Call Out
Faced with the successive betrayals of the Gotei 13 captains—betrayals so severe that even Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni felt unease—Kyōraku Shunsui suddenly vanished from the execution platform with Shunpo, moving like a ghost to the side of Jūshirō Ukitake, who lay bleeding in a pool of blood.
Seeing this, Tōsen Kaname tightened his grip on his Zanpakutō, ready to strike, but was stopped by Aiyan.
"Easy. Don't be nervous," Aiyan said evenly. "Captain Kyōraku isn't here to fight."
At those words, Tōsen lowered his blade.
"Jūshirō has lost his ability to fight," Shunsui said grimly.
"Since you didn't let Tōsen Kaname kill him, you won't mind me sending him for treatment first, right? Don't worry—given his body and that stab just now, he won't recover in less than ten days. He won't stand in your way, Aiyan."
For once, there was no trace of Shunsui's usual playfulness. His face was dark, his voice heavy.
The situation before him was beyond anything he had expected.
In fact… he couldn't help but wonder—when Hikifune Kirio and Shutara Senjumaru had come to his door, inviting him to move against Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, had they also gone to Aiyan?
Knowing Aiyan's strength and cunning, he could not believe the scene before him was a coincidence.
"…Please."
Aiyan nodded, signaling for Shunsui to take Ukitake away.
"Thanks," Shunsui muttered, exhaling faintly. No matter what, he owed him this. The first time Aiyan had spared Jūshirō's life… and now, the second.
But the gravity of the battlefield left no room for sentiment. Cradling Ukitake's bleeding body, Shunsui vanished with Shunpo, reappearing on the second floor of the execution platform before Unohana Retsu.
"Captain Unohana. I'll leave Jūshirō to you."
Shunsui's trust in Unohana was absolute—not because she was captain of the Fourth Division, but because she was the First Kenpachi, one of the original captains who had stood under Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni thousands of years ago.
As long as that terrifying strength remained loyal to the Gotei, Shunsui felt no fear of betrayal.
"It is my duty to heal," Unohana said softly.
"Go and do what you must, Captain Kyōraku. Leave Captain Jūshirō to me."
Her calm eyes fell on the gravely injured Ukitake. Though his wound was not fatal, it was severe. She then reached her right hand to the Zanpakutō at her waist.
"Thank you," Shunsui replied quietly, unsurprised. He knew her Shikai could transform into a manta-like creature that swallowed the injured, healing them within. He had seen it before.
Clang—
But as he turned to go, a flash of cold light bloomed against his back.
"Katen Kyōkotsu!"
In an instant, Shunsui drew his twin blades, intercepting the strike.
Clang—
Three Zanpakutō clashed, sword pressure exploding outward. The weakened execution platform, already cracked from Aiyan's earlier assault, collapsed beneath the crushing weight of their Reiatsu.
Shunsui glanced down at the blade that had pierced into his chest, then lifted his eyes wide with horror at Unohana Retsu, who held the weapon.
He—who had never faltered even as mountains crumbled—could not hide the shock twisting his features now.
Not from pain.
But from betrayal.
"…Captain Unohana!"
Shiba Isshin froze. Zaraki Kenpachi too stood dumbfounded. None had expected this.
Even Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, standing high on the platform, felt his pupils constrict. His towering, unshakable frame trembled.
"Why…?"
Shunsui's voice trembled with disbelief. Of all captains, Unohana Retsu was the last he had thought would betray.
And yet—her blade had sought his heart.
Only his vigilance saved him. Since the moment Rangiku had slain Sasakibe's Bankai, since Tōsen had stabbed Ukitake, since Yoruichi had turned traitor—Shunsui's senses had been razor-sharp.
That was the only reason her strike had not pierced his heart. Even so, blood now ran from the wound in his chest.
"As expected of the Captain Commander's pupil," Unohana said coolly.
"Even without guarding against me, you still made the correct reaction. At the smallest cost, you avoided death."
Her words were calm, almost admiring.
Unlike Yamamoto and the First Generation captains, Shunsui had not lived through the Soul Society's age of blood, nor the Quincy invasion, nor risen from mountains of corpses. He had grown in an era of peace.
And yet—his skill, his instinct, his fighting spirit were worthy of respect.
"Why…?" Shunsui asked again, colder now.
"Now that the sword has been drawn, does reason matter?" she replied.
"As I said, it is my duty to heal. But equally—fighting is my duty as well."
"…Right. I almost forgot." Shunsui gave a bitter laugh.
"You're the First Kenpachi. Kenpachi never needs a reason to draw their blade. But I still can't understand—how did Aiyan tame you, of all people?"
"Because," Unohana said softly,
"I am neither Fourth Division Captain Unohana Retsu, nor First Kenpachi, nor Captain of the Eleventh. I am Unohana Yachiru."
She vanished with Shunpo. Her speed, her strength, her Reiatsu—ten times sharper than before.
Boom—
Their blades met again. Even with Shikai, Shunsui was hurled from the platform, slamming through the air.
"I see," he breathed, blood dripping from his mouth.
"Aiyan has tamed you… the most wicked soul in all of Seireitei, the First Kenpachi."
Unohana smiled faintly but gave no answer. The silence was enough.
Yes. She had been wholly broken—physically and mentally—by Aiyan.
"…The worst has happened."
Shunsui's chest tightened. He sighed inwardly, making his decision.
Suppressing every stray thought, he steadied his stance, gathering Reiatsu into his twin blades. His gaze burned coldly at the woman below.
"Captain Unohana," he said darkly.
"Then I can only do as old man Yamamoto once did — to cut down the most evil being in Soul Society, and return you to Gotei 13."
Reiatsu exploded from him, sword pressure pouring down in torrents. The rules of Katen Kyōkotsu twisted the battlefield, and his slashes multiplied in an instant—descending in furious waves upon Unohana Yachiru.
"…Bushōgoma!"