"It was a one-hit kill..."
"This human is incredibly strong... killing His Majesty wasn't some lucky accident!"
The expressions of the Sternritter twisted with unease. They could no longer deny it.
Kielge Opie had not been weak. His Schrift was "Jail"—the Prison. He was known among the Sternritter as "Kielge Opie the Warden."
His power placed him comfortably in the upper-mid tier of the Sternritter. More importantly, he had mastered Hirako Shinji's stolen Bankai.
And yet... even with such overwhelming abilities, he had been crushed in a single strike.
Worse still, his opponent—Nanaya—hadn't even broken a sweat. He had been chatting casually with the female Shinigami in his arms while obliterating one of the Sternritter.
"Let me go, you hateful man!" Sui-Feng shoved herself free from Qiye's grasp, her cheeks burning red. "Why were you holding me!?"
Qiye pouted as if unfairly accused. "It's not my fault. Shinji's Bankai affects allies and enemies alike. I just didn't want to get stabbed by you in the confusion."
Sui-Feng's glare softened into an irritated huff. She turned her head away, but then her sharp eyes narrowed.
She leaned closer, suspicion written on her face. With a subtle twitch of her nose, she sniffed the air around Qiye.
Her beautiful eyes suddenly widened. She stepped back, pointing at him in disbelief.
"Wait a minute! Why do you smell like Lady Yoruichi!? And not just faintly—it's a very strong smell!"
"Strong...?"
Qiye's eyelids twitched. He resisted the urge to sigh. What is with these female Shinigami and their noses... are they all bloodhounds?
"That's right!" Sui-Feng pressed on, her teeth clenched, her face growing redder with each word. "It's a strong scent. You must have had... close contact with Lady Yoruichi. Don't tell me—you weren't even wearing clothes—! Ahhh!!"
Her frustration boiled over into jealous rage.
"Don't steal her from me! Lady Yoruichi belongs to me!!"
Snarling like an enraged bee, Sui-Feng launched herself at Qiye. Her strikes fell fast and sharp, each carrying the markings of her Shunkō technique.
Qiye raised his hands defensively, sweat beading at his temple. "Oi oi, are you serious right now!?"
Watching them bicker in the middle of a battlefield, Shunsui Kyoraku couldn't help but clear his throat loudly. His voice carried a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
"Ahem. Qiye, this is all very entertaining, but... have you found Captain-Commander Yamamoto and the others?"
The reminder brought Sui-Feng back to her senses. Though her anger still simmered, she forced herself to step back, lowering her arm. The urgency of the situation outweighed her jealousy—for now.
Qiye gave a long sigh of relief, dusting himself off.
"No. I haven't seen the old man anywhere." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "And not just him. Aizen and Yhwach are missing too. Where could those three have gone...?"
His voice grew heavier. "Oh, and there's Muramasa as well. He's just as dangerous. It looks like those four disappeared together."
Despite expanding his spiritual perception—his Yugure's Free Art, which blanketed the entire Seireitei—he still hadn't been able to sense them. They were hidden too well.
"However..." Qiye closed his eyes briefly, focusing on the streams of information flooding into his mind. When he opened them again, a faint smile curved his lips.
"I did manage to find out about the others."
The mood around him darkened instantly.
"My brother-in-law... it looks like he's on the verge of death..."
"Zaraki Kenpachi... Sister Retsu..."
"Kotetsu Isane... Abarai Renji... Ise Nanao..."
"One after another... their conditions are all terrible."
His words struck the Shinigami like thunder. Each name carried the weight of despair.
The gathered captains and lieutenants drew sharp breaths, their faces paling.
Until now, their focus had been on the rebellion of the Zanpakutō and the battle against the Sternritter. They had assumed the captains could hold their own.
But Qiye's report left no room for hope—nearly every one of their comrades was hanging on by a thread.
Sui-Feng bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. "Damn it..." She clenched her fists, her anger at Qiye forgotten in the face of duty. "We have to go. We can't leave them like this!"
Kyoraku nodded grimly. The others shifted, readying themselves to depart as well.
But before they could take a single step, Qiye raised his hand, stopping them. His eyes swept across each of their faces, sharp and unyielding.
"Wait. Before you rush in..."
His voice cut through their urgency.
"Tell me this—are you really capable of fighting those enemies? Both the Soul-Slaying Swords that have turned against you... and the Quincy that stand before you?"
The captains fell silent.
No one wanted to answer. But the truth pressed heavily against their hearts.
They couldn't deny it. The Sternritter standing before them were strong—some rivaled or even surpassed the strength of their own captains.
And the rebellious Zanpakutō were worse. Each one carried the full power of Bankai.
In this situation, there was no denying it.
They—the Shinigami—were the weaker side.
"Then we can't just sit here and watch..." Hirako Shinji gritted his teeth, his voice carrying the weight of frustration.
Kyoraku Shunsui gave a slow nod, his tone unusually serious. "Especially the 12th Division's Technical Development Bureau. If that place is destroyed, we'll lose far more than just lives."
"But..." Komamura Sajin's hands curled into fists, his fangs gritting audibly. "We may not be able to stop them on our own. I'm no master of Kidō... against those enemies, I'll be at a disadvantage."
"Leave it to me."
All eyes turned.
Nanaya stretched lazily, then rose to his feet under the astonished gazes of the captains and lieutenants. His expression carried none of their doubt or hesitation—only calm certainty.
"I'll take care of the enemies threatening Seireitei. As for all of you..."
He turned, pointing first at the Black Rope Heavenly Punishment King beneath him, then at the Star Seal glimmering ominously in the distance.
"Go. Take back your Zanpakutō and your Bankai. And once you've done that—find a way to keep them from being stolen again."
The words struck home.
The Shinigami understood it well—the Quincy, on their own, were not stronger than the captains. That was the very reason they had devised such elaborate methods to strip away Bankai. If that advantage wasn't undone, Soul Society would continue to lose.
"I understand." Shunsui gave a firm nod. Then, peering curiously at Nanaya, he asked, "But what about you? How do you plan to help everyone when they're scattered all across Seireitei?"
"Well..."
A grin tugged at Nanaya's lips. He lifted one hand and slapped the thick black armor of the Heavenly Punishment King.
"It depends on this."
"Summoning Technique!"
"Bang!!"
The ground shook as white smoke exploded outward. From within the haze, figures began to emerge—figures that made the eyes of the Shinigami widen in recognition.
Cold, expressionless bodies with rippling rinnegan eyes stepped into the light.
"That's... the former king of Hueco Mundo..." one Shinigami muttered in shock.
"And that's a Menos Grande... the kind that can grow endlessly in size..."
"Wait—Tousen Kaname is among them too...!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd as they realized what they were looking at. Six bodies—six Pains—each one radiating terrible power.
Nanaya's idea was clear: use these puppets to spread across Seireitei, reinforcing the other captains and lieutenants who were on the brink of defeat.
The captains' tense faces began to ease slightly, hope flickering in their eyes.
But Nanaya wasn't finished.
His eyes, glowing with the six-tomoe rinnegan, turned toward the empty space in front of him. His voice rang out like thunder:
"Kamui—Black Chamber!!"
Reality split apart. A seam of darkness tore across the air, not warped space, but a passage—an open doorway linking the world of the Shinigami to the bleak expanse of Hueco Mundo.
From that abyss of shadow, footsteps echoed.
One by one, figures emerged.
"That's... Coyote Starrk..." Shunsui murmured, recognition flashing in his eyes as he saw the lazy Primera Espada step casually into the light.
"The second one..." Sui-Feng's eyes narrowed. "Tier Harribel. I've seen her before—Nanaya's personal maid..."
More followed.
Ulquiorra Cifer, his pale expression unreadable.
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, his feral grin sharp enough to cut stone.
Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, her calm eyes filled with focus.
The Quincy across the battlefield froze, their pupils shrinking in alarm.
"Arrancars... from Hueco Mundo..."
Äs Nödt's face twisted with unease. "Impossible... I never imagined those creatures would come to aid the Shinigami..."
For over a thousand years, the Sternritter had prepared for war with Soul Society. They had never once considered Hueco Mundo a threat worth noting. To them, only the power of Shinigami had been worth fearing.
Some had even proposed invading Hueco Mundo long ago—but Aizen Sōsuke himself had rejected the idea. The presence of Nanaya there had made it far too dangerous.
And now that decision haunted them.
Grimmjow cracked his neck, resting his blade casually against his shoulder as he sneered at the battered Shinigami before him.
"Tch. Pathetic. You've fallen so low that we have to come bail you out? How shameful."
Ulquiorra's cold green eyes swept across the battlefield. He paused on the Shinigami briefly before turning to the Quincy, his voice sharp as ice.
"...So these are the enemies."
Tier Harribel drew her weapon in one smooth motion, her golden eyes landing on Sui-Feng with a faint, disdainful glance.
"Useless." Her voice was calm, but cutting. "To think someone like this managed to defeat you... Shinigami truly are disappointing."
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