The inner ring of the Seireitei.
The main estate of the Tsunayashiro Family, the head of the Five Great Noble Families.
This area, shrouded year-round by ancient barriers and strictly off-limits to ordinary Soul Reapers, was the very core of the Soul Society.
Intricate and ancient defensive incantations were carved into the towering white walls that seemed to reach the clouds.
Under the sunlight, the deep black glazed roof tiles reflected a cold, arrogant gleam.
Here, hierarchy and order were absolute; even if a Soul Reaper Captain were to visit, they had to remain humble and courteous.
Today, an expensive yet incredibly oppressive incense permeated the Tsunayashiro Family's massive reception hall, which was large enough to accommodate a hundred people.
Dozens of figures, each harboring their own ulterior motives, sat in their designated seats according to their status.
Every tatami mat beneath them had been hand-woven over several years by the finest artisans of the Rukongai, and could only be used after receiving earnest blessings and prayers from the Kido Corps.
Yet, after today's meeting, these exquisite tatami mats—having been sat on just once by guests—would all be replaced with brand new ones.
It was not that the Tsunayashiro Family disdained their guests.
Rather, they simply possessed the immense wealth to ensure that every reception was presented in the most flawless manner possible.
The guests visiting today all wore luxurious kimonos adorned with their respective family crests.
Some were the heads of upper noble families with a millennium of heritage, while others were lower nobles wielding substantial regional authority. Every single one of them belonged to the elite, aristocratic houses of the Seireitei.
At the innermost section of the reception hall, seated upon the seat of honor, was an elderly man with a heavily wrinkled face.
His eyes were half-closed as his fingers slowly turned a string of prayer beads crafted from rare bloodstone. His entire being exuded the cold, detached aura of someone who had long stood at the pinnacle of power.
"Gentlemen," the elder's dry voice echoed through the reception hall. "You are all aware of recent events."
"Central 46 is the cornerstone that maintains our order; they are the representatives of the Soul King."
"It is one thing that this cornerstone was shattered by that lowly-born rebel, but now, even within the Gotei 13, dangerous signs of overstepping boundaries have begun to emerge."
Though he did not speak loudly, the elder's voice resonated like a great bell in everyone's ears, terrifying them into absolute silence.
"Squad Zero... although they appointed Shunsui Kyoraku to temporarily assume the position of Captain-Commander, the Kyoraku Family has always been at odds with us over the years. That Kyoraku boy is merely a brute; he knows nothing of the greater good."
"...I hear that the lower-class souls in the Rukongai are growing restless, and many lower nobles are taking advantage of this to seek seats in the new Central 46. This is not a good thing."
The elder scoffed coldly, his fingers pausing on the prayer beads. "The Gotei 13 is merely a tool used to slay Hollows and maintain public order."
"The only ones who can truly determine the future of the Soul Society, the only ones capable of establishing that perfect order, are all of you sitting here today—we, the nobles who carry the most ancient bloodlines of the Soul Society!"
"Speak. Tell me what you all think."
His words sounded high-sounding and dignified, but every single shrewd politician sitting below could hear the underlying message.
The Tsunayashiro Family head's intentions couldn't be more obvious.
The seats of the old Central 46, left vacant after Captain-Commander Yamamoto's previous compromises and mediation, were now up for grabs. This was a prime opportunity to reshuffle the deck and divide the interests of the Soul Society.
As the head of the Five Great Noble Families, the Tsunayashiro Family naturally wanted to reclaim absolute dominance, just as they had a thousand years ago.
And these upper and lower nobles who depended on the Tsunayashiro Family—those who held massive estates and influence within the Seireitei—were his perfect pawns.
Summoning them today was a move to select representatives from among them who would champion the Tsunayashiro Family's interests and fill those forty-six vacant seats.
"Elder Tsunayashiro is absolutely right!"
A middle-aged noble sitting in the front row immediately leaned forward in agreement, his face plastered with a sycophantic smile. "Since ancient times, the rules of the Soul Society have always been established by the Five Great Noble Families!"
"What do those brutes who only know how to fight and kill understand? If those unrefined thugs are allowed to interfere with the reconstruction of Central 46, the Soul Society will inevitably fall into chaos!"
With the first person taking the lead, the other nobles quickly began to voice their stances.
"We will follow the Tsunayashiro Family's lead! We shall do everything in our power to assist the Tsunayashiro Family in reshaping the order of the Seireitei!"
"Exactly! Aizen's rebellion perfectly proves that dangerous elements of non-noble birth cannot be allowed to hold too much power! The new Central 46 must be composed of us to ensure absolute loyalty and stability!"
For a time, the reception hall was filled with impassioned declarations of loyalty and fervent fantasies of future power.
They flattered one another and tested each other's boundaries, using elegant aristocratic rhetoric to frame their most filthy, naked grabs for power.
However, amidst this bustling crowd of nobles, each harboring their own dark designs, one person seemed somewhat out of place.
He sat relatively near the back, wearing an impeccably tailored silk kimono, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.
A dark, irritable gloom clouded his aged face.
This man was the chief retainer of the Kasumioji Family, Gyokaku Kumoi.
As an upper noble family second only to the Five Great Noble Families, the Kasumioji Family possessed a staggering amount of wealth that made many other nobles green with envy.
Given the Kasumioji Family's status, he should have been seated in the front row, treated as an honored guest that every faction desperately tried to court.
Yet, at this moment, he was relegated to the very last seat.
Because he was only a chief retainer.
Even though he was a close vassal who had assisted two generations of the Kasumioji Family heads, and was already a figure who wielded absolute power within his own family...
In front of these nobles, he was still nothing more than an errand-running servant.
Naturally, he was not content with merely being a subordinate retainer.
Looking at the Kasumioji Family's massive estate, and watching these nobles act as if they ruled the world, the flames of ambition deep within Kumoi's heart had long since burned away his rationality.
He wanted to replace that useless little girl and become the true master of the Kasumioji Family!
To become an existence capable of laughing and talking cheerfully with the Tsunayashiro elder in this very reception hall!
But his irritation did not end there.
His mind was a tangled, twisting mess, making it impossible for him to focus on their hypocritical speeches.
'That damn little brat... where on earth did she run off to?!'
Kumoi cursed viciously in his mind, tightly squeezing the jade thumb ring hidden within his sleeve.
A few days ago, he had meticulously orchestrated an assassination plot against Rurichiyo Kasumioji.
Yet, on the very night he was about to close the net, an accident occurred.
Two guards, who usually looked like absolute idiots, had actually fought tooth and nail to break through his inescapable trap... Miraculously, they escaped the Kasumioji Family estate and vanished without a trace!
'A bunch of useless trash! You couldn't even keep an eye on a little girl and two low-level Soul Reapers!'
An unconcealable ruthlessness flashed through Kumoi's eyes.
Over the past few days, he had mobilized nearly all the forces he had secretly cultivated within the Seireitei. He even risked exposure by dispatching a squad of secretly trained assassins to search the World of the Living.
But to this day, there was still no news.
Rurichiyo's disappearance was like a sword dangling over Kumoi's head.
If that little girl managed to make it out alive and stand before those strictly rule-abiding Soul Reaper Captains, like that rigid Byakuya Kuchiki...
Or if she went to that lazy new Captain-Commander, Shunsui Kyoraku, and exposed his conspiracy to usurp power...
Then the meticulous efforts he had spent hundreds of years cultivating might vanish into thin air in an instant!
What awaited him would likely be the ruthless annihilation and terrifying punishments of the Gotei 13!
'No... I absolutely cannot let that happen! That little brat must die!'
'No matter which corner of the World of the Living she is hiding in, she must be found and killed immediately!'