Hasumi Ren and Urahara pressed themselves against the wall, moving deeper into Silbern along a narrow alleyway. The hoods of their black cloaks were pulled low, obscuring most of their faces and leaving only their eyes visible. Meanwhile, the effects of the Spiritual Pressure concealment reduced their presence to an absolute minimum.
"The side gate of Silbern is just ahead," Urahara's voice drifted out from beneath his hood, dropped to an absolute whisper. "There are fewer guards than at the main gate, but it's not entirely unguarded. We need to find the right moment..." He suddenly broke off.
Ren felt it too.
At the end of the alley ahead, a white figure was slowly approaching. It wasn't a patrolling Quincy; it was just a single individual walking at a slow, leisurely pace, as if taking a stroll. The person's entire body was concealed beneath a voluminous white cloak. The hood was drawn low, masking their face, save for two glints of light faintly piercing the gloom from beneath it. Those eyes looked like glowing lightbulbs, emitting a dim, yellowish luminescence that gave off an eerie vibe.
Urahara furrowed his brow slightly. "That person doesn't seem like an ordinary Quincy. His Spiritual Pressure is highly unusual."
Ren didn't say a word, his gaze dropping to the person's feet. On the ground beside the figure, a tiny speck of light drifted down from the hem of the white cloak. The radiance of this fragment was entirely distinct from ordinary fragments of Spiritual Pressure, and Ren happened to have encountered a similar shard not too long ago. It had dropped beside Ukitake Jushiro back in the Gotei 13.
A system prompt flashed before his eyes.
[SYSTEM: Unknown fragment detected. Analyzing... Analysis complete.] [SYSTEM: Homologous substance discovered. Categorized automatically.] [SYSTEM: Hogyoku awakening progress +1%.] [SYSTEM: Current Hogyoku awakening progress: 3.8%.]
Ren narrowed his eyes. The Hogyoku's awakening progress had increased again. This wasn't an ordinary fragment; this was a shard of the Soul King.
His gaze fixed on the white figure once more as his mind raced. A Soul King fragment hidden within the Wandenreich, a diminutive stature enveloped in a white cloak, and eyes glowing like lightbulbs... All the clues coalesced, pointing to a single name: Pernida Parnkgjas. The Left Arm of the Soul King.
Urahara's voice rang out again, tinged with gravity. "Ren, don't act rashly. This person is far from simple. We should take a detour."
Yet, the moment the words left his mouth, he realized Ren had already moved.
His form glided out from the shadows, completely silent. The Spiritual Pressure-concealing cloak suppressed his presence to an absolute minimum, eliminating even the sound of his footsteps. Ren materialized noiselessly behind Pernida, reached out, and lightly patted the figure's shoulder.
Watching Ren's abrupt action, Urahara's eyes widened in sheer shock. 'What on earth is that idiot doing?!'
Pernida's body stiffened slightly. Those lightbulb-like eyes turned slowly as it looked back, scanning the surroundings, but it found nothing. By then, Ren had already slipped back into the shadows.
Urahara watched Ren return, his heart leaping into his throat. Staring at Ren hiding right beside him, he was on the verge of cursing aloud. But in the next instant, his eyes snapped to Ren's right hand.
The hand that had just patted Pernida's shoulder was warping at a grotesque angle. First, the joints dislocated, followed by the deformation of the bones. Flesh and skin tore apart amidst the twisting, and fresh blood dripped from his fingertips. Ren's fingers looked as if they were being wrung into a coil by an invisible force, a distortion that was gradually spreading up his entire arm.
Yet, Ren's expression remained perfectly serene. He didn't let out a cry, nor did he even knit his brows. Garenge had already achieved Shikai before he had even reached out to touch Pernida.
A system prompt flashed across his vision.
[SYSTEM: Unknown ability intrusion detected. Analyzing...] [SYSTEM: Analysis progress: 10%...30%...60%...] [SYSTEM: Analysis complete.]
Ren's right hand ceased its twisting. That bizarre power felt as if it had been severed by something.
Pernida's ability was dangerous indeed. If Garenge hadn't analyzed his ability in time, that force would have traveled up his arm and spread across his entire body. Fortunately, Garenge's analysis was swift enough.
Ren channeled Kaido, a pale green Spiritual Pressure flowing through his fingertips to repair the damaged tissues. The bones snapped back into place, muscle regenerated, and the skin knit shut. A moment later, his right hand returned to normal.
Standing in the shadows, Urahara watched everything unfold. His expression shifted from fury to shock, and from shock to a grim silence. The person beneath that white cloak possessed an incredibly bizarre power. And the moment Ren touched that individual, he had been corrupted by that very ability. Yet, Ren withstood it, relying on some even more peculiar power. 'Is it his Zanpakuto's ability?'
Pernida slowly turned its head, those lightbulb-like eyes scanning the alleyway. The dim, yellowish beams cut through the darkness, sweeping across every inch of space like searchlights. However, Ren and Urahara had already retreated into deeper shadows. Their cloaks completely masked their Spiritual Pressure, and they reduced their breathing to an absolute minimum.
Pernida watched for a moment before withdrawing its gaze. It seemed somewhat perplexed but quickly abandoned the thought, turning to leave with the same slow, casual pace. The white cloak gradually blurred against the grey-white backdrop of the sky, finally vanishing into the depths of the alley.
Urahara exhaled a long breath, turning to glare at Ren. "Your actions just now were far too reckless. If we had been exposed, both of us would be in deep trouble."
Ren flexed his right hand, confirming it had fully recovered. "I know. But didn't you find that person strange?"
Urahara narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Ren gazed in the direction Pernida had vanished, a pensive look crossing his eyes. "He carries the aura of the Soul King."
Urahara's pupils contracted violently. "What did you say?" Urahara's jaw dropped slightly as he stared at Ren, as if re-evaluating the man entirely, before shifting his gaze back to where the figure had vanished. "But... how could you possibly know that?"
Ren offered no explanation. He simply withdrew his gaze and adjusted his hood. "Let's move. We shouldn't tarry for too long."
Urahara watched him, silent for a moment, before letting out a sigh. He turned and headed back toward Silbern. Ren followed closely behind him, his right hand completely restored without a single scar left behind.
Right then, a system prompt blinked across his vision.
[SYSTEM: The Devourer activated. Spiritual Power EXP +1.]
A moment later, a special notification from The Devourer surfaced.
[SYSTEM: The Devourer activated. Hogyoku awakening progress +0.01%.]
'As expected, it works.' It seemed he would have to pay another visit to Ukitake Jushiro in the near future.
Ren collected his thoughts and quickened his pace to keep up with Urahara. Towering white walls sliced the sky's light into narrow ribbons, casting them onto the cobblestone path like the bars of a cage. The two evaded the patrols, advancing through the shadows.
"The entrance to the subterranean dungeon is just ahead," Urahara's voice, kept exceedingly low, drifted from beneath his hood.
Ren followed his line of sight. A low-slung building sat in the northwestern corner of Silbern, standing in stark contrast to the soaring towers surrounding it. The exterior walls of the building lacked any ornamentation, featuring only grey-white stone bricks and a few narrow windows. Two guards stood at the entrance, clad in white uniforms with swords slung at their waists, their expressions grim.
"Not many guards," Ren observed.
"Perhaps because there's no need." Urahara pulled the telescope-like device from his robes and aimed it at the building. "The walls and floors of the subterranean dungeon have been specially reinforced, and a Spiritual Pressure-detecting barrier blankets every single inch of the space. This is going to require some brainstorming."
Ren's brow arched slightly. "Do you have a way in?"
Urahara stowed the device away, the corner of his mouth tilting upward. "Where there's a will, there's a way." He pulled out a tiny device from his robes resembling a coin, its surface etched with intricate spell arrays. "A Spiritual Pressure jammer. It can temporarily disrupt the detection barrier's perception, creating a brief blind spot—but it'll be more than enough for us to slip inside."
Ren took the device and glanced at it. "How do we use it?"
"Affix it to the barrier's node. I've checked; it's three steps to the left of the entrance, right inside the crevice of the third stone brick on the floor." Urahara's voice was perfectly calm. "I'll draw the guards away. You handle the device."
Ren nodded.
Urahara's form vanished on the spot, reappearing on the opposite side of the building in the next instant. He deliberately stepped on a flagstone, crushing it with a crisp cracking sound. The two guards turned in surprise, exchanged a glance, and walked toward the source of the noise.
Ren didn't hesitate. He Flash-Stepped to the left of the entrance, crouched down, and groped along the gaps between the stone bricks. The third stone brick. There was a tiny indentation within the gap—the barrier node. He slapped the device onto it, channeling a bit of Spiritual Pressure inside. The device emitted a faint blue glow. A ripple washed across the surface of the barrier, like a stone tossed into a pool of water, before it quickly snapped back into stillness.
The blind spot had opened. Ren slipped into the building, and shortly after, Urahara Kisuke Flash-Stepped inside as well.
The interior of the building was even dimmer than the outside. Thick stone walls lined both sides of the corridor, with a Reishi lamp mounted every few paces, casting a faint, cold illumination. The air was thick with a damp, musty odor; the dungeon wasn't particularly large, and prisoners were rarely seen.
The two advanced deeper along the corridor. At every corner they rounded, Urahara would use his device to probe the Spiritual Pressure fluctuations ahead, ensuring no enemies were present.
"The third level, the innermost depths," Urahara murmured. "According to the information from that Quincy, it's just two more floors down."
They located the descending staircase. The glow of the Reishi lamps grew even fainter here, barely illuminating the steps beneath their feet. Soon, they arrived at the third level. Aside from the guards at the main entrance, they hadn't encountered any other wardens patrolling the area. However, the fluctuations of the Spiritual Pressure detection barrier were several times stronger than the upper two floors, feeling as if countless invisible eyes were tracking them through the dark.
Urahara retrieved another device and slapped it onto the corridor wall, temporarily masking their presence from the barrier's senses. "The innermost depths, the very last cell," his voice was barely audible.
The two walked to the end of the corridor. The iron door of the final cell was significantly thicker than the others, and the sealing arrays engraved upon it were far more intricate. A small viewing window sat in the center of the door; peering through it, they could just barely make out the conditions inside.
It was indeed Tosen Kaname's cell.
Urahara pulled a specialized instrument from his robes and pressed it against the lock. As Spiritual Pressure infused into the mechanism, the sealing arrays lit up one by one, then deactivated in sequence. Following Urahara Kisuke's deft manipulation, the lock gave a soft click and popped open.
The two exchanged a glance, steeled themselves, and pushed the door open.
A single Reishi lamp was mounted high up on the wall, emitting a dim, chilly radiance that bathed the entire room in an eerie bluish-white hue. The air was saturated with a heavy stench of blood, mingled with the sharp scent of disinfectant and an indescribable odor of decay.
Tosen Kaname hung from iron chains in the center of the room. His hands were shackled high in the air, and a Spiritual Pressure sealing collar was clamped around his neck, the spell arrays on the band still pulsing sluggishly. His Shihakusho was shredded, exposing the heavily scarred skin beneath. Some wounds had scabbed over, while others were still weeping blood, staining his collar crimson. Yet, he was still breathing—faintly, but steadily.
Urahara strode over to Tosen's side, inspecting the shackles and the sealing collar. "Disabling these devices will take about a quarter of an hour. These sealing formulas are highly complex; forcing them open will trigger an alarm."
Ren stood up and walked to the doorway. "I'll keep watch. Hurry."
Urahara nodded, retrieving his tools to begin dismantling the shackles. His movements were rapid, his Spiritual Pressure circulating through his fingertips as he unraveled the sealing formulas one after another. A quarter of an hour later, Urahara straightened up. "Done."
The shackles clattered onto the floor with a crisp metallic ring. Ren wrapped Tosen in an identical Spiritual Pressure-concealing black cloak and hoisted him onto his shoulder. Next, Urahara Kisuke extracted the substitute Gigai from his bundle. Upon releasing it, he positioned it onto the iron chair.
The Gigai's Spiritual Pressure was a perfect match for Tosen's, and its physical appearance was identical. Following the exact placement of the wounds on Tosen's body, Urahara meticulously replicated them on the Gigai with a one-to-one precision. Under the dim lighting, it was virtually impossible to spot a difference. He then exhaled a breath, the task successfully accomplished.
Appreciating Urahara's masterpiece, Ren gave a nod and walked toward the exit with Tosen slung over his shoulder.
The two navigated the corridors and climbed the steps. Urahara led the way, using his device to scan for any Spiritual Pressure spikes ahead to ensure they weren't walking into an ambush. Their path remained unobstructed all the way back to the entrance. Urahara leaned out to confirm the exterior was clear of guards before slipping outside. Ren followed closely, supporting Tosen.
Moonlight cascaded down, making the silhouettes of Silbern gleam coldly. Urahara guided them through the side alleys, bypassing patrols as they advanced toward their designated extraction point.
"The extraction point is right ahead," Urahara whispered.
Ren looked up and saw a secluded corner a short distance away. It was the exact location they had marked when entering—one of the weak nodes in the spatial barrier. Urahara pulled the circular device from his robes and pressed it against the node. As Spiritual Pressure infused into it, the black hexagram slowly unfolded.
"Let's go," Urahara said. Ren followed immediately behind him, and the two stepped into the vortex.
After a spell of world-spinning disorientation, the two opened their eyes to find themselves back in the secret laboratory within the Nest of Maggots, the brilliant illumination of the Reishi lamps fully lighting up the space.
Ren let out a deep exhale. Looking at Tosen, who was huddled beside him in the black cloak with his breath hanging by a thread, Ren felt as though a lifetime had passed. "We actually succeeded."
"Now then, what should we do with him?" Urahara Kisuke removed his cloak, eyeing the hot potato in front of them.
Ren pondered for a brief moment. "I'll heal his wounds first and keep him under wraps until the moment we need him to make an appearance. We'll seal him completely for now. It works out perfectly—we can just confine him right here inside the Nest of Maggots."