Chapter 393 BSUS Chapter 396: Ally or Enemy?

With Las Noches at the center, among the numerous outposts in all six directions, only one in each direction actually held humans providing energy for the barrier. The rest were all decoys.

First of all, identifying these six key locations was a difficult problem in itself. Aside from Hiroe, who could quickly filter them out, it seemed the rest of the group could only search them one by one.

However, not only were there too many outposts, but they were also spread over a vast area. According to Ashido, each outpost also contained a varying number of Arrancars. Checking all of them would inevitably consume a considerable amount of time and energy.

Time was the main dilemma facing the group. At present, it seemed their only option was to rely on Hiroe to conduct a large-scale investigation first. While this would still take time, it was comparatively the fastest choice.

Kaien pondered other possibilities in his mind, still holding onto a sliver of hope. “Can you investigate all the outposts at once, Captain Chōzuka?”

“I can, provided I reach the location of Las Noches. The range of my fused Kidō would barely be able to cover them. In fact, if I can get there, I could also reverse-engineer and dismantle the barrier. But I imagine Aizen wouldn’t give me the opportunity to execute such an obvious divide-and-conquer strategy.”

Hiroe smiled helplessly. “Of course, if you’re willing to take a risk, we could give it a try. There are twenty-five humans in this direction. Assuming the numbers are roughly the same, there are no more than two hundred people across all six directions. The cost of this…”

“No!” Ichigo loudly interrupted before he could finish. “We absolutely cannot treat a single life as a gamble or something to be discarded!”

Ishida, Chad, Inoue, as well as Riruka and Rukia all nodded, showing their agreement with Ichigo’s statement. Mishandling this could easily spark outrage among the group—no, it *definitely* would.

Kaien sighed and patted Hiroe on the shoulder. “Honestly, you should try to experience normal human emotions for a change…”

*Be human?* Hiroe’s eye twitched slightly. He placed his right hand on Kaien’s shoulder in return, doing his best to maintain a smile as he asked, “Then have you figured out what to do with those humans after we save them, my Vice-Captain?”

“Well…”

Kaien couldn’t answer, and Hiroe didn’t press him. Instead, he turned his gaze to the others. Seeing their awkward expressions—like they had just sucked on a lemon but were trying to play it cool—he figured they didn’t know the answer either.

Their goal wasn’t just to save these humans; it was to enter Las Noches and bring back the city along with the rest of its residents. Therefore, even if they managed to save every single person in the outposts, figuring out where to put them was a massive problem.

“Ashido-senpai, you’ve been in Hueco Mundo all this time. You must have a relatively safe place to stay, right?” Seeing Ashido nod, Kaien continued, “Then after we rescue those humans, could we temporarily settle them there?”

“It’s possible, but we primarily operate in the lower levels of Hueco Mundo, also known as the Forest of Menos. It’s extremely far from here, and traveling back and forth would consume a massive amount of time.”

This presented another dilemma. The situation inside Las Noches weighed heavily on everyone’s minds; any delay could lead to unforeseen complications. The sooner they found Karakura Town, the better.

Assuming the worst-case scenario, if something were to happen to the city and the humans inside while the group was busy relocating the rescued captives, the resulting tragedy would be too unbearable to even imagine.

“We split up!” Kaien suggested loudly. “When the time comes, Ichigo, your group will escort the humans. Renji, Rukia, Chōzuka, and I will head to Las Noches first. You guys just hurry back as soon as you can. It’s a bit risky, but we can’t just stand by and abandon lives. Rest assured, we will fight to the death to ensure Karakura Town’s safety.”

“That is an option,” Hiroe affirmed. Although such a decision might seem naive in the eyes of many, the sentiment behind it was commendable.

“How can it just be the few of you going inside? I’m going to Las Noches with you!”

“What do you mean by that, Ichigo? Do you think we’re incapable of protecting the others?!”

“I’m not doubting you, but it’s going to be much more dangerous inside than out here.”

“And you think running around Hueco Mundo with a bunch of humans is going to be safe? Idiot!”

“Then what should we do? Draw straws? Yeah, let’s decide by drawing straws!”

Having just been praised, Kaien immediately showed his true colors, getting completely sidetracked by Ichigo and the others. Hiroe didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and looking at Ashido, he could see the Shinigami shared the sentiment.

They were a promising group of kids, but they were still too easily swayed by their emotions. It wasn’t a bad thing, just a sign that they weren’t quite mature enough in how they handled things.

“Actually, you don’t need to escort the rescued humans yourselves!”

“Do you have a better idea, Ashido-senpai?”

“My companions can take the rescued people to a safe place…” Ashido paused, adding with some difficulty, “As long as… as long as you can trust them, there won’t be any problems.”

That sounded a bit strange. Renji scratched the back of his head and said uncertainly, “Why wouldn’t we trust the senior members? Could it be that they’re severely injured?”

A Shinigami who had led a team into Hueco Mundo to hunt down Hollows would naturally have companions who were also Shinigami from that original expedition. This was practically a given—at least, it was for a Shinigami like Renji.

Ashido’s expression grew even more unnatural. “They aren’t the seniors you’re thinking of…”

“Then who?” The group inexplicably tensed up, but Hiroe suddenly noticed something. “Oh? Something is approaching.” His gaze turned intriguing. “Could that be your companion, Ashido?”

“It should be.”

Hiroe’s expression also became playful. His gaze drifted to the right, and his tone carried a hint of hostility. “Then you’re going to have to give us a good explanation. What a surprise.”

The group followed his gaze. In the distance, a line of dust slowly rose into the air. A black dot gradually took on a humanoid shape in their eyes. Ishida’s expression suddenly turned grim, though no one noticed his unusual reaction.

The figure flashed and disappeared again, reappearing less than a kilometer away from the group. The others blinked, as if doubting whether what they were seeing was an illusion.

When they opened their eyes again, the person was already quite close—so close that they could clearly see the look of utter confusion on her face.

The sound of blades being drawn rang out almost simultaneously. Kaien, Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, and the other Shinigami drew their swords, treating the newcomer as a deadly threat. Ishida had already nocked an arrow to his bow, aiming a blue spirit arrow directly at the person before them—someone who stirred up complicated emotions.

“She means no harm, believe me, everyone!” Ashido stepped in front of the group, shouting back at the person behind him, “Don’t attack, Apacci! They aren’t enemies!”

If it hadn’t been for Ashido, the group probably would have attacked already. But even with Ashido blocking their way, they couldn’t truly relax.

Because his so-called companion was actually an Arrancar!