Late at night.
Soifon and Aizen stood side by side on the roof of a courtyard in the Noble District, both clad in black cloaks.
After her previous cloak was destroyed by Aizen, Soifon had borrowed another one from her student.
In order to lend out this cloak, Rukia and Momo Hinamori had argued for quite a while, finally deciding the winner through a best-of-three game of Rock-Paper-Scissors.
Incidentally, Momo Hinamori's requirement was that Soifon must not wash it after wearing it.
"Are we not bringing Captain Tōsen and Captain Ichimaru along?"
Sprinting across the roof tiles, Soifon lowered her voice and asked.
"I have already notified them to act according to the situation," Aizen's voice was calm. "For tonight's infiltration, the two of us are sufficient."
Rather, it would be more accurate to say that Aizen alone was enough; Soifon was purely there to identify the person.
The estate of the Tsunayashiro Clan was located deep within the Noble District, occupying a vast area with layer upon layer of courtyards.
The towering walls and strict defenses were like natural moats to ordinary people, but to two peak Captain-level existences, these defenses were practically nonexistent.
Before the main gate of the Tsunayashiro Clan, Aizen and Soifon completely ignored the surrounding guards and walked grandly into the courtyard through the front entrance.
"The ability of Kyōka Suigetsu is truly convenient, Captain Aizen."
Soifon looked up to observe the luxurious courtyard of the Tsunayashiro family and made a teasing remark.
"No matter how convenient the ability is, it is ineffective against Captain Soifon, is it not?"
Aizen wore a faint smile. He had tried using Kyōka Suigetsu on Soifon again just moments ago, but the result was undoubtedly a failure.
She turned her head. Under the hood of her cloak, those eyes looked calmly at Aizen: "Captain Aizen... are you still unwilling to give up?"
"Of course," Sōsuke Aizen made no attempt to hide his state of mind. "However, everyone has their own secrets. Perhaps this is simply Captain Soifon's natural talent."
The two bypassed several more corridors and, guided by a member of the Tsunayashiro main house, finally stopped in front of an extremely remote small courtyard.
The location of the yard was concealed; if not for someone leading the way, anyone would have thought it was merely a storage shed for sundries.
Sizing up the courtyard, the eyes behind Aizen's glasses narrowed slightly: "What a... surprising place to live."
"I will go in," Aizen lifted Kyōka Suigetsu. "Captain Soifon, please keep watch outside the door."
The courtyard was eerily quiet. The door to the main house was left ajar, and there were no lights inside.
A ripple of Reiatsu oscillated outward. After about ten minutes, the wooden door was pushed open again.
Aizen walked out, carrying an unconscious man in his hand. Soifon stepped forward to identify him, confirming that the person was indeed Tokinada Tsunayashiro.
Throwing Tokinada onto the stone slabs in the center of the courtyard, he patted nonexistent dust from his hands.
"I searched the room," Aizen took out a black box. "I only found this."
A black box made of Seki-Seki Stone material; while it could block spiritual power from penetrating, it could also prevent spiritual power from leaking out.
"Furthermore, this person... even while under the complete hypnosis of Kyōka Suigetsu, still harbored extremely strong hostility and vigilance toward me." Aizen paused. "He simply does not trust anyone."
Soifon took the black box Aizen handed over and opened it right there.
A soft and pure fluorescence immediately poured out. A crystal fragment lay quietly inside the box, its surface flowing with a shimmering light that shifted like a rainbow.
"It really is a Soul King frag..."
Almost at the same instant, the Hōgyoku in Sōsuke Aizen's hand emitted a subtle vibration.
He took out the purple-black Hōgyoku from his robes. The halo on its surface flickered uncertainly, as if a heart were beating.
"It seems the Hōgyoku likes this meeting gift very much." Aizen put the Hōgyoku back into his robes. "Now, I can extract the Soul King fragment from Rangiku Matsumoto."
Subsequently, his gaze turned to the unconscious Tokinada Tsunayashiro on the ground.
"However, regarding this Tokinada Tsunayashiro, how does Captain Soifon intend to deal with him?"
Aizen pushed up his glasses, kicking the ball into Soifon's court.
Closing the lid of the box, Soifon stuffed Kakyo's Soul King fragment into her pocket. She did not answer immediately, her gaze shifting back and forth between Tokinada Tsunayashiro and Aizen...
"Let's make my slander during the Captains' Council a reality." Soifon looked mercilessly at Tokinada Tsunayashiro on the ground. "Turn the Tsunayashiro Clan into sinners who conduct Hollowfication experiments."
In any case, the Tsunayashiro Clan was a scourge no matter how you looked at it. Soifon had no psychological burden using such underhanded tactics against them.
There is no need to speak of morals and honor when dealing with heretics—let's jump him together!
A look of undisguised appreciation surfaced in Aizen's eyes: "Captain Soifon, you truly never disappoint me."
As his voice fell, Aizen took out the Hōgyoku again, its eerie blue light shining upon the comatose Tokinada Tsunayashiro.
Gradually, Tokinada Tsunayashiro's body began to twitch violently. Even in deep coma, an expression of extreme agony surfaced on his face.
Beneath his skin, a chaotic and ominous white substance gradually covered his body.
White bone spurts pierced through the skin of his forehead, spreading slowly, gradually outlining the embryonic form of a hideous Hollow mask.
"That is about enough. With his Reiatsu, he can at most withstand this dosage of Hollowfication."
Sōsuke Aizen withdrew the Hōgyoku.
Without sparing another glance at the existence that was gradually losing its reason, the two turned simultaneously, their figures melting into the pitch-black night.
The latter half of the night.
A stream of violent, ominous Reiatsu erupted from Tokinada Tsunayashiro's courtyard. Bricks and stones flew, and dust soared into the sky.
BOOM—!!!
Wild laughter mixed with distorted electronic tones tore through the silence of the night.
The Tsunayashiro Clan estate was like a lake into which a stone had been thrown; it instantly exploded into chaos.
Lights lit up one after another. Panicked shouts and the metallic friction of weapons being unsheathed mixed together.
The fluctuation of Hollowfied Reiatsu was like a ripple, spreading rapidly outward with the Tsunayashiro Clan as the center.
The first to rush to the scene was Byakuya Kuchiki, who lived in the neighboring area.
Every time the pink blades of Senbonzakura swept past, they left wounds on the opponent's body, but those wounds squirmed and healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
On the roof of a high pavilion in the distance, Aizen and Soifon stood side by side.
"Captain Kuchiki seems to be struggling a bit," Aizen's voice carried a hint of amusement. "Shall we intervene, Captain Soifon?"
"Byakuya can still hold on. Wait a little longer." Soifon untied her cloak. "The audience hasn't all arrived yet..."
Whoosh—
Whoosh—
Several white figures appeared simultaneously on the eaves of the Tsunayashiro Clan estate.
The Captain-Commander, Unohana, and Shunsui Kyōraku had arrived at the scene first.
"My, my..." Shunsui Kyōraku pressed down on the bamboo hat atop his head. "Another Hollowfied Shinigami?"
Before long, all the current Captains of the Gotei 13 had arrived at the scene, including Soifon and Aizen, who were there to watch the show and had changed into their Captain's Haori.
The Captains had no intention of making a move yet, because this was the Tsunayashiro Clan and the full picture of the situation was unclear. Furthermore, Byakuya Kuchiki was still handling it with ease and had not been injured.
However, the constantly gathering powerful Reiatsu around him triggered a dangerous warning in the Hollowfied Tokinada Tsunayashiro's most primal instincts.
—He must defeat this hindrance before him to escape!
Roaring at the sky, Tokinada Tsunayashiro completely abandoned defense, forcefully taking a face-full of Byakuya Kuchiki's Senbonzakura with his chest.
Splurt—
The pink blades washed over him, bringing out a spray of dark red blood mist.
But at the same time, his sharp claws covered in white bone broke through Senbonzakura's defense. With a momentum of mutual destruction, he clawed straight for Byakuya Kuchiki's heart.
Byakuya Kuchiki's pupils contracted abruptly. The distance was too close, and the opponent's move was completely a desperate gamble...
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
A slender figure appeared between the two without any warning, forcefully blocking the claw.
Hum—
The sound of a low-pitched air explosion burst forth.
The Shunkō wrapped around Soifon's hands tore apart Tokinada Tsunayashiro's Hollowfied bone armor, followed by a punch that knocked him to the ground.
The stone slabs beneath the three people's feet were instantly covered in spiderweb-like cracks.
The Hollowfied Tokinada Tsunayashiro let out a howl of agony. The white bone armor on his arm completely shattered, and his flesh and blood were churned into a blur by the concussive Reiatsu.
On the surrounding roofs, the spectating Captains looked astonished; they had not expected Soifon's strength to be this formidable.
Plus, the contrast between before and now was a bit too obvious...
"Well done, Captain Soifon."
The Captain-Commander landed in the center of the field. When he saw the iconic clan crest on Tokinada Tsunayashiro's clothes, he looked at the surrounding Tsunayashiro clansmen as if looking at dead men.
____
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