattered with bloodstains that hadn't yet dried. Several corpses, mangled beyond recognition from being gnawed on, lay face up, their empty eye sockets crawling with maggots.

Mia crouched down and touched the ground with her index finger. Her spiritual perception spread out instantly—

"The spiritual pressure residue is very fresh; the time of death was no more than two hours ago." She stood up, squinting at the twisted forest in the distance. "The stench of the Hollow extends deep into the woods."

Behind her, a squad member nervously gripped their zanpakuto. "Captain, they say Captain Ichimaru lost contact right here..."

A sharp burst of spiritual pressure suddenly pierced through the forest!

Mia raised her hand sharply, and an instantaneous [Shakkaho] collided with an incoming red Cero. The shockwave of the explosion uprooted several dead trees nearby.

"Everyone, spread out! It's an Adjuchas-class!" she shouted sternly.

A clicking sound like bones snapping came from deep within the forest as a massive shadow slowly lumbered out—it was a giant Hollow shaped like a centipede, over twenty meters long. Its pale bone mask was covered in cracks, and hundreds of pairs of blade-like legs dug deep into the ground.

Most horrifyingly, within the huge tumor bulging on its back, the upper half of a human body was shockingly embedded, still twitching!

"Cap... tain... Ichi... maru..." the Hollow let out a garbled sound. The human head slowly lifted—silver hair, a fox-like smile; it was Gin Ichimaru's face!

"Damn it!" Mia's heart sank. She had guessed Aizen would strike at Gin Ichimaru, but she hadn't expected it to be in this way. A Soul Reaper fused with a Hollow would gradually lose their sanity and eventually turn into a complete monster.

Without hesitation, she released the [Nightmare Cathedral], and holy hymns saturated the entire ground. The Original Owner, wearing Mia's face (which originally belonged to her), appeared at the cathedral's entrance. "—[Nightmare Manifestation]!"

Countless ghostly blue tentacles erupted from the ground, attempting to bind the Hollow. However, the giant centipede broke free with a single roll. That face of Gin Ichimaru's suddenly wore a bizarre smile: "Captain Mia... how... passionate..."

"Don't just slack off!" Mia turned and glared at the Original Owner.

"I knew you'd say that." Between the Original Owner's beautiful fingers appeared that [grimoire] that had been with her for so long.

A beam of intense light shot directly from the grimoire, hitting the massive tumor.

The tumor suddenly burst! Countless blood-colored vines shot out, instantly wrapping around the necks of several squad members. The strangled Soul Reapers' eyes immediately rolled back, and a bizarre expression of infatuation appeared on their faces.

"An illusion-type ability?!" Alarm bells rang in Mia's mind. "Everyone, close your eyes! Don't look directly at those vines!"

She quickly raised her hand, and a Holy Light Barrier blocked the vines from the squad members. However, at that moment, a feminine voice suddenly sounded from behind:

"Shoot her dead, Shinso."

A flash of silver light!

Mia's left shoulder was instantly pierced. Mia stumbled and turned around to see the real Gin Ichimaru standing ten meters away, his zanpakuto extended to an exaggerated length.

"Gin-ko, I thought you..." Mia's tearful appearance instantly filled one with a desire to protect her.

"Sorry about that~" He withdrew his blade with a smile, his expression a bit lonely. "Captain Aizen's orders. I have to show some sincerity, or how else can I join the group?"

"Blade poison... it seems to be an anesthetic... What is Gin-ko trying to do by knocking me out?" Mia clutched her wound, cold sweat pouring down. She had actually been hit by the ability of Gin Ichimaru's zanpakuto Bankai, but didn't the original story say the poison was for disintegration? Besides, wasn't that just a Shikai?

Kaname Tosen, who had been monitoring Gin Ichimaru from the shadows, stepped out. He spread his arms, his voice carrying a hint of madness: "Do you see? Even the Gin Ichimaru you took in has converted to my Lord's service. Give up your resistance, Captain Mia!"

As he spoke, Kaname Tosen's blind eyes beneath his sunglasses glowed with a pink luster.

"Well, this guy has become my undercover agent. With this [Charm] skill plus the blood of a succubus, after drinking that pink bathwater from the fountain, Tosen really has gone quite mad." Mia fell to the ground with a thud as the anesthetic took effect.