Hueco Mundo, inside Las Noches' great hall.
Under the dark night, the vast hall felt unusually still.
Gin's chest tightened to the point of suffocation—almost hard to breathe—but he still gritted through it, smiling narrow-eyed at Aizen.
"Aizen-taichō, I've told you my zanpakuto's ability already. No need to ask again, right?"
Aizen smiled lightly. "I'm simply curious. After all, I've never seen you use a bankai form."
With that, he looked at Kyōka Suigetsu (Mirror Flower, Water Moon).
Kyōka Suigetsu drew a steadying breath, not daring to oppose his dangerous master. "Understood."
White matter spread over his body—face and torso—forming a red-and-white mask reminiscent of the Visored. In that state, Kyōka Suigetsu's figure gradually faded from sight.
Gin kept smiling, but his heart sank. He could feel it: his inner world was being invaded.
Suppressing his unease, he glanced at Aizen and kept his smile. "Aizen-taichō, Kyōka Suigetsu has entered my inner world. With Muramasa's kind of power, can you really catch him?"
Aizen chuckled. "Gin, you're overthinking it. Kyōka Suigetsu is my zanpakuto. How could it ever leave me?"
The two old schemers traded a look—Gin still fox-smiling, Aizen still mild.
A few minutes later, Kyōka Suigetsu surfaced again, looked to Aizen, and said, "Master, I have it. Ichimaru Gin's bankai is Kamishini no Yari (God-Slaying Spear). It's nearly the strongest physical-type zanpakuto I've seen."
Aizen understood: nearly the strongest—meaning that if Cole weren't ahead of him, Gin's Kamishini no Yari would be the very strongest.
"So what's the ability?" Aizen asked gently, eyes on his blade-spirit.
Under Gin's tense gaze, Kyōka Suigetsu cast him a glance and answered evenly, "Bankai: Kamishini no Yari (God-Slaying Spear). The extend-and-retract speed exceeds five hundred times the speed of sound—nearly half the speed of light. It's the most powerful assassination weapon I've witnessed."
Gin quietly exhaled in relief. Good. Shinso hadn't shamed him. They must have come to an accord inside the inner world. Nice work, Shinso.
Aizen wasn't surprised. Smiling at Gin, he said, "I knew you'd outstrip Tosen. If your zanpakuto slipped into Seireitei, you could assassinate quite a number of shinigami."
Gin relaxed, smiling. "I'd rather not see it buried in Seireitei, though."
In this matter, Kyōka Suigetsu had returned to Las Noches unscathed.
But Tosen's Suzumushi (Clear Insect) was still in Seireitei.
Aizen smiled and said no more. He rose from the throne and headed for his laboratory.
There, Tosen was undergoing hollowfication experiments.
Seireitei.
A one-eyed giant ray drifted lazily across the sky.
Cole lay along its edge, peering down at the Eighth Division's ruins. "Hana-nee, Minazuki… you said the zanpakuto rebellion is over. How long until Seireitei gets rebuilt?"
Unohana glanced down and smiled softly. "What's wrong? If you want to absorb reiryoku, you still can—now as well."
Cole looked at the rubble, deflated. "The efficiency is awful. Nothing like when everything was intact."
Seireitei was almost entirely ruins—especially near First Division, which had become a volcanic crater.
If he wanted to absorb reiryoku now, he had to hunch down and touch the ground bit by bit. Embarrassing—and inefficient.
If it were intact walls and buildings, he could just reach out and draw in energy with a touch.
Niku Shizuka chuckled, looped her arms around Cole from behind, and teased him by his ear.
Unohana's cheeks turned rosy. The refined, gentle beauty shot her zanpakuto spirit a flustered look. "Niku Shizuka, mind yourself."
Niku Shizuka rolled her eyes. "Master, a thousand years ago your 'image' wasn't half as prim as mine."
Back then, Unohana was hailed as an unprecedented villain—every day drenched in blood, either on her way to kill or in the midst of killing. There was no such thing as "keeping up appearances." She did as she pleased.
Unohana blushed deeper, inwardly bemoaning her zanpakuto's personality. After following her for over a thousand years, it hadn't grown up at all.
Warmth spread through Cole; he drew a sharp breath, shoulders tensing.
Cole swallowed. "Hana-nee, Niku Shizuka… you two are going to get me in trouble."
Back in his previous life watching the anime, he'd only noticed Rangiku's curves. He'd never imagined the figure hidden beneath Unohana's white haori would rival—even surpass—Rangiku's.
Unohana's blush deepened. "Cole, say one more ridiculous word and I'll spar you right now."
Cole blinked, playing pitiful. "Mama, are you going to hit me?"
Unohana's heart took a direct hit. Flustered, she tucked her head against his chest. "Quiet… don't call me that…"
Cole grinned. He stepped once—holding both close—and streaked across the sky like black lightning.
Inside a pocket dimension—
Clouds rose in a breath; worldly matters set aside.
After searching Seireitei in vain, Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki stormed into the pocket space, cheeks puffed with anger.
Sure enough, they walked into an unmistakably intimate scene.
Both girls flushed scarlet, yet still marched forward with fury. The spiritual pressure they released left frosty footprints with each step.
"It's cold…" Niku Shizuka exhaled, then propped herself on the edge of the hanging cot and waved with a smile. "Yo, Rukia, Sode no Shirayuki—what brings you two here?"
They blushed harder, eyes flicking to Niku Shizuka's sultry poise—like a succubus beckoning them on. Then to Unohana on the other side; their ears burned. That was a top-tier enchantress being… thoroughly flustered.
Rukia mustered her courage and snapped at the very-busy Cole, "You brat! I'm standing right here and you're still bullying Captain Unohana? Believe it or not, I'll freeze you into a big ice block!"
Cole started, finally noticing Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki.
He stood up at once.
That single motion made Rukia even shyer; she didn't dare look directly at Cole. Sode no Shirayuki only flushed faintly—she'd seen plenty by now.
Unohana on the cot was the one who truly suffered—like fireworks about to burst that suddenly lost their fuse, left hovering in an unbearable in-between.
She propped herself up, turned, and reached out with snow-white arms, cheeks flushed. "Cole, come and—"
"W-wait, Captain Unohana!" Rukia blurted, forcing courage into her voice. "You're over a thousand years old, same generation as the Captain-Commander. At your age, you shouldn't be… leading Cole on."
She didn't lean too hard into blaming Cole. By shinigami standards, he was just a kid barely grown—not exactly someone with much self-control.
Unohana's gaze grew dangerous. She forcibly steadied herself, stood, and walked to the cot's edge, voice soft. "Rukia, Eighth Seat—are you speaking to me?"
Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki swallowed, then gathered their nerve. They truly had no choice.
They knew about Cole and Inoue Orihime's life-bond, but that was from the world of the living; even marriage and children would be severed by death. Once Cole eventually came to Soul Society, he would be Rukia's alone.
But this was different. Unohana was also a shinigami—by the look of it, she could live another thousand years. When Cole came to Soul Society, who would he belong to then?
Thinking this, Rukia forced out, "I… I'm Cole's girlfriend. He should be mine alone."
Unohana's eyes turned more dangerous still. It wasn't that she wanted to "steal" him; in her eyes, Cole was a cute child. It was just that this child could satisfy her—whether in life-and-death combat or the warmth that soothed that battle-lust.
Now this girl wanted to take him away—and forbid her to see him?
Impossible. Without Cole, she would break.
She moistened her lips slightly and reached a hand toward Niku Shizuka. "Niku Shizuka. Come."
Rukia jumped in fright. Cole flinched too, thinking the triangle was about to become an actual battlefield.
To their surprise, Niku Shizuka didn't move to Unohana. Leaning on the cot's edge, chin propped and smiling, she told Rukia, "Rukia-chan, that won't do. Without Cole-kun, my master can't keep herself together."
Rukia blinked, eyes flicking to Cole. Did this brat really have some kind of… addictive quality?
Thinking of the bliss she'd felt via Sode no Shirayuki—it had been wonderful, almost heavenly.
She shook her head hard, flushing. "How can she 'not survive'? Captain Unohana lived a thousand years without a man."
"That's not what I mean," Niku Shizuka said, stretching lazily. A zanpakuto appeared in her hand; she gave it a casual wave and smiled. "My master is a maniac who loves to fight. She used to suppress it. But after meeting Cole-kun, the urge has only grown stronger. She can't hold it back anymore."
With that, Niku Shizuka flickered to Rukia's back, smiling by her ear. "Without Cole, when her urge surges, she'll go looking for battles—maybe even cut down other captains. Now do you see the danger?"
Rukia swallowed—partly because of the soft warmth at her back, partly because she pictured Unohana in that frenzied, blood-drenched state.
Born for battle. Everything for slaughter. If Unohana slipped into that mode, she truly would kill whoever barred her path—man or god—until death decided the match.
"But… with Cole around, Captain Unohana can restrain it?" Rukia asked, biting her lip.
"Of course," Niku Shizuka nodded with a smile. "Did you forget her last clash with Cole? He's the only one who can satisfy my master's need to cross blades. Fighting him brings her joy."
"And besides…" She smiled toward Unohana. "Lately Cole's swordsmanship has surpassed my master's. He even makes her feel… overmatched. She's looking forward to their next match more and more. She can't part from him now."
"Overmatched… what nonsense…" Unohana's face turned crimson as she glared at her zanpakuto. "Niku Shizuka, stop talking nonsense."
Niku Shizuka snickered, turned, and winked at Cole—silently mouthing: "My master… likes it rough."
Cole drew in a breath, a tiny shiver running through him. Just as he'd suspected—Hana-nee had unique tastes.
Hearing this, Rukia wavered. Absurd as it sounded, Cole had become Unohana's antidote. Without him, she would become a blood-red demon—possibly attacking without distinction. Any captain could become a target.
And the first target might be her.
No—almost certainly would be her.
Seeing Rukia's turmoil, Niku Shizuka hugged her lightly and laughed. "Relax. My master isn't going to 'possess' Cole. In her heart, she sees him as family."
"Niku Shizuka!" Unohana couldn't take it anymore. Face burning, she lunged for her zanpakuto spirit. "Stop it with the nonsense…"
Niku Shizuka darted away in circles around Rukia, cheerful as ever. "Master, you say that, but every time Cole calls you 'Mama,' you look perfectly, blissfully content…"
(End of Chapter)
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