A quiet stillness settled over Seireitei after the confrontation at the summit. But for Lan Yan and Lanran, it was only the eye of the storm. Their duel with Renjiro had revealed more than Hollow infiltration. It had exposed the frailty of their unity.
The two brothers stood beneath the great spirit tree near the Eastern Shrine. The wind stirred golden leaves from its branches, scattering light across the worn stones.
Lanran broke the silence.
"You hesitated."
Lan Yan didn't look at him. His eyes remained on the horizon.
"I didn't want to kill him. He was—still a Soul Reaper."
"He was a Hollow. A traitor." Lanran's voice was ice over steel. "That hesitation almost got you killed."
A flicker of annoyance crossed Lan Yan's face, but he said nothing.
Lanran stepped forward, his spiritual pressure flaring subtly. "What happened to the one who burned through a Vasto Lorde's chest with a single swing? Did you forget who we are?"
Lan Yan's voice sharpened. "We're not executioners. We don't become monsters to fight monsters."
"But if we're to carry this weight, we can't afford softness. You felt it too. Renjiro... he wasn't just testing our strength. He was watching us. Reporting to someone."
Lan Yan turned. "You think there's a traitor in the Gotei?"
"I think there's rot in the roots."
They stood in tense silence. Above them, the tree groaned softly in the breeze, its limbs bowing under age and power.
Finally, Lanran exhaled. "I don't want to fight you. But if you let your resolve fracture again, I'll be forced to lead without you."
Lan Yan looked at him—really looked. He saw the burden behind his brother's eyes. The weight of foresight. Of knowing what might come.
"You think war is inevitable."
"No." Lanran's gaze burned like a storm barely contained. "I think it's already here."
BOOM!
A thunderclap of spiritual energy exploded from the Western wall. Both brothers turned instantly.
A messenger appeared, bloody and pale. "The 11th Squad barracks... they're under attack."
Lanran vanished in a blur. Lan Yan followed half a breath later.
What they found was chaos.
The barracks had been torn open like paper. Mangled corpses lay amid smoldering timber. And standing in the center of it all was a single figure. Not masked, but cloaked in Hollow reiryoku. His hair silver, eyes glowing blue like a dead star.
Lan Yan landed hard. "That's not a Hollow."
"No," Lanran murmured. "That's something else."
The figure turned.
"So the Twin Pillars finally arrive. I was beginning to wonder if the legends exaggerated."
Lan Yan stepped forward. "Name yourself."
The man smiled faintly. "Izanami no Kuro. Former Captain. Exiled. Forgotten."
Lanran's breath hitched. The name was buried in the forbidden annals of the Central 46. A scientist, once hailed as the Mind of Ten Thousand Eyes. Excommunicated for crimes against the Balance.
Kuro's hand rose.
From the shattered sky, Hollow-tainted reiryoku fell like ash.
"Let me see if you're truly worthy of being called the Pillars of Fate."
And the ground beneath their feet erupted.
Author's Note:
The bond between brothers strains beneath the weight of war.
And a ghost of Gotei's past returns with a vengeance.
The chessboard cracks.
New players emerge.
Daily mega chapters – support the Twin Pillars: Read | Vote | Collect | Support the Author!