Night fell over the barracks of the Fourth Division.
Inside a quiet hospital room where Aizen was "recuperating," the only sound was the faint clink of a small sake flask. On the bed sat a brown-haired man with a gentle smile, and at his side stood two Shinigami.
"Everything has gone exactly according to the plan you laid out decades ago," one of them said respectfully. "I tampered with the Senkaimon that Yūshirō and the others are using. The moment they step through, they'll be dropped straight into an encounter seven days later—face-to-face with the Kōtotsu. Even Captain-Commander Yamamoto finds that creature troublesome. I imagine not even Kenpachi Kuryashiki could hope to survive. Don't you agree… Aizen-sensei?"
The speaker was a young man with a bright, sunny expression—Gosuke, the one Kenpachi Kuryashiki had once rescued. Having abandoned his Shinigami status, he had "followed" Kuryashiki's arrangements to join the Kidō Corps. Weak in combat but gifted in Kidō, he had, under Aizen's tutelage, begun to make a name for himself.
Aizen chuckled softly. "Heh, heh…"
"Whatever happens… wouldn't it be better to see it with our own eyes?"
With that, he rose from the bed, not appearing injured at all. He walked to the window and gazed at the moon hidden behind drifting clouds.
"Even if tonight the moon is nowhere to be seen… Yūshirō, I still honor you."
Leaning lazily by the window, he raised the flask to his lips. A faint fragrance of sake filled the room.
Meanwhile, Yūshirō's squad had stepped into the Dangai.
"So this is the Dangai…?" Hōshō Aya muttered, staring uneasily into the endless black void where no direction could be discerned. Fear crept over her heart.
"It's alright…"
Before that fear could take root, Yūshirō's voice dispelled it, bright and reassuring like sunlight.
The others, more experienced with the Dangai, showed no alarm.
"Sniff, sniff~"
"Yūshirō, the Dangai smells strange today~" Lilynette wrinkled her nose, frowning.
"Strange?" Yūshirō scratched his head, looking doubtful. "You're imagining things, Lilynette."
"Idiot Yūshirō! You don't believe me?!" She bared her teeth at him like a wolf pup.
But Szayelaporro adjusted the tablet in his hands, his voice serious. "Lilynette's right. The reishi density here… the turbulence… it's like the seventh day cycle, when the Kōtotsu appears for cleansing."
"Bzzzt—"
Before he could finish, a light flared in front of them. A moment later, a colossal, train-like mass hurtled into view.
"Speak of the devil…" Szayelaporro smiled faintly. "Here comes the Kōtotsu."
"The Kōtotsu?!" Aya's forehead beaded with sweat. She knew the stories: an unstoppable cleaner born from the world's laws themselves, against which Shinigami were powerless.
Kanyūdai Tokitane, however, smirked. "Seems someone really wants you dead, Yūshirō-dono."
Aya blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Think about it. The Kidō Corps' calculations were exact—we should never have encountered the Kōtotsu at this time. Yet here it is, the moment we entered. That means certain… higher-ups in Soul Society don't want us returning alive."
"Enough." Yūshirō's brow twitched as he cut him off. "Save your theories. Grip your broom and get ready to fight."
He stepped forward, straight toward the roaring Kōtotsu.
"Yūshirō—!" Aya tried to follow, but Lilynette and Harribel blocked her path.
"Just watch," Lilynette said coldly. "And see how powerful Yūshirō Shihōin truly is."
Yūshirō drew his blade. The dark spiritual cloth binding it dissolved, revealing the sharpest Zanpakutō in the world.
With a single downward stroke—
Shhhk!
The Kōtotsu split cleanly into two perfect halves.
Thud.
The colossal form fell still, motionless.
"Schemes, traps… throw them all at me if you like," Yūshirō said softly, lifting his head with a faint smile. "It won't matter. I am… invincible."
Elsewhere, in the Zero Division—
At Ōetsu Nimaiya's hut, the Monk with the Great Eyes wiped sweat from his brow as he stared at a cracked crystal ball.
"Ōetsu! That swing of Sayafushi just now… it cut the Dangai straight to your palace!"
Ōetsu scowled. "And whose bright idea was it to hand my Sayafushi over to someone else?"
The Monk forced a laugh. "Heh… I never thought it would be that strong. You always called it a failure."
"Humph."
But behind his irritation, Ōetsu's heart stirred. The flash from Sayafushi in Yūshirō's hands… it had stung his eyes. The blade had been rejoicing, thrilled to find a master capable of unleashing her true power.
"That brat… maybe he's more suited to Sayafushi than I ever was."
Back in the Dangai, Aya stared in shock at the bisected Kōtotsu. "To cut it in half… impossible!"
"Standard procedure," Yūshirō said with a smile, sliding Sayafushi back into its sheath. "You'll get used to it."
"Szayelaporro, find our next destination."
"Yes, Yūshirō-dono. According to intel from the Tenth Division, our first stop is the place where Captain Hitsugaya and Vice-Captain Aizen were once ambushed…"
A guiding hell butterfly appeared, leading them deeper into the void.
Time flowed strangely in the Dangai. A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Finally, they stepped into a secluded valley in the Reishi Realm, thick with spiritual particles.
"This reishi density… it's higher than Soul Society itself," someone remarked.
"Which means Quincy are likely nearby," Szayelaporro said, scanning his tablet.
"No need," Yūshirō lifted a hand, halting them. Ahead stood dozens of white-clad Quincy, the opposite of the black Shinigami uniform.
The leader, noble in bearing though worn by hardship, stepped forward. "Shinigami. Has the death of a captain not taught you your lesson? Must more of you die before you realize your mistake?"
Yūshirō smirked faintly. "A captain's death has only enraged Soul Society. The order now is to wipe your kind out entirely. We're here to finish what the Tenth Division couldn't."
The Quincy's face darkened. "I was too merciful then. I should have killed you all." He raised his bow, and his followers mirrored him.
"This is your last warning. Leave now and swear never to trouble us again, or I will strike you down."
Yūshirō tilted his head. "You're so desperate for us to leave… Why?"
"…That's none of your concern!" the Quincy snapped. "Go back to Soul Society before I loose this arrow!"
Yūshirō sighed. "You think seven of us can't handle you? …Hit them, Kojiba!"
He drew his second Zanpakutō and released it.
Dozens of hulking Hollows, four or five meters tall, burst forth, roaring.
"Damn it, I'm not called Kojiba! And that's not my release phrase!" the spirit groaned inside his mind.
"Alright, alright, Kojiba, don't fuss—it's fine," Yūshirō replied cheerfully, pointing forward. "Go. Don't kill them all—leave me one alive."
The Hollows charged, gleefully devouring the Quincies' spirit arrows.
"Close combat!" the Quincy leader barked, realizing the danger too late.
Yūshirō watched, unimpressed. "Really? You can't even handle a few Kojiba? Pathetic. You're not even on their level."