The Human World, Karakura Town.
Today was the day Nemu would be taken to her execution.
Kisuke Urahara had prepared a Senkaimon (Interdimensional Gate) for Higashino Shuuichi to travel to Soul Society.
Higashino Shuuichi's original plan was to go alone.
But—
"What is the deal with you two?" Higashino Shuuichi demanded, staring at Isshin Shiba—who was missing an arm—and Kurosaki Masaki, dressed in athletic wear.
"I found some clues about my squad members who vanished before. I think I can more or less narrow the target down to a particular shinigami," Isshin replied calmly. "So I'm going back to look for him. Traveling with you is just on the way."
Higashino Shuuichi nodded, barely accepting Isshin's explanation, then turned to Kurosaki Masaki.
"And you? Don't tell me you're 'on the way' too."
Kurosaki Masaki shook her head, then theatrically slicked her short hair back with her right hand.
"Of course not, Kabuno-senpai. I just want to help you, that's all. You've taught me a lot these past few days—I should thank you properly!"
"Give me a break. With your strength—" Higashino Shuuichi narrowed his eyes, about to refuse, when she cut him off immediately.
"With my strength, huh? Wasn't it you who said yesterday morning that I'm the strongest Quincy in the entire Human World besides you? Even an ordinary captain-class shinigami—if they let their guard down for even a second—could lose to me!"
Her face was practically glowing with excitement.
"I even asked Shiba-san. Soul Society only has thirteen captains in total, right? Which means the ones stronger than me are only those thirteen shinigami, correct?"
Kurosaki Masaki's eyes were shining.
In her mind, if she could follow Kabuno-senpai into Soul Society and come back alive, then she'd truly be written into Quincy history.
After all, it was said that their Quincies' one and only former "king" hadn't even managed to return from Soul Society alive.
With an achievement like that, she could finally chase the life she wanted—without caring about the pressure the Ishida family put on her.
For Kurosaki Masaki, it really was that simple: she only had to think about what she could gain by going to Soul Society with Higashino Shuuichi.
But Higashino Shuuichi had more to consider.
First and foremost was whether Kurosaki Masaki might actually run into danger—
Yet the instant that thought surfaced, he strangled it in his own mind.
Because at this point, did he still need to care about Kurosaki Masaki's safety?
That "extra insurance" named Kurosaki Ichigo had long stopped being a necessity for him.
Something optional could be left to fate.
So Higashino Shuuichi only smiled helplessly.
"Maybe. Then I'll give you the chance to repay me."
With that, Higashino Shuuichi turned and walked straight into the Senkaimon (Interdimensional Gate).
Isshin Shiba and Kurosaki Masaki exchanged a look. With Isshin's courteous gesture, the two followed—one after the other—into the Senkaimon (Interdimensional Gate).
After them, Yoruichi Shihōin arrived late, her figure dropping down at last.
"I'll ask you one last time," Yoruichi said, landing between the Senkaimon (Interdimensional Gate) and Kisuke Urahara, staring directly into his eyes. "When you had Mayuri spread that message… had you already guessed Central 46 would hand down a verdict this severe on Nemu?"
Normally, eyes were the window to the soul—everything inside a person could be read through the changes in their gaze.
But that logic didn't apply to Kisuke Urahara.
His eyes were clear, calm, and unhurried.
"Do you still believe anything I say now?" he asked softly.
Yoruichi turned and walked toward the Senkaimon (Interdimensional Gate), leaving only a single line behind her.
"I'll find out myself!"
One door. Four people. Four lines of fate.
And inside Seireitei, Nemu sat alone in her cell within the Maggot's Nest.
The vast Maggot's Nest now held only a pitiful handful of prisoners.
That, too, was thanks to the battle long ago—when Higashino Shuuichi defected from the Maggot's Nest and clashed with Sōsuke Aizen.
"Why do you look like you're not nervous at all?" Soifon, Captain of the 2nd Division, asked from outside the Maggot's Nest, peering in at Nemu.
"Why would I be nervous?" Nemu tilted her head and asked back.
"Because you're about to be taken to Sōkyoku Hill for execution," Soifon answered.
"Oh. And?" Nemu looked genuinely confused.
"That's not enough?" Soifon was just as confused.
"This is my final judgment," Nemu said, pausing to reorganize her words. "The Gotei 13, as the executor, will faithfully carry out the ruling Central 46 has passed on me. My being nervous won't change the result, so there's no reason for me to be nervous. Captain Soifon… are you satisfied with that answer?"
"…"
Soifon was speechless.
Why did people say Nemu counted as Shuuichi-sama's daughter?
Soifon didn't think she resembled him at all!
…But fine. That was good, too. At least it let Soifon lie to herself that Nemu had nothing to do with Higashino Shuuichi.
Then, when she escorted Nemu to Sōkyoku Hill, her mood might be a little less awful.
Still, as she stared at Nemu behind the bars, Soifon couldn't help thinking of what the Captain-Commander had specifically warned her about last night.
Be careful of the Kabuma clan's shinigami.
In name, one of the Four Great Noble Houses—the Kabuma clan—had no direct shinigami under its command.
Not even a single minor noble follower.
But in reality, nearly every high-ranking figure in Soul Society knew the truth:
There were certain shinigami who weren't officially the Kabuma clan's retainers… yet were all but retainers in practice.
And every one of them was monstrously strong.
The kind of strong where you could toss out any one of them and they could casually take a captain's seat.
"They… won't come, right?" Soifon murmured to herself.
At the very least, she didn't want to see that happen.
But the reality was—
At that very moment, within the Kabuma clan's grounds,
Kisaragi Shūsuke, Yushima Ōko, and the rest had long since been ready—bows drawn, strings taut.
"Sayako-sama, are we not leaving yet?" Kisaragi Shūsuke stood at Kabuma Sayako's right hand. As Higashino Shuuichi's eldest disciple, he had to be the first to ask.
They had been waiting here for nearly two full days.
From the moment they decided to rescue Nemu to now, they had done nothing but wait.
They hadn't even prepared ambushes or laid traps.
Kisaragi Shūsuke couldn't understand what Kabuma Sayako was waiting for by keeping them on hold.
The same question sat in Yushima Ōko's, Matsumoto Rangiku's, and the others' hearts as well.
Because everyone knew: if you were going to save Nemu, the earlier the better.
The Maggot's Nest might be deep inside Seireitei, but the only one guarding Nemu was Soifon, the 2nd Division captain.
With Sōya Azashiro's help, rescuing Nemu from there would be absurdly easy.
But once Nemu reached Sōkyoku Hill, Kisaragi Shūsuke and the others wouldn't be facing only Soifon.
They weren't exactly afraid—but there was no need to deliberately pile trouble onto themselves.
Kabuma Sayako understood that, too.
But she couldn't do it.
At least, not yet.
Because Kabuma Sayako knew Higashino Shuuichi had returned—and that he had gone to the Human World.
And if she connected that to the timing of how Nemu had suddenly vanished from Soul Society, then just as suddenly appeared in the Human World…
Some things didn't even need to be said out loud.
Kabuma Sayako had neither the time nor the patience to untangle what kind of relationship Higashino Shuuichi had with Nemu.
But she was sure of one thing:
Higashino Shuuichi absolutely would know what was happening on Nemu's side.
So Kabuma Sayako waited—waited for Higashino Shuuichi to return.
She had a faint feeling that Higashino Shuuichi might even be one of the hidden hands behind the Nemu incident.
If that was true, then Higashino Shuuichi's attitude would be crucial.
"We wait a little longer," Kabuma Sayako said, drawing a deep breath and sweeping her gaze over the anxious faces. It was as if she had finally made up her mind. "At least until Nemu is truly sent to Sōkyoku Hill, we should not move rashly."
"Still waiting? Ohhh, I get it!" Yushima Ōko said, suddenly enlightened. "Sayako-sama, you want to use this chance to announce our existence to all of Soul Society, right?
Then I have no objections! I've wanted to do this for ages!
When Shuuichi-sama comes back and sees we helped you become the number one noble house in Soul Society, he's going to be thrilled!"
Yushima Ōko thought he understood everything.
In truth, he understood nothing.
But Kabuma Sayako didn't deny his guess outright.
Because with that reminder, she couldn't even be sure anymore whether Higashino Shuuichi truly had such an intention.
With Higashino Shuuichi's personality, if he decided to do something like that, Kabuma Sayako wouldn't find it strange.
Then came the exchanged glance between Kensei Muguruma and Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi.
In each other's eyes, they saw hesitation—and worry.
Was Kabuma Sayako admitting it?
Then what were the two of them supposed to do?
Switch sides at the last second and show their "loyalty" to the Captain-Commander and the other nobles?
Or follow Kabuma Sayako and the rest, charging straight into darkness with no way back?
Honestly, if this had been back when Higashino Shuuichi was still around, it wouldn't even be a question.
They would have chosen the latter.
Because Higashino Shuuichi alone could hard-counter the entire Gotei 13.
But now Higashino Shuuichi had been locked in Muken. And if all they had was a Kenpachi like Azashiro…
Could they really withstand the Gotei 13?
That was hard to say.
At the very least, Azashiro's strength had never been displayed before them as directly and overwhelmingly as Higashino Shuuichi's.
And just as Kensei and the others were weighing that life-altering choice—
A piece of news that caught all of Soul Society off guard spread across Seireitei almost instantly.
No… it couldn't even be called news anymore.
It was more like provocation.
A provocation aimed at every shinigami.
A massive Shinsei Metsuya (Sacred Extinction Arrow), condensed from enormous amounts of reishi, entered through the South Gate and exited through the North Gate, cutting across the entirety of Seireitei.
Only when it reached District 3 of North Rukongai did it finally dissipate, its power exhausted.
"K-Kabuno-senpai… doing that… is it really okay?" Kurosaki Masaki stood behind Higashino Shuuichi outside Seireitei's South Gate, staring wide-eyed at the streak the Shinsei Metsuya (Sacred Extinction Arrow) had carved across the sky, and asked nervously.
She admitted that earlier, she'd thought her Quincy senpai was a little bit arrogant.
But back then, she could still tell herself it was normal—he was strong, so of course he was proud.
Now, though, she realized her Kabuno-senpai might simply be… outrageous.
This sort of brazen, contemptuous move—showing up and practically shouting to every shinigami in Soul Society, I'm here—
It was…
So cool!
Kurosaki Masaki's heart was hammering uncontrollably.
So this was what Quincies were truly supposed to look like?
Would she be able to become a Quincy as strong as Kabuno-senpai someday?
Why was she suddenly looking forward to it?
She even caught herself thinking: if she had power like Kabuno-senpai, what would she do?
"…No, impossible. I can't even imagine it," she muttered after a long while, finally giving up.
She just wasn't that kind of person.
Doing something like this would be unbelievably hard for her.
"Damn… Quincy, don't you get too cocky!
If you do this, we shinigami will never let you go!
You can't escape anymore—!"
At that moment, the South Gate guard who had been shot down by Higashino Shuuichi's arrow—Higonyūdō—lay on the ground, one hand clutching his wound, teeth clenched as he glared up at Higashino Shuuichi.
"Escape? Why would I escape?" Higashino Shuuichi planted one foot on Higonyūdō's body and spoke with shameless dominance. "Since I'm here, I'm here to settle accounts with you shinigami properly!
That shinigami named Nemu is someone I saved. You want to execute her—did you ask me first?"
"Heh… heh heh heh…" Higonyūdō forced out a laugh. Even pinned underfoot, with three Shinsei Metsuya (Sacred Extinction Arrows) lodged in him and his body weakened to the brink, he still didn't forget his stance. "You're a Quincy. What does shinigami business have to do with you?
If you want to save Nemu—dream on!"
Unfortunately, in the face of absolute power, the stubbornness of the weak was painfully fragile.
Higashino Shuuichi had no interest in torturing Higonyūdō further, and no obligation to save his life.
With three arrows in him, whether Higonyūdō lived or died depended only on his fate.
"You're wrong," Higashino Shuuichi said lightly. "There is a way in. And it's the South Gate."
Then he stepped over Higonyūdō and walked on.
The moment his body crossed through the South Gate, the alarm sounded—just as expected.
But it meant nothing.
Because the shinigami of Seireitei already knew.
What the Shinsei Metsuya (Sacred Extinction Arrow) had left behind across all of Seireitei was a declaration of war—
And what it had sounded was a war song.
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