The 2nd’s courtyard, filled with various squads of men dressed in the same style of dress, continued to accommodate the steady inflow of squads. The Punishment Force was all there, standing in attention in uniform lines without a single sign of movement. They were dressed in the standard attire for a Punishment Force member, wearing a dark closed Shihakusho with a thin black sash. The sleeves and pants were wrapped tightly around their limbs to minimize rustling that would give them away; it was faintly reminiscent of a ninja uniform from the Human World. Veiled Patrol Corps poured in from a particular direction, only a dozen or so missing as they were doing their duty. The Detention Unit and Inner Court Troops weren’t present either, as their specific tasks didn’t allow for even a moment of disturbance. The Damage Control Corps were mostly all there, standing just behind the Punishment Force in similar but less sever uniforms. 

At the head of them all stood the Fourth Seat who was arguably on the same level as the Third and Fifth Seat, all of them being Corps-Commanders. He surveyed the troops for several long minutes, the heavy folder in his arms thrown wide open as he took a roll-call. None of the Shinigami’s true names were called out – no, those were stashed deep within the Second Division’s underground chambers, the exact location known only to the Captain. Instead, he called out their codenames and received a “Present!” from the corresponding names. When met with silence, the Fourth Seat, who went by the name Hayan, marked them ‘On duty’. All in all, they had a good force. 

Just in time, their Captain arrived and they instinctively bowed in a display of discipline, all bending in tandem. Yue bowed in response, offering them a reassuring smile. She turned to Hayan and took the paper with the final details from him, along with the squad division papers. Due to the sheer size of the Onmitsukido, they were to be split into squads of several dozen in each, while the 2nd’s Shinigami were to be split into different squads. She looked over the arrangements illustrates and turned the page, where an approximate count of the members was given. Underneath, a long string of numbers seemed incomprehensible to anyone who didn’t know what they were. Of course, Yue had requested aid from her family and had been sent a probability sheet from the tacticians, something she’d allotted to the different squads several days before and divided them up according to that, after viewing key Onmitsukido agents’ profiles. 

Nodding in approval, Yue handed the sheet back to Hayan and said, “Go ahead and split them up, Hayan-san. Please try to hurry up, though, we’re running short of time.” Hayan was well aware that the 2nd Division was to go first in this raid; they were the ones to set the pace against the Hollows. There was perhaps no one better than the Second Division for the job; the Hollows wouldn’t even hear them coming.

In a few minutes, the Onmitsukido and 2nd Division Shinigami had split themselves into their assigned squads and stood in attention, waiting for the signal to depart. Hayan could faintly hear the sound of ticking from an obscure location. Glancing at his Captain, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. She was simply taking off her haori, neatly folding the material and placing it right between the courtyard gates, as was customary. She was to go last; due to her uniform’s revealing nature, her skin would’ve stood out like a beacon amongst all the black of the rest of the uniforms. It was nothing uncommon for the 2nd Division, as they’d seen her without her haori countless times. The other Divisions, however, hadn’t, just like how he’d seen his comrades without their masks but outsiders hadn’t. 

His inner musings were interrupted at the sound of a soft beep. At that, Yue turned and smiled again. “Alright, off you go. Please take care; what you do today is crucial for this raid’s success.” 

A collective shout of “Hai!” resonated across the courtyard as the Onmitsukido and Shinigami disappeared in an impressive display of Shunpo. Hayan disappeared along with them, taking his place in his assigned squad at the head of the assault. Yue followed last, trailing behind the Onmitsukido as they inconspicuously made their way out of Seireitei and into Rukongai, blending in with their surroundings eerily well. Of course, it could’ve been better had it been night but none of the Shinigami stationed to patrol in Rukongai noticed their presence, even if it was for a mere few seconds. 

About a hundred meters or so from the factories, they stopped, inwardly preparing themselves and making last minute adjustments that lasted only a few seconds. At a sign from Hayan, the rest of the squads’ leaders mimicked it before springing forward, intermingling with the shadows that spanned from the massive factory’s walls. The walls surrounding the factory, separating it from the farms that lay beyond cast additional shadows to the already dark scene. It was two hours or so before dawn, giving them enough cover that wouldn’t have been sufficient had it been day. Of course, complete darkness would’ve suited them better but who were they to complain? 

Squad after squad leapt over the walls and, at another signal from the men at the front, split up into different directions. Soon, the wailing of Hollows filled the air as the Onmitsukido set about brutally ending their existence. More and more Hollows poured in. An hour in and Hollows were constantly being beaten back, pushed away from the factory. Eventually, the Onmitsukido had cleared a large arc away from the factories which continued functioning. Gillian and Adjuchas fell one after the other as Yue impaled them with high-density Kido. The sound of Shunko’s screeching and the Hollows’ cry was deafening; it was something the reinforcements would be arriving to very soon. The flashes of blue-tinted Kido overtook the left side of the factory where Yue was tasked with keeping the horde of Gillian and Adjuchas at bay; several other Punishment Force members accompanied her, doing a good job of eradicating the monstrous creatures. An agent had left long back, informing the main force to come in and relieve the 2nd of their duty. The 2nd had struck hard and fast, as per their duty. The Hollows were driven back a respectable distance away from the factories which was their primary goal. No Hollow remained in the immediate vicinity of the factories – it now fell onto the 10th to get rid of the rest and avoid the rest from taking the factories back. As soon as they saw the reinforcements arriving, Yue shouted, “Retreat!” As per the strategic retreat often rehearsed, the Onmitsukido retreated and returned back towards the upper districts of Rukongai and back into Seireitei.

Deactivating Shunko, Yue instead stood on the sidelines as the main force advanced in, praying that it’d work. She could already see a dozen or so corpses of the Onmitsukido littered around the battlefield and her heart wrenched slightly for the loss of life. However, she knew it was necessary and didn’t dwell on it, instead remaining back to observe till the end of the battle. She was aware of the fact that he family was to be inspecting the aftermath and remained seated on the high wall out of view, waiting and scrutinizing the battle. Any information would be valuable at this point.