Soi Fon didn't say much. Since everyone was present, after checking the equipment and mission objectives, the four figures quietly left the Second Division barracks.
The group went all out with their Shunpo, racing toward the edge of the 32nd District of West Rukongai outside the Seireitei.
Soi Fon led the way, with Sugimoto and Kawasaki following closely behind, while Ren brought up the rear.
Their Shunpo technique was extremely efficient, maintaining high speeds with low spiritual pressure consumption.
This was the standard movement method of the Stealth Force, and it was the result of Ren's recent training.
As they moved forward, fragments dropped from time to time, and Ren's Shunpo experience steadily increased.
After a long while, they reached the target area.
This was the edge of the 32nd District of West Rukongai, a relatively desolate area with only a few scattered houses and thin woods.
The last location where the Tenth Division member sent a contact signal was nearby.
Soi Fon raised her hand to signal the team to stop. The four of them quickly vanished into the shadows behind a broken wall.
"Reiraku sensing."
Soi Fon commanded in a low voice, and her invisible spiritual sense began to spread outward. Sugimoto and Kawasaki immediately followed suit.
Ren also focused his perception, but just as the intelligence suggested, the area was unnervingly quiet.
A light breeze blew, and the sound of insects was faint.
The spiritual fluctuations of scattered souls in the distance wove into drifting Reiraku, but no spiritual pressure from Soul Reapers or Hollows appeared.
Even the weak and common Reiraku fluctuations of Rukongai residents appeared quite thin in this small area.
"No abnormalities found, but I can't be sure if anyone is hiding their spiritual power in the dark."
Sugimoto spoke first, his brow slightly furrowing.
"It's too quiet, which actually feels abnormal. How could Soul Reapers just vanish for no reason without making a sound?"
"Stay alert. Begin the search."
Soi Fon ordered.
"Form groups of two. Sugimoto and Kawasaki to the left, Ren and I to the right."
"Using this spot as the center, carefully check for any suspicious traces. If you find anything unusual, signal immediately. Do not act on your own."
"Yes!"
The four split into two groups and dispersed silently.
This incident was very strange, and Soi Fon's eyes were filled with solemnity.
She could already vaguely sense the difficulty of this matter.
Soi Fon looked at Ren and noticed him lowering his head slightly, his gaze seemingly unfocused on the ground nearby, his brow knit.
"Ren, did you find something?"
Soi Fon asked with a questioning tone.
Hearing this, Ren looked up. His expression was normal. After a brief pause, he shook his head slightly.
"Nothing yet, it's just... I feel something is strange."
Soi Fon watched Ren's expression, her eyes flickering.
"Stay with me. If you find anything, report it immediately."
Ren nodded and looked back at the direction he was just facing.
He actually had found something.
But he didn't know how to explain it.
In his vision, clusters of spiritual power fragments that only he could see were floating in this area.
These fragments were being absorbed by his auto-collect ability.
[SYSTEM: Spiritual power fragment cluster obtained, Spiritual Power Experience +450]
[SYSTEM: Spiritual power fragment cluster obtained, Spiritual Power Experience +670]
[SYSTEM: Spiritual Power: Grade 7 (EXP: 2250/12000)]
This was the first time Ren had seen fragments appear in such a clustered form.
He didn't know why these clusters were appearing, but he felt a faint sense of unease.
However, this experience of gaining a large amount of EXP reminded him of when he killed Hollows in the World of the Living.
'Could it be...'
"Soi Fon, maybe... we should search in this direction."
Ren pointed toward the direction where the fragments had been dropping.
"Reason?"
"Intuition."
Hearing this, Soi Fon gave Ren a deep look.
After seeing the solemn look in Ren's eyes, she didn't press further, though her nerves tightened.
Soi Fon finally nodded, deciding to search the side Ren pointed out first.
The two moved quickly, darting through the woods.
Ren looked around, focusing his attention on the scattered fragments that appeared from time to time.
Large clusters of fragments didn't appear again, but as they went deeper, scattered fragments appeared here and there, and he adjusted their direction accordingly.
Soi Fon stayed by Ren's side, also observing their surroundings.
The constant appearance of scattered fragments caused Ren's sense of unease to flicker.
Suddenly, a dark red fragment was drawn toward him.
[SYSTEM: Hollowfication fragment obtained, Hollowfication Experience +10]
Ren's steps came to a sudden halt, his pupils shrinking.
'Hollow spiritual pressure?'
"What is it?"
Soi Fon immediately noticed his abnormality. She flashed to his side and asked in a low voice, her hand already on the hilt of her Zanpakuto.
"No... nothing."
Ren looked around and then shook his head.
However, Soi Fon's gaze didn't leave him. She stared intently at Ren's cautious profile under the night sky.
"Ren, did you find something?"
"I can't say for sure. I just feel like something's wrong."
Soi Fon frowned, but she didn't ask further.
She simply pushed her senses to the limit, scanning every shadow around them like a hawk.
The search continued in silence.
Aside from the wind in his ears and the sound of insects, there was no other noise.
As Hollowfication fragments were picked up one after another, the chill in Ren's heart grew heavier.
He had already vaguely realized something.
It had been so long that he almost forgot.
'Aizen's movements have never stopped.'
Before long, as they approached an empty house in the forest that seemed abandoned for a while, Ren's steps stopped again.
[SYSTEM: Hollowfication fragment x10 obtained, Hollowfication Experience +100]
[SYSTEM: Hollowfication: LV1 (EXP: 780/1000)]
There were no more traces of fragments nearby.
This time, Soi Fon sensed it too—not through spiritual pressure, but through a near-instinctive intuition for danger.
The two stared at the pitch-black entrance of the empty house, both feeling the same thing.
'It looks like this is the place.'
Soi Fon made a hand gesture, signaling Ren to watch the rear while she slowly stepped forward to investigate.
In the next instant, Soi Fon's figure stopped abruptly. She retreated backward without hesitation, standing side-by-side with Ren.
A sudden wave of spiritual pressure fluctuations, moving from far to near, entered their sensory range.
There weren't many people, but their spiritual pressure was refined and they were well-trained.
They were moving extremely fast, and their direction was exactly where Ren and Soi Fon were.
"Hide."
Soi Fon made a snap decision. The two vanished instantly, hiding in the shadows of the woods. They retracted their presence to the extreme, suppressing their spiritual pressure until it was nearly undetectable.
A few moments later, several figures appeared.
They were all dressed in Shihakusho with Zanpakuto at their waists, their presence refined.
The leader had a sturdy build, dark skin, and flamboyant hair. He wore a white windbreaker over his Shihakusho and a strange visor on his face.
Soi Fon stared for a moment before recognizing him.
This was the Ninth Division's 5th Seat, Kaname Tosen. He was said to be blind, and based on how he observed his surroundings, it seemed to be true.
It seemed these Soul Reapers were all members of the Ninth Division.
Soi Fon's brow furrowed slightly.
'But why is the Ninth Division here?'