Chapter 161

But when he saw the number on Lavine's neck, his expression instantly changed.

"You, you are..."

"Espada Adjunct, do you need to know who I work for?" Lavine stared at him coldly.

"No need!" The Captain Hue immediately stood up and looked at Lavine respectfully.

"If I catch you slacking off again, you're dead!" Lavine looked at him gloomily.

"Understood!"

After doing all this last night, Lavine left from here; only after reaching the place where Kuchiki Senya and the others were did she finally relax.

"I was too nervous; I was really afraid he would ask who I was following..." Lavine's heart was about to jump out of her chest.

Kuchiki Senya smiled slightly and said, "It's alright, you did very well."

They had now deceived that Captain Hue, and they had already reached the inner city; next, they would be much freer.

118, My Lord, where are we going?

Inside the city, they began to act cautiously, constantly taking detours, hiding, and avoiding patrol teams, trying not to attract anyone's attention.

"My Lord, where are we going?" Sasaki finally couldn't help but ask.

"To find someone who knows this place; we first need to figure out the situation here." Kuchiki Senya looked at the patrol teams constantly passing by and said softly.

Everyone nodded; they now had no objections to Kuchiki Senya's decisions because they found that Kuchiki Senya's decisions were always very correct.

They gradually approached a relatively bustling area; the buildings here were taller and more magnificent, and the patrol teams were also denser.

"My Lord?" Sasaki asked again.

"To... to find a defector." Kuchiki Senya gave an answer that shocked everyone.

Everyone looked at "Five Zero Seven" Kuchiki Senya in surprise; a defector Soul Reaper? This was no small matter; if discovered, even with their Hollowfication, they wouldn't be able to escape, right?

"Don't worry, I have already contacted this person; he should leave that place before we arrive." Kuchiki Senya said indifferently.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; it turned out Kuchiki Senya had made arrangements long ago.

They went around a block and came to a relatively quiet place; there was a rather secluded mansion here.

Kuchiki Senya went up and knocked on the door; after a while, the door opened, and a middle-aged man appeared at the entrance.

After seeing Kuchiki Senya, his expression changed slightly, and he said, "You... My Lord? Why have you come?"

"I came here to seek refuge; I didn't expect to meet a traitor like you." Kuchiki Senya said coldly.

The middle-aged man smiled bitterly, "My Lord, I am not a traitor; I am just dissatisfied with the rule of the Zero Division."

"Then why are you helping us now?" Kuchiki Senya asked.

The middle-aged man sighed and said, "I have already contacted my Lord Aizen; he promised to help me restore my status..."

Kuchiki Senya interrupted him and said, "We don't have much time; you'd better take us to a safe place immediately."

The middle-aged man nodded, turned around, and led them into the mansion.

In the basement of the mansion, they found a hidden room; this was obviously where the middle-aged man was hiding.

"This place is very safe; I have been hiding here for a long time." The middle-aged man said.

After letting him leave, Kuchiki Senya left Lavine here to watch over the room. Although this place was very safe, it was still a strange location; leaving someone to guard it would be safer.

After leaving this mansion, they headed towards the next target.

This time their destination was a relatively remote area; there was a slum there, mostly ordinary citizens. Although there were some Hollows appearing here, the number was not large.

They quietly entered this area and then began to explore everywhere.

Kuchiki Senya saw some commoners gathering around a corner discussing something; he curiously walked over to take a look.

It turned out that was a lottery stall, and the prizes were small items, such as food, daily necessities, etc.

"This stall appeared recently; it is said to be set up by an old man named Bach." A man who looked quite talkative said to Kuchiki Senya.

"Bach?" Kuchiki Senya frowned; this name seemed to have been heard somewhere.

"My Lord, do you know him?" the man asked.

Kuchiki Senya shook his head and said, "No, I don't know him, but this name sounds somewhat familiar."

They did not linger on this topic but continued to move towards their goal.

There was also a tavern in this area, and there were not many people inside. After Kuchiki Senya and the others walked in, they found a relatively secluded corner to sit down.

After seeing them, the tavern owner asked in surprise, "Several My Lords? Why have you come to such a place?"

Kuchiki Senya smiled slightly and said, "We just came here to rest a bit, and also, I want to ask you some things."

The tavern owner immediately bowed and said, "Please ask; whatever I know, I will tell you."

"Have you heard of the name Bach?" Kuchiki Senya asked.

"Bach? Are you talking about that Bach? He is a celebrity here; many people know him." The tavern owner said proudly.

"Who is he? Is he very famous here?" Kuchiki Senya asked again.

The tavern owner looked at Kuchiki Senya in surprise and said, "My Lord Bach is one of the members of the Zero Division; he is very famous here."

After hearing the name of the Zero Division, Kuchiki Senya was instantly startled; he grabbed the tavern owner's collar and lifted him up.

"What did you just say? Say it again!" Kuchiki Senya's tone became extremely severe.

The tavern owner trembled all over in fear; he stammered, "My Lord Bach is one of the members of the Zero Division; he is a celebrity here..."

Kuchiki Senya let go of his hand, letting the tavern owner fall back onto his seat. His expression became extremely ugly; the Zero Division actually appeared here? This made him feel very uneasy.

"Do you know where My Lord Bach is?" Kuchiki Senya asked again.

The tavern owner nodded and said, "My Lord Bach often patrols outside the city; if you want to find him, you can try your luck outside the city."

Kuchiki Senya and the others left the tavern and walked towards outside the city. Their mood became extremely heavy; the appearance of the Zero Division made them feel a great threat.

Outside the city, on a barren piece of land, only a few dilapidated buildings stood here. Kuchiki Senya and the others moved between the buildings; their mood became extremely heavy.

"My Lord, what do we do now?" Sasaki asked.

"We keep moving forward until we find Bach." Kuchiki Senya said in a firm tone.

2.1 The others nodded. They knew this was no time for nonsense — they had to find Bach as quickly as possible to ensure their own safety.

They continued onward, passing one dilapidated building after another, until they finally arrived before a relatively new one. This building looked fairly sturdy, with several guards standing watch at the entrance.

Kuchiki Senya guessed this building might be the Zero Division's station, so he stepped forward and stated his identity outright. The guards, upon hearing his name, immediately let them in.

Inside the building, they discovered a fairly spacious hall. Some of the members were resting in the hall, while others were training.

"You've finally come. I've been waiting for your arrival." A voice rang out, and a person wearing a black division uniform appeared before them.

119. The captain of the Zero Division — Bach!

Kuchiki Senya stared at this person in surprise. He recognized that this person was Bach.

Bach looked at them with a smile and said, "I heard you've already infiltrated this place. I've been waiting for your arrival."

Kuchiki Senya's brow furrowed tightly as he asked, "Who are you? How do you know our plan?"

Bach said with a smile, "I am the captain of the Zero Division. Everything you've done is within my grasp."

The others stared at Bach in astonishment, deeply shocked. The Zero Division was actually their enemy — and moreover, the greatest obstacle to their plan.

Bach continued, "You are now my prisoners. I suggest you honestly reveal your plan, then join my ranks and serve me."

Upon hearing this suggestion, the others immediately shook their heads in refusal. Kuchiki Senya went even further, drawing his blade outright, ready to fight Bach.

Seeing their reaction, Bach was not angry — instead, he laughed. He waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to prepare for battle.

A fierce battle unfolded. The showdown between Kuchiki Senya and Bach was especially intense. Their Hollowfication abilities canceled each other out, forcing them to fight only with their physical bodies. Meanwhile, the other members were also locked in evenly matched combat with the Zero Division's members.

Although Kuchiki Senya and the others also used Hollowfication, their Hollowfication time was very short and came with restrictions. By contrast, the Zero Division's members had longer Hollowfication time with no restrictions. Thus, in the battle, Kuchiki Senya and the others gradually fell at a disadvantage.

"Senya-sama, are you all right?" Lavini saw Kuchiki Senya was injured and immediately rushed over to ask.

"I'm fine." Kuchiki Senya said through gritted teeth. His wound was bleeding, but he was unwilling to stop and rest. He knew this was no time for nonsense — he had to defeat Bach as quickly as possible.

However, Bach was not so easy to defeat. His strength was tremendous, and his Hollowfication ability was also extremely powerful. In the battle, he kept using Hollowfication to dodge and attack, leaving Kuchiki Senya and the others helpless.

"Surrender already." Bach appeared before Kuchiki Senya once more, a Hollow sword in his hand, threatening Kuchiki Senya's life.

Kuchiki Senya shook his head helplessly. He knew this battle had reached its final moment. He looked up at Bach and said, "We will not surrender."

Having said that, he charged toward Bach. His blade sliced through the air, producing a piercing sound. However, Bach was not intimidated by this attack — he swung his Hollow sword and met it head-on.

The two figures crossed, their weapons clashing and sending off sparks. In an extremely short time, they exchanged dozens of rounds, yet neither emerged victorious.

Kuchiki Senya felt his stamina draining rapidly, his movements growing slower and slower. He knew his Hollowfication time was about to end, but he still hadn't found a way to defeat Bach.

However, just as his Hollowfication time was about to end, Bach suddenly launched an attack. His Hollow sword thrust toward Kuchiki Senya's chest. Kuchiki Senya could only swing his blade to block. Yet his blade was shattered by the Hollow sword, and in the next instant, the Hollow sword had already pierced through his body.

Kuchiki Senya felt a sharp stab of pain shoot through him, his body trembling uncontrollably. He looked down at his wound — blood gushed from it in torrents, staining his clothes red.

Bach did not stop. He swung his Hollow sword once more, ready to continue the attack. Kuchiki Senya knew he could no longer dodge this strike. He could only close his eyes and wait for death to come.

However, just at that moment, a voice suddenly rang out: "Bach, stop!" Upon hearing this voice, Bach immediately halted his attack and turned to look at the newcomer.

Kuchiki Senya also saw this newcomer, and he was greatly surprised. Because this newcomer was actually one of his teammates — Sasaki.