The sky burned red as clouds slowly massed together.
Sunlight vanished behind the gathering gloom.
Maybe even the heavens couldn't bear to watch this tragedy any longer, and so they began to weep, trying to wash away the flames raging below.
But it was useless.
At least, in the courtyard of the Shiba estate in Seireitei, there was one small piece of good news.
The Ōdatarigorichō of the Katana-gari-shū, Higashino Shuuichi, had won.
He hadn't managed to kill that Arrancar, but he had heavily wounded it and driven it away.
"…Thank you."
Once Higashino Shuuichi released Tōgen (Peach Blossom Paradise), Shiba Kūkaku finally regained the ability to move.
She'd heard of Higashino Shuuichi a long time ago from her big brother, Shiba Kaien. According to Kaien, it was because of Higashino Shuuichi that he survived that disastrous Osaka Prefecture incident in the World of the Living ten years ago.
But after that, Kūkaku had never heard anything about Higashino again. Rumor even had it that he'd died in that same incident. Until recently, when he made a high-profile return as the Ōdatarigorichō of the Katana-gari-shū (Blade-Hunting Corps), she'd almost forgotten he existed.
Even then, Kūkaku had never thought she would have any direct interaction with him—until now.
So Higashino Shuuichi wasn't just good-looking; he was this strong too?
No matter how many stories you hear, none of them compare to seeing it with your own eyes—that pretty much summed up Kūkaku's feelings at the moment.
"No, I'm the one who should be saying thank you. As the Ōdatarigorichō, protecting the nobles is one of my duties. Failing to arrive before this tragedy happened is my responsibility. The very fact that you don't blame me, Shiba-dono, is already the greatest kindness you could show me."
Higashino Shuuichi shook his head and answered her with humble politeness.
Of course, he and Tōsen Kaname would never actually fight for real—but he had indeed struck Tōsen hard enough to severely injure him. That part had been required.
Because in the report Tōsen would submit to the Gotei 13, his official story was: he'd been attacked by Hollows and badly wounded due to insufficient strength.
So, no matter what, that injury needed to be "made real." And what better way than having Higashino Shuuichi land the blow in front of Shiba Kūkaku, patching up that little narrative loophole and killing two birds with one stone?
"I always thought you only obeyed orders from the Tsunayashiro clan. That you came to save us—wasn't that because of Tsunayashiro Kamihara's will?"
Kūkaku was no naive, dreamy teenage girl. After the initial flutter in her chest, her reason quickly returned.
"Kamihara-dono? No, actually, I haven't even met with Kamihara-dono today. I was out in Rukongai scouting for promising recruits for the Katana-gari-shū. When I sensed the massive spike in abnormal reiatsu from Seireitei, I rushed back immediately. As soon as I returned, I realized you were in danger, Shiba-dono."
Higashino stopped there, saying just enough.
If he wanted to win Kūkaku's favor, he first had to wash away the stain of his current identity in her eyes. For the Shiba, every last one of them had a soft heart. There was no way they'd ever open up to a "lapdog" of the Tsunayashiro clan.
But he also couldn't overplay it. If his explanation sounded too deliberate, it would only make him seem suspicious. Better to leave room for interpretation—let Kūkaku reach her own conclusions.
Fortunately, this was exactly the kind of thing Higashino Shuuichi excelled at.
He figured this was probably why Tōsen Kaname and Ichimaru Gin, despite being Aizen's most prominent subordinates at the moment, had ultimately failed to make the cut for certain delicate tasks.
"Is that so…?"
Kūkaku spoke with a hint of doubt.
There was no way she'd believe Higashino Shuuichi completely.
No matter how good her first impression of him was, his current position was simply too sensitive.
The Katana-gari-shū. The Ōdatarigorichō.
That was a special force the Tsunayashiro clan had rammed through Central 46 by sheer political muscle.
And the Tsunayashiro clan had never exactly hidden their disdain for the Shiba.
But Higashino Shuuichi understood the art of "to catch, one must first set free." A woman like Kūkaku, whom Aizen had tried and failed to sway for years even with Kyōka Suigetsu (Mirror Flower, Water Moon), was never going to have her favor maxed out by a single cliché "hero saves the damsel" scenario. If that worked, Aizen would've succeeded long ago.
It wasn't as if Shiba Kūkaku was some sheltered, naive girl like Tier Harribel had once been when she was still a "young and inexperienced" Adjuchas.
She'd spent years in noble circles. She'd seen more than her fair share of human ugliness.
From Higashino's perspective, he'd already nailed the opening act. At the very least, Kūkaku would no longer remember him only as a mere "retainer of the Tsunayashiro clan."
As for raising her favorability after this—that would have to be done slowly.
Aizen wasn't in a rush. So Higashino had no reason to rush either.
Thus, he didn't give Kūkaku any further chance to press him with questions. Instead, he reversed his grip on his Zanpakutō and plunged it into his own body.
Shō Heisha, yujin!
("Controller of soldiers, controller of people!")
Very quickly, a featureless, milky-white Reishi construct appeared beside Kūkaku.
"Shuuichi, what are you doing?!"
Seeing Higashino stab himself, Kūkaku immediately panicked and rushed forward to support him.
I only questioned his loyalties a little… There's no way he needs to go this far just to prove himself, right…?
For a moment, she actually started wondering if she'd said something wrong.
Higashino could easily have just pulled a Reishi construct out of the Tōgen space—he always kept a stockpile inside, tossing extras in whenever he had free time.
But he refused to do that. Compared to quietly retrieving one from Tōgen, the sight of him stabbing himself and creating one on the spot had far more impact.
And anyway, this wasn't the first time he'd shanked himself.
Ever since he'd gained his unlimited regeneration, he'd completely dropped his old habit of secretly hunting criminals to make Reishi constructs, and instead developed the "good habit" of casually stabbing himself a few times now and then to restock.
"I'm fine, Shiba-dono, you don't have to worry about me."
Higashino raised a hand to stop Kūkaku from getting closer, then pulled his Zanpakutō out of his body, letting a pained, exhausted expression spread across his face.
"Right now, the situation in Seireitei is extremely dire. I'm sorry, but I can't stay here to continue protecting you.
That Arrancar I fought earlier was badly wounded, but not killed. I'm worried he'll come back for another round. So, the only thing I can do is leave this Reishi construct here to guard you.
After I leave, please find a place to hide as soon as you can. Once the Gotei 13 and I have settled this incident, then you can come out again."
Kūkaku's heart stirred.
What kind of resolve was this?
Now she truly believed what her brother Kaien had once told her.
"Kūkaku, you know, the biggest thing I gained from this trip to the World of the Living wasn't catching that traitor from Soul Society.
It was confirming something important.
That is—at the very least, the former 11th Division fukutaichō, Higashino Shuuichi, who defected alongside Urahara Kisuke, never truly intended to betray Soul Society. His heart is still with us.
And it seems he still holds the nobles in the same respectful regard he always did.
He's a shinigami who was framed, and I'm going to find a way to clear his name."
Those had been Shiba Kaien's exact words to her when he first returned from the World of the Living.
"But what about your body…?"
Kūkaku asked anxiously.
Her only answer was Higashino Shuuichi's resolute back as he turned to leave.
"Rest easy. I will protect Seireitei."
His voice lingered in the air long after his figure vanished.
In truth, the situation in Seireitei didn't allow him to linger here with Kūkaku even if he wanted to.
Because the one who now claimed the title of ruler of Hueco Mundo—Baraggan Luisenbarn—had already reached the Gotei 13 Sōtaichō, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.
"Long time no see, Yamamoto Shigekuni!"
Seeing him again, Baraggan deliberately used the name from a thousand years ago.
Back then, it had been this young man, still called Yamamoto Shigekuni, who had taken advantage of his weakened state—when that damned monk had sliced away half his power—to defeat him so badly he could never forget it.
Now that Baraggan had once again invaded Seireitei, he swore he would reclaim his pride.
"Baraggan Luisenbarn, who gave you the courage to break into Seireitei?
Was the lesson from a thousand years ago not enough for you?"
Standing firmly on the ground, Yamamoto Genryūsai calmly addressed the skeletal monarch floating in the sky above.
For him, the top priority was to hold Baraggan in place and buy time for the other taichōs—still in the World of the Living—to return.
He knew Baraggan's strength well. Defeating him wasn't the hard part. The hard part was how to defeat him without destroying Soul Society in the process.
With his Zanpakutō's abilities, that was… difficult.
A thousand years ago, he'd been able to unleash everything without restraint only because Soul Society had been far less orderly, and Seireitei hadn't yet grown to its current scale.
At that time, he hadn't been Sōtaichō of the Gotei 13—there hadn't even been a Gotei 13 yet.
Back then, Yamamoto Shigekuni didn't have to worry about the damage his Zanpakutō might cause.
Now, everything was different.
As Sōtaichō, there were simply too many things Yamamoto Genryūsai had to consider and protect.
Baraggan, however, hadn't changed at all in a thousand years—especially not in his hatred of Yamamoto. If anything, that hatred burned hotter than ever.
"Hmph. A lesson? That was nothing more than you taking advantage of my weakened state.
Today, I'll show you my true power, Yamamoto Genryūsai!"
Yamamoto's tongue was nowhere near as sharp or polished as Higashino's. While he had intended to stall Baraggan, his words only provoked the king of Hueco Mundo into battle-lust.
"Rot, Arrogante (Skull Emperor)!"
Without wasting another breath, Baraggan went straight into Resurrección.
A golden crown appeared above his head. His face and body turned skeletal, his shoes shifted into short boots, and black flames wrapped around him. A silver chain extended from one side of his crown down to the massive battle axe in his hands.
At the same time, a colossal throne manifested behind him.
He could sit upon it whenever he pleased, overlooking everything below like a true emperor.
So there's no avoiding this fight after all…
Seeing Baraggan's stance, Yamamoto's expression hardened.
In that case, the only option was to end things quickly, before his own power could cause too much collateral damage.
But before that—
Yamamoto Genryūsai took a half-step forward and, faster than the eye could follow, drew his Zanpakutō from its cane-like disguise.
Nadegiri (Caressing Cut)!
Wrapping his terrifying reiatsu around the blade, his sudden slash not only carved a deep, bottomless gouge across the ground, but even split the clouds above, forming a cleft that connected heaven and earth.
Unfortunately, even such an overwhelming strike couldn't escape the influence of Baraggan's ridiculous aging ability.
From the vantage point of the shinigami observing from far away, it was easy to see: as Yamamoto's Nadegiri approached Baraggan, the closer it got, the slower it became. Its strength visibly drained away until, in the end, that blinding slash could do no more than split Baraggan's throne in half.
"Ahahahaha! Is that all you've got after a thousand years, Yamamoto Genryūsai?
Release your Zanpakutō. Otherwise, with those pathetic three-legged-cat skills, don't embarrass yourself in front of me!"
Baraggan laughed wildly.
He laughed at Yamamoto's powerlessness, at his supposed decline, and most of all he reveled in his own strength—convinced that Yamamoto before him was no great threat at all.
All that remained, he thought, was to kill this old man, then take care of that annoying Aizen Sōsuke. After that, he could go hunting for that damned monk again to settle the score once and for all.
In short, Baraggan was drunk on his own power.
And Yamamoto granted his wish.
"All things in the universe turn to ashes—Ryūjin Jakka (Flowing Blade, Like Fire)!"
Waves of fire rose around Yamamoto Genryūsai in expanding rings. The temperature skyrocketed, melting and burning everything near him. Even shinigami stationed thousands of meters away could finally feel the suffocating, scorching heat a summer like this should have.
"Jōkaku Enjō (Castle Town in Flames)!"
Yamamoto swung his blade toward Baraggan. The flames coiled around the sword like an army obeying their general's command. With his slash, they surged upward to form a titanic flaming hand that closed around Baraggan in midair.
"Pointless! You think the same technique can defeat me twice, Yamamoto Genryūsai?!"
Baraggan howled with manic laughter. Then he flicked his fingers, and a black radiance burst forth, ripples spreading in all directions like stones cast into a still pond.
The giant flaming hand that had enclosed him withered under the assault of that dark light, its blaze sputtering and dying. In the end, it crumbled like autumn leaves, scattering into fading embers that fell toward the ground—and were snuffed out before they could even touch it.
Before the power of time, all things turn to nothing.
"See that, Yamamoto Genryūsai?! This is my power now.
This is the true strength you never saw a thousand years ago!!"
Baraggan vented his emotions from his vantage point in the sky.
Right now, he bitterly regretted that, decades ago, he'd been unable to defeat Aizen Sōsuke and had been forced to follow his arrangements. Otherwise, if he and Starrk had gone all out during that invasion of Soul Society, they probably could have smashed straight into Seireitei and killed this Yamamoto Genryūsai back then.
But from Yamamoto's point of view, the idea that Baraggan could kill him was nothing short of a joke.
So what if it was an aging ability?
Even so, after testing Baraggan twice, Yamamoto had to acknowledge just how troublesome that power truly was.
Without some convenient counter-ability or special method, it seemed that his only option was to force the issue with sheer overwhelming strength—using bankai to raise his offense to such a level that even time's decay couldn't keep up with the speed and power of his attacks.
However, if he were to release bankai here…
Instinctively, Yamamoto Genryūsai glanced around.
With merely shikai active, the buildings, streets, trees—almost everything visible in the area around him—had already been melted, burned, or evaporated.
If he released bankai, Seireitei itself could essentially be written off.
Even if he managed to defeat and kill Baraggan, the post-battle reconstruction would be unimaginably difficult.
Especially since, not far behind him, lay Central 46's compound. The location itself wasn't the real concern—what mattered was what lay beneath: Muken (Infinite Hell), the prison for countless major criminals of Soul Society's past.
Destroying Muken outright was impossible. But if his flames exposed it and allowed even a fraction of the monsters inside to escape, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Fortunately, while Yamamoto was hesitating over whether to use bankai, an unexpected figure appeared between him and Baraggan.
"Higashino Shuuichi?"
Yamamoto recognized him in a single glance.
Why "unexpected"?
Because, based on his own assumptions, Higashino Shuuichi should have been stationed near the Tsunayashiro estate, focusing on protecting that cluster of nobles. That was what a Ōdatarigorichō handpicked by the Tsunayashiro clan ought to be doing—and exactly what Yamamoto assumed Tsunayashiro Kamihara would order.
Yet Higashino came anyway.
And not only did he come—he clearly intended to take the lead on this stage.
"Sōtaichō, I know your Zanpakutō's abilities are ill-suited to a battlefield like this. How about you leave him to me?
If you handle the assorted lesser Hollows instead, I'm sure that will be much easier for you."
With his back to Yamamoto, Higashino Shuuichi posed the question as if seeking permission, but his actions spoke louder than words—his Zanpakutō was already drawn.
In other words, whether Yamamoto agreed or not, Higashino intended to take this fight.
If Yamamoto didn't leave, he'd have to either swallow his pride and fight alongside Higashino in a two-on-one, or get in the way. There was only room for one "Yamamoto Genryūsai" on this battlefield—Higashino's or the original.
As Sōtaichō, Yamamoto Genryūsai could not understand Higashino's motives—but the crisis they faced left no room for stubbornness.
Taking his tacit approval as given, Yamamoto immediately sealed his Zanpakutō and quietly withdrew, leaving behind the wide, empty battlefield—cleared by his flames for thousands of meters—to Higashino Shuuichi and the self-proclaimed king of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan Luisenbarn.
On the other side, seeing Yamamoto withdraw, Baraggan tried to pursue—but Higashino suddenly stepped in and forced him back with a ruthless, precise slash identical to Yamamoto Genryūsai's signature Nadegiri.
And that was when Baraggan truly snapped.
"Are you serious, shinigami Higashino Shuuichi?!"
If Higashino had used any other technique, Baraggan might not have reacted so strongly. But he had chosen that move—the Nadegiri Yamamoto had once used on him.
It was impossible that Higashino didn't know what that slash meant.
No, he definitely knew.
To Baraggan, this was nothing less than a direct, calculated provocation.
"What else would I be doing, Baraggan Luisenbarn?
If I recall correctly, we have our own unsettled grudge that's been dragging on for years, don't we?
Why don't we end it today?"
Ever since Aizen had given him explicit permission to kill, Higashino had looked at Baraggan as though he were already dead.
Today, Baraggan would die.
"Ahahaha! Higashino Shuuichi, is it? I've long been sick of the sight of you and your lapdog master.
Before I kill Yamamoto Genryūsai, I'll use you as a warm-up and take your life first!"
Baraggan ground out the words between clenched teeth.
In his eyes, Higashino Shuuichi was already a corpse.
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