"Ukitake… and Amamiya Miyako…" Kuchiki Byakuya's calm voice carried a faint frown as his sharp gaze fell upon the two who had suddenly appeared. "Does the Thirteenth Division intend to let these Ryoka go free?"
Ukitake Jūshirō smiled faintly despite his frail condition, his tone steady. "Forgive and forget, Captain Kuchiki. Moreover, these Ryoka hold important clues. They shouldn't be disposed of so recklessly."
On the other side, the glowing Gojūtekkan—the Five-Pillar Bind—woven by Amamiya Miyako's Kidō, finally began to fade away. The heavy spiritual pressure that had restrained the battlefield dissipated like morning mist.
Rukia, pale and anxious, exhaled softly when she saw both Ukitake and Miyako standing there. A glimmer of hope lit her eyes.
Shiba Ganju, however, still didn't fully understand what was happening. When the Five-Pillar Bind vanished, he turned and recognized the figure who had arrived. His jaw dropped.
"Ah—it's you! You're that guy who—" Ganju pointed at Amamiya Miyako in disbelief, about to finish his sentence.
But Miyako didn't give him the chance. Without hesitation, he strode forward, bypassing both Ukitake and Byakuya in a flash, and drove his fist straight into Ganju's stomach.
"Guh—!" Ganju doubled over, eyes bulging. He tried to speak, but the pain knocked the breath from his lungs.
"You fool," Miyako muttered coldly, eyes narrowing. With swift precision, he spun behind Ganju and delivered a sharp blow to the back of his head.
"Mr. Ganju!" Yamada Hanatarō cried out desperately as Ganju trembled and collapsed, unconscious.
Byakuya's gaze sharpened, his brows furrowing ever so slightly. "What is the meaning of this, Thirteenth Division?"
Ukitake kept his usual gentle smile, though there was a firmness beneath it. "Merely taking custody of the Ryoka. There are still matters to question them about." He spoke calmly, but deep down he knew the truth—he couldn't allow Byakuya to cut down the younger brother of Shiba Kūkaku so easily.
Just then, a massive shadow loomed. A pair of white wings appeared as Kurosaki Ichigo descended from the sky. His body gleamed with the effect of Urahara's device—Tenshintai had allowed him to break through.
Landing heavily beside Rukia, Ichigo flashed her his trademark grin. "Rukia, I'm here to save you."
"Ichigo…" Rukia's voice trembled. Her hands gripped the bars of her cell. "No… Ichigo, you mustn't! Please, leave now. Don't worry about me."
She knew—her brother Byakuya was not someone Ichigo could hope to defeat. To her, Ichigo charging in like this was nothing but suicide.
Ichigo's expression hardened. "Oi, Rukia… after everything, you're still telling me to give up? Don't be stupid." His brown eyes locked onto Byakuya's cold stare. He ignored everyone else, even Amamiya Miyako, as if Byakuya alone stood between him and Rukia's freedom.
Yoruichi had told him not to pick fights with Captains. But looking at Byakuya, Ichigo knew—there was no saving Rukia without breaking through him.
Ukitake, watching this fiery boy, felt a faint shock of recognition. He leaned toward Byakuya. "Byakuya… who is that boy?"
Byakuya's lips pressed into a thin line. He knew exactly why Ukitake asked. He too could feel it—the resemblance in spiritual pressure. A certain shadow from the past.
"…It doesn't concern you," Byakuya said coldly. His eyes never left Ichigo. "Right now, he is just a Ryoka. And I will cut him down."
Ichigo drew his Zanpakutō tighter in his hand, his eyes blazing. Byakuya raised Senbonzakura, calm and unyielding.
At that moment, Miyako placed a hand gently on Rukia's shoulder. "Let's go, Rukia."
"But, Miyako… Nii-sama, he…"
"Kurosaki Ichigo will be fine," Miyako said firmly, his voice low but resolute. "As for you, you must return to the Senzaikyū and wait." His gaze darkened. Wait… until that person's scheme shatters completely.
He then turned to Hanatarō. "You're Yamada Hanatarō, aren't you? You've done well. Thank you for helping Rukia. But now… you should leave."
Hanatarō's eyes wavered. He looked at Miyako's vice-captain badge, torn between fear and loyalty.
"Don't worry," Miyako reassured him softly. "Leave Rukia's fate to us of the Thirteenth Division."
At that, even Rukia gave a small nod, though her heart was restless. Hanatarō had no choice but to withdraw, bowing his head in confusion and worry.
But Ichigo couldn't believe what he was seeing. His jaw tightened as he saw Miyako lead Rukia back toward the Senzaikyū.
"Oi! Amamiya!" Ichigo roared. "What the hell are you doing?! Didn't you say you'd help me save Rukia? Why are you—"
Before he could finish, Byakuya appeared in front of him, faster than lightning.
"Tch… fighting me and still having the nerve to worry about someone else." Kuchiki Byakuya's calm voice cut through like ice. His brow furrowed slightly as he stepped forward, sword in hand. With elegant precision, Byakuya closed the distance in an instant and brought his blade down toward Ichigo.
Ichigo barely managed to raise Zangetsu in time, sparks flaring as steel clashed. The suffocating reiatsu pouring from Byakuya pressed down on him like a crushing weight, making it impossible to divide his attention.
"Damn it… he's fast," Ichigo gritted through clenched teeth.
Byakuya's expression remained unreadable, but after a brief exchange, he paused. His sharp eyes studied Ichigo.
"…So, your growth really is absurd. Very well," Byakuya murmured. "I'll stop holding back. Let me show you the overwhelming difference between us."
He raised his Zanpakutō again, the petals of Senbonzakura beginning to shimmer faintly—
But before the release phrase could be spoken, strips of white cloth lashed around the blade, halting the Shikai.
Byakuya's eyes flickered sideways. Standing calmly with her dark skin gleaming in the moonlight, a woman appeared, exuding an overwhelming presence.
"…Yoruichi Shihōin," Byakuya said quietly. "It has been a long time. I thought you had disappeared after vanishing for over a hundred years."
Yoruichi's golden eyes narrowed, ignoring his words. With swiftness too fast for most eyes to follow, she struck Ichigo at a vital point, injecting a precise dose of spiritual anesthetic into his body. Ichigo collapsed instantly, groaning in frustration.
"Wha—Yoruichi-san!" Ichigo protested weakly, before losing consciousness.
"Yoruichi Shihōin… was it you who murdered Aizen?" Ukitake Jūshirō's voice rang out, sharp and accusing as his hand rested on his sword hilt.
Yoruichi blinked, her expression shifting in genuine surprise. "Aizen… murdered? Heh, don't be ridiculous. If anything, this just means he staged his own death." She gave Ukitake a meaningful look. "And Ukitake, none of my people have been anywhere near the Fifth Division."
Then her gaze turned toward Byakuya, sharp as lightning.
"Give me three days. Just three, and I'll make this boy stronger than you." Standing high on the tower with Ichigo slung over her shoulder, Yoruichi's voice carried an arrogant certainty that made even Byakuya's eyes flicker faintly.
But Byakuya did not move to stop her. He, the noble who once called her "Flash Goddess," could not bridge the gap in that moment. Instead, his thoughts returned to Ichigo's earlier outburst, echoing louder in his heart than Yoruichi's bold challenge.
"…Thirteenth Division Vice-Captain, Amamiya Miyako," Byakuya finally spoke, turning his gaze toward the young man. "Are you also going to defy the rules of Soul Society?" His words carried a sharp edge, his suspicion fueled by Miyako's small yet telling actions in the Human World.
Miyako gave a faint, bitter smile. "Rules? The rules of Soul Society? Tell me, Captain Kuchiki… are you referring to the orders of Central 46?"
Byakuya frowned slightly, clearly displeased by the tone.
"Even when Central 46 issues unreasonable orders, you, as the head of the Kuchiki clan, still follow them without question, don't you?" Miyako pressed.
"Pointless," Byakuya replied coldly. "The Kuchiki family, one of the Four Great Noble Houses, is the very embodiment of the rules. Such obedience is our pride."
"Then what if Central 46 commanded you to execute the Captain-Commander himself? Would you still obey?" Miyako's words rang like steel.
Byakuya's grip tightened. "That is an impossible, empty hypothetical."
"Impossible, huh?" Miyako muttered, his voice low but cutting. "Then why was the Sōkyoku, reserved only for the most heinous of criminals, suddenly brought out? Why force an execution so extreme, when Rukia's crime barely warranted imprisonment?"
"What exactly are you implying, Miyako?" Byakuya demanded, his composure cracking for the briefest instant.
Miyako's eyes sharpened. "That even as the proud head of the Kuchiki clan, you've never once questioned whether the rules you uphold are being twisted for someone else's game."
He chuckled bitterly. "If I were Central 46, I'd be laughing every night… knowing no matter how absurd the order, obedient tools like you would carry it out."
Byakuya's face darkened, fury surging. "To insult the dignity of the nobles—!" He gripped Senbonzakura, intent on drawing again. But behind that anger lay deeper conflict—his vow to Hisana, his pride, his burdens.
"Enough, Miyako." Ukitake's voice broke the tension. His expression was firm, though shadowed with unease. "Captain Kuchiki… forgive my vice-captain. I'll see to his discipline. But understand, even if the orders seem harsh, the authority of Central 46 is necessary for the stability of Soul Society."
Byakuya's eyes lingered coldly on Miyako for a long moment. Then, with a sharp turn of his haori, he sheathed his blade and walked away.
"You had better not break the rules, Amamiya Miyako… or else."
Miyako sighed, watching his back. "Yare yare… rules, huh? The ones you cling to are nothing but Aizen's toys…"
His hand clenched at his side as he turned to leave, a bitter thought echoing in his heart.
These rules… I've already broken them. And so have they.
With that, Amamiya Miyako walked away in the opposite direction from Kuchiki Byakuya, his path diverging from the noble's rigid world of rules.