Only after witnessing the final, decisive slash did Ishida Uryū allow himself to exhale, the tension draining from his shoulders. He hadn't expected Szayelaporro Granz to survive the detonation of the Sprenger. And those two bizarre Fracción that appeared at the last moment… Amamiya Miyako had eliminated them with terrifying efficiency using his Gintō.
"Just how many of those Silver Tubes did you prepare?" Uryū asked, his voice a mix of disbelief and exhaustion. In the span of that short, intense battle, Miyako had deployed over a dozen. "What kind of over-preparation is this?"
In response, Miyako merely gave a slight, enigmatic smile. He opened his Quincy cloak and lifted the hem of his inner tunic slightly.
Uryū's jaw nearly went slack. The interior of the garment was lined with row upon row of meticulously arranged Gintō, glittering like a arsenal of silver spines. There had to be fifty, maybe more.
"See, Uryū-kun? Watch and learn. You're still far too naive."
A thick, imaginary black line of sweat slid down Uryū's temple. He looked away, refusing to acknowledge the absurd display any further. How many hours did it take to forge that many? Yet, he couldn't deny the cold logic of it. He also had to admit, grudgingly, that Amamiya Miyako's application of Quincy techniques was on another level—fluid, inventive, and brutally pragmatic. These were methods his grandfather, Sōken Ishida, had never taught him. It planted a seed of doubt. Should I… be learning this as well?
His attention was caught by a fallen object amidst the rubble. A smooth, blue-black orb had rolled free, likely dislodged when Miyako shattered the tower's crown. Szayelaporro had been fiercely guarding this area.
Curious, Uryū moved to pick it up.
"Don't touch that, Uryū-kun!"
Miyako's command was sharp and immediate, freezing Uryū in his tracks, his fingers just centimeters away.
"You… know what this is?"
"Naturally. Even if you haven't seen its true form, you should be able to guess," Miyako said, his gaze locked warily on the orb. This was the fake Hōgyoku. There was no telling what traps or surveillance Aizen might have woven into it. Contact was out of the question.
"This is the real reason Aizen captured Inoue Orihime and Arisawa Tatsuki. The Hōgyoku."
"The Hōgyoku? Kuchiki-san briefed us on Aizen's goal. But to just leave it here…?"
"Without a doubt, it's a counterfeit. Aizen's goal is to use it as bait—to see if he can lure out the true owner of the Hōgyoku. So, do not touch it. Do not even acknowledge it. Leave it exactly where it is," Miyako instructed, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"A fake… How can you be so sure?"
"I learned the methods of identification from Urahara Kisuke. More importantly, use your head, Uryū-kun. Can you imagine someone as calculating as Aizen Sōsuke entrusting the real thing to an Espada as relatively weak as Szayelaporro?" Miyako's words were blunt. "After you leave, you must spread the word to the others. Any Hōgyoku found in these towers is a fake."
'Of course I know it's fake,' Miyako thought to himself, a hand drifting unconsciously to his chest. 'The real one is right here.'
Hearing Miyako casually dismiss Szayelaporro as "weak" made Uryū sigh inwardly. He hadn't found the Octavo Espada weak at all. Without his Sanrei Glove this time, and without Miyako's intervention, he couldn't guarantee victory against that monstrous scientist.
"I understand. I'll rendezvous with Kurosaki and the others next. What will you do?"
"I have a separate path to walk. But first, a piece of advice: Kuchiki Rukia is in that tower," Miyako said, pointing toward a distant structure. "Go to her first. The opponents you two faced were among the weakest of the Espada. Kurosaki Ichigo and Yasutora Sado will be facing stronger ones. They'll need your support more urgently."
"The weakest… That's a frightening thought," Uryū muttered, adjusting his glasses. "Understood. I'm moving out." He gave Miyako one last, searching look. Countless questions swirled in his mind—about his techniques, his knowledge, his very identity—but now was not the time for answers.
With a final nod, Uryū used Hirenkyaku and shot off toward Rukia's tower.
Watching him go, Miyako turned his gaze toward the central palace of Las Noches. Rukia's battle should be concluding as well. That makes two Espada eliminated. The upper ranks, from Cinco upward, won't be able to sit idle for long. He felt the subtle shifts in the gargantuan reiatsu surrounding the fortress. And soon, the reinforcements from Soul Society will arrive. The defenses of Las Noches will have to stretch thinner…
*****
On the other side, within a cold, dark chamber, the battle had reached its climax.
The Noveno Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie, had long since released his Zanpakutō, Glotonería, transforming into his monstrous Resurrección form. Yet, he was being pushed back. Kuchiki Rukia, her white kimono stained with blood, moved with a chilling, emotionless precision. The true power of her Sode no Shirayuki—Hakka no Togame—had activated, lowering her body temperature to absolute zero, suppressing all pain and personal sentiment. Her mind held a single, icy directive: eliminate the enemy before her.
Aaroniero, unfamiliar with this Bankai-like ability, was thrown into disarray. The battle became a grueling stalemate of spear thrusts and freezing waves. But Rukia's analytical mind, sharpened by her Shinigami training, worked even through the cold. She noticed it—the glass-like tanks comprising Aaroniero's "head," sloshing with the liquefied remains of the Hollows he had consumed. That's his core.
"Sōren Sōkatsui!" A blast of Kidō forced a flinch, creating the smallest opening. It was enough. Rukia focused the dreadful cold, not on his body, but on the fluid in those tanks. "Freeze."
A crackle of ice spread through the nutrient solution. Aaroniero's movements became jerky, sluggish. "N-no… my… memories…!"
"This ends now. For Kaien-dono," Rukia whispered, her voice as cold as her blade. With a final, graceful yet powerful arc, Sode no Shirayuki flashed. The frozen tanks shattered, and the grotesque head of Aaroniero Arruruerie was cleaved from his body.
As the Espada's massive form dissolved into reishi, Rukia released her Shikai. The unbearable cold receded, and feeling rushed back into her limbs—along with the full, screaming agony of her wounds. She collapsed to one knee, using her Zanpakuto to keep herself upright, breaths coming in sharp, pained gasps.
"Thank you, Miyako-san…" she murmured to the empty air, her voice trembling. "And this time… it's truly goodbye, Kaien fukutaichō."
While her injuries weren't immediately life-threatening, the first use of Hakka no Togame had drained her spiritual energy severely. To move forward now, in this state, would be suicide. She forced herself to focus, to begin the slow process of regulating her breathing and reiryoku.
The sound of hurried footsteps at the chamber entrance made her tense, her grip tightening on her zanpakutō.
"Kuchiki-san! Are you alright?!" Ishida Uryū skidded into view, his eyes wide with concern at her battered state.
"Ishida-kun…!" Relief washed over her. "I'm… functional. Just spiritually depleted. Never mind that, did you defeat your enemy?"
At her question, Uryū's expression grew complicated. "With… assistance. The Octavo Espada is defeated. But I was informed that the opponents we faced are considered the weakest among the Espada."
"Assistance?"
"Yes. He requested his identity remain concealed for operational security. He's moving independently to locate Inoue and Arisawa." Uryū pushed his glasses up. "Didn't you say he would definitely come? It seems you were correct."
A warm, grateful smile touched Rukia's lips despite her pain. So he is here. He kept his promise. The memory of the distant explosion and the crumbling tower roof flashed in her mind. That was his work… He saved me again, even from afar.
"Ishida-kun, that orb over there… the Hōgyoku. I've seen the real one. It's identical to the one Urahara Kisuke once hid inside me."
"They're fakes," Uryū stated firmly. "My… contact confirmed it, and his reasoning is sound. Aizen Sōsuke would never leave the genuine article so lightly guarded. It's a trap or a test."
"Fakes… Of course. If Urahara knows the method, then Aizen would as well," Rukia said, a trace of bitterness in her tired voice.
"Kuchiki-san, once you can move, we must find Kurosaki and the others immediately. If the information is accurate, the enemies they're facing will be significantly stronger than what we encountered."
Rukia nodded, forcing determination into her weary frame. In her heart, she knew it was true. The Noveno Espada she had just barely overcome had felt weaker than the rampaging Decimo, Yammy.
"I understand. Give me a few more minutes to stabilize my reiryoku," she said, her voice gaining strength. "Then we go. We will find Kurosaki-kun and the others."