Hueco Mundo, in the open-air halls of Las Noches.
The blue-haired, wolfish Grimmjow squinted toward a golden pillar that seemed to pierce the heavens and rubbed his eyes.
"What is that thing? Another curious toy Aizen cooked up?"
He didn't think it was a zanpakuto (zanpakuto: soul-cutting sword). The "pillar" was too colossal—like a natural feature of the world itself. It looked infinitely far away, as if it stood at the far edge of Hueco Mundo, yet he could still see it clearly. That alone said everything about its size.
Unlike Grimmjow, his cautious adjutant Shawlong Koufang lowered his gaze and frowned.
"Why do I feel… that golden pillar is getting taller? Bigger."
Even across that "infinite" distance, it kept becoming more distinct—not because his eyesight had sharpened, but because the thing itself was growing.
Grimmjow's other fracción traded uneasy glances.
"What is it?"
"Some natural phenomenon?"
"Don't be stupid—Hueco Mundo doesn't just change on a whim."
"Could someone be releasing their Resurrección (Resurrection)?"
Grimmjow's eyes lit with the itch to fight.
"Why think so hard? Let's go see."
Blue spiritual pressure snarled off him, turning him even more like a rampaging blue wolf. That pressure took shape as lunging spirit-wolves that bared their fangs toward the distant pillar.
His fracción blanched and rushed to dissuade him.
"Grimmjow, cool it a second!"
"Let's report to Aizen-sama first—hear what he wants."
"What if it's dangerous?"
"We should think this through—Aizen-sama said we need a plan…"
Grimmjow acted like he hadn't heard a word. He leaned forward, ready to dive. It was far—but at a wolf's sprint, he figured he could make it there in… well, a while.
At the same time, other hollows spotted the golden pillar and reported to Tosen.
"A golden pillar…" Tosen's face tightened—clearly remembering something he'd rather forget. He ground his teeth.
"Impossible. They can't be here this soon. That's not what the intel said…"
A golden pillar only brought one thing to mind: Cole's zanpakuto—the golden staff that nearly caved his skull in with a single blow.
Gin strolled over with his easy squint.
"Don't underestimate that human shinigami. He's a real peculiar one."
Tosen didn't disagree. Evading an attack from Aizen of the Third Division while still a human? That alone said enough about how frightening Cole was.
They passed the report to Aizen. Holding the Hogyoku, even he showed rare surprise.
"That human's zanpakuto… in the White Sand Desert?"
"How did he enter Hueco Mundo?" Aizen stepped out of the lab, gaze cutting toward the horizon. From the courtyard he too saw it—the pillar, sky-high, pressing down on the white sands, pinpricks of gold lighting half the sky.
His expression soured. He recognized it: Cole's zanpakuto. But this was far outside his expectations.
Aizen turned to Tosen.
"Tosen, what's the situation in Seireitei? Is the Captain-Commander still there?"
Tosen knit his brows.
"According to yesterday's intel, Genryusai and the others have not left Seireitei."
Gin's smile twitched. Aizen had left hands in Seireitei for centuries; those moles fed them updates. Yet now the picture didn't add up: the old man was "still in Seireitei," but Cole was here.
How?
Even Gin's clever mind hiccuped.
So… did he come alone to throw his life away? To challenge Aizen one-on-one? If you're coming—couldn't you at least bring the Captain-Commander?
Aizen, too, couldn't guess Cole's aim. How did you get here? And for what? To gift me a head across a thousand miles?
He would never imagine Cole had come to sightsee—and to "do the things he liked" along the way.
A moment later, Aizen's eyes cooled.
"Whatever the reason, since he's here, he doesn't leave easily. Activate the special device to disrupt the shinigami's Garganta (Black Cavity)."
Tosen nodded and went to the lab to power up Aizen's anti-Garganta interference: once engaged, space itself would shudder.
With that done, Aizen gathered all the Espada and sped toward the golden pillar.
Let's see what that vexing human brat intends this time.
…
Elsewhere, Cole hadn't noticed Las Noches stirring. He walked the white sands with Unohana in his arms, chuckling.
"Hana-nee, you're kind of… underperforming. Your zanpakuto can last hours—"
Unohana, face aflame, buried herself against him.
"I've never… dealt with that sort of thing. And show some respect—I'm much older than you…"
____________
Grinding her teeth to cover fluster, Unohana shot him a dangerous look.
"Had your fun? Then give me a proper battle. My swordsmanship has improved again."
Once hailed as the demon of "Yachiryu"—the woman who had mastered every sword style—she had long been called the strongest swordswoman. After losing to Cole, she discovered, to her ecstatic shock, that her long-stagnant swordsmanship had advanced again. If she kept pushing, she might reach an eleventh stage—landscapes no one had seen.
Cole only smiled at her eager gaze.
"Wasn't just now enjoyable enough? Why fight?"
"Don't say that…" Unohana's ears reddened, but she quickly grew serious.
"Joy is one thing. Only battle—pain and blood—brings the peak."
She suddenly blinked and gasped, all composure gone, cheeks blazing.
"Y-you—hands off—"
Whatever Cole had teased at, he relented with a laugh and ruffled her hair.
"Since Hana-nee is being so good, I won't refuse you. When we're back in Seireitei, we'll have that match."
Unohana could only turn her face away, mortified.
Cole looked over the endless white desert and sighed.
"At first, it's impressive. But the longer you look, the more it's the same. In this world of endless night and white sand, the best sight is still you, Hana-nee."
"D-don't call me that, please…" Unohana clutched his sleeve, legs weak from the shame of it.
"Alright, Hana-nee. Let's return to Seireitei—then I'll 'filial-piety' you properly."
She flushed even deeper. Her stomach still felt uncomfortably full… best not to think about it.
Cole reached out and tore at the air.
Crack—crack—
Space fissured. A black garganta (Garganta: Black Cavity) opened—yet he frowned.
"Huh? Why can't I lock onto Seireitei?"
Though he wore a hollow form, he was also a shinigami—a powerful one. He could usually sense Seireitei faintly. But now the path felt sluggish, as if something unseen was jamming it.
Unohana peeked at the trembling rift.
"That's a garganta, isn't it?"
"Yeah—but space is shivering. Who knows where this leads." The interference made the endpoint uncertain: maybe Seireitei, maybe the World of the Living, maybe the Dangai (interstitial world), maybe even Hell. The Wandenreich (Invisible Empire) wasn't out of the question.
Unohana's face turned grave.
"Then absolutely do not step in. You're strong—but there are places you must not go. The Dangai is broken world; absurd things happen there. Even the Captain-Commander could die in it. And Hell… fall in, and you don't come back."
She laid out the taboos—the world's snares where even captains feared to tread.
Cole whistled.
"An elder at home is a treasure, huh."
Unohana's eyebrow twitched. She leaned up and bit his shoulder.
"Brat. I'll bite you to death."
(End of Chapter)
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