Yoruichi and the four Executive Militia squad commanders were the first to set out. Kōe and the others waited in place for nearly forty minutes, yet the distant Star Cross Fortress remained completely still.
This was undoubtedly a good thing; it proved that the five who had infiltrated the Star Cross Fortress hadn't been discovered. After waiting for about ten more minutes, it was time for Kōe and his group to move out as well.
One hour was the maximum time limit Yoruichi and the four commanders had given for completing their mission. If any anomalies occurred within the Star Cross Fortress during this period, they would send a signal immediately, and the "Forging the Cage" phase of the extermination would be skipped entirely, moving straight into the "Star Extermination" phase.
From the looks of it, Yoruichi and the others' mission was proceeding smoothly. Now, it was up to Kōe, Tsukabishi Tessai, and Ushōda Hachigen.
*Three Locks Sealing Three Gates* was a large-scale Bakudō developed by Kōe. If cast individually by any of the three, it would take over a minute to take form. However, if the three of them cast it simultaneously from underground, the surface, and the sky, the casting time would be reduced to under fifteen seconds.
Therefore, the creation of *Three Locks Sealing Three Gates* essentially pioneered a new school of Kidō—Combination Kidō. Naturally, Tsukabishi Tessai and Ushōda Hachigen were thoroughly impressed by "Ao," the creator of this technique.
But admiration aside, the two still harbored doubts about executing this Combination Kidō. Their concern wasn't with the Kidō itself, but rather the casting positions. Tessai taking the underground and Hachigen taking the surface were perfectly fine, but the plan hinged on Ao taking the sky. After all, Shinigami could not fly in Soul Society.
The two had asked Kōe about this issue more than once, but he had never given them a straight answer. It was true that one couldn't fly in Soul Society, but there were exceptions to every rule, weren't there?
Right in front of the two, Kōe lifted his right foot. After a brief pause, he exerted force through his foot, and his entire body slowly levitated into the air. He didn't just stop mid-air; his body dipped a few centimeters before stabilizing.
Tessai and Hachigen's jaws dropped in unison. Given their experience, they naturally understood exactly what Kōe had just done. But understanding it was one thing; actually pulling it off was another entirely.
The air in Soul Society was essentially low-purity Reiryoku mixed with numerous impurities. What Kōe was doing operated on the same principle as a water strider. First, he coated his feet with a film of Reiryoku, then rapidly filled it with Reiryoku of a lower density than the surrounding air, effectively creating an invisible balloon beneath his feet out of thin air. Anyone could do it as long as their Reiryoku control was meticulous enough, but unfortunately, no one else in Soul Society could currently achieve this level of precision.
Seeing their wide-eyed, shocked expressions, the corners of Kōe's mouth curled up wildly beneath his mask. *This is nothing.* If he wasn't afraid of making too much noise and alerting the Quincies, he could have fashioned himself a pair of wings.
"Gentlemen, we don't have much time. I'll see you at the Star Cross Fortress!"
The invisible bubble beneath his feet popped abruptly, and Kōe's figure vanished instantly, leaving only a faint white ripple of air slowly dispersing in his wake.
*'As expected of an outstanding Shinigami from the Head Captain's era!'* the remaining six thought with deep admiration. They exchanged glances, gave slight nods, and used Shunpo to blend into the night.
The time for action was ticking closer, second by second. At this moment, right in the center of the Star Cross Fortress's inner city, Yoruichi, clad entirely in black, lay flat on a rooftop, staring unblinkingly at the plaza not far away.
In the center of the massive plaza stood a giant white stone gate in silence. The plaza was brightly lit, yet not a single soul could be seen. However, Yoruichi knew that the moment anyone stepped foot inside, no fewer than forty Quincies resting in the surrounding houses would launch an attack.
Yoruichi silently counted down the time in her head while running a final simulation of her attack route. The official start time for the "Forging the Cage and Exterminating the Stars" operation was fast approaching.
Meanwhile, ten kilometers above the plaza, a masked man in indigo robes was looking down at the quiet city beneath his feet. *It'll get lively down there soon enough.*
Although they hadn't brought clocks, the three men preparing to cast the Kidō seemed to share a slowly draining hourglass in their minds. As the final grain of sand fell, Kōe, Tsukabishi Tessai, and Ushōda Hachigen simultaneously extended their hands. A long incantation, sounding like a mix of singing and reciting, drifted from their lips.
"Lost traveler, body remaining in the broken-walled tower, soul wandering the barren land of suffering."
The incantation had only just begun, but the Reiryoku surrounding the Star Cross Fortress immediately grew restless. Naturally, the Quincies inside the fortress wouldn't ignore such a massive disturbance. However, the four Executive Militia squad commanders, already positioned in the middle city, beat them to the punch by activating the Boundary-Breaking Talismans in their hands.
Four oval-shaped white gates of light appeared out of thin air in front of Hirako and the other three, who had been waiting for a long time. Without a word, the four strode directly into the light gates. The next moment, four dense, heavy bursts of Reiatsu abruptly erupted in the middle city of the Star Cross Fortress.
The Quincies in the fortress realized they were under attack, but without clear orders on whether to prioritize the internal or external threat, they fell into momentary chaos. And it was this exact moment of chaos that completely severed their only possible route of survival!
"Earth collapse, heart fire, foul swamp, shackles bind the recklessly walking feet. Starving beasts, sword thickets, heavy pillars, the hands pushing the door are left without bones. The path of light is extinguished, the path of darkness is severed, the earth lock is fastened, the earth gate is sealed. Retreat, for this place is called the Near-Earth!"
"Dragon's chant, tiger's roar, lion's howl, the errant footprints will surely meet. To the east, to the west, to the south, the black giant tortoise lies guarding the four directions. The end of the road is still a road, beyond the wall is still a wall, there are no doors in the human realm, hang the lock and the door seals itself!"
"Scattered winds, broken wings, the vault of heaven is above, untouchable. The twenty-second broken bridge, the sixty-sixth shattered belt, the stars shine beyond the vault. Heavy dark clouds, eternal lightning scars, hang a heavy lock on the gate to heaven. Go down, for this place is eternally unchanging! [Original Bakudō・Three Locks Sealing Three Gates]!"
Underground, Tsukabishi Tessai; on the surface, Ushōda Hachigen; and in the sky, Kōe—all three completed the incantation at almost the exact same time. A massive black curtain rapidly expanded, ultimately forming a rectangular coffin that tightly wrapped the entire Star Cross Fortress. Three giant silver locks materialized at the bottom, side, and top of the coffin, corresponding perfectly to the positions of the three casters.
For Tessai and Hachigen, their mission was effectively over. From here on out, they only needed to channel their Reiryoku to ensure the three locks on the black coffin didn't break. But for Kōe, he still had to hurry and rendezvous with Yoruichi.
Passing straight through the roof of the coffin, the Boundary-Breaking Talisman in his hand immediately reacted. An oval gate of light appeared in mid-air, and Kōe dove headfirst into it without a second thought.
Rewinding to half a minute prior, the Reiryoku fluctuations outside the Star Cross Fortress had also affected the inner city. Over sixty Quincies instantly converged. After a brief exchange, more than forty Quincies, led by a man and a woman, rushed toward the outer city, while the remaining twenty-one quietly stood guard around the Senkaimon. At this point, Yoruichi still hadn't made her move.
From Yoruichi's current position, if there were no obstructions, Ao could easily reach the Senkaimon within a single breath. But the twenty-one Quincies in the plaza were no pushovers. Yoruichi needed to push her position further forward, just not right this second.
It wasn't until three seconds before the completion of *Three Locks Sealing Three Gates* that Yoruichi finally moved. She didn't use Shunpo; instead, she charged straight toward the distant Senkaimon. "Bankai! Jippō Kumetsu Enshindō!" The moment her Bankai was complete, twenty-one blue arrows materialized right in front of her.
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Accompanied by massive, deafening explosions, a tide of crimson flames raged across the plaza. The Quincies in the plaza hastily channeled their power, protecting themselves while also shielding the Senkaimon behind them. Because of this, they failed to notice Yoruichi, who had used the blast of the explosion to launch herself into the air. Two seconds had now passed.
Mid-air, Yoruichi channeled her Zanpakutō, creating another explosion to alter her trajectory. She landed directly on the crossbeam of the Senkaimon and slapped the Boundary-Breaking Talisman onto the beam.
The Quincies below weren't to be trifled with either. They quickly locked onto Yoruichi on the crossbeam and fired another volley of blue arrows from their hands. However, Yoruichi intercepted them all, causing crimson fireworks to bloom once more.
Right at that moment, a white mask adorned with black patterns emerged from the white gate of light opened by the talisman, followed closely by indigo robes. Kōe Shihouin, having just completed the *Three Locks Sealing Three Gates*, had finally rendezvoused with Yoruichi on the crossbeam of the Senkaimon!
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