…
"Ugh…"
Blood trickled down Rukia's lips, her eyes wide with disbelief.
At first, she had indeed suspected this Shiba Kaien was a fake.
After all, there was the recent precedent with Kurosaki Ichigo.
If someone could disguise themselves as someone close to him to deceive him, then upon seeing Shiba Kaien, she naturally harbored the same suspicion.
But after interacting with him, she discovered:
This person really did seem to be Shiba Kaien.
The faceless entity that deceived Kurosaki Ichigo and stole the King's Key could transform into others and even replicate their abilities—but could not replicate memories.
Yet, when she spoke with Shiba Kaien just now, she was basically convinced—this was him.
After all, appearance could deceive, and spiritual pressure could deceive,
but memory and emotion could not!
Yet at this moment, Shiba Kaien suddenly launched a surprise attack, thrusting Nejibana into her chest!
She had been cautious—but in the end, a moment of emotional agitation made her lower her guard.
"You…"
A pained expression crossed Rukia's face; this blow seemed to awaken some unpleasant memories.
'Shiba Kaien' laughed loudly.
"Sorry, Kuchiki, but I've only just realized how wonderful your body is!"
"What… did you say?"
"I mean, I'm going to take over your body, replace you, and then become Kuchiki Rukia!"
As 'Shiba Kaien' finished speaking, his body began to contort, and the trident driven into Rukia's wound twisted deeper!
Spirit Body Fusion!
Rukia immediately felt a surge of spiritual pressure stabbing into her soul. She dropped to one knee, one hand propping her up, the other clutching her face desperately.
It felt as if something was about to emerge from within her body.
She was on the verge of losing herself.
This was even worse than when she'd been possessed by a Parasite Hollow—
back then, she would have simply become a Hollow.
But now…
If her body was possessed—
she would lose all control, forced to watch as this creature used her body to do terrible things!
Could it be…
Was Kaien-sama controlled like this?!
In this instant, Rukia seemed to feel everything of this monster merging with her!
She resisted instinctively—but the enemy's power was too strong, too strange;
she had no idea how to fight back.
But then—a gentle light suddenly emanated from within her body!
"What?!"
'Shiba Kaien' screamed.
"Why is your body… Ah!"
'Rukia' looked as if she'd been burned, pain twisting her face. The wound on her chest began to twist and glow!
The gentle light grew, then, with a flash, it blasted 'Shiba Kaien' out of her body!
'Shiba Kaien' oozed out of the wound like a puddle of flesh, landed on the ground, reassembled, and resumed his human form.
Rukia stared blankly at the necklace around her neck, momentarily dazed.
The light had come from this necklace.
And this necklace… was a gift from Yoshio.
Thinking of Yoshio still brought pain to her heart.
At first, she'd wanted to throw the necklace away, since it represented her suffering.
But in the end, she couldn't do it, and kept it around her neck.
Partly, perhaps, because she couldn't yet let go of Yoshio.
Partly because she'd heard from Byakuya that her late sister, Hisana, had once searched for her, and found a necklace almost identical to this one at the place where they'd parted ways.
Now, the necklace glowed again, the light softening after 'Shiba Kaien' left her body.
Eventually, the radiance faded and the necklace returned to its original appearance.
She slowly stood up, clutching the necklace, still dazed.
"What was that?! I never remembered you having that!"
'Shiba Kaien' had also recovered, covering his face with one hand and pointing at Rukia with the other.
Rukia herself couldn't explain.
This necklace was originally a reincarnation vessel Yoshio created by turning Homura and Shizuku into a Bankai of Solitude Hell.
But now, Homura and Shizuku—or rather, the Parasite Hollows controlling them—had already left her body. This necklace, in theory, should be useless.
But now…
Why had it saved her again?
Did this count as Yoshio saving her once more?
Rukia's heart stirred. Her wound had healed, so she put the necklace away again.
She said quietly,
"Although I don't know who you are, Kaien-sama has been gone from Soul Society for decades. In that time, Soul Society has not remained unchanged."
Rukia drew Sode no Shirayuki and whispered,
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"
She released her Zanpakuto!
"You brat!" 'Shiba Kaien' was enraged.
"Do you think that even in a direct fight, I'm inferior to you?! Don't forget, you learned all your Zanpakuto techniques when I trained you!"
"Do you think those moves can work on me?!"
Rukia's voice was soft,
"That's why I said… this world is no longer the world of your time."
In a flash, a freezing aura erupted from her; she appeared before 'Shiba Kaien' and slashed.
'Shiba Kaien's' pupils dilated—he couldn't even react to Rukia's speed!
He retreated, but too late!
The strike didn't cut him in half, but it passed through his body, leaving behind a frozen wound.
Wherever the blade passed, flesh and blood shattered instantly!
"What?!"
'Shiba Kaien' was shocked.
"How is this possible?! I never remembered your Sode no Shirayuki having such power!"
Rukia answered only with another strike!
"Stop!"
'Shiba Kaien' swung Nejibana, summoning waves like the Sea God's trident—the same fighting style Rukia remembered!
But—
The moment the trident collided with Sode no Shirayuki,
the cold blade sliced clean through.
The trident snapped in two, the tip flying away!
'Shiba Kaien' staggered back in alarm—too late!
Rukia had already plunged her sword into his body!
"You…"
'Shiba Kaien' stared at Rukia, Sode no Shirayuki embedded in his chest.
Pain twisted his face as he struggled, teeth gritted.
"You… how could you do this to me? I am… your Lieutenant!"
"Yes." Rukia's voice was soft.
"Kaien-sama is indeed my Lieutenant, and that will never change. But… you are not Kaien-sama!"
"You are merely a demon that has taken over Kaien-sama's body. So… I will kill you!"
"Only then can Kaien-sama be freed!"
As Rukia finished, a cold aura spread from Sode no Shirayuki, instantly freezing 'Shiba Kaien' into an ice sculpture!
Her blade remained embedded in the frozen body.
She cast her eyes downward, whispering,
"I'm sorry, Kaien-sama. But… please be at peace."
Only now did she realize how much stronger she'd truly become.
She hadn't realized her own growth until this moment—
Facing this fake Kaien, she saw her true strength.
But…
She wasn't the only one who'd gotten stronger.
Rukia slowly withdrew Sode no Shirayuki.
Like a mountain crumbling, the ice shattered on impact, disintegrating along with his body.
Rukia felt a deep sense of loss.
She knew the Shiba Kaien before her was a fake,
but killing him with her own hands still filled her with emotion.
But she had no time to grieve, or to ponder the necklace—
the monsters in the sky were still locked in battle with the Shinigami.
She had no time to rest!
Rukia soared back into the sky!
She'd wasted too much time on "Shiba Kaien"—
that was a mistake she had to make up for!
…
… … … … … …
And after Rukia left, "Shiba Kaien" did not die.
Even though his body had been frozen by Absolute Zero and shattered into countless pieces,
he still didn't die.
Because—
He was no longer a mere being of the Three Realms!
The true identity of "Shiba Kaien" was… Aaroniero!
Like the Ninth Espada in the original story, he'd devoured the spiritual body of Metastacia from Soul Society, and then devoured Shiba Kaien in Hueco Mundo.
Although the order differed, the result was the same.
But this time, something changed.
Before he could join Las Noches, he was discovered by Yoshio and Dark Rukia.
Dark Rukia killed him, and Yoshio collected his essence.
But death was not the end.
Because Aaroniero was destined for hell!
Those who committed great sins in life—even if they became Hollows and were killed—would not be purified, but thrown into hell.
In the manga, Aaroniero and Szayelaporro were both destined for hell after death.
Here, Aaroniero died much earlier, but his fate was unchanged.
So, which hell did he enter?
Solitude Hell—Yoshio's own creation!
Solitude Hell already possessed some hellish properties: if a sinner died near Yoshio, they'd fall into Solitude Hell.
And those who fall into hell—
Are "immortal."
Because they must atone in hell for eternity; if they could die, how could it be called eternal suffering?
Even if killed as punishment, they resurrect and endure anew.
Hell is truly terrifying for this reason.
Solitude Hell initially did not grant immortality, but after Yoshio transcended the Shinigami's limits, his Solitude Hell evolved.
Every transcendent being possesses some form of immortality:
The Monk resurrects when called by name.
Yhwach can return by changing the future.
Aizen's Hōgyoku grants him immortality.
Even Ichigo—who seems simple-minded—has died and returned before.
Yoshio's immortality comes from his Solitude Hell; as its lord, he possesses the characteristics of hell itself.
He not only possesses immortality, but also clairvoyance:
the ability to see any corner of the Three Realms and Six Paths.
So, although Aaroniero was killed by Rukia, it didn't matter.
He would resurrect in Yoshio's Solitude Hell.
Not just him, but the strongest monsters in the sky were the same.
These monsters were evil criminals sacrificed by Mayuri Kurotsuchi from Muken—now prisoners of Solitude Hell.
Among them was a terribly powerful Arrancar.
That Arrancar's true form was a phoenix—strength rivaling the current top four Espada under Yoshio.
His name was Arturo Plateado,
an Arrancar who once attacked Seireitei in ancient times, defeated by Yamamoto and the captains, and sealed in Muken.
Now, Arturo was fighting Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Jūshirō Ukitake.
With two Captains against him, Arturo was at a disadvantage—but still spirited, showing no signs of defeat.
Meanwhile, the miscellaneous troops encountered problems.
The strongest fought high in the sky; the foot soldiers attacked Karakura Town.
No matter how powerful the Shinigami,
they couldn't handle both the monsters and these prisoners.
Just as the monsters neared Karakura Town, they suddenly stopped.
Then—they began to slaughter each other!
As if caught in some illusion, the monsters gnawed at each other; thousands of demons suffered massive casualties before even reaching the ground!
They didn't split into two factions,
but thousands—each attacking those around them, until only one survivor remained.
And that last one didn't survive long, either;
a yellow-haired man appeared, cut him down in one blow, splitting him in half.
That man was Hirako Shinji.
The ability that made the monsters kill each other was his Bankai:
Sakashima Yokoshima Happōfusagari!
This Bankai reverses the perception of friend and foe, making enemies see their comrades as enemies, and kill each other.
It's useless in a one-on-one fight—
but in a one-versus-many, it's devastating.
This is why it's said:
Shikai for strong enemies, Bankai for clearing mobs.
It was perfect for this situation.
With the heavyweights fighting above, Shinji cleaned up the masses below, freeing the Shinigami from distractions.
Now, the Shinigami could fight without fear of Karakura Town's destruction.
…
"Ruthless," Tōshirō Hitsugaya muttered, facing Arturo, who stood with a pair of crimson wings.
"I thought the death of your subordinates would shake you."
Arturo's eyes were jet black, his hair dark green, his wings crimson.
He looked at home in this bizarre world.
He said coldly,
"They were meant to die here anyway."
"?" Ukitake frowned, feeling a trap.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't need to know."
Arturo's voice was cold.
"Now, time is running out."
He suddenly distanced himself from Ukitake and Hitsugaya.
Then—he placed his Zanpakuto against his own neck?!
Not just him—but the other monsters, too.
They all distanced themselves from the Shinigami, then put their swords to their own throats.
Before the Shinigami's shocked gazes, they—
Committed mass suicide!
It was a bizarre sight.
Under the scarlet full moon, dark clouds enveloped the sky,
and one monster after another ended their own lives with their swords!
Blood spurted from their necks, staining the clouds even deeper red.
Combined with the crimson moonlight, it was a scene of pure horror.
Blood poured down like rain—
falling to the ground!
…