Outside the Central 46 Compound, at the edge of the Seireitei.
Yoshio and Ukitake arrived together.
After leaving the Tenth Division, Yoshio had gone to bring Ukitake along. As the former captain of the Thirteenth Division, old guard, highly popular, and a noble, Ukitake carried great influence in the Seireitei.
Ukitake had only just heard about all this from Yoshio. Having recently retired from the front lines, he didn't share information with the captains the way he once had.
Before today, he had already stepped into retirement and had no idea anything had happened to Rukia.
Rukia was his former subordinate. There was no way he could just watch her suffer.
When the two of them reached the border of the Central 46 Compound, they saw Hitsugaya still standing guard there.
They walked toward him and asked:
"How is it? What did the Central 46 say?"
Seeing Yoshio and Ukitake arrive, Hitsugaya's expression darkened.
"The Central 46 are still in discussion. No entry allowed."
Ukitake tried to console him.
"Kuchiki Rukia is Byakuya's younger sister. I don't think the Central 46 will go too far."
"I think so as well. According to what I heard from the Central 46's side, their deliberation will take at least another month, and in that month, we'd better not interfere."
Yoshio spoke with a hint of sarcasm.
"If there's one thing those big shots in the Central 46 hate most, it's others meddling in their decisions."
"They always think they're superior. If you push them to the left, they'll go right—just to prove they're different."
As absurd as that sounded, that really was what the Central 46 were like. Hitsugaya could only sigh.
"So you're saying we can't do anything for a whole month?"
"Of course we can do something."
Yoshio added, "We need to find out why Rukia fell to the Hollow side. My current guess is that it may be related to the original Parasitic Hollow case."
He looked at Ukitake, who nodded.
"Based on what you explained earlier, it does resemble the impact of that parasitic Hollow. But that Hollow should have already been eliminated."
"That's certain," Yoshio said in a low voice. "Homura and Shizuku have both reincarnated."
"Could it be the same kind of being as Tokinada?" Ukitake wondered.
Although Tokinada had fallen into the Lonely Hell, there was already precedent showing he'd escaped. It didn't seem impossible that someone else had gotten out.
But Yoshio shook his head.
"Impossible. Even if Homura and Shizuku did escape, they wouldn't be able to possess Rukia's body again. Their power isn't that strong."
The only reason the parasitic Hollow had been able to invade Rukia the first time was that Rukia had been too weak back then.
Now she was nothing like that early version of herself. Modern sensors had only detected a shattered reiatsu signature; by the time Hitsugaya and the others arrived, there was no trace of a parasitic Hollow.
"Still, what you're saying makes sense," Ukitake conceded. "And if we want to confirm it, we have to see Rukia in person, since we entrusted her with Homura and Shizuku's reincarnation rings."
"But right now, she's on trial, and not even captains are allowed to visit."
"That's easy enough to solve. If all we want is a visit, we just need the Commander's permission."
However, only one person was allowed to visit. With Yamamoto's consent, Yoshio entered the first level of the underground prison—Resurrection Hell.
The Shinigami world's underground prison had eight levels:
Resurrection, Black Rope, Cloud, Scream, Great Scream, Heat, Extreme Heat…
And the eighth and lowest level: Muken.
Countless beings who threatened the Shinigami world were imprisoned in Muken, and the facilities down there were the strictest of all.
At least for now, however, Rukia had not been sentenced to Muken.
She was currently confined only on the first level, "Resurrection Hell."
Yoshio walked toward Rukia's cell. The guard from the Penal Forces who led him there spoke respectfully:
"Captain Yoshio, you have only ten minutes to speak with the prisoner. We will not disturb you during that time."
As he spoke, he opened the cell door.
Yoshio nodded. "Thank you. Come back in ten minutes; I won't put you in a difficult spot."
With that, he stepped inside, and the guard left.
Yoshio looked at Rukia in the cell.
She had changed into prison clothing, and the reiatsu around her was noticeably weakened.
Her eyes were slightly vacant, but when she saw Yoshio enter, they finally regained some focus.
"Captain Yoshio…"
Rukia gave a bitter smile. "If I get too close to a Shinigami, that thing rushes out in a hurry."
"…"
Yoshio didn't stop moving. He walked up to her.
Looking down at Rukia, he said quietly:
"Don't worry. I don't believe someone as gentle as you could hurt me."
His words startled Rukia. Emotion flickered in her eyes, and she lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze.
"Thank you… for trusting me, Captain."
"See? Nothing happened."
Yoshio lifted his hand and gently patted her hair.
"So, is it because of Homura and Shizuku?"
"…"
Rukia was silent for a moment, then shook her head.
"I don't know. Ever since I woke up, I haven't been able to sense them at all."
In truth, Rukia had already discovered the presence of Dark Rukia, and that was one of the main reasons Yoshio had reopened the Parasitic Hollow case.
They didn't communicate often, but sometimes, when Rukia sank into the depths of her inner world to find Sode no Shirayuki, Dark Rukia would occasionally appear.
Over the years, Rukia had gradually come to accept that existence.
But now…
She was gone.
No matter how many times Rukia called, there was no response.
Why had she vanished?
Was the previous Hollow really Dark Rukia's doing?
And if so…
Why?
Rukia remembered the Arrancar she'd met before and hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should reveal everything.
What he'd said had been vague; he'd seemed to treat her as a comrade. No matter how pure she was, she wasn't naive enough to think the Central 46 wouldn't consider her an accomplice if they knew.
But facing Yoshio, she chose to trust him.
So she repeated to him everything Grimmjow had told her.
"In other words, the original parasitic Hollow should've belonged to the same organization as that man. And now they've found you and begun to awaken—the cause of your hollowfication?"
"I think so, but…" Rukia still looked confused. "Even if some power remains, its main body should have been destroyed. How could it still have such strong power?"
"Looks like we won't know the answer until we find that Hollow," Yoshio frowned. "Which means our next move is decided. Rukia, thank you for trusting me."
"Captain Yoshio… you're going to…?"
"There's still a month left. I'll go to Hueco Mundo and find a way to locate that Arrancar."
Yoshio's voice was low and firm.
"No! It's too dangerous!"
Rukia cried out, flustered.
"The Hollow King is still in Hueco Mundo! How can we let two captains risk that?!"
"That's why I'm saying it's worth it."
Yoshio turned around. He clearly didn't want to waste any more time.
"Rukia, don't be afraid. No matter what happens, I'll always be by your side."
"…!"
Rukia's eyes widened. She stared after Yoshio as he walked away, speechless.
When he finally disappeared from view, her body suddenly gave out, and she sank to her knees.
"Captain… Yoshio…"
Rukia whispered:
"Thank you."
…
Leaving Resurrection Hell, Yoshio immediately told Hitsugaya and Ukitake everything Rukia had said.
The two of them quickly agreed with Yoshio's judgment. If they wanted the truth, they could only go to the Arrancar.
But Rukia had made a valid point:
The Hollow King was still in Hueco Mundo.
The Hollow King's power was almost unimaginable. Even in this weakened era, his might far exceeded that of any captain—his weakened state was still well above captain-class.
And there was one more crucial point:
They couldn't simply stroll into Hueco Mundo.
To get there, they needed help from the Department of Research and Development.
"Whenever you want to do something, trouble always comes with it."
Yoshio sighed. "But there's always more solutions than problems. I've got an idea."
"Let's hear it," Hitsugaya and Ukitake said, both suddenly alert.
After all, Yoshio was also a novelist. Naturally, his imagination was richer than theirs.
"Rukia's under arrest, and there are Arrancar involved. It's hardly appropriate to leave the World of the Living unguarded by captains."
Yoshio continued:
"The two of us can apply to the Commander to take charge of Karakura Town's deployment, and then…"
His eyes sharpened.
"We capture one of the Hollows that come to Karakura and force it to open a Garganta to Hueco Mundo."
Hollows possessed the ability to open Garganta. Shinigami couldn't open them on their own, but they could certainly threaten a Hollow into opening one.
"That's actually a pretty good idea," Hitsugaya said, somewhat impressed.
"Of course, if the two of us leave Karakura, there'll be no one to guard it. So we'll have to trouble you again, Captain Ukitake."
"Looks like we'll have to delay your retirement."
"No problem," Ukitake smiled. "Rukia is my subordinate too. I want to save her just as much as you do."
"All right. Let's do it."
…
Their request was approved more easily than they'd expected.
Captains had been personally deployed to Karakura Town more than once before, and given the recent intense incursions, it was perfectly reasonable to tighten security.
Yoshio and Hitsugaya's divisions had long been responsible for Karakura. It was natural for the two captains to be stationed there together.
The last time they'd dealt with Tokinada, it had been the two of them as well.
After they arrived in the World of the Living, Ukitake secretly followed.
The three gathered once more. After exchanging a glance, they each moved to their roles.
Yoshio and Hitsugaya quickly captured a large Hollow and intimidated it into opening a Garganta.
Karakura was inherently prone to attracting Menos-class Hollows. The Seireitei had originally tried to build a massive barrier around the town to block their incursion, but the project was too large.
Before it could be completed, Tokinada had been killed by Yamamoto, and the plan had vanished with him.
The giant project was less than half done, and there was no effective barrier.
So Karakura remained much as it had been, still drawing in powerful Hollows.
Among them were many highly intelligent Menos-class Hollows. As long as they threatened those Hollows a bit, they'd naturally be led into Hueco Mundo.
In less than an hour after reaching Karakura, Yoshio and Hitsugaya stepped into the void and entered Hueco Mundo.
"So this is Hueco Mundo…"
Hitsugaya looked around, slightly stunned.
He had never personally been here, but he'd seen information and reports. The real thing, as seen with his own eyes, felt entirely different.
"It really has changed a lot," Yoshio said quietly. "Compared to the last time I came here, Hueco Mundo is completely different."
"Huh? You've been to Hueco Mundo before?" Hitsugaya asked, baffled.
"Of course," Yoshio replied casually. "That was a long time ago. You'd just arrived in the Seireitei back then."
"…"
Hitsugaya frowned.
Back then, when he'd just arrived in the Seireitei, Yoshio had still been in Fifth Division, nothing more than a lower-ranking officer.
"You don't remember? It was during the first Hollowfication Incident. Thanks to my contributions there, I became one of the officers assigned to Karakura."
"So you really came to Hueco Mundo back then?" Hitsugaya had only heard of something like that. He'd never known what actually happened.
"I never thought I'd return here so soon."
"Yeah… compared to that time, Hueco Mundo now is…"
Yoshio stretched out his hand, as though feeling the viscous darkness of the void sky.
"It's darker. More corrupt."
"That's because of the birth of the Hollow King," Hitsugaya said in a low voice. "If I hadn't seen it myself, I'd never believe a Hollow that strong could exist."
"Look at the moon," Yoshio said again.
Hitsugaya looked up.
High above Hueco Mundo hung a full moon.
Today, they had caught it at just the right phase; that full moon was the only light source in the entire realm.
"It's just…"
After staring at it for a while, Hitsugaya frowned again.
"For some reason, that moon feels… off."
"Yeah. I think so too."
Yoshio's voice was soft.
"There's something… wrong about it."
Wrong.
The word struck a chord with Hitsugaya.
Yes. Wrong. Monstrous.
Gazing at the moon, he felt a surge of inexplicable reiatsu within him—something the moon seemed to be stirring up.
"Don't overthink it," Yoshio interrupted. "We don't have much time. We have to find that Arrancar before the Central 46 finish their deliberations."
"Right." Hitsugaya tore his gaze away. "Then let's split up."
Hueco Mundo was no place for two Shinigami to huddle together for warmth. If they could manage it safely apart, there was no reason to stick side by side.
Since they were racing against time, they had to maximize efficiency. Splitting up was the right choice.
"This will be our rally point," Yoshio said. "We'll meet once a week. If after four meetings we still haven't found any leads, we'll have to retreat."
"Agreed."
With that decision, the two of them moved off in different directions.
"Really took the bait."
After they'd been apart for some time, Yoshio smiled faintly.
He didn't necessarily need to go straight for Grimmjow, but this time in Hueco Mundo, he had another goal.
The Sternritter had also entered the fray around this period.
Under Yhwach's orders, Baelz had led several members of the Sternritter into Hueco Mundo, intending to wipe out a number of Arrancar and harvest raw material for high-output cannons for the upcoming war.
Among those Baelz had brought were some old acquaintances of Yoshio's.
The girls of the Bambies… and Gremmy.
And this time, Yoshio's target was Gremmy.
If you want to make some gods, you need not only deities, but also their servants.
Yoshio needed more subordinates, and Gremmy was a promising choice.
First of all, Gremmy was rebellious enough.
Yoshio liked defiant types—because those who had their rebelliousness broken made for very obedient underlings.
Secondly, he had only one brain. Every other part of his body was merely a product of his imagination.
So then…
What would be the exact opposite of him?
A human without a brain?
Wouldn't such a being be easy to control?
That was why Yoshio had specifically asked Baelz to bring Gremmy into Hueco Mundo—so it would be easier for him to cut him out.
Of course, he wouldn't be cutting him out by ordinary means.
He would be using his soul ability:
The Incarnation of Light.
Before transcending, Yoshio had used this power to fight the Hollow King's left hand.
In the state of the Incarnation of Light, Yoshio possessed immense divine might.
And now that he'd become a transcendent existence, wielding the Incarnation of Light would be even more powerful.
When he fully unleashed this soul ability, Yoshio's body gradually elementalized, as though dissolving in divine radiance.
His eyes were filled with a cold, indifferent divinity.
As Yoshio's physical body decayed away, in the next instant, he re-materialized right beside Gremmy..
At a speed like light itself, Yoshio traversed an immense distance in a single breath and appeared before Gremmy.
At that moment, Gremmy had been wandering idly across the reishi-sand, clearly uninterested in hunting Arrancar.
The very next second, divine power began reassembling itself in front of him.
Startled, Gremmy looked ahead.
His expression instantly shifted to one of shock and amazement.
"Hey, who the hell are you?!"