Chapter 405: BSUS Chapter 408: Enemies in the Dark

Kaien and the other two pushed open the doors to the pristine white, rectangular tower and entered, finding what seemed like an entirely different world inside.

The entire interior of the tower was constructed from a material resembling obsidian. Even with the sunlight filtering in from outside the doors, the three of them could not see the boundaries of their surroundings.

Judging by where they had entered, they were situated in the upper-middle section of the tower. Kaien glanced up; the pitch-black dome seemed both right before his eyes and as far away as the horizon. The profound darkness warped his sense of space, making it impossible for him to be certain if there was another space hidden above.

What was certain, however, was that there had to be something hidden beneath their feet. Was the half of Karakura Town they were looking for right below them?

“Welcome to our palace!”

The massive doors behind them suddenly slammed shut on their own. From all directions, a single, slightly high-pitched, and unsettling voice echoed, “Welcome to our palace!” This was immediately followed by a somewhat deep, gruff voice: “Everyone, you tempting little morsels, hehehe.”

*Two of them! Or maybe more!*

Kaien instinctively assumed a defensive stance. Even though he couldn’t sense any Reiatsu or life fluctuations, there was clearly more than one enemy in this tower. Was it because of this bizarre environment?

“Careful, don’t wander too far from me,” Kaien whispered to the other two, his gaze constantly sweeping their surroundings, wary of enemies that could strike from anywhere at any moment.

“Which one of you is the most delicious?” The grating, high-pitched voice continued to drill into their ears. Jackie, with her fiery temper, seemed to have had enough. She shouted, “You sneaking cowards, you want to eat but don’t even have the guts to reach out?!”

“Oh? If you’re that impatient…”

The voices scattered throughout the space suddenly converged into one. A long, perforated white mask gradually materialized to Jackie’s right, and a hand wearing a white glove was already reaching out right in front of her!

“Then let’s start with you!”

Jackie’s face filled with surprise, her body stiffening for a split second. That brief hesitation made it impossible for her to escape the hand, which looked no different from an ordinary human’s.

Kaien’s reaction was undeniably fast; he had turned around almost the instant the mask appeared. However, Sung-Sun on the other side was even faster.

Her movements were swift. With a sweep of her long sleeve across Jackie’s back, the two swapped positions as if performing a dance. Dodging the enemy’s grasp from the darkness, Sung-Sun gripped a gleaming three-pronged sai in her right hand and thrust it straight at the enemy’s face. “I didn’t notice it from afar, but up close, that lowly stench of yours is truly nauseating.”

The white mask, which somewhat resembled a top hat, casually tilted to the side, dodging Sung-Sun’s premeditated strike. The figure then leaned backward, preparing to retreat into the darkness once more.

How could Kaien let such an opportunity slip by? He didn’t know if Sung-Sun, as an Arrancar, had truly detected the enemy’s approach through scent, but as a Shinigami, he had definitively locked onto the opponent’s Reiatsu just now.

He could deduce two possibilities: either the opponent was highly skilled at concealing themselves, only becoming detectable within a certain range, or this bizarre environment provided the perfect conditions for them to hide.

But no matter what the enemy was relying on, the problem Kaien faced remained the same—distance. If he let the opponent get away, all he could do next time was mount another nerve-wracking defense. He absolutely could not let this rat slip away!

“[Bakudō #4, Crawling Rope]!”

A bright yellow rope deftly wrapped around the opponent’s wrist, its other end connected to Kaien’s fingertips. He gave it a forceful tug, causing the opponent’s figure to visibly halt.

“Don’t let him get away!”

Sung-Sun offered a faint smile. Jackie, who had been pulled behind her, used this opening to calm her nerves. Stomping hard on the ground, Jackie vaulted right over Sung-Sun, launching herself toward the owner of the white mask, who was leaning back slightly as if watching her.

In midair, a flash of blue and white light enveloped her. A black peaked cap appeared on her head, and a white scarf whipped wildly around her neck in the wind. She spun in the air, and her black boots slammed into the opponent’s face with the force of a falling boulder. *Bang!* A heart-shaking shockwave erupted!

The figure, previously mostly hidden in the darkness, was fully revealed to her for the first time. A slender body was draped in a long white robe with ruffled designs at the collar and cuffs, making the person look like some medieval aristocrat.

However, the head—covered by a white mask and resembling a glass dome—paired with the aristocratic attire created a bizarre contrast, instantly filling Jackie with an inexplicable sense of revulsion.

*Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!* She unleashed another flurry of kicks. Sung-Sun, who had been about to strike, raised a hand to cover her mouth, hiding her surprised expression.

Jackie had fought back at the outpost and even seemed intent on competing with Kaien. She was a strong-willed human, but her strength had seemed rather mediocre—at least, that was Sung-Sun’s initial impression.

But now, both her speed and power had undergone a sudden, qualitative leap. Furthermore, unless it was just an illusion, she was still growing stronger bit by bit.

Sung-Sun quickly made an assessment in her mind. *If not for Lord Chōzuka’s training, this is probably the level we would have been at, right?*

*What an interesting human. No wonder she caught Lord Chōzuka’s attention. It’s just that this personality of hers, which is somewhat similar to Apacci’s, is far too crude!*

Under Kaien’s watchful gaze, the slender body of the guy he had previously deemed a major threat bent like a twig under a gale, finally collapsing to the ground with a heavy crash!

“Who did you say!”

Jackie raised her right leg high, channeling all the frustration from her earlier vulnerability into pure rage. Like a falling black meteor, she stomped her foot squarely onto the opponent’s chest!

“You were going to start with!!!”

*Boom!* The ground jolted violently as the slender white figure crushed the stone tiles beneath him, slowly being buried by the flying debris.

Was this guy, who had been hiding in the dark and inviting them in, really this weak?

Kaien didn’t think so. Although it was faint, the guy’s Reiatsu beneath their feet hadn’t disappeared. On the contrary, it was gradually growing stronger, as if it were awakening.

Sung-Sun glanced at Jackie, who was letting out a long sigh of relief, and then shot a look at Kaien.

Kaien understood her meaning perfectly. “Don’t let your guard down. We can’t let him get away.”

The three of them each took a step back, forming a triangle to surround the unmoving Arrancar in the center. They were all experienced fighters, and after facing the Number 3 Arrancar earlier, they had developed a certain level of synergy.

The reason they didn’t press the attack was because they hadn’t forgotten the very first words they had heard. “Our” meant that in the unknown darkness, there was at least one more enemy waiting to pounce.

“It seems we’re being treated as prey. How annoying!” The high-pitched voice rang out from the center—the same voice that had approached Jackie earlier.

Kaien, Jackie, and Sung-Sun’s eyes rapidly darted from left to right. He was likely complaining to his companion, which meant the other guy was about to make his move.