Chapter 155 – Reunion with Kugo Ginjo
After glancing at the location sent by the 12th Division on the Denreishinki, Ailin tucked the device into his pocket and vanished into thin air.
"This is the place?"
Even with the reiatsu-limiting seal placed upon him, Ailin's speed still surpassed that of most captains. Within three minutes, he arrived at the location where the Substitute Shinigami Badge's signal had last been detected.
It was an opulent mansion, yet to Ailin's surprise, it seemed neglected, with no one tending to its upkeep or landscaping.
"Faint, but Ginjo's reiatsu residue is definitely here."
Entering the mansion, Ailin followed the traces of Kugo Ginjo's lingering reiatsu, eventually stopping in a grand hall.
This was where Ginjo's reiatsu had disappeared.
Surveying his surroundings, Ailin quickly noticed something peculiar about the hall. Rather than a reception area for guests, the hall felt more like a "memorial hall."
At its center stood a raised platform adorned with countless white chrysanthemums, with two rectangular spaces left vacant amidst the flowers.
If Ailin's guess was correct, these spaces were where two coffins had originally been placed, hence the empty areas of identical shape and size within the white chrysanthemum platform.
Further ahead, on a table at the front of the hall, three photographs were displayed. On either side were black and white portraits of a man and a woman, while the central one was a color photo of a family of three.
Ailin didn't recognize the man and woman. But he remembered the child between them. It was Yukio Hans Vorarlberna.
Seeing Yukio's photo, Ailin understood why Soul Society had lost track of the Substitute Shinigami Badge on Ginjo.
Yukio was a member of the Fullbringer organization, Xcution, with the ability "Invaders Must Die," using his favorite game console as his Fullbring focus.
"Invaders Must Die" allowed Yukio to create a game space using his console.
Kugo Ginjo was likely hiding within this game space at this very moment.
As Ailin examined the photos on the table, the space behind him suddenly distorted with black pixels. A figure emerged, wielding a giant sword and swinging it down towards Ailin.
Clang!
Ailin extended his hand, catching the blade. With a flick of his wrist, he flung both the sword and its wielder away.
Boom!
A wall crumbled as the figure crashed through it, burying them beneath a pile of falling debris.
Boom!
Reiatsu surged, bursting forth from the rubble with immense force, scattering the stones. It was Kugo Ginjo.
"Long time no see, Ginjo," Ailin said calmly, gazing at Ginjo, who was now enveloped in a white aura of reiryoku.
Without delay, Ailin took out the Denreishinki and dialed Jushiro Ukitake's number.
"Hello, Captain Ukitake."
"Captain Ailin, what's the situation on your end? I just received information from the 12th Division that they've re-acquired the Substitute Shinigami Badge's signal... Eh? This reiatsu... Captain Ailin, have you already arrived there?"
Ukitake, looking at the information from the Research and Development Institute, noticed that Captain Ailin's reiatsu and the red dot representing the Substitute Shinigami Badge were overlapping.
"Yes, I've found Substitute Shinigami Kugo Ginjo."
Ailin proceeded to relay everything Ginjo had said to Ukitake.
"Captain Ukitake, Ginjo suspects someone bypassed the Research and Development Institute and accessed the Substitute Shinigami Badge's monitoring records, leading to the deaths of his subordinates who trusted him to help them live as ordinary humans...
Now, I need you to investigate who secretly accessed Ginjo's data and determine which division those Shinigami Ginjo killed belonged to."
"Very well, I'll begin the investigation immediately."
After ending the call, Ailin turned to Ginjo. "Ginjo, I'll be staying in the World of the Living for a few days to await the investigation results from Soul Society.
During this time, it's best if you avoid hiding in that space. And if you must enter, leave the Substitute Shinigami Badge outside. I don't want to receive another report from the Research and Development Institute about losing the badge's signal..."
With that, Ailin turned and left Yukio's mansion without looking back.
Once Ailin had completely disappeared, black pixels materialized within the hall, and three figures emerged from the game space.
One was a rebellious teenager with yellow hair and a black cap – Yukio Hans Vorarlberna.
Another was a middle-aged man with an eyepatch, dressed in a black and white butler's outfit – Giriko Kutsuzawa.
The last was a slightly frail young man with a melancholic expression, holding a book in his hand – Shūkurō Tsukishima.
"That person is terrifying." The words came from Tsukishima.
"Yeah, no need to state the obvious."
Yukio sat down on the sofa in the living room with a gloomy expression. "Just look at how Ginjo reacted. Even his sneak attack was tossed aside like trash..."
"Yukio, we should be more respectful towards Lord Ginjo." The older, Giriko, gently reminded Yukio.
Within the Xcution organization, Tsukishima was the founder, and his Fullbring ability garnered immense trust from all members.
Yukio, having inherited a vast fortune from his parents, financed the organization's activities.
Kugo Ginjo, the Substitute Shinigami, was also able to cultivate Fullbring and was currently the strongest member of Xcution.
Thank you for the Ratings/Likes.
If you like the story, please support. Thank you.