In the Soul Society, another large-scale exercise was conducted.
Nominally, Captain Yamamoto stated that the reason for the exercise was the lingering threat of Hueco Mundo, an enemy that had not been eliminated. Through such drills, the Gotei 13 could simulate future battles against Hueco Mundo and improve preparation.
But in truth, the exercise carried another purpose.
Quietly, without fanfare, Yamamoto distributed a peculiar item to captains, vice-captains, and any shinigami capable of using Bankai. Along with it, he explained its effect. As for why this item existed or where it came from, he said nothing.
Although everyone was curious about its origin, no one pressed the matter.
Instead, they speculated privately: perhaps Yamamoto had discovered new intelligence… perhaps the Hueco Mundo faction had acquired some ability targeting Bankai… perhaps the next confrontation would be far more dangerous.
Because the item he gave them had a single function:
Preventing their Bankai from being stolen after release.
Did Hueco Mundo gain the ability to take Bankai?
The head-captain refused to elaborate, leaving the unanswered question to weigh silently in every heart.
Time passed slowly. Days went by. While Kurosaki Ichigo regained his shinigami powers and a mysterious fullbringer appeared to assist Orihime and Sado, the Soul Society continued its quiet preparation for war.
Or so they believed.
If Hueco Mundo struck again, the Gotei 13 did not intend to repeat the humiliation of their previous expedition, an expedition in which a single man had overturned the entire force and inflicted unprecedented shame.
Even though it had been over a year, the memory still lingered painfully, especially among those personally close to Kyo Mazuru. Whether male or female, they carried a complex mixture of resentment and sorrow.
In the Eighth Division, Captain Shunsui glanced at Nanao, who was immersed in Kidō training. He sighed softly and said nothing.
Ever since their encounter in Hueco Mundo following the incident of Kenpachi Azashiro, he had developed new, difficult-to-admit thoughts regarding Mazuru. Some parts of him began to understand… others refused to.
Still, he did not share these ideas with Nanao.
From the bottom of his heart, he still held deep grudges toward that man.
To protect Nanao, his niece, he had always kept her far from perilous battles. Yet Mazuru had managed to wound her physically and psychologically in ways he could not forgive.
If only he were strong enough to defeat Mazuru… he would have taught him a lesson long ago.
At least, that's what he told himself.
Back in his office, he handled Eighth Division affairs more diligently than in the past. His division specialized in intelligence; ordinarily, Shunsui was notoriously lazy, if he could avoid work, he would.
After Aizen's betrayal, he lamented privately that if he had worked even a little harder, perhaps Aizen's century-long conspiracy might have been discovered earlier.
But habits were hard to break. Even after that regret, he remained the same, lazy, drifting, avoiding work whenever possible.
Until the battle in Karakura Town… and until Mazuru's defection.
Hueco Mundo's threat remained. And deeper still, a far more ominous threat lurked in the shadows.
As a result, Shunsui had slowly become more diligent, motivated not by duty, but by fear of what might be coming.
The same atmosphere spread across captains and vice-captains: Sui Feng of the Second Division, Kuchiki Byakuya of the Sixth, Hitsugaya Toshiro and Matsumoto Rangiku of the Tenth… all of them rigorously trained, aware that the coming conflict would not resemble the last.
Meanwhile, in the First Division, Vice-Captain Sasakibe Chojiro had a rare day off, which he used to travel to the quiet outskirts of the Seireitei.
As the vice-captain with the longest continuous service, longer than most of the captains themselves, Chojiro had served alongside Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni even before the Gotei 13 existed.
Yet, unlike the rigid, traditional captain, Chojiro was refined, elegant, and surprisingly youthful in demeanor. In many ways, he was Yamamoto's opposite, both in personality and lifestyle, yet he remained the man's strongest and most loyal supporter.
Upon reaching the grassy outskirts, Chojiro set down the small wooden box he had brought. From it he removed a tablecloth and spread it neatly on the ground, preparing to enjoy a peaceful afternoon tea beneath the gentle sunlight. A simple, quiet luxury.
It had been a long time since he'd had such a break.
After carefully preparing the tea, he lifted the delicate cup toward his lips—
shoo!
His instincts flared. He twisted sharply aside. The teacup in his hand was pierced cleanly by a glowing arrow, and the tea spilled across the grass.
Chojiro didn't even glance at the destroyed cup.
His eyes fixed immediately on the source of the attack.
A group stepped into view, figures clad in short white cloaks, their appearance hidden… save for the leader, who stood tall and imposing. A thick beard covered his jaw, his facial features were harsh, and his eyes glowed with ferocity.
But what mattered most was among those cloaked figures behind him:
One of them held a spirit bow.
And the arrow fired earlier had come from that bow.
"How is this possible…?"
Chojiro's expression stiffened at once.
Even without the sight of the bow, the sensation of their reiatsu told him everything:
Quincy.
By all logic, the quincy were extinct.
The last known quincy was Ishida Uryu.
Yet here stood an entire armed contingent.
Chojiro did not waste time pondering. Instead, he drew his Zanpakutō instantly.
"Pierce! Gonryōmaru!"
His blade transformed into a long, slender western-style rapier.
The leader spoke, his deep voice brimming with contempt:
"You're sharp. As expected of a vice-captain of the Gotei 13. You once followed Yamamoto Genryusai and slaughtered thousands of our people. Today, you will pay that debt with your life."
He lifted his head proudly.
"Shinigami, remember my name.
I am Driscoll Berci. And I am the one who will kill you."
Chojiro did not recognize the name, but that hardly mattered.
More important was the reference Driscoll made: a battle a thousand years ago.
Chojiro's brows tightened.
He had indeed participated in that war against the quincy long ago. The battle ended with the Soul Society's victory, and the survivors in the human world were purged again two hundred years ago.
Yet clearly, not only had some quincy survived, they had reorganized into a formidable, uniformed force.
Chojiro silently analyzed the situation.
Dozens of enemies. Unknown abilities. He needed to escape and deliver this information, no matter what.
Driscoll, however, had no intention of letting him do so.
A ring on his hand glowed, forming a spear of compressed reiatsu, which he hurled with terrifying force.
Chojiro flashed away with Shunpo, the spear slamming into the ground behind him with an explosive BOOM! A crater erupted where he had stood.
Even having dodged it, Chojiro's heart tightened. The force behind that throw… was monstrous.
"You're not a captain, but your strength is close. Good. Now show me your Bankai. You should be capable enough to have a Bankai, right?"
Driscoll said this as casually as ordering someone to kneel.
Chojiro only snorted.
Yes, he had Bankai. Yes, he used it a thousand years ago to kill numerous quincy.
But why should he reveal it now?
He blurred forward with Shunpo, stabbing at Driscoll with a quick thrust. Slender bolts of lightning shot forth, small, but infused with real thunder.
Yet Driscoll simply lifted his arm and endured the strike head-on.
The lightning crackled harmlessly across his body.
"What?"
Chojiro's eyes widened.
Driscoll didn't bother explaining that Chojiro's lightning wasn't nearly strong enough to penetrate his Blut Vene, a defensive quincy technique. Instead, he smirked and spread his arms wide.
"Since you've demonstrated your strength, let me to demonstrate mine."
Spirit particles surged. A much larger javelin took shape.
He hurled it.
Chojiro reacted instantly, flashing away with Shunpo, but even then, when the javelin struck the ground—
BOOOOOM!
A shockwave of violent spiritual pressure exploded outward. Chojiro barely managed to protect himself, but cuts and burns still appeared along his body.
Driscoll stepped forward through the dust.
"You haven't changed at all in a thousand years." he mocked. "Still fragile. Still weak."
Chojiro's grip tightened. He hadn't expected such overwhelming force.
A single mistake, and he would die.
"Bankai."
His voice was calm and steady.
Reiatsu surged violently from his body, dark clouds gathering overhead. Within them, lightning flickered like serpents. His blade trembled, on the verge of transforming—
Driscoll grinned and tore the star-shaped medallion from his chest.
"So, you are finally going to use it. Perfect."
He aimed the medallion at Chojiro.
And suddenly—
Nothing happened.
The black clouds dissolved. The transformation halted.
Chojiro froze.
"What…?"
His Bankai, was gone.
Driscoll laughed.
"Are you wondering why your Bankai failed? It didn't fail. It activated perfectly." He tapped the medallion. "But now, it belongs to me."
He raised the medallion and shouted:
"Bankai — Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū!"
Dark clouds reappeared, over Driscoll. Lightning leapt within them, then rained down like divine spears.
Eleven bolts shot toward Chojiro.
He evaded desperately, but one struck him. Light engulfed him, half his body scorched black. Pain surged through him like fire, but what dominated his mind was not the pain.
It was shock.
'My Bankai… was taken away.'
In that moment, Chojiro recalled the mysterious item Yamamoto had given them…
'So that's what it was for.'
'Captain… just what did you discover?'
Driscoll prepared to unleash another barrage.
But Chojiro, through sheer will, slipped a small pill from inside his uniform and swallowed it quietly.
Immediately, discomfort spread through him, but it quickly stabilized.
And then—
He felt a faint reconnection to his Zanpakutō.
Driscoll lifted his hand to summon more lightning from Chojiro's stolen Bankai—
—but his smirk abruptly froze.
His power stalled.
A sharp, foreign pain shot through his body.
He snapped his head towards Chojiro in disbelief.
"You—!"
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
✓ Bleach: In My Second Reincarnation, I Became The Ninth Kenpachi
✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]