Chapter 283: Damn Quincy!
"How much is this?"
Aizen inquired.
Inside the counter, the old man grinned.
"Vice-Captain Aizen, you have excellent taste! This is the latest model—you won't find another like it in the entire Soul Society!"
"Since you're a regular, I'll give you the lowest price: 60,000 Kan. How about it?"
"Hmm…"
Aizen thought for a few seconds, then shook his head.
"Maybe next time."
Although he liked it, he already owned several pairs of glasses.
Collecting too many would shift from simple appreciation to a compulsive habit.
He disliked the feeling of being controlled by objects.
Leaving the glasses shop run by the former Sixth Division Vice-Captain, Aizen walked along the familiar path into the Eleventh Division.
Without much effort, he found Satoru.
The latter was bare-chested, his Shinigami Uniform casually tied around his waist, seemingly busy with something.
Aizen wasn't surprised by Satoru's attire.
Whenever he sparred with his subordinates and got carried away, Satoru would perform a KFC-style strip on the spot.
The Captain's Haori he discarded could be collected and sewn into a large sail.
"Satoru."
Aizen called out from a distance.
Hearing this, Satoru turned his head sharply.
Seeing it was Aizen, he grinned.
"Sōsuke, you're just in time!"
"I've prepared a gift for you… come take a look!"
He beckoned Aizen over as he walked into the room.
A gift?
Aizen raised an eyebrow.
In his mind, he unconsciously recalled the glasses he had just admired in the shop.
It couldn't be that much of a coincidence…
With a sense of curiosity, he entered the room.
Satoru peeked out to ensure no one was watching, then closed the door.
Under Aizen's gaze, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers triumphantly.
With the motion, a shadow expanded, and two people dropped out of it with a thud.
Both were unconscious, clearly drugged.
Seeing that Satoru had found new test subjects for him, Aizen was pleased.
If they were ordinary specimens, Satoru wouldn't be showing off so proudly.
It seemed these were at least two Shinigami of seated officer rank or higher.
He wondered where this guy kept finding such high-quality mat—
…Huh?
Staring at the two Shinigami's faces, Aizen's brow slowly furrowed.
He quickened his pace, approached the two, and turned their faces upward.
Recognizing them, he couldn't help but take a sharp breath.
"Takahashi Masao? Sōya Azashiro?"
Confirming he wasn't mistaken, he whipped his head around and stared in disbelief at Satoru, who was beaming with pride.
"Where did you capture these two?"
Though he had already guessed the answer, he thought even Satoru, as reckless as he was, wouldn't go this far.
Perhaps there was some hidden reason…
"From Muken," Satoru grinned. "Captain-level fighters are too rare; most are active in various fields, making it hard to target them."
"But Muken is different. It holds many captain-level prisoners with no supervision. Isn't that the perfect source of specimens?"
Watching Satoru's smug expression, Aizen felt his blood pressure spike.
"This is utterly reckless!"
"Muken is the most heavily guarded stronghold in Seireitei. Even if you're nobility or a captain, getting caught means certain death!"
Hearing this, Satoru chuckled. "Relax, I used Shadow Space to inch my way in before emerging into the physical realm."
"?"
Aizen saw black spots dancing before his eyes.
He pressed his lips together and took a deep breath.
"The Central Great Prison has existed as a special dimension since Soul Society's inception."
"Seireitei was built here specifically to keep the Central Great Prison under constant surveillance."
"Even now, numerous mysteries surround the Central Great Prison."
"Especially Muken—there's an entire set of rules governing entry routes, preparatory measures, and emergency protocols."
"The guards managing Muken, and all who qualify to enter, memorize these rules immediately... Why do you think that is?"
"Because those who try cutting corners usually meet tragic ends!"
The thought of this fool brazenly invading Muken using Shadow Space made Aizen's blood pressure climb higher.
No, he had to devise some punishment.
If this continued, the idiot would eventually get himself killed.
Seeing Aizen's expression, Satoru realized trouble was brewing.
He quickly cleared his throat:
"Sōsuke, check on those two. I didn't use much anesthetic—make sure they don't wake up."
"Especially Sōya Azashiro. He can decompose himself and surrounding objects into Reishi. He might escape if we're careless."
Though aware this was a diversion, Aizen felt a pang of anxiety. They couldn't afford to lose these hard-won captain-level specimens.
He strode over to examine the two prisoners.
Satoru smirked triumphantly.
Just Sōsuke? Easily handled!
The next moment, he turned toward the door.
A member of the Rapid Mobile Corps appeared via Flash Step, kneeling on one knee:
"Captain Satoru! Orders from the Captain-Commander! Proceed to the Central Great Prison immediately!"
Aizen narrowed his eyes and looked over.
Satoru blinked, then clapped his hands.
"Yikes! They found out!"
"I'm done for!"
He turned to Aizen.
"Sōsuke, after I die, take care of my two sons. Divide my assets equally between them!"
Aizen sighed. "What sons..."
"My eldest, Sōjun! My second, Seinosuke!"
While introducing his two "beloved sons," Satoru remembered something else.
"Ah, and Kisuke... he respects me most. If he learns of my death, he'll be grief-stricken and want to join me in death. Stop him—overload him with work, exploit him mercilessly. That'll make him forget about me."
Aizen: "..."
No, if you died, Kisuke Urahara would be the happiest man in Seireitei.
"And Sajin—remember to feed him daily and give him regular dog chews for dental health..."
Are you raising a pet dog here?
Aizen couldn't help but want to make a sarcastic remark, yet he restrained himself through sheer willpower.
He waved his hand, signaling Satoru not to answer just yet.
Then he pushed the door open and stepped out.
"Excuse me, did the Captain-Commander mention what this is about?"
The messenger from the Relay Corps showed no surprise at seeing Aizen emerge instead of Satoru.
Although Aizen was the vice-captain of the Fifth Division, he spent most of his time around the Eleventh Division.
Some younger Shinigami even mistakenly believed Aizen actually belonged to the Eleventh Division.
The messenger bowed his head and said:
"Vice-Captain Aizen, the specific details are unknown. His Excellency the Captain-Commander only ordered us to find Captain Satoru and Captain Kyōraku!"
Hearing this, Aizen showed a thoughtful expression.
"Understood, thank you for your trouble."
"Captain Satoru is currently training. I'll inform him to set off immediately."
"Thank you very much for your assistance!"
The Relay Corps member bowed again before disappearing with a Flash Step.
Aizen returned inside.
Looking at the guy inside who was busy planning his "aftermath arrangements," Aizen opened his mouth to speak but then stopped himself.
Two major criminals had vanished without reason from Muken, and the Captain-Commander was summoning Satoru and Shunsui...
Clearly, the old man believed the Wandenreich was responsible and hadn't suspected a certain individual.
To teach Satoru a lesson, he decided not to reveal the conclusion upfront, letting the guy stew in anxiety along the way.
"The Captain-Commander is waiting for you in Muken. Go."
Aizen spoke calmly, his expression neutral.
"Don't worry. If you die, I'll erect a decent-looking grave for you."
"?"
Satoru was stunned.
Aizen, have you fallen?
With a somewhat heavy heart, Satoru pushed the door open and hurried toward the prison.
Before leaving, he swallowed a pill.
According to Aizen, if he died, this pill would erase all traces of his existence, preventing Yamamoto from tracking him down.
Satoru didn't mind and took it without hesitation.
Watching his retreating figure, Aizen felt a twinge of hesitation.
Had he gone too far?
Would this guy scare himself to death on the way?
...
...
"On a sunny day, the scenery is fine, red flowers and green grass~"
"Joyfully I skip ahead, roaming the green hills, forever young!"
Satoru hummed a cheerful tune, leaping through the air.
He no longer cared about Yamamoto's summons.
If Aizen truly believed the trip was dangerous, he wouldn't have let him go.
Since Aizen was so relaxed about him leaving, it meant he had judged the journey to be safe.
As for the pill... he didn't know what it was for, but his intuition told him it wasn't harmful.
With Aizen, you couldn't just take his words at face value—you had to read the situation and adjust accordingly.
Studying Aizen was an art.
Hehehe, kekeeke!
Satoru descended from the sky, landing in front of the Great Prison's entrance.
Shunsui seemed to have just arrived as well, his brows furrowed tightly, looking as if he were facing a formidable enemy.
Spotting Satoru, he paused briefly.
Though his expression was complicated, he said nothing, simply gesturing for Satoru to come over.
Guided by the jailers, the two made their way to the outermost door of the lowest level.
Shunsui reminded him:
"Satoru, once we go further inside, the space becomes extremely chaotic. Don't act recklessly—stay close to me."
The jailers had already warned them along the way, but Shunsui, worried his junior might be as dismissive as he was, repeated the caution.
Satoru nodded. "Don't worry, dear senior. I've long been prepared to sell you out and make a run for it at any moment."
"?"
Shunsui's blood pressure rose slightly.
Entering Muken, they saw Yamamoto standing in the darkness, his back to them, a silent, steadfast figure.
Though he stood alone, his presence gave off a sense of security—as long as he was there, nothing needed to be feared.
Gazing at Yamamoto's back, Satoru suddenly recalled Azashiro's words—
"What qualifications did he have to hold the position of Captain-Commander?"
Satoru smirked.
This silhouette was the qualification.
"Old Man Yama, what's happened?"
Shunsui asked.
Yamamoto, irritated, was about to turn and scold him.
But the moment he saw Satoru, he lost his composure.
"Fool! Why did you come out without wearing your clothes!"
"Ah?"
Satoru looked down.
He saw his bare upper body, his Shinigami Uniform casually tied around his waist, and his Captain's Haori nowhere in sight.
"..."
It seemed he had taken it off during his fight with Azashiro.
He'd removed it so habitually that he hadn't even noticed.
So the question was—where was the Haori he'd taken off?
Satoru fell into deep thought.
Kyōraku stood to the side, grinning. "I'm actually quite used to seeing this, since you're often like this too, Old Man Yama."
Yamamoto: "..."
After dismissing the others, Yamamoto briefed the two on what had happened here.
Kyōraku furrowed his brow.
Just as he had guessed.
When Old Man Yama summoned him and his junior brother, he had already anticipated the general situation.
The thought of the Quincy reaching their hands here sent chills down his spine.
Satoru was furious.
"Damn Quincy... How dare they do this!"
"Master, the Wandenreich's actions show they have no respect for you!"
"Just give the order! I'm ready at any time!"
Yamamoto nodded. "You two, check if there are any traces of Shadow Space here."
"If you find any signs of Shadow Space having been opened, immediately have someone record the spatial fluctuations and try to trace the transfer route!"
"Of course, these are just my speculations for now. We can't confirm it was the Quincy yet."
"If you discover any other valuable clues, report to me immediately!"
Satoru and Kyōraku accepted their orders and departed.
Summoning his shadow technique, Satoru expanded the Shadow Space and began searching everywhere.
The Muken was completely dark throughout.
Like a cave in an RPG game, he could only see a small area around himself.
Before setting out, he had obtained a special tool from Yamamoto that could guide him back to the entrance.
To prevent prisoners from escaping and to protect Satoru and Kyōraku from prisoner attacks, Yamamoto stood guard at the entrance.
Should any situation arise, even in this spatially chaotic peculiar space, he could reach the scene within five seconds.
Satoru carefully inspected the area, occasionally flipping things over and poking around.
Along the way, he encountered a prisoner.
The prisoner was wrapped in numerous black bandages, with only one eye, one ear, and two nostrils exposed.
Seeing Satoru, he looked somewhat puzzled.
He felt that the Reiatsu fluctuations from this Shinigami seemed familiar, as if he had sensed them somewhere before.
Was it an illusion? It felt like the one who had caused trouble in Muken earlier?
After carefully sensing it, he noticed that this Reiatsu was somewhat different from what he had felt before.
Not the same person... That made sense. Who would be bold enough to return right after causing trouble here?
He closed his eyes, no longer bothering to pay attention.
But Satoru approached him.
"Buddy, your melon... ahem, sorry to bother you with a question."
"Did you sense anything happening in Muken earlier?"
The prisoner squinted his eyes and sneered.
"Has the Seireitei fallen to such depths?"
"Sending a young brat like you here..."
"Are they afraid you won't die soon enough?"
Hearing this, Satoru grinned.
"Don't worry, by the time you finish your sentence, your remaining lifespan probably won't be as long as mine."
Prisoner: "?"
Damn, blood pressure rising.