Chapter 1493 - 16: Abnormally Awkward

Chapter 1493: Chapter 16: Abnormally Awkward

Jingling Court West Side, 6th Squad Station Area.

A large group of Soul Reapers blocked the surrounding streets. Though Hollows Street in Soul Society might seem chaotic, the order within Jingling Court is rigorous, with very few instances of external invasion. But today, this peace has been shattered.

Publicly attacking and killing important researchers from the Fourth Division at the 6th Squad Station is not just assassination anymore; it is a provocation against the Guard Court Thirteen Teams, a challenge to Yamamoto Genryusai, the head captain.

Because of this, a significant number of Soul Reapers have gathered within the 6th Squad Station, commencing a thorough search of the surrounding area. Strangely, Kuchiki Byakuya, the captain of the 6th Squad, has not stepped forward.

It’s not that Kuchiki Byakuya is cowardly or afraid of conflict; he has been busy with other matters recently. Given the relative peace in Jingling Court, his absence from the station is somewhat understandable, beyond his duties.

No matter what, Kuchiki Byakuya will inevitably be ’scolded harshly’ by Old Man Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto afterward. As for what Kuchiki Byakuya has been busy with, he is investigating the result of Rukia Kuchiki’s trial.

Rukia Kuchiki is not just Kuchiki Byakuya’s adopted sister; what others do not know is that Rukia Kuchiki is actually Kuchiki Byakuya’s sister-in-law, and the last name Kuchiki is not her original surname.

Of course, there is no such term as sister-in-law in the Bleach World, but in terms of seniority, it indeed is so. When the sister-in-law is in trouble, Kuchiki Byakuya will certainly not stand idly by.

On a certain street in the 6th Squad Station, Yamamoto Genryusai confronted Su Xiao, and the surrounding atmosphere felt somewhat eerie.

"Where is the thief?"

Old Man Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto’s tone was relatively calm, as Su Xiao is after all a ’victim.’ Regardless of how suspicious Su Xiao’s origin and aura may be, his recent undertakings have been beneficial to Jingling Court; logically and sentimentally, upon encountering an attack, Yamamoto Genryusai cannot interrogate him as if he were a criminal.

"I’m not sure. The assassination failed and they fled."

"Assassination failed..."

Old Man Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto’s eyes narrowed.

"Exactly, the thief did not wish to kill me. During the conflict, there were several moments of hesitation. Fortunately, you arrived promptly. However, I was previously pulled into a strange place that seemed to no longer be Soul Society."

Su Xiao certainly wouldn’t say it was he who repelled Death Omen. Currently, he is posing as a frail researcher, skilled in explosive devices only. Most captains are aware of his proficiency in crafting explosives.

"It’s good to be safe, other matters..."

Ukitake Retsu spoke. She seemed uninterested in dwelling on how Su Xiao repelled the enemy. To continue questioning is akin to interrogation. Failing to find the thief and instead interrogating their own is undoubtedly laughable.

"She will come again."

Su Xiao suddenly interrupted Ukitake Retsu’s words, causing Ukitake Retsu to turn her head to look at Su Xiao, along with two other pairs of eyes.

"Before entering Jingling Court, I had enmity with her. She’s called Death Omen. As for how the enmity formed... she is very keen on acquiring the technology I use to produce potions."

Su Xiao certainly won’t pretend to know nothing—that would be too suspicious. Or rather, the seemingly kind Ukitake Retsu actually laid a small trap for Su Xiao to fall into. Su Xiao has long been accustomed to this daily pitfall.

"Is that so."

Old Man Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto turned and left, prepared to assign this matter to be handled by Kuchiki Byakuya and Ukitake Retsu. He had other urgent matters.

"Please explain in detail."

Ukitake Retsu’s attitude underwent a subtle shift, following continuous probing, evidently on the verge of overextending Su Xiao’s patience. Thus, she chose not to continue.

"The situation is roughly like this..."

Su Xiao began fabricating the story of his grudge with Death Omen. Considering Death Omen’s ability to escape, Su Xiao doubted a Captain Level Shinigami could capture her. Hence, he took the liberty of creating a reasonable yarn, except if Death Omen was hypnotized by Aizen, as a skilled violator of the Bleach World, it seemed improbable.

Every Contractor knew that Aizen’s faction was the most free and also the most lucrative, yet none approached Aizen—a decision that was simply too perilous.

Contractors weren’t all in the real world. In this Bleach World, there were at least over a hundred Contractors. Most of them were in the real world, soon to utilize their myriad skills to infiltrate Soul Society. The stronger Contractors were already within Soul Society, including those who had interacted with Ukitake Retsu.

Regarding such Contractors, Su Xiao merely pretended not to see them, maintaining a mutual non-aggression stance. In the early stages of Derivative Worlds, peace among Contractors was relatively maintained.

According to Su Xiao’s judgment, Death Omen would not dare to show herself recently. After a fierce confrontation, Su Xiao gained some understanding of Death Omen. That erratic woman would predominantly remain hidden until she devised a way to deal with him, then she would resurface swiftly.

Compared to searching for violators in other worlds, violators like Death Omen are more straightforward, requiring no search due to their inevitable appearance.

Of course, there were even easier scenarios. During one of Su Xiao’s ventures into the Forbidden World of Magic, a Tri-Body violator charged at him right at the world’s inception, initiating combat before Su Xiao could even finish the world introduction. In the ensuing exchange, Su Xiao landed a sidekick that left the Tri-Body half-dead, ultimately dealing with them definitively.

Death Omen was actually quite similar. Unfortunately, her escape ability was too powerful. It’s hardly surprising that she possesses such combat strength, having just ascended to the Fourth Tier. If allowed to grow, she would certainly become a fierce figure—or to put it differently, Death Omen currently is one of the fierce figures within the Fourth Tier.

After Su Xiao described his and Death Omen’s grudge with Ukitake Retsu, she too departed with her entourage, seemingly searching for any traces of Death Omen. Having a researcher in the Fourth Division attacked, she naturally wouldn’t remain passive.

Soon, only Su Xiao and Aizen were left in the area, not far away was a large gathering of Soul Reapers conducting searches.

Aizen wore a gentle smile, his gaze sweeping around before the smile on his face slightly diminished.

"Who attacked you, and what was her objective?"

Aizen asked with the tone of a superior, his hand resting on the hilt of Kyoka Suigetsu.

"..."

Su Xiao deliberated for a moment, genuinely unsure how to pretend to be hypnotized. Considering Aizen’s intelligence, any impromptu disguise might be seen through, which would be even more troublesome.

"..."

"..."

Su Xiao and Aizen looked at each other, creating an atmosphere of stifling awkwardness.

Looking directly at Su Xiao, Aizen visibly hesitated—yes, Cunning Old Fox Aizen was momentarily stunned.

Although the atmosphere was abnormally awkward, the Cunning Old Fox would remain the Cunning Old Fox, moreover, Aizen was not the only Cunning Old Fox present.

"My objective is the Zanpakutō. The stronger the Zanpakutō, the more precious it is to me, or rather, that’s how I gain strength. The Zanpakutō in Hollows Street is too rare, which is why I came here to find a suitable target, kill, and seize the blade."

Su Xiao looked at Aizen with a smiling face. He wasn’t lying; one of his goals in infiltrating Jingling Court was indeed to acquire a Zanpakutō.

"..."

This frank opening bewildered Aizen momentarily with an unexpected discomfort.