The main hall of the First Division felt more suffocating than ever. The wooden walls and high ceiling, which normally conveyed discipline and order, now returned only tension and distrust.
The dry thump of Yamamoto's staff against the floor broke the silence, and each strike felt like a hammer blow in everyone's ears.
Few captains had shown up for this summons.
Shunsui, his straw hat low over his eyes, had not even a shadow of playfulness on his face. Ukitake was pale, and his grim expression reflected the weight of the news. Soi Fon stood rigid, cold leaking from every line of her body. And Unohana was gentle as always, but so tense that anyone there could feel the intensity hidden inside her calm.
Yamamoto lifted his gaze. His ancient eyes reflected centuries of war, and his voice rolled through the hall like contained thunder.
"Listen well. Captain Aizen Sōsuke has been murdered. The one responsible is Ayano Keiji, Third Seat of the Fourth Division."
The statement landed like an invisible blow. It was as if every captain there had held their breath.
Shunsui slowly tipped up his hat, revealing hollow eyes.
"I didn't think the kid had come this far yet… killing a captain? That's not something you can just do."
Soi Fon spoke with a voice as sharp as ice.
"How long did he hide that level of power? He wasn't even a lieutenant and he was able to release reiatsu as strong as what we felt."
Ukitake cleared his throat, trying to stay calm. His eyes full of concern reflected more doubt than anger.
"But why would Keiji-kun do this? He never showed any issue with Captain Aizen. On the contrary, he seemed like someone distant from intrigue. What reason would he have to do something so extreme?"
Before the murmuring could swell, Yamamoto raised his staff again. The impact against the floor echoed once more, and everyone fell silent at once.
"From this moment on, all captains and lieutenants not currently on assignment are to abandon their tasks and hunt Ayano Keiji. This is the highest order of the Gotei 13."
They still had their own situation with the ryoka to resolve, but comparing Keiji to the ryoka was an insult to the gravity of the situation.
The intruders were just noisy and inconvenient, but the murder of a captain… that was a direct affront to the structure that supported the Soul Society.
But before anyone else could speak, Unohana's serene voice cut through the air.
"Captain-Commander."
She leaned slightly forward with her hands clasped behind her back.
"Keiji-kun is part of my division. As such, it is my responsibility to go after him. No one else will be necessary."
The tranquility of her words was enough to quiet the hall for a moment. Soi Fon arched her eyebrows in surprise. Ukitake straightened up, clearly worried about her intent. Shunsui let out a long sigh, hiding half his face with his hat.
For this woman to move…
Shunsui didn't know if that was good news.
But Unohana didn't waver. She knew the kind of person her Third Seat was.
He had never been a simple man, no matter how simply he acted. If he had gone as far as making the extreme decision to kill Aizen, Unohana needed to find out for herself what his intentions had been.
If necessary, she herself would discipline that irresponsible subordinate of hers.
Unohana also knew she needed to examine Aizen's body, about which she had a strong feeling that something was wrong, but she would have to rely on her Lieutenant Isane to carry out the autopsy and search for answers.
The priority at this moment was Keiji. One of her men had crossed the final line of the hierarchy, and as captain of the Fourth Division, it was her responsibility to deal with this.
It was just a coincidence that she could satisfy a long-suppressed desire during this.
Shunsui adjusted his hat and let out a weak, joyless laugh.
"Hah… you've always been terrifying when you're this calm, Unohana-san."
Ukitake looked away, but his expression did nothing to hide his genuine concern.
Yamamoto closed his eyes for a moment before opening them with resolve.
"It's decided. Captain Unohana will go after Ayano Keiji. The rest of you must remain on standby. And let no one forget… this man is now considered a greater threat than any ryoka."
Shunsui and Ukitake looked at each other in silence, both unsure what to say.
They had considered Keiji a help in the matter of Kuchiki Rukia, but that Third Seat had suddenly murdered a captain.
They wondered how this situation would develop any further.
[——]
"Did you sense anything?"
{Nothing. That guy hid himself very well.}
Sora's answer was short, but it didn't change Keiji's slightly irritated expression. He let out a long sigh, as if he were trying to release all the frustration that had been building up in his chest along with it.
His fingers ran along the blade, feeling the vibration of his own reiatsu, before pushing it back into the scabbard. The Shikai faded, the zanpakutō returning to its sealed state.
Aizen had staged his own death perfectly, throwing all the accusations onto Keiji.
Now, while the Gotei 13 was probably mobilizing captains and lieutenants to hunt him, Aizen had total freedom to move however he wanted, to wrap up his plans, and to laugh in hiding at the mess he had left behind.
It was a bitter pill to swallow, but Keiji admitted he had been deceived.
"Even so, he's really strong."
{That only makes things more fun.}
He had not intended to kill Aizen. That had never been his intention. But even when facing the captain seriously, he realized that Aizen had no trouble enduring his pressure.
He was not just a manipulator in the shadows, but also an exceptionally skilled Shinigami.
His Hohō was clean and wasted no movement. His Zanjutsu was precise, always targeting vital points. Even in reiryoku control Aizen seemed to match Keiji with no effort.
He also had no problem withstanding Keiji's fully released reiatsu.
A crooked smile slipped onto the corner of Keiji's lips.
"How fun."
But for now, he could only wait for Aizen to show his face again. And when that happened, Keiji would force him to show more. If he had already fought seriously before, next time he would not hesitate to raise the level even further.
After all, he also still had many things to show.
'But that reiatsu I felt earlier… did Pumpkin Head fight that lunatic Zaraki?'
Sora laughed inside his mind, a high and teasing laugh.
{That kid really doesn't understand anything about measuring his power, does he?}
Keiji ran a hand over his face, massaging his temple, and shook his head slowly.
"He has no sense of power scaling."
Ichigo was the kind of idiot who, after fighting a lieutenant, already thought he could jump straight to a bloodthirsty captain like Zaraki Kenpachi. What would the next step be? Facing the Captain-Commander himself?
If Ichigo kept making decisions like that, Keiji seriously doubted that this "long-lost brother" of his would live long enough to have a quiet life, start a family, and give him a few nieces and nephews.
With one last resigned sigh, Keiji turned his body and sank into the haze of the Warp Gate.
The air around the Senzaikyū felt heavier than ever. The white walls reflected the pale light, giving an almost sacred look to that place which, however, was about to become the stage for an uncomfortable clash.
Keiji stepped out of the black haze of the Warp Gate with slow steps, adjusting the shihakushō on his shoulders.
With his Shikai earlier, he had sensed something important here.
On the stone bridge that linked the Senzaikyū's gates to the tower, Captain Kuchiki Byakuya had already raised his hand, his zanpakutō ready to open into thousands of blades.
And in front of him was the cowering Yamada Hanatarō, the poor healer from the Fourth Division. He was trembling so much he looked like he was about to drop to his knees.
But before Byakuya could strike, a black flash tore through the air.
The sound of Keiji's shunpo cracked like a dry snap, and suddenly he was already standing between Byakuya and Yamada. The Captain narrowed his eyes immediately, because not even his sharp reflexes had caught the movement until it was too late.
"…Ayano Keiji."
Byakuya's voice cut through the air like a bare blade, loaded with cold authority.
Keiji tilted his head, his idle smile not changing at all, even in the face of a captain's pressure.
"Sorry, Captain Kuchiki. But I can't let Yamada-kun get hurt… if that happens, Unohana-san will get really upset with me."
The words came out naturally, like a casual excuse.
Behind him, Yamada felt his legs give out. He almost collapsed in relief, but his heart kept pounding.
Being stuck in the middle of that standoff was way too terrifying for a simple Seventh Seat.
Byakuya didn't answer Keiji; he just let his reiatsu swell around the bridge, smothering even the sound of the wind. He was not happy at all about being interrupted, much less by someone who didn't even hold a lieutenant's rank.
But before the clash became inevitable, a different presence appeared. A soft breath of wind swept the space as Ukitake Jūshirō showed up. His haori fluttered lightly, and his tired face carried that rare balance between kindness and seriousness.
"Well, well… Keiji-kun. I see you're still drawing attention wherever you go."
Ukitake's calm voice broke the tension for a moment.
Keiji let out a long sigh, lifting his shoulders like someone giving in to an inevitable scolding.
"Ah, Ukitake-san. Good to see you."
But the friendly tone quickly gave way to a more serious warning. Ukitake's gaze sharpened, and his voice sounded heavy despite the calm.
"I didn't expect to see you strolling around so casually. You do know the entire Gotei 13 is after you, right? Captain Unohana even requested directly from the Captain-Commander to be the one responsible for your capture."
Keiji's idle smile froze. His expression slowly fell away, and he turned his face toward Ukitake, like he wanted to confirm he had really heard that.
"The Captain?"
"Yes. Unohana-san."
"… Yare yare. If I'd known that, I would've let Yamada-kun get hurt."
After all, he was in trouble either way. Even if Yamada had gotten injured, at least Keiji's whereabouts wouldn't have been handed over on a platter.
Poor Yamada almost choked from nerves, his eyes wide.
"H-Hey! Don't drag me into this!"
His tone was more a desperate plea than anything else, but Keiji just raised an eyebrow, not bothering to answer his division mate.
Byakuya kept perfectly silent. His eyes were fixed on Keiji, cold and lethal like a drawn blade. His reiatsu grew slowly, like a tide threatening to swallow everything in silence.
Keiji scratched the back of his neck with his right hand, like the weight of the accusation was just a normal annoyance.
"Aizen-san is really a pain."
Ukitake drew a deep breath, his shoulders sagging under the weight of worry.
"Did Keiji-kun really do it? Kill Captain Aizen? You two didn't have any quarrel, after all."
Hearing the conversation, Byakuya didn't manage to hide the surprise he felt. His eyes narrowed, but a flash of shock crossed his cold expression.
"… He killed a captain?"
That was unthinkable. It wasn't just breaking rules — it was the greatest possible crime within the Soul Society. Far beyond the fuss caused by the ryoka, that act directly wounded the hierarchy, the pride, and the stability of the Gotei 13.
The Senzaikyū bridge was now steeped in suffocating tension. On one side, two captains of immense power. On the other, a Third Seat accused of killing Aizen Sōsuke.
And in the middle of it all, Yamada was shaking so hard he looked about to faint, clutching the fabric of his clothes like it was the only anchor keeping him conscious.
Then the silence choking everything was torn apart.
The air felt crushed by an invisible force, and the bridge vibrated like space itself had been forced to bend.
A new reiatsu flared all of a sudden, strong and intense like a captain's.
And every gaze turned at once to the source of that presence.
Kurosaki Ichigo had arrived.