(T/N: Fifth Chapter!)
A few days prior, several figures cloaked in black appeared within the Dangai.
They had tampered with a section of the spirit barrier in the Dangai, weakening its strength considerably.
"Release the 'bait' and lure the Hollows from the Garganta," one of them instructed. "Once the Hollows destroy the barrier and leave behind their Reiatsu, no one will know this was a manmade accident."
"Yes, sir!" another cloaked figure replied, raising his hand—his sleeve shifted just enough to reveal the Tsunayashiro family crest.
Anyone from the Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy would instantly recognize him: the Academy's Vice Headmaster, Tsunayashiro Yōtō.
Tsunayashiro Yōtō and his clansmen had come to engineer an "accident"—to retrieve the Soul King fragment.
Originally, Yōtō hadn't wanted to go this far, but Katori Nanatsuki and Kakyō had refused the Tsunayashiro family's "generous offer."
And when the Tsunayashiro family sets its eyes on something, they never let go so easily.
He would get the fragment back—by other means if necessary.
Recently, he learned that Kakyō had applied for early graduation. That gave him the idea to manipulate her final exam mission to retrieve the Soul King fragment.
Standing beside him, Tsunayashiro Tokinada scoffed. "So much trouble. Why not just assign her to Hueco Mundo and have her die there?"
Yōtō shook his head. "Kotetsu Ayane is watching too closely. I had no chance to interfere with the assignment directly.
We'll need to fabricate a proper accident and let them fall into the trap willingly."
Knowing Kakyō had applied to the Kido Corps, Yōtō carefully orchestrated an incident that only Kidō experts could resolve.
As long as no one suspected the event was artificially created, Kakyō would naturally accompany the Kido Corps to the Dangai for her exam.
And when she did, their real plan would begin.
The released "bait" soon took effect. The low-density Hollows in the Garganta began to gather, drawn to the lure.
Only three Hollows were attracted—the bait's range was limited—but that was enough.
The Hollows tore through the weakened barrier and entered the Dangai, devouring the bait entirely before aimlessly wandering the dimension.
"That'll do. Now we wait for the Shinigami to notice the anomaly," Yōtō said calmly. "Let's move on to deal with the Kōtotsu."
His plan was to use the Kōtotsu to separate Kakyō from the others—then retrieve the Soul King fragment while she was isolated.
And if Kakyō happened to die in the process? Even better.
The Tsunayashiro family had studied the Dangai longer than the Dangai itself had existed.
They even knew how to manipulate the Dangai's natural "cleaners"—the Kōtotsu—to some extent.
When the Kido Corps began restricting the Kōtotsu's movements during their repairs, Yōtō and his team planned to tamper with it further, enabling it to break through their control.
As they scouted for the Kōtotsu, they sensed something.
"Lord Yōtō, we've detected an approaching Reiatsu signature. A Shinigami is heading this way," one of the black-cloaked men reported.
"Good. The sooner they discover the problem, the less time we waste," Yōtō replied.
The Tsunayashiro agents cloaked themselves in spiritual camouflage.
—
The barrier repairs were progressing smoothly.
Kakyō was full of energy. Now that she'd passed her graduation exam, she was eager to join the Kido Corps and prove herself.
After a long day, the Kido Corps leader announced a half-hour break.
"Kakyō, congrats!" Azashiro Kana approached cheerfully. "Sakai-sensei told me you passed your exam!"
"Only because the examiners went easy on me," Kakyō laughed, clearly thrilled by the outcome.
"Once we wrap this up, we're heading straight back to the dojo. You know the tradition—sensei's cooking is the best!" Kana's eyes gleamed with anticipation, clearly imagining the celebratory feast.
This was a long-standing tradition in their dojo: every time a disciple graduated, the teacher personally prepared a banquet.
Just then, a guard stationed near the anomaly shouted,
"Alert! Foreign Reiatsu detected… Hollows incoming!"
Kana immediately turned serious. "Stay close. Don't wander too far," she instructed Kakyō.
To her, Kakyō's strength was average—someone who needed protection.
Kakyō was skilled in Kidō, but in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, and Shunpo, she was only at the level of a standard corps member.
"Defensive positions!"
When Kana reached the scene, she saw a gaping tear in the Dangai's wall.
From it emerged a humanoid Hollow with pink hair, a white mask, and a flowing white robe.
The moment the creature stepped through, a suffocating Reiatsu flooded the narrow corridor.
Kana instantly broke into a cold sweat.
This Hollow's Reiatsu was terrifying—its form nearly indistinguishable from a human.
A Vasto Lorde.
The guards around her trembled in fear, none daring to draw their swords.
The Hollow's keen instincts zeroed in on Kana, recognizing her as the strongest among them. It directed the full weight of its spiritual pressure onto her.
She felt her body sink under the pressure, but didn't flinch—her hand calmly moved to her blade.
If she hadn't trained under her teacher in Reiatsu suppression, she wouldn't have been able to draw her sword at all.
"I've been meaning to study the Dangai for a while now, but I kept getting sidetracked," the Vasto Lorde chuckled under its mask. "Now that I've found this lovely gap in the barrier, it's the perfect opportunity. Saves me a lot of effort."
"Send word to Seireitei! A Vasto Lorde has entered the Dangai!" Kana shouted to the others.
Her palm was already slick with sweat. She wouldn't last long in a direct fight.
"R-right!" one of the guards reached for his Denreishinki.
Thump.
A low thud echoed.
The Vasto Lorde vanished in an instant—and reappeared beside the guard holding the communicator.
"Tut tut. I still have experiments to run. Can't have Seireitei interfering too early," it said cheerfully, holding up a severed head.
The head belonged to the Shinigami who'd tried to call for help. The torn flesh at the neck made it clear: the head had been ripped off by sheer force.
And due to residual Reiatsu, the Shinigami hadn't died instantly. His terrified expression twisted in pain as he tried to call out.
"Ah… ah…"
But his voice box had been destroyed—only guttural moans escaped.
"You damn Hollow!" Kana yelled, enraged by the look in her subordinate's eyes.
"Taste this—Shishoku!"
Shing!
As her sword left the sheath, a pale blue arc of light exploded outward.
Years of refinement had transformed Kana's technique—her blade was faster than ever.
So fast that even Vice-Captain Iba couldn't catch it.
Zzzzzzz…
A screech of metal-on-metal rang out.
Kana's eyes widened.
The blade of her Flowlight had been stopped—by the Hollow's fingertips.
It had blocked her attack using just its nails.
Kana instantly recalled her teacher's lecture about Hierro—a technique that hardened the skin using Reiatsu.
Only the most powerful Vasto Lorde-class Hollows possessed it.
She quickly realized the situation: this Vasto Lorde was far beyond her.
"This one's strong. We'll need to work together and buy time for reinforcements!" Kana called out urgently.
"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!"
Six rods of light appeared mid-air and struck the Vasto Lorde's waist, binding him.
The Kido Corps leader had joined the fray.
"Now! Attack!" the leader ordered.
"Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō!"
Shinigami from the 3rd Division and the Kido Corps launched their spells.
Kakyō also joined in, casting her chantless Kidō:
"Hadō #31: Shakkahō!"
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Over thirty spells detonated in unison, engulfing the corridor in smoke and dust.
Kana narrowed her eyes. Within the smoke, she saw a flicker of purple light.
"Shinigami... come bask in the brilliance of Lord Szayelaporro's gift," a teasing voice echoed through the haze.
Kana's eyes widened.
"Move! It's a Cero!" she shouted.
A massive purple beam shot out of the smoke, tearing through the corridor.
Gran Rey Cero.
BOOOOM!
The explosion dwarfed anything the Shinigami had conjured. The entire Dangai corridor trembled.
In its wake—carnage.
Bodies lay strewn across the ground. Survivors clung to life by a thread.
Kana, now breathing heavily, drew her blade once more.
"Senmai-Oroshi: Flowlight!"
SHING!
Her sword gleamed with azure light, unleashing hundreds of slashes in a flurry.
But Szayelaporro raised his hand, blocking the strikes with ease.
The storm of blade light crashed against him with a clang of steel-on-steel.
Even though Kana's technique had improved greatly since she'd used it against Kuchiki Sōjun, it barely left scratches.
"Oooh... was that your special move?" Szayelaporro licked the blood from his palm. "Not bad!"
Just then, a deep rumble echoed through the corridor.
"That sound... the Kōtotsu?" Szayelaporro turned his head, intrigued. "Interesting... I've always wanted to study that thing."
"Guess I'll deal with you first," he grinned at Kana.
The next instant, he was behind her—his hand gripped her neck.
"Judgment: Enma."
A mirror appeared before him.
From it, a black mist surged forward.
Szayelaporro didn't dodge—he was curious.
The mist wrapped around him—and he froze.
"It worked!" Kakyō gasped.
What she didn't know was that her Breath of Yomi had triggered something deeper.
Deep within Szayelaporro, another consciousness stirred.
Holding his head, he muttered:
"Yylfordt… why are you awake…?"
Kana seized the opportunity—she slammed a kick into Szayelaporro's mask, breaking free.
She landed hard, gasping for air—he had nearly crushed her windpipe.
Her mind raced. She couldn't win through brute strength. They needed a plan.
The rumbling grew louder—Kōtotsu was approaching.
Kana re-sheathed her blade—then drew again.
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
She unleashed another flurry of blade-light strikes, cutting dozens of shallow wounds across Szayelaporro.
But he was too distracted—battling Yylfordt's awakening within himself.
"Fools..." he growled. The black mist had reawakened his sleeping brother's will.
But these cuts were meaningless. He just needed to regain control.
BOOM!
A radiant light burst from the far side of the Dangai.
Kōtotsu had arrived.
Szayelaporro finally forced Yylfordt's will back down—but discovered a new problem.
His movements had become sluggish.
It felt like a veil separated him from his body.
Still, his Reiatsu was strong. He could break through.
But by then—the Kōtotsu was already upon them.
"DAMN IT!!!"
Just as he broke free from the internal resistance—
Kōtotsu swallowed him whole.
Kana and Kakyō barely had time to breathe—
Two long white whips wrapped around them.
They were caught in Kōtotsu's turbulence, dragged along into the swirling vortex.