Kōe had just watched Zaraki Kenpachi's retreating figure disappear into the distance when he was suddenly surrounded by five dark silhouettes. Judging by their attire, they were Shinigami, just like him.
"You? Which Squad are you from?"
The middle-aged man leading the group continuously scanned Kōe. He was a Shinigami too, but one they had never seen in the Seireitei.
"Squad 1, Kōe Shihouin."
Logically speaking, even if Kōe hadn't caused that massive scene at graduation, he was still one of the most prominent figures in the Seireitei. As the Head Captain's last disciple, almost everyone in the Seireitei paid at least some attention to him.
However, the Shinigami stationed in the Zaraki district often stayed here for hundreds of years at a time. Kōe had only been around for twenty years at most, so it was highly likely that this middle-aged man had never even heard his name.
"From Squad 1, huh? You're pretty strong!" The middle-aged man smiled and sheathed his Zanpakutō before continuing, "We're from Squad 11. I'm Uesawajiri Tama."
Uesawa then introduced the others beside him. All five were Squad 11 members stationed in the Zaraki district. Of course, Squad 11 had far more personnel here than just them.
In fact, aside from Squad 1, which oversaw the security of the Seireitei and supervised the other squads, and Squad 2, which handled punishment and covert ops, every other squad had members stationed in District 80 of the Rukongai.
Once deployed here, these members operated exclusively with their own squadmates. With the exception of Squad 4, which handled logistics and healing, they rarely interacted with other squads. It wasn't that the squads were hostile toward one another; it was simply a historical legacy stemming from the Gotei 13's relatively independent organizational structure.
But among them, Squad 11 was a special case. Led by generations of Kenpachi, Squad 11 was bellicose, simple-minded, fiercely loyal, and took immense pride in overwhelming strength. They boasted the highest number of members and the greatest overall combat power in the Gotei 13. Naturally, they also had the most members deployed to District 80 of the Rukongai, a fact they wore as a badge of honor.
They would never easily allow members of other squads to interfere in their battles. If the other squads appeared exclusive due to systemic reasons, Squad 11 simply despised the weak, making them inherently incompatible with the rest of the Gotei 13.
Because of this, they were exceptionally warm toward Kōe along the way. It wasn't because of his title as a genius, nor his status as a Squad 1 member. It was simply because Kōe's raw strength was enough to earn their genuine respect.
"To be sent out here right after graduating from the Shin'ō Academy... Head Captain Yamamoto must really value you!"
"Uh, I guess you could say that." Kōe lightly scratched his cheek. This topic was far too awkward to discuss; he needed to change the subject immediately. "Uesawa, where are we heading now?"
"Look at me, forgetting the main point." Uesawa slapped his forehead heavily and continued, "We're heading to the encampment first. Then we'll see where Hollows pop up and head out to take care of them. Life in the Zaraki district is always like this."
"An encampment? But I heard there were no encampments out here."
"Looks like you've done your research." Hearing Kōe's question, Uesawa paused slightly, glanced at him, and then resumed walking. "You know this place has another name, right? The Plains of Slaughter."
"I know. All four of the 80th Districts share that title. Because of that, establishing a stable encampment here would require at least three Captains and Lieutenants stationed long-term."
Uesawa nodded at first, but then shook his head. Kōe's understanding was both right and wrong. To truly secure all the Plains of Slaughter, the Seireitei would have to deploy its Captains in full force, which was obviously impossible.
But if it were just a matter of dispatching three Captains and Lieutenants to suppress a single region, the Seireitei could certainly afford the manpower. The reason they didn't do so was that deploying such a massive force would only escalate the tension in the Plains of Slaughter.
Since the dawn of the Soul Society, the Seireitei had been its absolute center, boasting the highest concentration of Reishi. Moving outward from the Seireitei, the Reishi density steadily dropped. By the time one reached the Plains of Slaughter, the Reishi concentration was only one-eighth of the Seireitei's. Because of this, Shinigami didn't invest too much effort into holding the area.
But that was only one reason. The vast, boundless Plains of Slaughter served as the very border of the Soul Society, making it incredibly easy for the Shinigami's eternal enemies—Hollows—to invade.
There was even a rumor that the end of the Plains of Slaughter connected directly to the Hollows' domain—Hueco Mundo. However, in the 1,700-plus years since the Seireitei's founding, no one had ever reached the end of the plains, so the rumor had gradually faded into obscurity.
A Hollow's primal instinct was to devour souls. The human world was one of their hunting grounds, but the Soul Society, brimming with massive quantities of high-quality souls, drew them in droves.
Shinigami, tasked with protecting the cycle of souls, could not allow Hollows to run rampant in the Soul Society, so they came to the Plains of Slaughter to hunt them. But the presence of Shinigami only attracted even more Hollows to invade. The two sides clashed endlessly; unless one side was completely wiped out, this vicious cycle of slaughter would continue forever.
It was difficult for Hollows to easily invade the Seireitei and the first sixty districts of the Rukongai, but out in the Plains of Slaughter, the Shinigami's home-field advantage vanished entirely. Therefore, even if three Captains and Lieutenants were deployed here, Hueco Mundo would naturally send higher-level Hollows in response. There were plenty of Hollows who deeply coveted Captain and Lieutenant-class souls.
If they truly turned this place into such a deadly, high-stakes battleground, the Shinigami wouldn't just fail to secure the Plains of Slaughter; the Rukongai—the very foundation of the Soul Society—would suffer massive collateral damage. So, the only way to truly defend the Plains of Slaughter would be to relocate the entire Seireitei here, which was obviously an impossible feat.
Alright, after hearing Uesawa's analysis, Kōe finally realized just how massive a threat Hollows posed to the Soul Society. He had thought they were just a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered, but who would have guessed they thought the exact same thing about the Shinigami? What a coincidence.
"So where exactly are we going now?" *'If there are no encampments in the Plains of Slaughter, where is Uesawa taking me?'* Kōe couldn't help but feel a wave of confusion.
"There are no permanent encampments, but temporary ones are still essential," Uesawa said, before curling his lip and adding, "At least for those useless cowards in Squad 4."
Since permanent encampments couldn't be established in the Plains of Slaughter, all supplies and medical treatment relied entirely on the Squad 4 members stationed there.
If Squad 11 was the absolute peak of the Seireitei's combat power, then the logistics and medical-focused Squad 4 was the absolute bottom. While they weren't entirely defenseless, encountering a group of Hollows twice their number would guarantee casualties.
Dedicating a large number of personnel to protect Squad 4 wasn't feasible here, but supplies and healing were crucial for the Shinigami fighting on the front lines. Based on these factors, the number of Squad 4 members assigned to each district of the Plains of Slaughter was fixed at exactly five.
Most of the time, these five Squad 4 members would divide the area into five large zones and embed themselves within the various squad teams operating there. As for which specific team they followed, it was decided entirely by drawing lots, preventing intelligent Hollows from figuring out their patterns.
When the number of wounded in a zone reached a certain threshold, all Shinigami in that area would temporarily gather to rest and regroup. The location of this regrouping was called a temporary encampment.
A temporary encampment didn't last long—usually only four or five days. Afterward, the Squad 4 member would switch to a different team and scatter again to prevent large numbers of Hollows from swarming and triggering a massive battle. This particular temporary encampment had only been set up a day ago and wasn't far from where Kōe and Kenpachi had fought, meaning Kōe had essentially stumbled right into it.
"And then there are those vagrants—a bunch of ungrateful wretches who only know how to cause trouble. I really don't get the point of saving that trash! Those Squad 4 guys just create more problems!" As Uesawa spoke, he circled back to cursing Squad 4. In his eyes, their very existence was a disgrace to the Seireitei.
Kōe could only offer an awkward smile and chime in with a few polite agreements. This kind of deep-seated contempt for the weak wasn't something that could be reversed just because they saved a few lives.
Accompanied by Uesawa's relentless complaining, it wasn't long before the group arrived at a dense forest. Inside, there were about forty Shinigami. A dozen or so lay on the ground, their bodies wrapped in bandages, while the majority leaned against tree trunks with their eyes closed, clutching their Zanpakutō as they rested.
There were no tents for resting. Even the wounded lying on the ground didn't have anything beneath them. This desolate place, devoid of any signs of life or even a shred of security, was a Shinigami's temporary encampment.
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