Half an hour earlier.
The Living World.
A swarm of jet-black figures darted through the air, moving in tight formation, their Reiatsu kicking up clouds of spiritual dust. Their Zanpakutō pointed forward.
"Keep up!"
"Maintain formation!"
A clear, feminine voice rang out, leading a group of Thirteenth Division Shinigami in an offensive wedge as they charged fearlessly into the Hollow swarm ahead.
The woman issuing the commands surged at the forefront, her long black hair streaming behind her.
Even facing a Hollow horde several times their number, she showed no hesitation, her voice a low growl:
"Sing, Suzumushi."
The moment her words echoed, a resonant, uplifting chime filled the ears of every Shinigami behind her. Their bodies felt lighter, their courage surging.
In contrast, the Hollows before them recoiled as if tormented by the screech of claws on a chalkboard, clutching their massive heads and freezing in place.
Clang!
Her blade flashed coldly in her slender arm, slicing forward. A bone mask shattered instantly.
Her squad, like an arrow, followed her lead, plunging straight into the dense Hollow ranks, roaring as they fought fiercely.
"Kakō Fourth Seat!"
Mid-slash, a familiar female voice called from behind.
Kakō, leading the charge, paused, rolling to dodge an attack from behind.
A translucent stealth Hollow, revealed by its failed strike, materialized in the air.
Hiss!
Before Kakō could swing her blade, a jagged purple bolt of lightning arced from behind her, carving a sharp curve through the air.
A graceful woman with fiery red hair, moving with reckless abandon, drove her lightning-wreathed Zanpakutō into the center of the stealth Hollow's mask with all her strength.
The piercing pain triggered a shrill wail.
Undeterred, the seemingly delicate woman twisted her blade upward, cleaving the massive head in two.
In an instant, only swirling dust remained.
Kakō glanced back, seeing Jusuba Ihana unharmed, and exhaled in relief, though her tone stayed sharp: "Jusuba Seventh Seat, stay with me and charge forward!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Ihana, startled at first, nodded quickly, falling in step behind Kakō.
Soon, with the two women as the spearhead, the squad tore through the Hollow ranks, splitting them into disorganized fragments.
In moments, the Hollows, once aggressively targeting the "delicious" Shinigami, began fleeing toward the distant wilderness as their numbers dwindled.
But even this brief skirmish took a toll on the ten-Shinigami team: two dead, two gravely injured.
For these ordinary Shinigami, none higher than Fourth Seat, even "weak" Hollows in the eyes of superiors demanded utmost caution.
Fortunately, recent universal of basic Kaido allowed their comrades to stabilize the wounded quickly.
"Kakō-san!"
As she prepared to rest and regroup, a familiar voice called out.
Kakō looked up to see Jusuba Ihana offering a bamboo canteen, her red hair falling softly by her temples, her expression warm and gentle:
"That fight was tough."
"Please, have some water."
Kakō paused, then smiled, accepting it. "Thanks."
She took a sip of the clear water, glancing at the young woman beside her, and asked casually:
"Jusuba Seventh Seat… may I call you by your name?"
"Of course!"
Ihana nodded eagerly, a hint of excitement in her voice. "Just Ihana is fine."
"You might not remember, but when I was a sixth-year at the Academy, you were our squad's supervising Shinigami."
Kakō blinked, surprised. "Oh? What a coincidence."
"Yes!" Ihana smiled, nodding. "Back then, my brother and I admired you so much. That's why we chose the Thirteenth Division."
Hearing this, Kakō felt a warmth in her chest.
Having her efforts recognized was always gratifying.
Her smile widened slightly:
"Purification Team work isn't easy, you know."
"…True."
Ihana's gaze drifted to their injured, unconscious comrades nearby, her expression dimming.
Since joining the Thirteenth Division, she'd witnessed countless comrades' sacrifices.
"But lately… haven't there been too many Hollows in the Living World?"
Ihana muttered softly.
Kakō froze, her expression tightening, a heaviness settling in.
Ihana was right.
The number of Hollows appearing in the Living World lately was unnaturally high.
Their other branch oversaw a Living World region within this nation, with a limited population.
The towns and villages, the main population centers, numbered just over 700, spread far apart across a narrow, elongated region.
To manage this area, the Thirteenth Division, tasked with Living World purification, was Seireitei's largest, with over 800 members, nearly four times other divisions.
Normally, this force was more than sufficient to handle Hollow outbreaks, even leaving time to hunt Quincy remnants.
But in the past month, Hollow numbers in the East Branch's jurisdiction had surged by an order of magnitude.
Under this overwhelming threat, Thirteenth Division officers had to form patrol teams to systematically clear Hollow swarms across the region.
Yet, despite their swift response, the division suffered nearly 100 casualties in a single month.
This surpassed the total losses of the previous century.
Though not a high-ranking officer, Kakō keenly sensed something was gravely wrong in the Living World.
She wondered how the higher-ups would handle it.
The thought flickered briefly before she exhaled deeply.
"Hoo…"
"Break's over!"
Standing, she barked orders to her able-bodied comrades: "Next, we take out the stragglers that fled to the mountains!"
"Let them get away, and it'll be a pain later!"
"Yes, ma'am!!"
Kakō's authority in the squad was clear.
Though exhausted from the recent battle, her team rose instantly at her command, leaving one member to guard the wounded.
Kakō handed the canteen back to Ihana, charging ahead once more.
She couldn't control the affairs of the higher-ups.
But she could at least eliminate the threats before her.
Before they could pursue the fleeing Hollows, a cry rang out from behind:
"Kakō-san?!"
Puzzled, Kakō turned.
A low-ranking officer stood frozen, staring skyward in terror, his voice shrill:
"U-Up there!"
Sensing something, Kakō snapped her gaze to the sky.
The sight that met her eyes sent a chill through her core.
The clear blue sky was suddenly marred by streaks of black, like a child's erratic scribbles.
From the torn rifts, waves of immense, terrifying Reiatsu poured forth.
One, two, three…
Kakō stood rooted, her dark pupils hollow, her voice a stunned whisper:
"…H-How?!"
Before her words could settle, a forest of black figures stepped from the rifts, advancing slowly.
Gillian, a horde.
And not just her.
Every member of the patrol team, three seated officers and seven Shinigami, felt an irrepressible despair well up at the sight.
These Gillian, denizens of Hueco Mundo's deepest Forest of Menos, numbered at least thirty. They were far beyond what ordinary Shinigami could handle!
And why were they here?!
In an instant, Kakō resolved to face death.
"Retreat!"
She raised her voice to her team, standing her ground as she drew her Zanpakutō, facing the towering Gillian horde like a forest of spires.
"I'll cover the rear."
"Kakō-san!"
Jusuba Ihana's trembling hand gripped her sword hilt, but she refused to move, standing firm.
For a young Shinigami like her, fresh from the Shin'ō Academy and barely acquainted with captain-level powerhouses, standing her ground now drained every ounce of courage she'd ever mustered.
But Kakō had no time to coddle her.
She stared at the Gillian horde advancing like a mountain range, swallowing hard.
Three!
If it's just three, maybe by sacrificing her life…
At the very least, she could buy time for the others to escape!
"Sing, Suzumushi!"
With a sharp Shikai release command, Kakō strode toward the Gillian horde.
But before she could close the distance to strike, the Gillian, as if sensing her Reiatsu shift, halted in unison under some unseen command.
A chill of foreboding gripped Kakō's heart.
Then, the dozens of Gillian turned their heads toward her.
Dozens of pale, pointed clown masks flooded her vision, staring directly at her.
Despair surged from the depths of her soul.
It's over!
As expected.
The moment they spotted her squad, countless crimson Cero orbs gathered before the clown masks, condensing into blinding points of light.
"Run!"
Kakō shouted, but the slender woman charged resolutely toward the glowing Cero.
Her silhouette darkened against the radiant light, like a moth drawn to flame, futilely attempting to block the attack.
Jusuba Ihana watched, dazed, her feet rooted to the ground.
The dozens of dark red Cero converged, tearing a scarlet streak across the sky.
In that instant, every heartbeat seemed to falter.
Then, a stranger's male voice rang out.
"Bakudō #81: Dankū."
At the brink of death, even a woman as brave as Kakō couldn't help but close her eyes.
But the next moment,
BOOM!!!
A deafening roar pierced her eardrums, like thunder exploding at close range.
The ground quaked with a low-frequency shudder.
Scorching fumes brushed her face.
Yet, astonishingly, Kakō felt no pain.
A second later, she cautiously opened her eyes.
A transparent barrier, like an invisible fortress, stood mere inches before her.
Thick, unyielding.
Even after withstanding such an attack, it bore no cracks.
Before the barrier, the earth for hundreds of meters churned like a tidal wave, transformed from lush grassland to loose, scorched soil.
A blackened scar stretched nearly two kilometers to either side of her.
Only the ground shielded by the barrier remained untouched.
From above, the scorched black and vibrant green formed a stark contrast.
Smoke billowed outward.
Kakō, stunned, looked toward the voice's source.
A group of figures stood calmly in the sky.
The four at the forefront wore pristine white haori, each emblazoned with different numbers, fluttering in the wind.
The leader's haori bore a bold "9."
One glance, and Kakō recognized him.
"Makoto-sama!"
The name alone eased every heart.
Makoto heard her, nodding with a bright smile.
Who's this?
Despite his warm grin, the thought crossed his mind.
Behind him, Ginrei's sidelong glance lingered on the unyielding barrier.
Chantless Bakudō 81…
And under restricted conditions.
To this extent?
This single display deepened his private calculations.
He'd long known Makoto was strong.
But just how strong? Even as a fellow captain, he lacked a clear gauge.
"Captain Kinroku."
"Handle this."
Unaware of Ginrei's thoughts, Makoto casually instructed, "Too many spatial traces are muddling things. Gathering together hinders the search."
"Why not split up and hunt the target faster?"
Kinroku nodded in agreement. "I'll take the eastern coastline."
"Thank you."
With a few words, the group dispersed.
Kinroku turned, facing the advancing Gillian horde like a forest of towers. His hand rested on his sword hilt, his voice low to his young adjutant:
"Listen, Shunsui."
His Asauchi slid from its sheath with a soft rasp, his tone even.
Shunsui blinked, then rallied his focus.
"Work is just a bunch of mediocre, incompetent folks slogging through repetitive tasks to survive."
"So-"
The grizzled captain's blade flashed free, its hilt now wrapped in golden bindings, fully released.
"Fuhahara!"
His drawn sword swept horizontally toward the Hollows.
A faint black line, barely noticeable at first, expanded infinitely hundreds of meters away, slicing diagonally toward the advancing Gillian.
Silent.
Clang!
The blade returned to its sheath with a crisp ring.
In that instant, the advancing Hollows froze, as if paused.
The next moment, under awestruck gazes, dozens of Gillian toppled like felled trees, bisected cleanly, crashing to the ground amid piercing shrieks.
"learn to solve the main problem, then toss the rest to your subordinates."
Kinroku smiled warmly at his vice-captain.
Shunsui's face fell, groaning loudly, "You're just slacking off, aren't you?!"
"It's all yours, Shunsui."
"Captain?!"
Kakō, oblivious to the banter above, stared at the scene.
Dozens of Gillian, invincible in her eyes, felled by a single captain's strike.
This was Soul Society's ultimate strength?
…
Rustle.
Scattered clothes hit the ground, their wearer vanished.
Takasugi walked slowly down the main road of the small town.
All around, remnants of collapsed souls littered the ground, discarded clothes.
He'd shed his wide haori and Shihakushō, baring a chiseled torso and the pale mask clinging to his chest.
Steamy vapor rose from his body, yet his skin was corpse-white.
A whip-like tail, tipped with a needle, extended from the base of his spine, moving as if sentient, rapidly probing nearby houses for prey, beyond his control.
Dozens of tentacled Hollow-like husks, like those seen at the Shin'ō Academy, trailed behind.
Beneath their feet lay black Shihakushō.
Takasugi raised his head, a gleeful, feral smile spreading across his face.
Kensei watched his expression, frowning slightly.
They'd killed nearly 200 Shinigami on this path.
Still far from the goal.
As expected.
Had he overestimated this man's willpower?
"You can still hold on, right?"
"Of course."
Takasugi's hand brushed his cheek.
He seemed blind to the fully formed, Hollow-like bone structure on his hand's back.
A thin, white bone mask outline crept along his jaw.
His voice trembled faintly:
"I…"
"I've never felt this good!"
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
If you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (removespace)