The piercing whistle of the Hōgyoku streaking through the sky drew Yamamoto Genryūsai's eyes open. Even Sasakibe Chōjirō felt his blood boil.
Yamamoto rose, his very reiatsu tearing the ground beneath him. Space itself seemed too fragile to contain his wrath.
"Children these days… so arrogant."
"Head Captain!" Sasakibe rushed forward. "This is beneath you. Allow me to deal with it!"
Yamamoto's pressure subsided as he nodded. Chōjirō flashed ahead, drawing his zanpakuto, cleaving down at the blue orb blazing like a comet.
The clash shook the First Division to its foundations. His feet sank into the earth, arms trembling, blade quaking.
"Impossible… this power…"
The impact hurled him backward through walls — until Yamamoto's hand braced his back, halting his slide.
"Head Captain…" Chōjirō's face burned with shame. "I failed."
"It's not your weakness," Yamamoto rumbled. "It's the boy's strength."
Far away, Cole stood atop the Repentance Palace, golden staff in hand, grinning.
"Hey, old man! Kisuke said to tell you — if you've got the guts, smash that thing with Ryūjin Jakka!"
Chōjirō's jaw dropped. Kisuke said that!? Is he drunk!?
But Yamamoto's eyes sharpened as Cole's shout carried:
"He said it's the Hōgyoku! It can shatter the boundary between shinigami and hollow! It can raise someone beyond even the Soul King!!"
The Head Captain's pupils shrank. Beyond the Soul King…?
He alone understood what that meant. The Soul King — the god who created worlds: the Living World, Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and every dimension between. Without him, existence itself collapsed.
And now… a small blue orb could transcend even that?
Cole sucked in breath, roaring once more:
"Kisuke said the Hōgyoku is the reason Shinji and the others suffered their fate! If you've got the guts, destroy it before it's too late!!"
Exhausted from shouting, Cole fled into the streets before Yamamoto could react.
Yamamoto bent down, lifting the Hōgyoku. His brow furrowed. Break the line between shinigami and hollow…?
He squeezed. Reiatsu surged. Mountains could be crushed beneath this force. Yet the orb didn't so much as crack.
Chōjirō swallowed hard. Even Head Captain's full strength can't break it!?
Yamamoto growled. "That damned Kisuke. Another abomination." He tucked the orb away and ordered:
"Summon every captain. That boy must be captured — at all costs."
Meanwhile, in the Second Division, Soi Fong frowned.
"Hōgyoku? Never heard of it…" She glanced back at the piles of Yoruichi photos on her desk, cheeks heating.
"Yoruichi-sama… so beautiful…"
Elsewhere, Gin's grin faded. "So that's the Hōgyoku Aizen's been after? Kisuke really handed it to the Head Captain? After all this time?"
Unohana's eyes burned with sudden heat the instant she heard Cole's voice. She rose, leaving her barracks without hesitation.
In the Fifth Division, Aizen's calm cracked.
"The Hōgyoku… in the Head Captain's hands?" He frowned. He knew the orb's indestructibility. Even if destroyed, it would re-form. That was why Kisuke had sealed it inside Rukia.
So why this move? Is it a fake? A decoy?
He pushed up his glasses, then removed them, eyes glinting cold. "First, I'll confirm which one is real."
Night fell. Patrols swept every street, squads scattered like a net.
But Cole slipped unseen into the Second Division barracks.
"Cole, you bastard! What are you doing here!?" Soi Fong sat in her nightclothes, zanpakuto in hand, fury blazing. "If someone finds you, we're both dead!"
Cole shrugged. "What else could I do? The whole Seireitei's crawling with patrols. I don't even have a place to sleep."
"You can't hide here!" Her tirade froze when her eyes fell on the photo in his hand.
"Yoruichi-sama…" She swallowed hard.
Cole smirked, waving the picture. "Yoruichi, fresh from the bath."
Her face burned. "You… you bastard! Don't tell me you were spying again!?"
"Spy? Why would I need to? Yoruichi and I are close enough already."
Her mind spun. "Close enough…? No, she wouldn't…" But her cheeks flushed deeper, heart thundering.
Cole leaned closer. "Want it?"
"…Yes!"
She lunged, but he pulled it back with a grin.
"Then where am I sleeping tonight?"
Her jaw clenched, fury flashing, but in the end she pointed at the sofa.
"Here. Don't undress. And leave at dawn."
Cole pointed at her luxurious bed. "Too small. I'm sleeping there."
"You—!!"
"Relax. When Yoruichi comes back from Rukongai, I'll have her sleep beside you."
Soi Fong froze, lips trembling. "…Together… with Yoruichi-sama…?"
Her eyes lit up. "Fine. But you still can't take off your clothes!"
Cole smirked as she ran to the sofa, hugging her pillow, legs kicking like a girl in love.
"Good night, Yoruichi." he whispered at the ceiling full of her photos.
In a darkened First Division street, silver flashed.
Seven shinigami fell, throats slashed, blood pooling.
Tōsen flicked the blood from his blade.
"Lord Aizen. The patrols are cleared."
(End of Chapter)
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