Void White
The Central 46 Chambers had long decreed that any captain or vice-captain dispatched to the Human World must bear a Reiatsu Limiter to prevent their overwhelming spiritual pressure from destabilizing reality.
This duty fell to the Kidō Corps, who also maintained the stability of the Dangai.
Applications had to be submitted in advance. Failure to do so meant the limiter would not be applied, and any appearance in the Human World would be treated as an unauthorized deployment—potentially even an act of aggression.
Punishments were severe. And if Captain Shiba Isshin's instincts were wrong, defying the Captain-Commander's orders to remain on standby would come at great cost.
He didn't care.
If his guess was wrong, only he would suffer the penalty. But if he was right, he could save the lives of the Shinigami stationed in Naruki City.
Knowing the difference, he plunged through the Dangai in a single breath.
---
The Human World
Night had fallen over Naruki City. The stars were dulled by the smog of industry, and a waning moon hung pale and thin.
Isshin emerged into silence. The faint traces of Shinigami reiatsu drifted, flickering—before vanishing altogether.
He arrived outside a school just in time to see it.
Blood splattered across the ground. A Shinigami's body dissolved into spirit particles, leaving only a shredded uniform and a broken Zanpakutō.
Isshin's eyes widened, his pupils narrowing.
And then he sensed it.
A Hollow stood before him—massive, armored in black like iron, with a grotesque white mass protruding from its chest.
Twin black horns curved downward from its mask. Its skeletal face turned, empty sockets meeting his gaze.
It roared.
"OOOOOOOH!"
A crushing spiritual pressure burst outward.
Isshin's hand went to his Zanpakutō. His suspicions were confirmed. Such a Hollow appearing here, with no report reaching Soul Society—it wasn't coincidence.
Someone was conducting an experiment.
---
In the Shadows
In the Technology Development Bureau's monitoring room, a man chuckled softly. His tone was mocking, his expression cold.
"Without authorization, the Captain of Squad Ten has appeared in the Human World. Seems the prototype won't last long."
A second figure, his skin dark, his hair purple and unruly beneath a pair of goggles, spoke without emotion. His eyes remained closed.
"It's not a prototype. It's White—the first Hollow created from a Shinigami's soul. Entirely different from the hundreds we've made before."
He straightened. "I'll handle this. You stay and observe."
The first man waved lazily. "Yeah, yeah. Try not to get killed."
---
Clash
BOOM!
Isshin was hurled through the air, stabilizing himself with spirit particles beneath his feet. He drew the Hollow away from the city, ensuring the collateral damage would not strike the unaware humans below.
White lunged, its bladed arm cleaving downward.
Isshin released his Zanpakutō into Shikai, intercepting the strike. "Who's behind this!?"
The Hollow gave no reply. Its other arm slashed toward his side.
Isshin twisted away, frowning. This Hollow fought like no other—it moved like a Shinigami.
With such power, capture was impossible. He would have to kill it.
"Burn—"
But before Isshin could release his Shikai ability, the world went black. Not only his vision—his entire perception drowned in darkness, as though he had been thrust into a void.
A blade pierced his back, missing his heart by inches. He lashed out behind him, striking something—yet saw and heard nothing.
Pain flared, grounding him. He was alive. He gritted his teeth. Not a Hollow's trick. Someone else is here.
He steadied his breathing, refusing to run. Rash movement would be suicide. Instead, he waited—ready to counter the instant he felt another strike.
It came.
But not steel.
A surge of energy gathered at point-blank range.
"Cero!?" Isshin realized, horrified.
The Hollow's maw glowed, unleashing a torrent of crimson energy. A Cero, the hallmark of a Menos-level Hollow, akin to the Shiba clan's own Getsuga Tenshō.
The blast struck head-on.
Isshin curled his body, enduring. His haori shredded, blood bursting from his mouth. The explosion carved through him, leaving him broken and burned.
Darkness pressed in again. For the first time, he felt death brush against him.
"I'm sorry, Kūkaku… you'll lose someone else you love…"
His vision dimmed.
---
The Light
And then—light split the void.
The darkness cracked apart like shattered glass.
On a rooftop stood a girl, her short orange hair glowing under the moonlight. She was dressed in a sailor uniform, a bow of reishi drawn in her hands, glowing pale blue.
A Quincy.
Her youthful face was fierce, her spirit unyielding.
"Danger!" Isshin shouted hoarsely.
The unseen attacker vanished—but White remained.
The girl leapt, arrows of light firing in quick succession.
White dodged fluidly.
But she stood firm, activating her Blut Vene, her veins glowing as the defensive technique coursed through her body. She grasped White's horns, dragging its head down.
"Got you."
Her bow shifted to White's mask. With a flick, she released a reishi arrow straight into its skull.
The Hollow screamed as its eyes went dull. Armor crumbled away. A white mass surged from its back, swelling violently.
Isshin, summoning the last of his strength, flash-stepped forward, seized the unstable mass, and dragged it clear.
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the night.
When the smoke cleared, Isshin lay sprawled and unconscious, bloodied and broken.
"Hey! Are you okay!?" the girl gasped, rushing to him. She froze. A Shinigami.
Her first thought was to drag him home—but her aunt would never allow it. Hospitals were useless for someone like him.
Panic rose—until she noticed it.
A small wooden sign, standing in the alley nearby. Words burned into the surface:
"Take him and follow me."
She gritted her teeth, then hoisted Isshin onto her shoulder.
Kurosaki Masaki had made her choice.
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