On the other side of the World of the Living.
Tens of kilometers away from Karakura Town, inside an ancient mansion forgotten by time.
The lights flickered as a massive teleportation circle suddenly erupted with a blinding green glow.
Accompanied by a miserable shriek.
A blood-soaked man, missing his right arm, tumbled out of the teleportation circle in a wretched state and crashed heavily onto the cold floor.
"Aaaahhh!! My arm! My arm!!"
Giriko Kutsuzawa rolled on the ground in agony, his suit already drenched in blood.
His normally meticulously groomed handlebar mustache was now twisted into an incredibly ugly shape due to the severe pain.
Hearing the commotion, the other people in the mansion immediately rushed over.
When they saw Giriko's miserable state, they all gasped in shock.
"Kutsuzawa?! How did you end up like this?!" a young man in casual clothes exclaimed.
"Don't... don't ask so many questions! Hurry... hurry up and take me to see Aura!!"
"But looking at you, how..."
Giriko Kutsuzawa couldn't care less about bandaging his still-spurting wound, tightly grabbing the young man's collar. "Stop wasting time! Hurry up and take me to see her!!!"
Not daring to delay, several companions immediately supported the heavily injured Giriko Kutsuzawa and ran toward the deepest room in the stronghold.
It was a room decorated with solemn elegance, even exuding a trace of sacred aura.
In the center of the room sat a comfortable European-style sofa.
A short-haired woman of breathtaking beauty, wearing a pure white dress and possessing a cold yet noble temperament, sat there quietly, flipping through an ancient tome.
She seemed to exist in a completely different world from the surrounding gore and panic, her entire being radiating a sense of holiness that made people involuntarily want to bow down in worship.
She was the master of this mansion, a Fullbringer possessing inconceivable power.
The Child of God, Aura Michibane.
"Miss Aura..."
Supported by his companions, Giriko Kutsuzawa fell to his knees with a thud in front of Aura.
He crawled forward on his knees, dragging a long trail of blood across the floor, his lips trembling incessantly from weakness.
Aura slowly closed the tome in her hands and raised her clear eyes, which held not the slightest ripple of emotion.
She calmly looked at the wretched man before her who had lost an arm, and spoke with a smile. "Ah, has Mr. Kutsuzawa returned?"
Her voice was ethereal. Even though she was smiling, it still carried a lofty indifference. "How did you end up like this?"
Hearing Aura's inquiry, Giriko nervously glanced at the onlookers behind him.
Aura understood his silent plea and gestured for them to leave first.
Once the door closed, Aura spoke again. "It seems this trip to Karakura Town cost you quite a heavy price."
Giriko collapsed onto the floor, pressing his left hand against the severed stump of his right shoulder, and reported the situation in a hoarse voice.
He recounted everything, from how they found the Kasumioji Family's trail and located the Urahara Shop, to the details of their battle with the enemy.
"I am incredibly sorry, Miss Aura... That is what happened." Giriko grimaced. "The target, Asuka... is far more terrifying than we anticipated... He completely ignored the rules, treating my Fullbring as if it were nothing..."
"There is no need to blame yourself, Giriko." Aura smiled faintly, seemingly having already accepted his failure. "The fact that you managed to return alive is a success in itself. Congratulations."
She stood up, her movements so light that they didn't make a single sound.
"If an existence that the Lord is paying close attention to was truly trapped by a Fullbring of your caliber, that would be the strange thing."
"But Aura, that man..."
"Quiet."
Aura extended her slender fingers and gently pressed them against Giriko's severed shoulder.
The next second, a miraculous power erupted.
As the top Fullbringer in this world, Aura's mastery over the souls of matter had reached a realm bordering on the miraculous.
Under Giriko's shocked gaze, countless tiny motes of light condensed out of thin air. It was Aura communicating with the residual tissue structure at his severed arm, and even the Reishi in the air.
Those motes of light seemed to possess a life of their own, rapidly weaving flesh and blood at the stump.
Muscle fibers grew like vines, bones were reforged within the light... and skin covered it all like smooth silk.
This was Aura Michibane's Fullbring.
Through her absolute domination over the souls of matter, she could transform nothingness into existence and reshape ruin into perfection.
In just a moment, a right arm that was even stronger than before reappeared on Giriko's body.
"Try moving it." Aura withdrew her hand, her voice as cold and clear as ever.
Giriko tremblingly clenched his fist, feeling the regained sensation in utter disbelief.
"This is truly... Thank you for your miracle!"
The look in his eyes as he gazed at Aura held not only awe but also a nearly maddened infatuation.
"We are all working for the Lord, there is no need for this." Aura turned around and waved her hand, walking over to the floor-to-ceiling window. "Save those words to deal with Kugo Ginjo and his people."
"You must keep a close eye on their movements."
"He seems to be planning something recently. I heard he wants to reclaim his Soul Reaper powers and take revenge on the Seireitei."
"Hehe... What a naive and dangerous thought..."
Giriko Kutsuzawa immediately lowered his head, his expression becoming much more restrained.
Xcution was a legion formed by the Fullbringers of the World of the Living.
Giriko Kutsuzawa needed shelter and comrades, which was why he joined them, but that did not mean he completely submitted to the leadership of its founder, Kugo Ginjo.
In the eyes of someone like Giriko, it was more like a fragile alliance where everyone took what they needed.
He desired greater power; he desired to step into a higher dimension.
And Miss Aura... or rather, the great noble behind Aura, needed an eye inside Xcution...
This was the foundation of their cooperation.
Giriko stood up and spoke with some hesitation. "That Asuka... how does the Lord plan to deal with him? If he is allowed to remain by the Kasumioji princess's side, the Lord's subsequent plans might be hindered."
"You do not need to concern yourself with this matter anymore," Aura said without looking back.
"The assessment of Asuka's strength is no longer a realm you can interfere with."
"Get some good rest for a while. You've worked hard."
Hearing such a resolute response, although Giriko looked displeased, he was in no position to say anything more.
With a flurry of light footsteps, Giriko exited the room.
Aura stood alone by the window, admiring the pitch-black night outside.
The dark clouds scattered, and the moonlight spilled through the towering window onto her white dress, making her look even more like an exquisite porcelain sculpture—holy, yet devoid of vitality.
"Can an artificial soul truly escape the cage of cause and effect and the world...?"
"Child of God... perhaps this name is more fitting for you."
Aura murmured to herself, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
A trace of complex emotion, rarely seen on her, surfaced in her eyes.
Sighing softly, Aura grasped the crystal-clear pendant hanging over her chest.
She knew that the Kasumioji Family's affair was merely an appetizer; the true chaos had only just begun.