If the World of the Living and Soul Society were compared to planets, then the passage connecting those planets would be the Dangai, while the vast space surrounding everything could be thought of as Garganta.
Within Garganta, spaces overflowing with Reishi occasionally rise like bubbles, places where humans and Shinigami can barely survive. These are known as [Valleys of Screams].
There are many theories about how Valleys of Screams came into existence.
One theory holds that Valleys of Screams are formed from the accumulation of pitiful Souls whose memories have been completely stripped away, leaving them adrift outside the cycle of reincarnation.
Those Souls, having undergone neither Konsō nor Hollowfication, gradually lose consciousness after wandering for long periods of time. Their remaining power gathers together, eventually forming Valleys of Screams of various sizes.
There are also theories that suggest the opposite. For example, the World of the Living, Hueco Mundo, and Soul Society may themselves simply be exceptionally large Valleys of Screams, while ordinary Valleys of Screams are worlds where spiritual beings have yet to emerge or are still in the process of emerging.
Another theory proposes that Valleys of Screams are unusual spaces formed from fragments left behind when the world took on its present form, which stabilized after absorbing Reishi.
The important point was...
Kisuke Urahara looked at Nozomi Kujō. "It is possible that the destruction of the Kōtotsu caused the Valley of Screams you were in to happen to merge into the Dangai."
Muten Natsu caught the implication behind Kisuke Urahara's words. "So there's also a possibility that it wasn't a coincidence?"
"Long ago, Valleys of Screams were used as places of exile for clans that had committed serious crimes. Those exiled there were denied Jigokuchō and cast into places disconnected from the Dangai. Compared with exile in the World of the Living, it was an extremely severe punishment." Kisuke Urahara hid the lower half of his face behind his folding fan. "Muten, which clan do you think was responsible for carrying out those exiles?"
With Kisuke Urahara asking the question like that, Muten Natsu could think of only one answer.
"The Tsunayashiro Clan..."
"Private use of Valleys of Screams is one of the privileges granted to the Tsunayashiro Clan." Kisuke Urahara closed his folding fan. "Takuma's death, your wrongful conviction, Kakyō's death, the erasure of information concerning Fullbringers, and now this Reigai incident. A great many things are connected to the Tsunayashiro Clan. The Reigai incident in particular may still lack decisive evidence, but we now have sufficient grounds to conduct a formal investigation of the Tsunayashiro Clan with officials from Central 46 and the Golden Seal Nobility Council present."
Tōshirō Hitsugaya was skeptical. "They're one of the Four Noble Families. Would that kind of investigation really accomplish anything?"
"If it were only us, of course not. But with the Kuchiki Clan and Shihōin Clan involved as well, that changes things." Kisuke Urahara lightly waved his folding fan. "But that comes later. Right now, we need to deal with the problem in front of us. Kujō-san, what exactly is Ōko Yushima trying to accomplish? Surely he isn't planning to take control of Soul Society?"
"He couldn't accept having his life's work dismissed so easily. He wants to prove the power of the Reigai, but doing so would only make people fear them even more. So instead, he intends to settle everything at once by taking control of Soul Society himself." Nozomi Kujō paused. "But before that, he'll come for me."
"Oh?" Kisuke Urahara raised an eyebrow. "To fuse with you?"
"Yes. After being separated, each Reigai continued to grow independently. Once we fuse again, that growth will combine into tremendous power." Nozomi Kujō avoided everyone's gaze. "If Inaba wants to return to his full strength, or even surpass it, he will definitely come for me."
"He will come for you..." Retsu Unohana's eyes shifted slightly. "But you won't be the first person he comes after."
Rukia Kuchiki immediately realized what she meant.
"The Visored!"
If Kagerōza Inaba couldn't create Reigai of Shinigami who possessed Hollow powers, then those very Shinigami would become his greatest obstacle.
Naturally, he would need to eliminate them first.
...
"What did you say?!"
Hiyori Sarugaki glared at Shinji Hirako, unable to believe her ears.
"Has your brain finally rotted away? You actually want us to help the Shinigami?!"
Shinji Hirako rolled his eyes. "That's why I already told you, this is a special situation. Urgh!"
Before he could finish, Hiyori Sarugaki planted a foot squarely in his face.
"Shut up, baldy!"
They hadn't seen each other in quite some time, and Hiyori Sarugaki's anger over Shinji Hirako choosing to remain in Soul Society as a Captain had mostly faded by now.
She had originally figured that at least he still knew enough to come back and visit. Everyone tacitly avoided bringing the subject up, Hiyori threw him a few dirty looks, and that was supposed to be the end of it.
Everyone had their own paths to follow.
But who could have guessed that Shinji Hirako would actually ask everyone in the Visored to help Soul Society find some Ōin?
What kind of joke was that?!
Shinji Hirako went spiraling through the air before crashing heavily into the ground.
"Wow~" Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi shaded his eyes with one hand. "I think he flew even higher than usual this time."
Izuru Kira looked worried. "Is he really going to be all right?"
"Relax." Kensei Muguruma was completely accustomed to the sight. "That's nothing."
Nothing...
Shūhei Hisagi, who had come with Kensei Muguruma and Mashiro Kuna, now had a much clearer understanding of the atmosphere within the Visored.
"You stupid baldy!"
Hiyori Sarugaki leapt into the air and stomped on Shinji Hirako's face just as he tried to get up.
"Die! Die!"
"Hiyori-chan seems even angrier than usual~" Mashiro Kuna looked puzzled. "She was perfectly fine when I came over before."
"It's because of what Shinji is asking us to do." Love Aikawa chuckled. "Before, you could still call it getting revenge on Aizen. This time, he's asking us to directly help Soul Society."
While living in the World of the Living, the Visored had always relied on Reiatsu-isolating Gigai made by Kisuke Urahara to avoid being pursued by Soul Society.
Unlike Isshin Kurosaki's Gigai, which turned him into something close to a human at the cost of his powers, the Visored's Gigai did not age.
Because of that, they could never remain in one place for too long.
It was somewhat manageable for the others, but Hiyori Sarugaki, Lisa Yadōmaru, and Mashiro Kuna all looked like young girls. No one would doubt it if they claimed to be middle school students, and Hiyori Sarugaki in particular looked more like an elementary school student.
Remaining completely unchanged year after year would inevitably draw unwanted attention.
The Visored's headquarters was protected by the Hachigyō Sōgaibarrier developed by Hachigen Ushōda.
The technique completely erased the existence of everything inside the barrier from other people's awareness, which prevented anyone from discovering their headquarters.
But they obviously couldn't spend their entire lives inside the barrier.
Once they went outside, people would still see their faces.
So they could remain in the same place for five years at most.
Hiyori Sarugaki despised that kind of furtive existence. Constantly having to relocate, enduring strangers' curious gazes wherever they went...
She had less patience for it than anyone.
All of that resentment had been directed toward Sōsuke Aizen and the Shinigami who had trusted him.
Even with Sōsuke Aizen imprisoned, decades of accumulated resentment could hardly vanish overnight.
That was why she had never considered returning to Soul Society and living as a Shinigami again.
When Shinji Hirako returned to serve as a Captain, Hiyori Sarugaki saw it as nothing short of betrayal.
Back then, Shinji Hirako had remained in Soul Society with an attitude of [think whatever you want].
And now he actually had the nerve to come asking them for help...
"Are you done yet?" Shinji Hirako, blood running from his nose, blocked Hiyori Sarugaki's next attack. "If I hadn't stayed in Soul Society, how would we have found out so quickly about something as serious as the Ōin being stolen?!"
"We still could!" Hiyori Sarugaki shouted. "Lisa's way more useful than you!"
Lisa Yadōmaru had borrowed a place to stay from Kūkaku Shiba and begun doing business with Shinigami.
She started by buying books wholesale in the World of the Living and reselling them in Soul Society, personally handling every delivery. That was the main reason Lisa Yadōmaru wasn't here right now.
She wore a coat she had snatched from Urahara that could completely conceal Reiatsu, allowing her to make deliveries without leaving any trace behind.
That extreme level of discretion became her greatest selling point and earned enthusiastic praise from her customers.
After all, aside from a very small number of respectable books, most of what she sold was the sort of material minors were absolutely not supposed to read.
Recently, she had been making a fortune.
Not only had she improved the Visored's standard of living in the World of the Living, she was even preparing to build a library in Rukongai.
Naturally, her delivery work also brought back plenty of useful information.
"If we weren't serving as Captains," Shinji Hirako countered, "do you really think she'd be able to move back and forth that conveniently?"
"Shut up, baldy!"
Hiyori Sarugaki grabbed Shinji Hirako by the collar.
"You actually think you can earn their trust? For all you know, right now they might already..."
Several Reiatsu appeared almost simultaneously.
Senkaimon opened, and numerous Shinigami appeared in the air.
2nd Division Captain Suì-Fēng and Lieutenant Marechiyo Ōmaeda.
6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki and Lieutenant Renji Abarai.
7th Division Captain Sajin Komamura and Lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba.
8th Division Captain Shunsui Kyōraku and Lieutenant Nanao Ise.
11th Division Captain Kenpachi Zaraki and Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi, along with 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame and 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa.
12th Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi.
And Thirteenth Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake.
Shūhei Hisagi stared in shock at the fifteen Shinigami who had suddenly appeared.
"Why is everyone...?"
"The evidence is conclusive that the Visored stole the Ōin and attacked the Captains." Suì-Fēng's voice was ice-cold. "You are hereby placed under arrest. Anyone who resists will be killed."
"That's wrong!"
Izuru Kira immediately stepped in front of Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi.
"There has to be some mistake!"
"Kira..."
Looking at Izuru Kira's back, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi unexpectedly remembered his former Lieutenant, Chikane Iba.
That Lieutenant, who carried herself like the wife of a yakuza boss, had often used violence to keep Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi in line, berating him for his cowardice and laziness.
But whenever something truly went wrong, she had always been the first person to stand in front of him and take all the responsibility onto herself.
"Step aside, Kira."
A cold voice sounded.
"If possible, I wouldn't want to believe this either."
Izuru Kira's eyes widened.
"Captain... Hitsugaya?"
The person who had appeared was none other than Tōshirō Hitsugaya, who had been declared missing.
"They used specially made black robes to conceal their Reiatsu, but I still managed to identify them." Tōshirō Hitsugaya looked down at the Visored from above, his emerald eyes filled with coldness. "I didn't act immediately because I wanted to avoid alerting them. Instead, I went into hiding and coordinated this operation with Soul Society."
"Kira."
Rangiku Matsumoto appeared beside Tōshirō Hitsugaya, looking at Izuru Kira with something almost resembling pity.
"Don't make the same mistake twice."
Izuru Kira's pupils abruptly contracted.
"No... I..."
"You baldy!"
Hiyori Sarugaki shot Shinji Hirako a furious glare and drew her Zanpakutō.
"What do you have to say now?!"
"What do I have to say...?"
The Zanpakutō in Shinji Hirako's hand trembled slightly.
"Can't you see how excited Sakanade is? Not a single word these people are saying is true."
His eyes sharpened.
"Who the hell are you?"
"An arrest..." Kenpachi Zaraki's eyes gleamed savagely as he licked his teeth in excitement. "Perfect!"
With his long blade in hand, Kenpachi Zaraki was the first to attack.
But a sweet fragrance suddenly reached his nose.
Boom!
Kenpachi Zaraki's blade tore through the empty ground.
Shinji Hirako hooked a finger through the ring at the end of Sakanade's Shikai hilt.
"Don't get so worked up... You might accidentally hit the wrong person."
Once Sakanade entered Shikai, its blade released a sweet fragrance.
Anyone who inhaled it would have everything they perceived inverted. Up and down, left and right, front and back would all be reversed, even the location where an injury was perceived could be switched.
Kenpachi Zaraki had been the first one caught in it and had nearly struck Byakuya Kuchiki.
"You guys go ahead."
Facing so many Captains and Lieutenants, Shinji Hirako showed no trace of nervousness. He casually waved a hand.
"Good thing our headquarters is far enough out of the way. Once I've dealt with these guys, I'll come find you."
Shūhei Hisagi was about to speak, but Kensei Muguruma grabbed him by the collar.
"Don't get in the way here."
"But..."
Shūhei Hisagi had barely opened his mouth when Izuru Kira suddenly shouted.
"Move!"
Pfft!
Even though Shinji Hirako dodged immediately, a cold blade still pierced through his shoulder.
The moment he reached out to grab it, the blade shortened instantly and vanished back into the distance.
"This is..." Izuru Kira stared at the slender figure far away. "Captain Ichimaru?!"
"Shoot to Kill."
In the distance, Gin Ichimaru raised his hand.
"Kamishini no Yari."
There was no time to react.
The puncture wound in Shinji Hirako's shoulder suddenly expanded.
The flesh around it dissolved at horrifying speed, leaving a massive circular wound in the left side of his torso as though some gigantic beast had taken a bite out of him.
His left arm fell away with it.
"Shinji!"
Hiyori Sarugaki caught Shinji Hirako as he collapsed.
"Hachi! Hurry... Hurry and save him!"
Before she had even finished shouting, Hachigen Ushōda had already cast a barrier around Shinji Hirako's wound to stabilize his condition.
But there was no opportunity to treat him properly.
The instant Shinji Hirako fell, the surrounding Captains launched their attacks together.
Chaotic Reiatsu surged into the sky!
...
"What is this...?"
Inside the underground training grounds beneath Karakura General Hospital, Uryū Ishida abruptly stood up.
"This Reiatsu..."
"Your training isn't finished."
Ryūken Ishida forced Uryū Ishida back with a single arrow.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"So many powerful Reiatsu suddenly appeared..."
"That is a matter for the Shinigami."
Ryūken Ishida pushed up his glasses.
"Do you have either the strength or the right to involve yourself?"
Uryū Ishida: "..."