Although Byakuya Kuchiki's words were cold and stiff, they were not without reason.
No one currently understood the true nature of Hollowfied Soul Reapers.
Were these people still the ones they once knew?
Or were they entities whose bodies were controlled by Hollows, much like Metastacia, who had once appeared in the records of the Thirteenth Division?
Therefore, conservative Captains like Soi Fon and Sajin Komamura were highly vigilant regarding the appearance of Shinji and the others.
Even the more approachable Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake were unsure of what attitude to adopt toward them at this moment.
The atmosphere within the entire conference room rapidly grew tense.
Kensei Muguruma's eyebrows shot up, veins bulging on his forehead as he took a step forward, ready to explode. "You Kuchiki brat, what are you being so arrogant about?!"
"Back when I was colleagues with Old Man Ginrei, you were still..."
"Kensei, stand down."
Shinji Hirako reached out and stopped the furious Kensei Muguruma.
The wicked smirk on his face slowly faded, and his previously somewhat unfocused eyes now revealed a chilling sharpness.
He turned his head, looking directly into Byakuya Kuchiki's frosty gaze.
"Oh? It seems Captain Kuchiki cares a great deal about the opinions of Central 46."
Shinji Hirako suddenly sneered, his laughter brimming with mockery and disdain.
He took a step forward, closing in on Byakuya Kuchiki, his eyes flashing with a century's worth of suppressed anger and sarcasm.
"Captain Kuchiki, since you are such a stickler for the rules and respect the judgment of Central 46 so much... saying that I, the 'former' Captain of the Fifth Division, can no longer hold this position..."
Shinji Hirako's voice suddenly rose, turning his laughter into a resounding slap that struck the faces of all the Captains present.
"Then please, tell me loudly, where is your respected Central 46 right now?"
"And the 'current' Captain of the Fifth Division, so highly regarded by your Head Captain... Sosuke Aizen!"
"Where is he right now?!"
Silence.
A silence suppressing anger.
Byakuya Kuchiki's pupils shrank slightly, the muscles in his face twitching.
Veins faintly surfaced on the back of his hand as he unconsciously gripped the hilt of Senbonzakura.
But he could not refute it.
Indeed, it was precisely because they had blindly trusted the rules and allowed themselves to be led by the nose by that perfect Captain of the Fifth Division.
That was what led to the annihilation of Central 46, the sealing of Head Captain Yamamoto, and the turbulent, unstable situation Soul Society now faced.
Lies do not hurt; the truth is the sharpest blade.
Byakuya Kuchiki did not reply. He merely cast a cold glance at Shinji Hirako with complex, dissatisfied eyes.
Then, he closed his eyes again and stepped back to his original position.
The sparks flying between the two had already made the air in the entire conference room extremely scorching.
"Ahem... My, my, let's not have everyone at each other's throats!"
Seeing that the atmosphere had reached the peak of awkwardness, to the point where even Asuka, who had been watching the drama unfold from the sidelines, frowned.
Kisuke Urahara could only wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and squeeze his way up from the back, laughing repeatedly in an attempt to ease the tension.
"Captain Byakuya, Shinji has just been staying in the high-stress environment of the World of the Living for too long. He's speaking a bit out of turn, so please don't take it to heart." Kisuke Urahara frantically waved his folding fan, fanning Byakuya with a face full of flattering smiles.
"Besides, Shinji, now is not the time to argue about who is a Captain." Urahara turned to look at Shinji Hirako, winking frantically.
"We didn't come here today to dig up old scores, but to deal with that troublemaker who screwed everyone over, right?"
Shinji Hirako snorted coldly, shoving his hands back into his pockets.
Although he did not continue his attack, the mocking expression on his face did not diminish in the slightest.
Seeing this, Kisuke Urahara let out a long sigh of relief.
Just as he was about to continue speaking and steer the topic back on track.
BOOM!!!!!
Right at that moment, an earth-shattering explosion suddenly erupted outside the gates of the First Division barracks!
The loud noise was so shocking that the entire First Division building shook violently.
Dust fell rustling from the ceiling, and the thick load-bearing pillars inside the assembly hall even let out creaking groans.
"What's going on?!" Toshiro Hitsugaya abruptly drew Hyorinmaru, acting as if facing a formidable enemy.
"An enemy attack?!" Soi Fon immediately entered a combat stance, her Spiritual Pressure erupting in an instant.
The Captains filed out one after another, and even Asuka, who had been detached from the situation, followed them out of curiosity.
The sight before them made everyone freeze slightly.
The originally flat bluestone courtyard had now been smashed into a massive, deep crater.
Dust and smoke billowed in the sky like thick fog, obscuring their vision.
In the center of that deep crater stood a gigantic, cylindrical shadow.
Once the dust settled.
Only then did everyone see clearly that it was not some meteorite from outer space, nor was it an enemy weapon.
It was a massive flying vehicle with a brass-colored exterior and an ancient, majestic design.
It looked like a heavenly pillar piercing down from the highest heavens, firmly taking root in the soil of the Seireitei.
"That is..." Jushiro Ukitake's eyes widened abruptly as he muttered in awe, clearly having recognized the origin of this object.
Byakuya Kuchiki unconsciously spoke up. "The Tenchuren..."
As the head of one of the Five Noble Families, he had naturally seen descriptions of this thing in his family's ancient texts.
"This is the exclusive transport of the Soul King Palace. No Reishi barrier can stop its descent."
"Only the Royal Special Task Force, Squad Zero, who are stationed in the highest heaven of Soul Society and serve the Soul King directly, are qualified to ride in it."
"Squad Zero... has actually come down." The strict and rule-abiding Soi Fon unconsciously brought her knees together, assuming the most respectful posture of greeting.
Amidst the silent gazes, the heavy hatch of the Tenchuren let out a dull grinding sound.
*Click—*
The hatch slowly opened downward, extending a ramp that connected the interior to the ground.
Immediately after, the silhouettes of a man and a woman, set against the dim light inside the cabin, walked out of the Tenchuren at an unhurried pace.
"Eh? It's Shinji!"
Walking in front was a woman with an extremely plump figure, one that could even be described as... fat.
She had long, wavy purple hair, exaggerated red swirls painted on her cheeks, and wore a loose white haori that was open at the chest.
"Long time no see! Little Hiyori isn't with you? That's quite rare. Weren't you two always inseparable back in the day?"
Before the plump woman had even walked down the ramp, her eyes spotted Shinji Hirako standing in the back row with a guarded expression, and she greeted him enthusiastically.
Looking at that round, fleshy face radiating a sunny smile, Shinji was completely baffled.
"Huh?"
He scratched his blonde bangs. "Who are you, auntie? Do we know each other? Don't try to act all chummy with me, I have standards, you know."
Hearing the term 'auntie', the woman didn't get angry; instead, she burst into loud laughter.
She took a swaggering step forward and, with a lightness and speed completely unsuited to her size, instantly crossed the distance of dozens of meters, appearing directly in front of Shinji Hirako.
*Smack!*
The woman unceremoniously reached out her meaty hand and slapped it heavily on top of Shinji Hirako's head, nearly making him stumble.
"You brat, you don't even recognize me? It's me, Kirio!"