Thirteenth Division, Ugandō.
Captain Jūshirō Ukitake slowly opened his eyes. After resting through the night, his illness had eased a little, but his body still felt heavy. A fit of coughing escaped him, his pale hand covering his mouth.
The sound reached Kiyone Kotetsu, who was guarding the door with unwavering dedication. She rushed forward at once. "Captain Ukitake, are you alright?!" she asked in a worried voice, her brows furrowed.
Ukitake gave a faint smile, though it was touched with fatigue. "Sorry, Kiyone… for making you stand guard all night. I'm fine now." He slid the door open, his gentle expression softening her nerves.
But Kiyone looked unsettled. She hesitated, then quickly blurted out: "Captain Ukitake, a major piece of news just came from the Inner Court. They said… they said…"
Ukitake's expression stiffened. Seeing Kiyone-chan so uneasy gave him a bad premonition. "What did they say?" he pressed.
She bit her lip. "…They said… Captain Aizen was murdered."
"What?!" Ukitake's usually calm tone broke in shock. He had only closed his eyes for a few hours, and already such a disaster had struck. "When? Who could have done this?!"
"This morning… but the culprit and motive haven't been discovered yet…" Kiyone lowered her head.
Ukitake clenched his fists, his chest tightening as his complexion paled once again. "Damn it… what in the world has happened during this short time?"
Kiyone straightened her posture. "Captain Ukitake, I'll go fetch Vice Captain Amamiya right away. It seems he has something important to tell you."
Ukitake nodded faintly. Indeed, he needed to gather every fragment of truth he could.
Soon, Amamiya Miyako arrived with Kiyone and entered the Captain's office. Ukitake looked at his vice captain, the sharp-eyed young man whose presence always carried a quiet strength. "Miyako, tell me everything. What exactly happened after the Captains' meeting?"
"Captain," Miyako said firmly, "I don't know the details of what followed the meeting. Afterward, I went to meet someone… someone important."
"Someone important?" Ukitake asked, his brows knitting together.
"…Yoruichi Shihouin," Miyako answered, calm and unwavering.
Ukitake's eyes widened. "Shihouin… Yoruichi?" Even after a hundred years, that name still stirred memories. "Could it be… this incident—?"
Miyako shook his head. "No, Captain. Yoruichi-san was with me the exact time Captain Aizen was killed. There's no way she could've rushed to the Fifth Division."
"Then… why did you go to find her?"
Miyako's tone sharpened. "Captain Ukitake, do you know how to destroy the Sōkyoku?"
Ukitake inhaled deeply, surprised by the question. "…I didn't expect you to have investigated so far already." Of course he knew. The only way to destroy the Sōkyoku was to use the Tenshi Heisō, the Heavenly Armaments handed down in the Shihouin family, capable of shattering the Hyōkōō that contained the force of a million Zanpakutō.
"Exactly," Miyako said.
Ukitake's expression turned grave.
"Captain, doesn't it feel strange to you? In this Ryoka invasion, the only one with true Captain-level strength is Yoruichi Shihouin. The others… they don't have the power or the chance to kill Captain Aizen. And yet… it's these few Ryoka who suddenly triggered this chaos within the Seireitei."
"…You mean," Ukitake muttered, "there's a mastermind pulling strings behind the scenes?"
"Precisely." Miyako's eyes gleamed with conviction. "And Rukia's execution is the very outcome this mastermind wants. No matter what, we must prevent it."
"I understand," Ukitake said gravely. "Then I should speak with the current head of the Shihouin Family at once." He started to rise.
"There's no need, Captain," Miyako interrupted calmly. "Yoruichi-san has already entrusted me with the Tenshi Heisō. It's unsealed and ready for use."
Ukitake blinked, taken aback. Then a smile tugged at his lips despite the heavy news. "You… really surprise me, Miyako. That's incredible. If we have the Tenshi Heisō, we can stop the Sōkyoku on the day of execution. But…" He sighed, rubbing his temple. "…convincing Captain-Commander Yamamoto will be another matter entirely."
At that moment, Sentarō Kotsubaki came rushing back, panting heavily. "C-Captain! Vice Captain Amamiya! Bad news!"
Ukitake and Miyako both turned.
"The Ryoka… they've already defeated the Eleventh Division's 3rd Seat, Madarame-san… and even Captain Zaraki! And now, they've taken down Vice Captain Abarai Renji right in front of the Palace of Penitence!"
"What?!" Ukitake's calmness wavered for the first time as the reports struck him like hammer blows.
Miyako straightened, his eyes sharp as steel.
"Captain, let's head to the Palace of Penitence immediately. Even if we can't uncover the truth yet, we need to at least restrain the Ryoka."
Ukitake hesitated only a second, then nodded. "…You're right."
"Yes, sir," Miyako said firmly.
....
Meanwhile, atop the Palace of Penitence, Kuchiki Rukia stood frozen before her cell, staring at the iron door that had been swung wide open.
'Ichigo…? Could it be…? No, wait…'
The two figures who stepped into the light, however, were not the ones she had expected.
"You're… Shiba Ganju? And Yamada Hanatarō-san?" Rukia's eyes widened.
"Oi, Shinigami girl, this great Shiba Ganju-sama has come to save you!" Ganju declared, puffing out his chest with comical bravado. "Hurry up and come with us already!"
"Ganju-san…? Why are you here?" Rukia blinked in shock, confusion overtaking her fear.
"You're too noisy!" Ganju barked, though his trembling hands betrayed his nerves. "Your nakama—Ichigoand even that Uryu guy—they're all fighting their guts out to save you. So don't waste their effort! Move it already!"
Rukia bit her lip. She remembered Miyako's words, his calm yet firm instructions not to act recklessly. With that in mind, she shook her head.
"No. I can't leave yet. You two must go before you're discovered—"
"Haah?! What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!" Ganju roared, grabbing her hand. "This big shot didn't risk his life coming all the way here just to be told to leave you behind—"
Before he could finish, a crushing wave of spiritual pressure fell upon them. It was suffocating, sharp enough to feel like blades pressing against their skin. Hanatarō collapsed instantly, clutching his chest.
"Ah—ahh! T-that reiatsu… it's Kuchiki Byakuya-taichō!" Hanatarō gasped, his voice trembling.
"Wha—?!" Ganju's knees buckled, sweat rolling down his brow. "Tch… you've gotta be kidding me. A Captain… guarding her himself?"
The oppressive aura made Rukia stumble, her body already weakened from the constant suppression of the Seki-seki stone. Her consciousness blurred, and she crumpled to the ground.
Ganju clenched his teeth, heart hammering in his chest. He had heard both Ichigo and Miyako speak of Byakuya's overwhelming strength. If even Ichigo had been no match, then what could he—a mere soul—possibly do?
And yet…
"Hanatarō! Take Rukia and get her out of here!" Ganju shouted, forcing his body to stand against the crushing weight of Byakuya's reiatsu. "I'll hold him off!"
"G-Ganju-san!" Hanatarō's face went pale.
"Don't argue! My sister always told me—a man never abandons his nakama! Go!"
With a defiant roar, Ganju unsheathed his sword and charged forward. But in the blink of an eye, Byakuya moved.
A single flash.
Blood splattered from Ganju's arm, his sword nearly slipping from his grasp. He hadn't even seen the cut.
"W-what the hell…?" Ganju staggered, clutching his wound. His eyes widened when he saw Byakuya simply walking past him, his cold eyes fixed elsewhere.
"Oi! Where do you think you're going?!"
Byakuya's gaze flickered briefly, surprise in his usually stoic face. That strike should have left the man incapacitated… and yet he still stood.
"Don't… underestimate me," Ganju growled, forcing his trembling body upright. "As one of the Shiba clan's proud sons, I won't be defeated so easily!"
Byakuya's eyes narrowed. "…Shiba? You bear the name of the Shiba?"
The noble Captain's tone shifted, an icy decision forming instantly in his mind.
"My earlier leniency was a mistake. From this moment on, I cannot permit you to leave alive." His reiatsu flared higher. For Byakuya, the Shiba's betrayal of Soul Society still lingered like a wound upon noble pride. And for a Shiba to stand against him now—it could only be cleansed with blood.
Rukia stirred weakly, fear piercing through her haze. "N-no… onii-sama, stop! Please!"
Her desperate cry was swallowed by Byakuya's voice as he raised his Zanpakutō.
"Scatter… Senbonzakura."
The blade dissolved into a thousand tiny, glowing fragments—petals of shimmering cherry blossoms that drifted on the air, beautiful and deadly. They whirled toward Ganju, ready to carve him apart.
"Run! Ganju-san, run!" Rukia screamed, terror breaking her composure. She knew all too well—once touched by Senbonzakura, there was no escape.
But before the petals reached him, two glowing arrows shot across the sky, striking the ground at Ganju's feet. In an instant, they exploded into a shield of white energy, encasing him in a capsule of protective light.
"What is this…?" Byakuya frowned. His cherry blossom blades pressed against the barrier, but they did not pierce through. His eyes narrowed, and he raised his hand to pour more reiatsu into the attack.
"That's enough, Kuchiki-taichō."
A calm but firm voice cut through the tension. Jūshirō Ukitake stepped into the hall, his hand gripping Byakuya's wrist.
Byakuya's cold eyes widened slightly. "Ukitake-taichō…?"
At that same moment, another presence landed nearby—bow drawn, arrow glowing.
It was Amamiya Miyako, his gaze unwavering as his spirit bow pulsed with light.