— — — — — —
Jushiro Ukitake's anger and shock twisted together, veins rising on the back of his hands as he gripped his sword.
"Fear…"
The whisper slid past his ear.
He'd been about to release his zanpakutō in retaliation, but suddenly froze. His hands twitched on their own.
Somewhere deep inside, something stirred awake.
'Just like a thousand years ago. Give me your body… completely.'
The voice was faint, impossible to tell if it belonged to a man or a woman. But Ukitake knew exactly what it was.
The will of the Soul King's right arm.
After a millennium, that will was finally trying to take over his body entirely.
A sharp clash of metal rang out, followed by burning pain in his right shoulder.
Ukitake snapped his eyes open, as if waking from a long nightmare.
He saw Rukia Kuchiki in front of him, helping deflect Äs Nödt's reishi arrows.
He also saw his Division 13 squad members collapsed on the ground, clutching their heads in agony.
Even his hearing seemed to return all at once. For the first time in the last few seconds, he was fully conscious.
The Soul King's right arm had gone silent… Ukitake realized in stunned relief.
Then Rukia's anxious voice pierced through the chaos. "Captain, what happened? Why were you just standing there? You didn't even react when the arrows hit you!"
"Rukia?" Ukitake looked at her—alive, unrotted, not reduced to bones.
No—what he saw earlier wasn't real…
He understood instantly and spoke quickly.
"Rukia, avoid that Quincy's attacks. Anyone he hits will have the fear inside their heart drawn out and magnified until it overwhelms them."
"Fear?" Rukia blinked, then brightened a little. "Then what if I don't have anything I'm afraid of?"
"Rukia, don't test it!" Ukitake warned sharply.
"So you figured it out?" Äs Nödt let out a low, eerie laugh. "But what difference does it make? Can you resist the fear born from instinct?"
He snapped his fingers.
Then... Rukia's vision warped.
Ukitake vanished. Standing before her instead was her brother, Byakuya Kuchiki.
Born from her own fear, the illusion-Byakuya gazed at her gently, though the words dripping from his mouth were filled with twisted longing.
"My Hisana…"
Rukia's expression froze.
She had just said she wasn't afraid of anything, but this—her brother projecting his grief onto her as a replacement for her older sister? This was one of the few things she absolutely couldn't handle.
This Quincy's ability was disgusting.
"It's over…"
Äs Nödt's sinister smile widened as Ukitake slipped into fear again.
Kyoraku Shunsui's uncle-like face appeared in Ukitake's vision, voice dripping with some unreadable desire.
"Jushiro, you should know my true feelings… I..."
'No, don't come near me!' Ukitake jolted, dropping his zanpakutō.
Rukia suffered the same, facing an illusion of her former superior—Kaien Shiba—covered in blood, eyes filled with resentment.
"Why did you kill me, Rukia…"
"I.. I didn't…" Rukia stumbled backward.
Watching the two sink deeper into their nightmares, Äs Nödt let out a twisted laugh. "Interesting. Too interesting. A Shinigami's fear is truly delightful."
His expression twisted into something monstrous. "So, who should I start with? Forget it, the woman seems easier."
Rukia's vision blurred. When she refocused, Äs Nödt was already inches away.
"Let me hear you scream…"
Hell's whisper brushed her ear.
But at that same moment, another voice cut in beside her, sounding almost amused.
"Well now, that's interesting. Starting off with a damsel-in-distress scene?"
Rukia's eyes flew open wide.
In front of her, Äs Nödt's wrist had been caught. The reishi blade in his hand trembled.
"Yo, onion-head."
— — —
Seireitei, the forest near the old execution grounds at Sōkyoku Hill
A massive, missile-shaped stone structure had driven itself upside-down into the ground.
Five figures stepped out from within.
A plump woman with pink hair: Kirio Hikifune, known as the Ruler of Grain.
A punkish young man with a tall pompadour: Tenjiro Kirinji, the Hot Spring Demon.
A tall, dark-skinned man with punk curls: Ōetsu Nimaiya, God of the Sword, and creator of zanpakutō.
A statuesque woman with mid-length black hair and ornate golden accessories: Senjumaru Shutara, the Great Weave Guard.
And lastly, a monk with dark skin, round glasses, and an unsettling aura: Ichibe Hyosube, the Monk Who Calls the Real Name.
The entire Zero Division (Royal Guard) had assembled, quietly watching the war consuming Seireitei.
Kirinji clicked his tongue. "Hey, Monk, is it really okay for us—guardians of the Soul King's Palace—to show up here?"
"For real," Hikifune muttered. "If one of us gets grabbed by Aizen, the Soul King's as good as dead."
After all, the Ōken (Royal Keys) were forged from the bones of Zero Division, reconstructed with the Soul King's power.
If Aizen captured even one member, he wouldn't need to slaughter a hundred thousand souls or destroy Karakura Town. He could go straight to the palace and kill the Soul King.
"Yo yo, check it out. Are we really not going to help the old man stop Yhwach?" Nimaiya said, eyeing the vaporized ruins of the 1st Division's headquarters—the aftermath of Yamamoto and Yhwach's clash.
"Quiet for now," Shutara said calmly. "Let the Monk speak."
Ichibe, who had been silent, finally opened his eyes. "There's only one reason all of us were summoned here."
His tone didn't waver. "Our mission is to completely erase the criminal known as Ryo Yagami."
"…"
Silence spread across the Zero Division.
.
.
.