"Tsk, tsk. If I'm not mistaken, that should be our junior apprentice brother, right?"
In the courtyard of the Squad 1 barracks, Kyōraku Shunsui rested a hand against his forehead, looking up at the sky and clicking his tongue.
Heavy, dark clouds had formed a massive, swirling vortex, looking down upon the entire Seireitei like a giant eye. Inside it, the scenery of the Valley of Screams within the Dangai was reflected.
As time passed, the image within grew increasingly clear.
"Why did Sora run off into the Dangai?"
Ukitake Jūshirō shook his head. "Also, I don't recall seeing that Soul Reaper girl he's carrying on his shoulder. She doesn't seem to be an active member of the Gotei 13."
"A retired Soul Reaper, perhaps?"
Kyōraku Shunsui tucked his hands into his sleeves, looking completely at ease as he spoke lazily.
"Maybe it's another genius our junior brother picked up from somewhere. His talent in this regard is even more astonishing than his spiritual power."
"When he first took over the Shino Prison, the organization's overall strength was even weaker than Squad 4."
"But look how little time has passed. The guards' strength has skyrocketed, and I heard several seated officers have already mastered their Shikai."
"A few exceptionally talented ones have even begun to touch upon Bankai."
"At this rate, it won't be long before us seniors are left in the dust."
As soon as he finished speaking, a gentle voice drifted over from beside him.
"Does Captain Kyōraku have some sort of prejudice against Squad 4?"
Turning his head, a familiar smile greeted his eyes, but it caused the expression on Kyōraku Shunsui's face to freeze instantly. It took him a few seconds to force out an awkward chuckle.
"Haha, Captain Unohana is here too."
Kyōraku Shunsui wisely ended the topic.
Others might not know, but as someone who had studied by Yamamoto's side since his Academy days, he was quite clear about the true nature of this Squad 4 Captain in charge of logistics.
Unohana Retsu ignored Kyōraku Shunsui. She simply shifted her gaze away from him and looked back at the figure within the swirling dark clouds.
Her beautiful eyes gazed intently, a rippling light dancing within them.
'I can't wait any longer. The fruit has grown to its most perfect state; it can be plucked at any time.'
Naraku Sora's growth speed had far exceeded her expectations. If she delayed any longer, she feared her current level of strength would hardly be enough to enjoy that beauty.
Unohana Retsu secretly made up her mind.
Under the eaves, Yoruichi paid no attention to the conversation between her seniors. All her focus was on the figure in the vortex.
Although she wasn't entirely sure why such a severe disaster had occurred, she believed that as long as Naraku Sora was there, any problem would be easily solved.
As for how the problem started? That didn't matter.
The corners of Yoruichi's mouth curled up, a hint of anticipation flashing in her eyes.
As for the girl slung over a certain someone's shoulder, she subconsciously ignored her.
Shino Prison barracks.
The guards gathered in the streets, on the rooftops, and in the courtyards. Countless eyes stared at the deep sky, not a single trace of fear visible on their faces.
Countless past experiences had proven that wherever that figure was, it was the safest place in the entire world.
In the crowd, an orange-haired girl stared intently at the figure on Naraku Sora's back, a hint of confusion flashing across her face.
For some reason, she felt a sour twinge of jealousy.
Especially when she saw that even in such a dangerous moment, a certain someone still refused to put the girl down.
"Speaking of which, does that guy actually like this type?"
Rangiku subconsciously looked down at her own figure.
When Naraku Sora first picked her up, she had been quite flat and scrawny. But with proper nutrition and the rapid development of her current age...
Over the past few years, her figure had grown enough to look down upon anyone her age.
Realizing she couldn't even see her own toes at a glance, Rangiku puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
"What the heck? That weird taste of his needs to be corrected immediately."
Squad 5 barracks.
As the lieutenant, Aizen oversaw the overall situation, methodically bringing the chaotic scene under control so that the ordinary squad members would no longer panic over the impending disaster.
After doing this, he stood under the eaves, frowning deeply as he looked at the sky.
'What kind of mess has he stirred up this time?'
'Running off to cause trouble in the Dangai without telling me beforehand?'
'This guy is getting bolder and bolder.'
'Once this is over, I'll definitely settle all the old scores with him at once.'
After casually adding another mark to Naraku Sora's tab, Aizen stood there in thought for a moment, then turned and left the Squad 5 barracks, heading toward the Rukongai.
Whatever this guy was trying to do, he had to prepare countermeasures in advance.
The Soul Society and the World of the Living absolutely could not merge, so the destruction of the Valley of Screams was already a foregone conclusion.
To prevent a certain someone from getting lost in the Dangai, it would be best to develop a tracking device first.
Preferably one that could ignore the harsh environment of the Dangai.
Brainstorming as he walked, he soon disappeared into the Seireitei.
Looking at the writhing, expanding valley before her, Senna's small face was deathly pale.
Although she didn't quite understand what was happening, based on Ryūdōji Ganryū's dying words and the eerie, terrifying scene before her, she could guess with her toes that things were about to get bad.
Even more bizarrely, she could faintly feel the Valley of Screams below calling out to her, as if countless voices were whispering in her ears, making her feel exceptionally irritable.
"L-Lord Naraku, shouldn't we run away?"
Senna forcefully suppressed her restless emotions and looked up at the man beneath her cautiously.
"Why run from such a small scene?"
Naraku Sora set Senna down from his shoulder and casually dispelled the Bakudō binding her.
"The only problem right now is whether shattering the Valley of Screams will cause even more severe changes."
Just as he was trying to put himself in Aizen's shoes to think, a familiar voice suddenly rang in his ear.
"It won't."
"The state of the Dangai is much more stable than you think."
Hearing this voice, Naraku Sora's eyes widened instantly. He whipped his head around, looking everywhere, and subconsciously released all his Reiatsu to sense his surroundings.
"Sōsuke, where are you?"
"In the laboratory at Mount Koifushi."
"?"
Naraku Sora raised an eyebrow. "Then how did you know I was in the Dangai, and why are you so clear about the situation around me?"
"Is it some sort of shady, underhanded method?"
"Sōsuke, and here I treated you as my best friend! I never expected you to distrust your good brother so much. It's truly heartbreaking!"
Although Aizen, who was in the laboratory, couldn't see a certain someone's expression, it wasn't hard to tell from his tone that this guy was acting crazy again.
His blood pressure spiked.
"The expansion of the Valley of Screams is constantly shrinking the distance between the World of the Living and the Soul Society. Right now, every Soul Reaper in the Soul Society can see you in the Dangai."
Aizen took a deep breath, suppressing his rising blood pressure.
"I am merely using a communication method to speak with you remotely, that's all."
"Right now, you have two choices."
"First, get away from the Valley of Screams immediately and leave the Dangai."
"Head Captain Yamamoto has already gone to the Kidō Corps. He could fire the Kidō Cannon at any moment and blast the miniature world beneath your feet to pieces."
"But this method carries hidden risks, such as catching the World of the Living, the Soul Society, or even Hueco Mundo in the crossfire."
"Second, you destroy the Valley of Screams yourself."
"This method is the safest. The only drawback is that you might have to use your Hollowfication."
After analyzing the pros and cons, Aizen fell silent.
Although the blurry image didn't completely expose Naraku Sora's identity, anyone familiar with him could recognize that figure.
Openly using Hollowfication in front of so many people would undoubtedly push him into a very dangerous situation.
What if Yamamoto didn't approve of this method of gaining power...
"Haha, Sōsuke, you underestimate your brother way too much."
Naraku Sora grinned. "I don't need Hollowfication for a mere stationary target that can't even move."
"Just watch!"
As he spoke, he waved at Senna, gesturing for her to step back a bit.
The girl sensibly ran off, trying her best not to affect Naraku Sora's performance.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, a towering pillar of Reiatsu erupted from the center of the vortex, exuding a terrifying aura.
The interwoven black and red Reiatsu surged like magma, sweeping up the surroundings and churning the air.
The sheer scale of it was so massive that it momentarily overshadowed the continuously expanding Dangai.
Senna's eyes widened, her pale little face completely drained of color. Without any hesitation, she instantly used Flash Step to distance herself from that oppressively massive pillar of light.
The indiscriminate coercion felt as if the rules of gravity within the Dangai had suddenly changed, as if a towering mountain had invisibly manifested upon her shoulders.
Just breathing almost exhausted all her strength.
"Bankai!"
The powerful release command rang out in the barren world. The howling winds could not suppress that clear voice, and the earth struggled to withstand the majestic impact.
A massive red and black pillar of Reishi erupted with a boom, becoming the most dazzling sight in the Dangai. The thick clouds were swept away, forcibly shattered to pieces.
The celestial phenomena twisted.
This wasn't an inherent ability of his Bankai, but the pure influence of its power.
At this moment, the expressions of everyone in the Seireitei froze, staring blankly at the terrifying figure in the vortex.
Scorching heat rose, evaporating the already scarce moisture in the air. An aura of destruction permeated recklessly, obliterating the dust rising into the sky.
The occasional white Blank that touched the edge was instantly reduced to nothingness.
As the pillar of light gradually faded, the Zanpakutō in Naraku Sora's hand had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.
Pitch-black branches grew from the blade, continuously extending and intertwining outward.
An abyss-like crimson spread from the center, clinging to the blade and emitting a distorted light.
Magma-like patterns were traced across his perfect physique, as if he had transformed into a humanoid planet on the verge of total eruption.
Naraku Sora revealed a ferocious grin, a wisp of white steam escaping from between his teeth. He raised his right arm, pulling at the explosive winds, looking down at the miniature world below like a god.
"Vajrayati, Innate Karmic Consciousness!"
It sounded like the explosive roar of heavenly drums.
The moment the heavy blade fell, the entire Valley of Screams trembled!