Time flew by. Three days passed.
Today marked Rukia's third day as vice-captain.
Surprisingly, no one in the 5th Division opposed this sudden appointment.
Thinking about it, anyone could understand why.
This was the new captain's first appointment. It didn't affect their interests. No one would be stupid enough to object.
Plus, since joining the 5th Division, Rukia had earned everyone's respect through her strength and character.
Her promotion was basically uncontroversial.
Today was also the day of Shigure's appointment with Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
So early that morning, he went to the Department of Research and Development personally. He got what he wanted.
When he returned to the 5th Division, Shigure found something odd. Rukia wasn't out handling squad duties. Instead, she stood at his office door.
Her expression showed traces of anxiety.
"Something wrong, Rukia?"
Shigure asked as he approached.
Hearing his voice, Rukia looked over immediately. "Captain, the Riteitai came by!"
"Riteitai?"
Shigure's gaze shifted. "Another Class 1 emergency order?"
The Riteitai belonged to the Stealth Force's 5th Division.
They delivered the Captain-Commander's orders rapidly to designated personnel in each division.
This message system was faster and more accurate than Hell Butterfly transmission. But they only handled Class 1 emergencies.
Rukia nodded seriously and lowered her voice:
"Word came from headquarters. The advance unit exploring Hueco Mundo hit trouble. They were attacked by Arrancar..."
"There's an emergency strategy meeting in twenty minutes. All Gotei 13 captains and vice-captains must attend."
"I couldn't find you earlier, so I waited here."
Hearing this, Shigure's gaze moved slightly. After a moment's thought, he nodded. "Let's go now."
He turned without hesitation and headed outside.
"Yes!"
Rukia answered quickly and followed immediately.
Shigure's expression stayed calm. He already had rough ideas about what would happen in the meeting.
But the moment he stepped outside the barracks, a long-absent system notification rang in his mind.
"Ding! New check-in mission issued!"
Shigure's body paused involuntarily.
He hadn't heard this voice since the Great Spirit Book Gallery check-in. Its sudden appearance was unexpected.
However, he immediately resumed walking as the notification continued:
"No time limit. Please proceed to the Land of Deep Ash in Hueco Mundo for check-in!"
"Upon completion, you will receive system rewards!"
As the notification ended, Shigure's eyes flashed.
The Land of Deep Ash... in Hueco Mundo?
This was completely unfamiliar territory.
His knowledge of Hueco Mundo was basically limited to Las Noches from the manga, plus knowing it had inner and outer circles.
Hueco Mundo was vast and boundless. Even Soul Society's records couldn't document all its territories.
So this check-in location was quite unexpected.
"Captain... something wrong?"
Rukia asked suddenly. She seemed to notice something odd in his expression.
Shigure snapped back and shook his head:
"Nothing. Just thought of something. Let's pick up the pace."
Shigure increased his speed slightly. Rukia responded and kept up immediately.
As they moved forward, Shigure's eyes flickered.
Regardless, since the system gave him a check-in location, he'd naturally try to get there—as long as it didn't threaten his life.
...
Ten minutes later, everyone had assembled quickly in the 1st Division meeting hall.
No previous meeting had gathered people this fast.
This showed how seriously each division took this meeting.
Except for the 3rd and 9th Divisions—only their vice-captains Kira Izuru and Shūhei Hisagi attended—everyone else was present.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto sat upright at the front center. Chōjirō Sasakibe stood behind him.
"Everyone, since you've received the Riteitai's message, I won't elaborate on details."
"Let me briefly explain the current situation:"
"Three days ago, my dispatched unit successfully met the advance exploration team in Hueco Mundo. But... they were attacked recently."
"We can confirm the attackers were human-form Hollows—'Arrancar'!"
"This is very likely connected to the traitors Aizen and his associates."
"Therefore, this emergency meeting's purpose is selecting the first expedition force to Hueco Mundo."
"They'll investigate the situation. Once they encounter Aizen... we'll dispatch follow-up forces immediately!"
Yamamoto's words fell heavily. The atmosphere grew tense immediately.
Though everyone thought this might be serious, they hadn't expected to face Hueco Mundo so soon.
"So then... do any captains have suggestions?"
Yamamoto raised his eyes slightly. His gaze swept across the nine captains present.
The captains showed various expressions, all deep in thought.
At this moment, Shigure raised his eyes. He met Retsu Unohana's gaze across from him.
Seeing Shigure's expression, Unohana seemed to understand his thoughts. Her expression froze.
Shigure smiled slightly and nodded to her.
Then his expression returned to calm as he looked toward Yamamoto and spoke:
"Captain-Commander, I wish to go."
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