After the mission ended and the system transported him, Keiji reappeared in the Soul Society at the exact spot where he had departed, as if nothing had happened.
The wind was blowing the same way, the sky kept the same clear tone, and the distant sound of Seireitei continued identical.
Keiji and Sora reached the same conclusion at the same time.
{Time didn't pass.}
"Time didn't pass."
He knew that feeling well enough not to be fooled, but that was also good news.
If time in the home world always stayed suspended while you were on a mission, no matter how much time passed on the other side, he would always return to the same instant he had left.
With that, it was one less thing for Keiji to worry about. He could enjoy the other world without restraints before coming back, without worrying about his Lieutenant or Unohana asking about his disappearance.
After all, the Gotei 13 was still based on a military structure, and as a high-ranking officer, Keiji couldn't just disappear and return without notice. That was the same as asking the Captain-Commander to come knock on his door with a few questions.
"Now, where were we before all this interrupted us?"
{On our last suspect.}
Sora answered calmly.
Keiji adjusted the shihakushō, ready to continue his completely superficial investigation. But fate, as always, had other plans for him.
A strange movement in the sky caught his attention. He raised his eyes and saw a translucent sphere passing through the Shakonmaku (Soul Shield Membrane), a spherical barrier around Seireitei made of Sekkiseki (Spirit Reducing Stone) that was used in the wall surrounding Seireitei, which had the effect of repelling all reiryoku.
That barrier was what prevented the entry and exit of any spiritual object and was essential for Seireitei's protection.
And now that barrier was being crossed by what looked like a giant bubble, carrying different people inside it.
With the impact after passing through the shakonmaku, the sphere suddenly broke apart, and the people who had been in the bubble plummeted in different directions across the city.
Keiji narrowed his eyes, tracking the fall of the intruders.
'Who are the idiots who decided to invade?'
Minutes later, the sound of alarms echoed throughout Seireitei, mixing with the voices in unison of the messengers who repeated the news.
Low-ranking patrolmen ran through the stone-paved streets, organizing defensive formations. The sentries in the towers beat warning drums, and coded messages were released by jigokuchō, flying fast between the divisions and carrying orders to every post.
The sky soon filled with trails of reiatsu. Shinigami used shunpo to cross the rooftops, converging toward the areas of the invasion.
In a matter of minutes, the entire Gotei 13 was on maximum alert.
Ryoka had invaded the Soul Society.
[——]
In the main hall of the First Division, Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni was already standing. His hand rested firmly on the staff that looked like just a support, but in truth hid the oldest and most powerful of the zanpakutō.
The strongest fire-type zanpakutō.
"All divisions must prepare immediately. No intruder is to escape."
His voice rang through the hall, full of his authority from over a thousand years of leadership.
The air of Seireitei filled with jigokuchō, messengers, and officers in constant motion carrying the Captain-Commander's order.
In the Second Division, Captain Soi Fon did not waste a single second. The leader of the Onmitsukidō moved like a shadow, her cold eyes assessing the map with the possible routes the ryoka would take.
"Mobilize all units. Patrol secondary routes and move across the rooftops. No intruder is to move without being seen."
Her squad answered in unison. In an instant, dozens of black-uniformed soldiers vanished in shunpo, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.
In the Third Division, Captain Ichimaru Gin walked at the front of his subordinates with that long, sharp smile. His half-lidded eyes gave off a fake sense of carelessness, but the shinigami around him felt the silent pressure he exerted.
"Time to show our efficiency, isn't it? Let's all be very obedient~"
Despite the playful tone, not a single member of the Third Division dared relax.
In the Fifth Division, Captain Aizen Sōsuke organized his men flawlessly.
He split his people into small groups and assigned each one to strategic points, covering internal passages and the more vulnerable areas of Seireitei.
Lieutenant Hinamori Momo kept pace at every step, running at the Captain's side with a clipboard in hand, jotting down orders and relaying messages with total dedication.
"Unit Three, to the west gate! Units Four and Five, reinforce the north perimeter!"
Meanwhile, in the Sixth Division, Captain Kuchiki Byakuya received direct orders from the Captain-Commander.
He was to ensure that Kuchiki Rukia remained in custody, no matter what happened.
Byakuya heard the message with cold calm. His expression did not change for a single moment.
With slow steps, he left the division hall, his imposing presence putting all subordinates on alert.
In the Eleventh Division, the reaction was completely different. Zaraki Kenpachi let out a loud laugh when he heard the news about the intruders. His one visible eye gleamed with excitement, and his hand already itched to raise his zanpakutō.
"Finally something interesting!"
The members of the Eleventh Division surged forward like an uncontrollable wave. There was no plan or any strategy. Every man and woman in that division lived purely for combat.
The simple chance to fight was enough to hurl them all toward the enemy like beasts in search of blood.
In the Fourth Division, the stance was the complete opposite. Captain Unohana kept her calm, seated with that gentle smile and serene gaze as she watched the reports arrive in sequence.
"Prepare the healing wings. There will be injured soon, both from our forces and civilians near the combat routes. None are to be left behind."
The officers of the Fourth Division moved quickly, carrying medical equipment, stocking up on medicines, and reinforcing the hospital wing.
"And someone find Keiji-kun and call him to me."
In the Twelfth Division, the scene was darker. Kurotsuchi Mayuri received the news with a sickly smile, his fingers drumming on the arm of the chair.
His eyes gleamed with curiosity, his mind buzzing with possible experiments.
And in the Thirteenth Division, the response was more practical. Captain Ukitake Jūshirō sent Kiyone and Sentarō to give immediate support to security and to help organize the troops.
And while all the divisions began their movements, within Seireitei's walls, chaos was already starting to spread.
Low-ranking Shinigami ran in every direction, trying to throw together defensive lines in a hurry. The officers of each division shouted orders, forming watch barriers at the entry points.
On the other side, Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, Ishida, Ganju, and Yoruichi were spat into Seireitei, but the entry was anything but smooth.
That forced fall was enough to draw the patrols' attention. Rank-and-file Shinigami were already sounding the alarms, running to surround the areas where the strange reiatsu had landed.
Every movement made the feeling of a siege grow even stronger.
Ichigo was the first to push himself up from the rubble. His body still ached from the fall, but he had no time to breathe. In seconds, dozens of men from the Eleventh Division appeared, surrounding him. Zanpakutō in hand, eager grins, and eyes shining with the urge to fight.
And then a wild reiatsu took over the air.
Madarame Ikkaku, Third Seat of the Eleventh Division, stepped in front of him.
The wide, almost insane smile reflected the essence of Zaraki Kenpachi's division: living to fight.
"A ryoka, huh? Lucky me."
He did not give Ichigo time to answer. Ikkaku charged straight in, blade raised, his feet hammering against the stone.
The first strike made the ground tremble, heavy and direct, typical of the ferocious style only the Eleventh valued.
Ichigo raised his zanpakutō to defend, but each clash thundered through his arms like a storm. Ikkaku's weight drove him backward, forcing him to slide several meters across the ground with every block.
"If that's your limit, you're going to die here!"
Ikkaku roared, eyes blazing with excitement.
Even under pressure, Ichigo did not back down. His reiatsu burst in response, spreading like a wave that shoved back Ikkaku's smothering pressure. The air around them crackled, sparks of energy scattered, and cracks formed in the ground under his feet.
"I can't lose here!"
He charged with fierce determination. His strikes began to land truer, stronger, forcing Ikkaku to give ground, something that had seemed impossible a few minutes earlier.
Blades collided in sequence, ringing like steel bells. The fight dragged on in a rain of cuts and sparks. Both were already smeared with blood, their clothes torn, and the ground around them scored with fissures.
In the end, Ichigo's will weighed heavier. He found an opening in Ikkaku's wild rhythm. With a firm cut, he opened the man's flank and dropped him to the ground.
Even wounded, the Third Seat let out a low laugh, spitting blood but without losing that savage grin.
"You're strong… kid. Stronger than I thought."
Ichigo, also exhausted and covered in cuts, had no time to celebrate his victory. He barely managed to catch his breath before he had to run again.
The sound of the alarms still echoed, and new Shinigami appeared from every side.
Soon after, he ran into Ganju, who was also fleeing the constant chase by the Shinigami.
The two ended up in a bad spot, surrounded by rank-and-file officers multiplying through Seireitei's streets.
With no clear options, they made the bold choice to drag a hostage.
And bad luck fell on Yamada Hanatarō, the Seventh Seat of the Fourth Division.
Unlike most Shinigami, Yamada was a gentle healer, more used to dealing with wounds and patients than with battles.
He was easily subdued without offering resistance. In seconds, he was being pulled along by the two ryoka, not quite sure how to react or whether he should even fight.
While Ichigo braced to fight again, Ganju used his creativity.
He pulled out small spiritual explosives — improvised devices from the Shiba Clan — and blew a path through the Shinigami.
The explosions echoed between alleys and walls, opening passages where the pressure from the rank-and-file soldiers was strongest. The smoke and the roar disoriented the Shinigami, creating the gap they needed to escape.
The getaway was secured, but the commotion only reinforced the mobilization, and the news spread even faster.
Not long after, the news of Yamada's capture reached the Fourth Division barracks.
The message was delivered by a jigokuchō, alighting softly in one officer's hand before being carried to Captain Unohana.
The woman with long hair and a serene smile received the news without changing her expression. Her orders were given in a low, gentle voice.
"Keiji-kun, bring Yamada-kun back to us."
The entire room fell silent. No one dared speak, not even Lieutenant Isane, who swallowed her worry in silence.
The ryoka had angered the sweet and gentle Captain of the Fourth Division.
Ayano Keiji, the Third Seat of the Fourth Division, lifted his eyes from the idle calm he had been showing and looked toward Unohana.
"Understood."
He had been called to the division only to be sent right back out on the hunt.
{It seems she cares less about keeping an eye on us than about that other guy's safety~}
Unohana added no further instructions.
Keiji rose slowly, straightened his shihakushō, and fastened his zanpakutō at his waist before leaving. The division's white corridors reflected his figure while his steps echoed against the polished stone floor.
'Looks like it is our turn, Sora.'
{Finally! I could not take it anymore!}
Keiji vanished an instant later in a breath of wind, leaving only the garden grass swaying under the pressure of his shunpo.