Kurotsuki Renya led a contingent of Onmitsukidō operatives, composed of a ten-man strike unit and thirty covert investigators, toward the Western Rukongai districts.
The strike unit carried Reiatsu-disrupting flash grenades, Bakudō-infused sonic charges, and binding seals — enough to cripple even a lieutenant-class opponent caught off guard.
The investigators, though weaker in raw combat ability, were skilled in reconnaissance and tracking — members of the Worm's Nest intelligence corps.
Their mission: locate and capture a rogue Shinigami who had fled Seireitei after a failed assassination attempt. Intelligence suggested he was of noble birth — dangerous, but not powerful enough to warrant captain-level pursuit.
Soifon was covering the Southern District, Ōmaeda Marechiyo the Northern, and Renya had been assigned to the Western. Their deployment formed a perfect perimeter — nothing should have escaped.
⸻
After crossing the boundary from Seireitei into Rukongai, Renya motioned for the team to disperse.
"Spread out," he ordered quietly. "Pairs of two — one visible, one concealed. Report back every thirty minutes."
The Worm's Nest investigators vanished into the shadows, using concealment Kidō and tracking charms to sweep the area in a slow, methodical net. It wasn't elegant, but Rukongai was vast, and any surge of Reiatsu from a Shinigami would draw attention quickly.
The early districts were calm — families, merchants, and wandering souls living ordinary lives. Few outsiders passed through here. It made detection easier.
Renya moved from one settlement to the next, presenting a sketched portrait of the fugitive.
"Have you seen this man?" he asked an elderly soul.
The old man shook his head weakly. "No, young one. No such Shinigami has passed here."
Renya nodded. He expected as much. Most active Shinigami resided within Seireitei's walls, and those who lived outside rarely strayed beyond the thirtieth district. Anything past that was near lawless.
After questioning several locals with no result, Renya pressed deeper. By the fiftieth district, the environment grew rougher — ruins, stray spirits, and faint traces of hollow corruption.
Still no trace.
He frowned. "If Captain Soifon's search in the east found signs of escape, then he wouldn't have come this far west… unless he was herding us."
Despite his doubts, Renya kept deploying scouts at strategic intersections, ensuring a net of surveillance to prevent retreat.
By the time his team reached the sixty-second district, the light was dimming. "Next sector," Renya called. His voice was calm, but every operative could sense the tension beneath.
They crossed into District 63 — a barren stretch of land between two ruined settlements.
Then —
"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"
The sudden voice was sharp, almost serpentine.
In a flash of light, a blade extended like lightning, piercing the chest of the operative beside Renya. The man fell before he could even scream. The blade retracted with a metallic hiss, vanishing into the shadows.
"Damn it—!"
Renya spun, Zanpakutō drawn. A second spear-like thrust lanced toward another operative, but Renya stepped in front of him, intercepting it.
Clang!
Steel rang against steel. The force drove him back a step.
From the darkness ahead, a familiar voice purred, "My, my… sharp reflexes. You've gotten faster, Kurotsuki-kun."
Renya's eyes narrowed. "Ichimaru Gin…"
The extended-blade technique — there was no mistaking it. Shinsō could extend its blade a hundred times its length in an instant, at speeds few could perceive.
But before Renya could respond, a second cry echoed behind him.
A brown-skinned man emerged from the shadows, driving his sword through another Onmitsukidō operative.
"Tōsen Kaname," Renya hissed. "Of course."
Gin and Tōsen — both Aizen's subordinates. If they were here, then Aizen's hand was behind this ambush. They weren't here for random slaughter. They were here for him.
⸻
Renya moved instantly. Blue light erupted from his body — his Reiryoku flaring as crackling arcs of lightning formed around him.
Thunder Shunkō.
He vanished and reappeared at Tōsen's side, his blade slashing downward with killing precision.
"Before he releases— take him out!" Renya thought.
Tōsen's reaction was fast. He brought his sword up in time, blocking the strike — but the impact hurled him back several meters, boots carving lines into the dirt.
Renya's power had clearly surpassed the typical lieutenant's level; his Reiryoku enhanced by both his Shunkō variant and natural Kidō affinity.
But Tōsen called calmly, "Cry out — Suzumushi!"
A resonant tone rippled through the air. Renya's senses quivered for a heartbeat — his ears ringing, vision blurring.
The frequency wasn't physical — it was spiritual resonance. Suzumushi's ability induced momentary hypnosis and paralysis through oscillating Reiatsu frequencies.
Renya shook it off almost instantly. His Reiatsu output wasn't inferior to Tōsen's; the effect barely lasted a second.
Gin chuckled, turning toward the remaining soldiers. "I'll handle the extras."
He blurred forward. The Shinsō extended again, impaling another Onmitsukidō member. The others scattered, activating their Bakudō seals and tossing Reiatsu smoke bombs to cover retreat.
Renya shouted sharply, "Fall back! Evacuate and report to Seireitei immediately!"
Facing Gin Ichimaru and Tōsen Kaname — both captain-class — a small strike unit stood no chance. Renya knew it. Staying meant dying.
He didn't move, though. His instincts screamed that Aizen was near. If he fled, Aizen would cut them all down. The only chance for the others was for him to stall.
Smoke and flash bursts filled the area. Gin blinked, momentarily dazzled. "Heh. Clever boy."
But even as his Shinsō lashed out blindly, several operatives managed to vanish into the mist, escaping toward the south.
Gin extended again — Shinsō! — three more screams echoed, but five spiritual signatures successfully disappeared from range.
⸻
Renya thrust his blade skyward. "Descend — Tenraimaru!"
Thunderclouds spiraled above. Sparks of energy crackled and coalesced. A single bolt of divine lightning struck his palm, shaping into a condensed spear of raw plasma.
"Tenraimaru no Raikō!"
He hurled the spear. Lightning crashed down, the blast lighting up the barren plain. Gin twisted aside, dodging two bolts, but two more slammed into him — arcs crawling over his uniform, tearing through the fabric and searing flesh.
"Thirty-nine of the Binding Arts: Enkōsen!"
A circular Kidō shield flared in front of Gin — it blocked one bolt before shattering under the next. He staggered, smoke curling from his arm.
"Ohh… that actually stung," Gin muttered, flexing his blackened fingers.
Renya was already gone — reappearing behind Tōsen in a blur of thunderlight. His lightning spear sliced across Tōsen's flank, tearing through his uniform and burning deep.
He pressed the attack, forcing both captains on the defensive, giving his scattered soldiers time to escape.
Gin tilted his head. "Five of them made it out, huh. Guess we're slipping."
"They won't get far," Tōsen replied, voice steady despite his wound. "But his strength is beyond expectation."
Renya prepared another strike — until a calm, commanding voice rolled from the shadows.
"Two captains… and still five souls slip away? How disappointing. It seems I must act myself."
The darkness itself seemed to part as Sōsuke Aizen stepped forward, his white haori immaculate, a faint smile curling his lips. In his hand — Kyōka Suigetsu — the blade gleamed faintly, still slick with fresh blood.
He walked toward them slowly, each step deliberate. "You've grown, Kurotsuki Renya. I almost didn't recognize you."
Renya froze. His heart pounded. The last fragments of hope drained from him.
He knew what that blood on Aizen's blade meant — the five fleeing operatives were gone.
Tōsen lowered his head respectfully. "Forgive us, Lord Aizen."
Gin smiled thinly. "Can't really blame us, Captain. Kid's stronger than he looks."
Aizen's expression softened — disturbingly calm. "Strength is relative, Gin. But potential… potential is worth cultivating."
He lifted his blade slightly. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Renya-kun?"
Renya's grip tightened on Tenraimaru. Lightning sparked again across his body.
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