"Who's there?!"
Yukigami Ren snapped his head around, eyes darting nervously, searching for the source of the voice.
"You're quite the amusing one," came a calm, teasing reply.
"Breaking into my home and asking who I am? Didn't you bother to check before doing something so reckless?"
The screech of rotating wheels echoed through the empty room, sharp and unnerving.
Under Yukigami's vigilant gaze, a streak of pristine white emerged from the shadows. Her simple research lab coat framed an otherworldly beauty, every step deliberate as she glided to the center of the room. A faint, teasing smile played across her pale cheeks.
"Let me see… what day is it today? The barracks seems to have attracted quite a few little mice."
"Shidara Chidomaru…"
Yukigami's eyes widened as he recognized the intruder immediately, speaking her name with certainty.
"I advise you to stay out of this. This is beyond the interference of a mere researcher!"
Even when faced with Shidomaru Chidomaru, on the verge of being promoted to the elite Zero Division, Yukigami spoke with defiant confidence. He showed no fear, his voice calm yet unyielding, as if the very idea of her could not concern him.
If Kisaragi Akira were witnessing this, he would undoubtedly be impressed—so rare to see such fearless valor. But Akira would also be thinking: How many lives do you have, sir, to dare talk back to a madwoman like that?
In Yukigami's mind, Chidomaru was just a researcher from the Twelfth Division. She had yet to even hold the position of captain. Her recent invention, the Shibazakura armor, had earned her a promotion, but in terms of raw strength? Even a hundred Chidomarus wouldn't be worth his attention. This was the unshakable confidence of a true powerhouse.
"If people underestimate me like this, Hiebune is going to tease me when he gets back," Chidomaru said with a playful laugh, her golden mechanical arm clicking faintly behind her. "For the sake of my dignity, you'd better resist properly. Otherwise, I'd be terribly disappointed…"
The instant her words finished, Yukigami felt a shiver run down his spine. A suffocating chill emanated from all directions, sealing off every possible escape route. The darkness around him suddenly erupted with dazzling color, forming a lavish tapestry of silk and light.
Yukigami acted on instinct, planting his left hand forward as he chanted a Kidō spell:
"Hado No. 58: Koran!"
A violent wind exploded from his palm, tearing through the room like a storm of sharpened blades. The air itself seemed to scream under the force, metallic clashes echoing as bolts of silk and cloth were shredded and hurled around, forming a surreal rain of vibrant fabric that filled the room.
"Is that all you've got?"
Yukigami smirked, confidence swelling. To him, researchers were never combatants—facing one was nothing.
Chidomaru's expression shifted slightly, a faint frown forming as her golden mechanical fingers twitched, thin needles appearing between her fingertips.
"It's time I showed a bit of my true strength."
Yukigami scoffed. As the captain of the Seventh Division, his task was guarding the most crucial inner courts of Seireitei. His power surpassed that of any ordinary captain. A mere researcher—let alone other captains—would never dare challenge him.
He lunged, the ground cracking beneath his feet as he shot forward like an arrow.
"Die, obstacle!"
His Zanpakutō gleamed under his blazing reiatsu, slicing downward at Chidomaru's pristine forehead with lethal speed. But the beautiful woman merely smiled faintly, a trace of disdain in her gaze, as if mocking his attack.
Fury surged within him. He poured all his spiritual pressure into the blade, light blazing, malice crackling.
Clang!!
The collision of metal echoed through the empty room. Yukigami froze, incredulous, as the weapon halting his blade revealed itself: a single, slender sewing needle.
"What is this?!"
"Why, it's my Zanpakutō," Chidomaru said with a joyful laugh. "Pretty neat, isn't it?"
Yukigami couldn't comprehend it. Yet he didn't stop. He unleashed a barrage of slashes, hoping sheer force would overwhelm her.
The room had been sealed with his Kidō barrier, muffling both reiatsu and sound. If he could just kill her before the barrier collapsed, he would reclaim his prestige as Seventh Division Captain.
But to his shock, no matter how ferocious his attacks became, Chidomaru remained unscathed, serene as if a gentle breeze passed by. She was terrifyingly strong.
With no time to hesitate, Yukigami unleashed his Bankai:
"Bankai! Moratorium of Hatred!"
A dark forest erupted around him, creeping up the walls, twisting into massive trees. Shadows spread under the moonlight, oppressive and suffocating. Yukigami reveled in the power, inhaling as if enjoying the forest's fresh scent.
"You let me use my Bankai… not bad," he muttered. "But your fate ends here."
He slammed his hands together, triggering a writhing barrage of spiked vines. Chidomaru's figure was shredded, silk fragments falling like a kaleidoscopic rain. Yet as Yukigami stared in disbelief, a soft, elegant voice drifted from the shadows:
"You discovered me?"
Under the moonlight, Chidomaru stood, holding a crimson umbrella, her teasing smile unbroken.
"Those were my dolls," she said lightly, "crafted with care over time. Yukigami, you should feel honored."
Rage flared in Yukigami. "You'll pay for this! Death awaits you in the Moratorium of Hatred!"
"Piece by piece, I'll tear you apart to experience the most agonizing death!"
Chidomaru only smiled wider, her crimson lips curving beautifully.
"Curious, aren't you… why my Bankai hasn't raised alarms in the Twelfth Division? A mere Kidō barrier couldn't contain such disturbance…"
Yukigami's face drained as he realized the truth. Outside the Moratorium of Hatred, the air shimmered unnaturally, silk cascading from above, colors weaving a living tapestry.
"What… is this?" he whispered hoarsely.
Pride shattered, fear consumed him. Even when pouring all his spiritual pressure into a blazing green aura, terror only grew. Chidomaru's amusement waned slightly at his pathetic display compared to the last defiant youth she'd faced.
Desperate, Yukigami unleashed his Bankai to strangle the white figure before him. Nothing. Not even a ripple.
The silk flood descended, obliterating the Moratorium of Hatred, submerging him entirely.
Meanwhile, in the Soul Extraction Lab, two figures clashed. Sparks flew from their blades, illuminating the room with sharp, metallic crashes that shattered the silence like thunder.
"Too weak! Pathetic!" one jeered, laughing, relentless in mockery. "Is this all you've got, Souzuke?"
"You've slacked off!"
The other, blue-veined and straining, unleashed full spiritual power in controlled strikes. Though merely a performance, the force was nothing to underestimate.
"Kidō No. 4: Binding Rope!"
A light whip shot out, striking Kisaragi Akira. He snarled, raw power bursting forth, shattering the binding into fragments.
Blue-veined, he glanced to the window, sensing disturbances outside. Others had been exposed.
"Akira, destroy this place."
"No problem." Akira gave an OK sign.
"Kidō No. 21: Scarlet Smoke Escape!"
Crimson smoke filled the lab, floor to ceiling. Blue-veined moved to the window, defensive barriers igniting, and with a thunderous explosion, the roof and walls were blown skyward, dust and debris forming a massive mushroom cloud.
The Twelfth Division officers approaching froze in shock, staring in awe at the fiery chaos—the midnight sun had risen.
From the blaze, a dark shadow streaked into the night, vanishing into the darkness beyond.