The air in Seireitei felt heavier than usual. It had been nine years since the grand laboratory under the Shiba Clan's stewardship began its operation. The joint venture had evolved into the most powerful and resource-rich scientific institution in Soul Society, birthing revolutionary research and controversial creations alike. Yet even within this rising sun of innovation, one corner remained dimly lit—Urahara Kisuke's secret pursuit: the Devolution Stone. Despite the resources and his genius, he had yet to stabilize the prototype. Each breakthrough ended in collapse, each hope crumbled into dust, and yet he persisted, alone, silent, and patient.
But today… none of that mattered.
A hell butterfly arrived at every division with a single phrase:
"All captains are to report to the First Division Barracks. Immediately."
Captain Mohit of Squad 10 was beneath the familiar canopy of the sakura tree, sipping warm tea, lost in silent reflection. The rustling of the petals above him seemed to pause the moment the butterfly arrived.
"So… it begins."
He rose without a word and moved swiftly to the First Division. Upon arrival, he saw familiar faces waiting under the ancient wooden beams of the great hall. Captain Ukitake nodded warmly, and Shunsui raised a hand lazily as if to break the tension.
"Still enjoying the shade, Mohit?" Shunsui whispered with a wry smile.
"Only until the sky catches fire," Mohit replied, his eyes narrowing.
One by one, the captains arrived, their haoris swaying like white banners in a wind that did not blow. Yoruichi of Squad 2 stood with her arms folded, radiating a sharp readiness. Rose and Love entered together, their presence subtle but confident. Unohana, serene as ever, offered no emotion—only readiness.
Captain Shinji appeared last, his usual half-lidded eyes even more cynical than usual. A quiet glance passed between him and Urahara—an old, unspoken understanding.
And then he entered—Head Captain Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, bearing the centuries on his back like they were armor. His cane struck the floor, silencing even the breathing in the hall.
"You are here because the balance of the Soul Society is beginning to tilt," Yamamoto said, his voice cutting through the air like forged steel. "Reports have come in. Outer districts—South Rukongai, Sector 64. Souls are disappearing."
A collective murmur threatened to erupt. But none dared speak.
"They vanish… yet leave behind their clothing. This is not natural. It is not recorded. It is not random. This is calculated… and deliberate. We are dealing with an unknown enemy."
His eyes flicked to Kensei Muguruma, who stood stoic and prepared.
"Kensei. You and your squad will be the first to investigate. You are to head to the affected region immediately."
Kensei nodded. "Understood."
Yamamoto continued. "The rest of you are to remain on alert. This… may escalate."
Behind his stoic face, Mohit frowned. He remembered his own inner suspicions—this was too similar to what he'd read in the manga decades ago. It echoed dark experiments of hollowfication
After the meeting, Shinji approached Urahara, tapping him on the shoulder. "Oi, Kisuke… this vanishin' nonsense got anything to do with yer wild research again?"
Urahara waved him off with that infamous smile. "Oh Shinji-san, I haven't even invented anything good lately. I'm as clueless as the rest of you. Swear on my hat."
But deep in his eyes, Mohit saw it—the flicker. A storm in a calm pond.
Later That Night – Squad 9
Kensei's team, made up of elite members of his squad, marched into the edge of Sector 64. The air was unnaturally quiet, and there was a scent—burnt ozone and something deeper, older. A place untouched by time.
They spread out, deploying standard reconnaissance kido.
Hours passed.
And then—
Every single spiritual pressure disappeared.
Gone. Like snuffed candles.
First Division – Crisis Meeting
Yamamoto summoned a second emergency meeting of the captains. The tone was different now. Tense. Unforgiving.
"Squad 9 has vanished," Yamamoto stated. "All members. No trace. No signals. They are presumed taken… or destroyed."
Stunned silence.
"I will now assign four captains to deploy as an investigation and retrieval force," he said.
Mohit stepped forward, but Yamamoto raised a hand.
"No, Mohit. You remain. Squad 10's central patrol duties must not falter, and you are the stabilizing figure in this current political climate. Your hands are tied by diplomacy."
Mohit clenched his jaw and stepped back.
Yamamoto turned.
"Captain Hirako Shinji. Captain Love. Captain Rose. You three will go."
"And me, Head Captain," came a calm but firm voice. All turned to see Captain Arthur, the 9th Kenpachi and a wild card in the Court Guard. His reiatsu always felt like a storm barely chained in flesh.
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes. "You will go as well."
Just as the captains were about to leave, a voice broke in.
"Captain Mohit has already ordered me to accompany the task force, sir," said Tōshirō Hitsugaya, appearing beside Shinji with a crisp bow.
Yamamoto raised a brow. "Explain."
Mohit stepped forward. "He's young, but power comes to him early. And if these disappearances are tied to hollowfication or something deeper… I want a witness. One who can be shaped. He's no longer a child, Head Captain." ( his inner thought were he saw Arthur Volunteered to go it struck Mohit he knew if he wanted the story to as the original he have to do some changes first he wanted to object Arthur but then he thought shinji love and others even after becoming hollow they were saved by Urahara so Arthur will be safe to and if he goes then the new kenpachi will be assigned and it will open path of zaraki to become captain of squad 11 as for toshiro he planned to make him strong in the original story he was to weak this will give him chance to grow strong )
Yamamoto paused. Then nodded.
"Very well. He will go. But he does not engage without order."
Mohit stepped beside Tōshirō and whispered, "Observe. Record. Learn. There's more at play than monsters in the dark."
As the team prepared to depart, Mohit turned to Shunsui and Ukitake, whispering low enough for only them to hear:
"This isn't a simple enemy. This is a mirror. It reflects what Soul Society fears the most… our sins. Let's see if we have the will to look."
With that, Shinji, Rose, Love, Arthur, and Tōshirō departed into the night.
Unseen. Unheard. Into the darkness where even memory dares not linger.
The outskirts of South Rukongai were silent… too silent.
Fog hung like a veil across broken earth. Burned trees stood like grave markers. Spiritual pressure laced the air in thick, nauseating pulses — corrupted, unstable… hollow.
Shinji's voice broke the tense stillness. "Oi… is that Hiyori?!"
In a crater ahead, Hiyori Sarugaki stood bloodied and limping, locked in a desperate clash against a monstrous humanoid figure — blackened skin, distorted mask, crimson eyes that held no soul.
"Kensei…"
Mohit's prediction was no longer theory. This was the turning point.
Without waiting for orders, the entire team surged forward — Love, Rose, Lisa, Arthur, and young Tōshirō. Their movement cut through the fog like lightning through night.
Shinji landed first, flash-stepping beside Hiyori and catching her as she collapsed.
"She's fading fast! What the hell happened here?!" he shouted.
Just then — a low snarl.
Kensei Muguruma, now completely Hollowfied, turned toward the group. His eyes showed no recognition. Only rage. He lunged.
But Arthur was faster.
In a streak of black and silver, Arthur crashed into Kensei mid-air with a brutal roundhouse kick, cracking Kensei's mask and sending him hurling through a stone pillar.
BOOM!
Debris exploded. Dust clouded the sky.
Arthur landed, slowly unsheathing his zanpakutō, his crimson aura pulsing beneath the surface like lava behind glass.
"That's not our Kensei," Arthur muttered, eyes narrowing. "But whatever this thing is… it's mine."
He dashed in without waiting.
Steel clashed with claw.
Arthur's blade met Kensei's distorted fists as the two clashed in a raw, physical dance of destruction. Though Kensei's attacks were wilder, they were now three times as strong, a byproduct of whatever horrific process had corrupted him.
Arthur, however, held his ground with cold efficiency — calculating, dodging, parrying. Each move cost him energy, but every block fed the beast inside his blade.
He smiled. "You're strong. Let's see how far that goes…"
Suddenly, a green flash streaked in from the sky.
Mashiro Kuna, now Hollowfied, screamed as she dove in, landing a punch that sent Arthur flying into a hillside, dust and rock exploding outward.
"Arthur!!" Lisa shouted.
The dust parted.
A silhouette emerged — bloody, bruised, but standing.
Arthur spit out blood, and smiled. "Tch… now it's interesting."
He stabbed his sword into the earth.
"Unleash the Wrath…"
Reiatsu exploded like a quake across the valley.
"Gekirin."
"激怒を解き放て,逆鱗!"
A red whirlwind erupted from Arthur's form, engulfing the sky above him. The earth cracked beneath his feet. His hair spiked with residual energy. The blade in his hand bled smoke, pulsing with violent rhythm.
Shikai — Activated.
Phase One: Fury Surge
Arthur vanished from view — a blur of rage-fueled velocity.
He reappeared behind Kensei and slammed his blade into his shoulder, forcing the captain to his knees.
Then he turned on Mashiro and landed a spinning back-kick into her stomach that shattered the air and launched her backward 40 meters, breaking the cliff wall.
Kensei howled and swung wildly. Arthur blocked — but the hit sent him flying. His ribs cracked.
But as he landed, a crimson pulse traveled from the wound into his blade.
Pain Engine — Activated.
Arthur stood again. His reiatsu spiked higher.
His next strike shattered Kensei's armguard even though it was blocked. Sparks and reiatsu cracked the ground.
"The longer this goes… the worse it gets for you," Arthur whispered.
Phase Two: Destructive Momentum
Now it was domination.
Arthur's movements were no longer measured — they were feral precision. His swings came with shockwaves. Trees exploded just from the pressure. Even Lisa and Love had to pull back.
Every injury he took—every claw slash, every impact—made him hit harder.
Mashiro joined again, this time trying to flank.
Arthur let her punch him square in the jaw — and then spun with a devastating elbow to her spine, knocking her cold for a moment.
Kensei charged up a Cero — but Arthur was already there.
Slash!
The arm holding the Cero was severed at the wrist.
Arthur's aura now shook the air itself.
He was becoming a storm.
Final Clash
Bloodied, burned, but laughing like a berserker, Arthur raised Gekirin one last time.
"You aren't Kensei. Not anymore. But if some part of you can hear this—know that your pride as a captain deserves a better death."
He dashed forward with a final cry.
Kensei swung. Arthur didn't block. He took the hit—ribs shattered—and used the pain to fuel his final slash.
A crescent-shaped arc of pure reiatsu exploded from Gekirin and launched Kensei across the battlefield, pinning him to the cliffside.
The Hollow mask cracked… and for just a second… Kensei's real eyes blinked through.
Arthur stood panting, his blade steaming. He didn't fall… but he looked like hell.
Lisa and Shinji rushed in to stabilize Hiyori and Mashiro. Love and Rose watched Arthur, stunned by the savagery and clarity of his Shikai.
Tōshirō… took notes silently, eyes wide. He had seen something terrifying — not just the Hollowfication… but a man who turned pain into power.
But it wasn't over.
As they started to regroup, Shinji's eyes narrowed.
"Oi… anyone else feel that?"
Multiple spiritual pressures flared nearby — unstable, infected.
Rose whispered, "It's spreading…"
Arthur wiped blood from his mouth.