"I understand, Master Aizen."
"Go on." Aizen straightened up and waved his hand. "Return to the Fourth Division as if nothing happened. Proceed according to plan."
"Yes!"
Nichika bowed deeply to Aizen, then turned around. Like a nimble butterfly, she quickly vanished into the shadows atop the wall.
The courtyard returned to silence once more.
Aizen picked up the scissors again, looking at the nearly perfectly pruned white plum tree.
"As long as they aren't enemies..."
He chuckled softly, his fingers applying slight pressure.
*Snip.*
A blooming flower on the main branch of the white plum tree was ruthlessly snipped off.
"What a naive child."
"When the revolution arrives, everyone will be swept up in it. How could there be any third party capable of staying out of it?"
"For the birth of the new world... all obstacles can be severed."
A cold glint reflected off Aizen's glasses.
"Shinobu Kocho... the woman who can cure Hollowfication..."
"The Ubuyashiki family... that otherworldly power which is definitely not Fullbring..."
"And Number Seventy-Eight, who has yet to return..."
"If they cannot be used by me, then they can only become the foundation... for forging the new world."
He turned around and looked at the figure slowly walking out from behind him.
Gin Ichimaru approached with a beaming smile. Judging from the Reishi dust on his clothes, he had just returned through the Senkaimon.
He held a transparent glass jar filled with an unknown liquid. Inside the jar, several bizarre, wriggling worms could be clearly seen.
Seeing the newcomer, Aizen actually smiled at the jar and said, "You're here. It's been a while. Have you enjoyed your time in Hueco Mundo these past few years?"
The worms had no reaction at first.
After a long while, a faint, eerie voice emanated from the mouth of one of the worms:
"Hehehe... What's there to enjoy or not enjoy? I can't escape anyway..."
The voice was sinister. "Why did you suddenly think of me, young Aizen? Are you finally planning to grant me a physical body?"
Aizen smiled, took off his glasses, wiped the lenses with the corner of his clothes, and said in a deep voice:
"No... I just wanted to inform you."
"The object that breaks the boundaries is almost complete."
"Prepare our pathway."
...
Seireitei, deep within the alleys.
Ichigo Kurosaki, carrying the massive Zangetsu on his shoulder, was leading Orihime Inoue, Yasotora Chad, and Uryu Ishida through the labyrinthine alleys.
Although the inexplicable infighting in front of Hakutoumon had done them a huge favor, the eerie atmosphere still sent shivers down their spines when they thought about it.
They had been running for hours without daring to stop, terrified of getting swept up in another incident.
"What exactly happened back there? Why did those Soul Reapers... suddenly start fighting each other?"
Ichigo stopped, leaning against the corner of a wall and panting heavily, his temples drenched in sweat.
"I'm not sure." Uryu pushed up his glasses, his expression grave as he kept a vigilant watch on their surroundings. "But it felt incredibly bizarre."
"Could it be... that someone is secretly helping us?" Orihime asked cautiously.
"Maybe." Ichigo shook his head. "Regardless, it's a good thing we managed to escape in the chaos. Our top priority right now is finding where Rukia is being held."
"Over there."
A lazy voice suddenly drifted down from above.
The group snapped their heads up, only to see a black cat perched on the wall, looking at them playfully with golden eyes.
"Mr. Yoruichi?!" Ichigo cried out in pleasant surprise. "Where did you go? It was a total mess at the gate earlier, we were almost surrounded!"
"Idiot, keep your voice down."
Yoruichi leaped down nimbly, shook out her fur, and said nonchalantly, "I just went to sing a lullaby to an overly energetic kid. It took quite a bit of effort to coax him away. Otherwise, did you think you could shake off the Tenth Division's pursuit so easily?"
Ichigo was completely baffled, having no idea what riddle this black cat was talking about.
Naturally, he didn't know that the kid Yoruichi mentioned was the fierce Captain of the Tenth Division, Toshiro Hitsugaya.
She had to use a lot of persuasion and have a deep exchange with Hitsugaya to finally coax the meticulous brat away.
"Alright, enough idle chatter."
Yoruichi raised a paw and pointed toward a towering, pristine white tower in the distance.
"See that? That's the Senzaikyu. Little Rukia is locked up inside."
Ichigo looked in that direction. Faint spiritual barriers could be seen flowing around the massive white tower, clearly indicating it was a heavily guarded area.
"Alright! Target confirmed!" Ichigo gripped Zangetsu tightly, his eyes burning with fighting spirit. "Everyone, let's push through in one go! We're breaking Rukia out!"
"Yeah!!"
Although the road ahead was uncertain, having a clear goal and Yoruichi back in the group significantly boosted everyone's morale.
However, morale was just morale.
This was the Seireitei, the main stronghold of the Soul Reapers.
A disturbance of this magnitude wouldn't just end because they bypassed the Tenth Division.
Just as the group sprinted down the street, trying to close the distance to the Senzaikyu, a suffocatingly heavy Spiritual Pressure enveloped the entire street.
"Wait!"
Yoruichi suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her fur instantly stood on end, and her golden pupils shrank to pinpricks.
"This Spiritual Pressure... A troublesome guy is here."
"What?" Ichigo hadn't even reacted yet.
The next second, several figures wearing Shihakusho slowly walked out from the corner ahead, blocking their path.
They were completely different from the highly disciplined Tenth Division they had encountered earlier.
These individuals exuded a savage, wild, and almost bloodthirsty aura.
On the right was a bald man with red makeup at the corners of his eyes. He held an Asauchi in his hand and wore a belligerent, sinister grin.
Beside him was a man with a strange hairstyle and meticulously groomed eyebrows, radiating an air of extreme narcissism.
And behind these two...
A terrifyingly massive killing intent was slowly approaching, like an ancient, ferocious beast pacing in the dark.
"Hehehe... What great luck."
The bald man was Ikkaku Madarame, the Third Seat of the Eleventh Division.
He licked his lips, locking his eyes on the most muscular of the group, Yasotora Chad.
"I thought you were just a bunch of rats, but to think I'd run into such sturdy prey... Hey, big guy, your fists look pretty hard!"
"Hmph, what a crude brute who doesn't know how to appreciate beauty."
Yumichika Ayasegawa glanced at him in disgust, then turned his gaze to Uryu Ishida, a glint of appreciation flashing in his eyes.
"You there, glasses boy. Although your outfit's design is incredibly tacky, that Reishi luster... seems somewhat interesting."
"As a remnant of the Quincy, you have the privilege of dying by my beauty."
"The Eleventh Division..." Yoruichi's voice grew low. "To think we'd run into the combat-specialized squad so soon. It seems luck isn't on our side."
"The Eleventh Division? Are they strong?" Ichigo asked.
"It's not a matter of being strong or not..." Before Yoruichi could explain, an even more terrifying Spiritual Pressure pressed down on everyone's hearts like a massive mountain.
*Thump, thump, thump.*
Heavy footsteps echoed, each one feeling as if it were stomping directly on their hearts.
A towering figure, like a demon god, stepped out from behind Ikkaku and Yumichika.
He had wild, demonic hair with bells attached to the tips.
A hideous scar ran across his face, and he wore a black eyepatch over his right eye.
What was most impossible to ignore was the pure, maddening killing intent radiating from him, so thick it almost materialized.
The Captain of the Eleventh Division of the Gotei 13, Kenpachi Zaraki.
"Heh..."
Kenpachi split his mouth into a wide grin, revealing stark white teeth.
It was a pure, fanatical battle smile that he only showed when he saw the ultimate prey.
"Found you... the Ryoka who caused that massive ruckus at Hakutoumon."