Chapter 9

Funfact;

"Older Zanpakuto tend to have longer release commands."

This actually supported the theory that Suzumebachi used to be Yoruichi's Zanpakuto passed down to every head of Onmitsukido by the Shihōin. Suzumebachi has a long release command, implying that it's far older than some.

As we all know, Soi Fon is younger than Kisuke and Yoruichi, yet Kisuke's command is only "Awaken, Benihime", meaning a couple of century is still considered young.

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'Japanese mansion …huh,' Soi Fon stared at the towering architecture in front of her, 'No wonder she said that we somehow are connected to her faction.'

Well, in Soi Fon's perspective, it's them who shared connections to Soul Society, not the other way around.

'Could this woman be one of the gods Mayuri talked about? But she's too weak. How could she be a god? That dragon earlier is definitely a god, not this one.'

"Would you like some tea?" The woman offered.

The two of them are now currently inside a spacious room, sitting on the floor and facing each other.

"No, thank you." Soi Fon respectfully refused, "I actually prefer if we could get into business as soon as possible."

The woman nodded, "Very well. What would you like to know?"

"Your name first, if that's alright."

"Amaterasu, the Chief Goddess of Shinto Faction and the Goddess of the Sun." Said the woman, Amaterasu. "How about you?"

"Soi Fon." She replied, also introducing herself. "I am looking for a faction that seems to want to cause trouble, do you know some of them?"

"A lot of them." Amaterasu replied, nodding her head, "What faction are you from?"

"I am from a faction that hid ourselves in the world thousands of years ago after a war, and we prefer it that way," said Soi Fon. "Can you give me the names of the most troublesome groups you know that caused a lot of chaos?"

"Well, if I have to name one then the most troublesome would be the Khaos Brigade, it is a rather loose organization made up of some of the most morally questionable factions in the world. They have been pretty active recently."

Soi Fon frowned, 'Khaos Brigade huh. Well, at least now I have a clue on where should I begin my investigation instead of just going in blind.'

There is a high chance that this Khaos Brigade is connected to the possible invasion that Mayuri talked about.

"Now, why are you inquiring about these dangerous factions?" Asked Amaterasu.

"The faction where I belong has maintained its peace ever since we hid ourselves, but recently a scout whom we found from the 'outside' has raised some concerns…I am here to investigate."

Amaterasu narrowed her eyes at Soi Fon. She can tell that Soi Fon did not say any lies, but for some reason she knew that Soi Fon was lying as well.

But she chose to remain silent.

"How did you find out where I am?" Asked Soi Fon, "This cloak should've perfectly masked my presence,"

Soi Fon dislikes Kisuke, but she acknowledges his scientific and engineering skills. If he said this cloak would hide her presence, then there was no doubt it would.

Of course Transcendent being are outside of that. That's how that dragon ended up sensing her earlier.

"As the Chief Goddess of Shinto Pantheon, and the Goddess of Sun, I can sense anything and everything that is happening under my 'sun'. I sensed you the moment you landed on the ground …though I must admit, I struggled finding you."

Soi Fon hummed.

So do all gods have this skills? Or is it only limited to chief gods or sun gods? If so, infiltrating just became more troublesome.

"Now…" Amaterasu narrowed her eyes, "What …are you? You feel like a spiritual being, but also feel divine."

Soi Fon stared at her eyes and answered, "I am a high-ranking officer of the faction I belong to…"

Amaterasu couldn't help but sent her an annoyed glare, "I have told you nothing but the truth, yet you insist on telling me only half-truths and withholding almost all information about yourself."

Soi Fon almost couldn't resist rolling her eyes. Who on their right mind would give personal information to someone they barely know?

Besides, what Soi Fon asked were not personal information about Amaterasu and her faction but just general information that most faction should know in this world.

This goddess was the one that keeps insisting inquiring about her and the faction behind her, of course she wouldn't reveal any info that will be detrimental to the peace of Soul Society.

Ignoring the complaints of the goddess, Soi Fon asked her question, "Is there any …dangerous individuals we should worry about?"

Amaterasu stared at her for a few moments before sighing, "…Well, there is. The Top Ten Strongest Beings, ranked by the Heavenly Pavilion. It's not, well, accurate, since a lot of primordial gods were outside of divinations, but those who actually belong to the top ten are very dangerous."

The Heavenly Pavilion, a faction made up of people who specializes in divination and Fēng Shui, it's headquarters is located in a separate dimension somewhere in the Kunlun Mountains of China.

It comprises of countless Eastern Cultivators, Mages and Witches. It is the largest faction in the East not counting the Divine Pantheons.

Through their divination techniques, they released a list of ten strongest beings in the world, which they update once every century.

"Is that red dragon one of them?" Asked Soi Fon.

"Red drago—ah, you mean that dragon from the gap?" Said Amaterasu, holding herself back from saying its name.

Names hold power. If one says a certain name belonging to someone beyond their understanding, they might suffer the consequences.

"No, it's not included." Amaterasu shook her head, "It is too strong to for divines to peek through with their eyes, much less mortals."

"Figures." Soi Fon sighed.

"The Dream should not be one of your concern, but the Infinity." Warned Amaterasu, "That creature is on the same level as the Dream, and is wandering the land as we speak. According to some sources, it is the leader of the Khaos Brigade."

Soi Fon almost let out a pained groan at that.

'Great. If this so-called Infinity is as strong as that dragon and it should also be a transcendent being.' She almost palmed her face at the revelation, 'Damn it. And it's the leader of a group we know nothing about. Who may or may not have been responsible for scouting our universe.'

She bit her lips in thought, 'Should we station a base here? This would certainly help us if we ever go into war with the enemies.'

With a base in this new universe, they can station troops which would certainly serve them a great deal.

But where would they even find a land where they can build a base?

It's not like they can just take a land here and build a military base right? That would surely provoke the party who owned the land and could lead to war if not handled properly.

"I want to ask…" Amaterasu narrowed her eyes, "You are not, by any chance, related to our Pantheon are you? A Demigod? Or perhaps …a Shinigami?"

"Well, our founder did came from Japan." Soi Fon answered, giving a little kind of truth answer, "So you could say we are somewhat related."

"I knew it," Amaterasu whispered. She observed Soi Fon and nodded a few times, "Your uniform looks a lot like our kimono and yukata, paired with a haori."

"I wasn't really trying hard to hide it," Soi Fon shrugs, "by the way, is it possible for me to ask you about some sort of cooperation?"

"Cooperation?" Amaterasu raised a brow, "About what?"

"We want to keep an eye out of the Khaos Brigade, I just want to ask your permission to allow some of our soldiers to be deployed in this country."

"…And what's in it for me?"

"We'd keep your country safe. You can rest assured that our soldiers will take care of any issues that will disturb the peace of your nation,"

Shinigamis are already doing that back in their own Universe anyway, so it's not a big deal.

In fact, this would even be easier considering back in AxA, only one or two Shinigami would be in charged of patrolling a town or a city.

But this time, they would have a whole squadron patrolling with them.

"We can patrol our own nation just fine."

Soi Fon smiled, "Those …sickening presence I felt while I was patrolling the streets beg to differ."

Soi Fon doesn't know what kind of creatures they are, but their presence are nauseating. Unlike a Hollow's Reiatsu which is dark and heavy, like a black hole swallowing you, those presence she felt were just …disgusting.

She doesn't know how to describe it, but they just reeks of depravity. Like a man who indulged in all depraved acts known to man.

Even her Lieutenant isn't even half as bad as them, and he's about as indulgent as a noble could get.

"…" Amaterasu stared at Soi Fon for a few minutes before sighing, "You are right. Because our pantheon just experienced war and haven't recovered yet, we have to 'rent' some of our lands for resources we used to recover. Because of that, a lot 'strays' have managed to infiltrate and started causing trouble. Especially the devils …they have gotten more and more arrogant and overbearing lately because their leader managed to rank in the Top Ten."

"That's tough."

"You have no idea," Amaterasu stared at Soi Fon, "So you want a cooperation huh? Then let's—"

"Ah, wait." Soi Fon hold up her hand, "I need to report this back, I can't make all the decisions myself."

"…Very well," Amaterasu nodded, "For now, how we continue our conversation?"

Soi Fon nodded, "Yes, there are still some things that I am most curious about…"

Their conversation continued for a few more hours after that.