"I will take Ginjo's body with me."
Kurotsuki Renya bent down and lifted Kūgo Ginjo's lifeless form from the shattered ground. His tone was calm, emotionless.
"He is a wanted criminal of the Gotei 13. His body must be returned to Seireitei."
Hearing this, Yukio Hans Vorarlberna's face turned pale.
"You… you're not going to kill me too?"
Kurotsuki Renya glanced at him, his gaze cold but measured.
"You are not guilty enough to die. You were used. If you continue down this path, you will destroy yourself—but that choice is yours."
He paused briefly, then added,
"When she wakes up, disband. Do not gather again."
With that, he turned and walked away, carrying Ginjo's body over his shoulder.
The Encounter
As they exited the ruined building, a tall, dark-skinned woman suddenly appeared before them.
Her eyes widened the moment she saw the corpse.
"Ginjo…?"
Her voice trembled.
"Who did this?!"
Kurotsuki stopped.
"You're Jackie Tristan."
Recognition flashed in his eyes.
"Yes… and you are—"
"The one who killed him," Renya said calmly. "He tried to kill me first."
Her expression twisted with rage.
"You murdered him!"
She lunged forward in a blur, her leg swinging in a powerful arc.
Renya raised one arm.
BOOM!
The shockwave shattered the wall behind him, debris exploding outward. Yet Renya did not move an inch.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"So this is your strength…"
She twisted mid-air and launched another kick—but Renya stepped forward, drawing his Zanpakutō in a single fluid motion.
A silver flash.
Jackie froze mid-motion.
A thin crimson line appeared across her chest.
She collapsed.
Coughing violently, blood staining her clothes, she glared up at him.
"…So this is how it ends…"
Renya approached, blade lowered.
"I warned you."
He raised his sword.
Before he could strike
"Stop!"
Yukio shouted, running forward.
"Don't kill her!"
Renya hesitated for a brief moment.
Then
Thrust.
The blade pierced through her chest.
Her eyes went wide.
Yukio screamed.
"She was… she was trying to change…"
Renya pulled his sword free.
"She had already crossed the line," he said quietly. "If I hesitate here, I'll regret it later."
He turned away.
Return to Seireitei
Renya arrived at the First Division barracks, Ginjo's body sealed in a containment barrier.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto stood waiting.
"So… you killed him."
"Yes."
Yamamoto closed his eyes.
"Ginjo Kūgo… the first Substitute Shinigami. A man who strayed from the path and never returned."
Renya spoke calmly.
"He was responsible for multiple Shinigami deaths. His execution was inevitable."
Yamamoto nodded slowly.
"You did what had to be done."
He turned his gaze toward Renya.
"What of the others?"
"Dead or incapacitated. The Fullbringers are finished."
Yamamoto exhaled heavily.
"Then this incident is over."
After a pause, Renya spoke again.
"There is something else I wish to request."
Yamamoto raised an eyebrow.
"I require access to a time-dilated training barrier. One capable of sustaining decades of internal time."
Yamamoto's expression sharpened.
"That is no small request. Even captains cannot remain within such a barrier for long."
Renya met his gaze steadily.
"I need at least thirty years of internal time."
Silence filled the chamber.
"Why?" Yamamoto asked.
Renya answered without hesitation.
"To prepare for Aizen Sōsuke."
Yamamoto's eyes narrowed.
"You believe he is still a threat?"
"He has never stopped being one," Renya replied. "Even sealed, his influence remains. And when he moves again, the current Gotei will not be enough."
Yamamoto exhaled slowly.
"You believe his Kyōka Suigetsu cannot be countered."
Renya nodded.
"Once you have seen its release, you are under its effect forever. Bankai or not, it does not matter. Its hypnosis persists regardless of form."
Yamamoto remained silent.
"Even if his Zanpakutō were sealed," Renya continued, "the illusion would remain. That is the true danger."
At last, Yamamoto spoke.
"…Very well."
He turned toward the window.
"I will authorize the boundary chamber. Multiple captains will rotate to sustain it."
Renya bowed slightly.
"Thank you, Head-Captain."
As he turned to leave, Yamamoto spoke one final time.
"Know this, Kurotsuki Renya. Power alone will not defeat Aizen."
Renya paused at the doorway.
"I know," he said quietly. "That's why I need time."
Afterword
As Renya walked through Seireitei, his hand tightened around the hilt of his Zanpakutō.
There was a way
A method to break Kyōka Suigetsu's illusion entirely.
But the cost…
Was something even he hesitated to pay.