(T/N: This is chapter 6 out of 6!
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The members of the Tsunayashiro family stood before the Kōtotsu, its movements restrained by a complex sealing formation.
Two of them stepped forward and activated a special ritual, adjusting the Kōtotsu's configuration.
Moments later, the ritual was complete.
"Lord Yōtō! Everything is ready. The sealing technique from the Kido Corps won't be able to hold the Kōtotsu for much longer!"
They had boosted the Kōtotsu's propulsion power to help it break through the constraints imposed by the Kido Corps.
"Good. Once the Kōtotsu eliminates Kakyō, we'll immediately retrieve the Spirit King Fragment."
The Tsunayashiro clan intended to oversee the operation directly.
The Kōtotsu was the cleaner of the Dangai, encased in a stream of raging time. Anyone struck by it would be swept into the current.
They had to ensure Kakyō wouldn't be cast too far into the temporal flow—otherwise, even they might not be able to locate the Spirit King Fragment within her.
However, something unexpected occurred: a powerful Vasto Lorde-class Hollow appeared in the Dangai and disrupted their entire plan.
The cloaked Tsunayashiro members, concealed from view, silently watched the battle unfold between the Hollow and the Shinigami.
"Lord Yōtō… things seem to be slipping from our control," one of the black-robed figures muttered.
"Heh. Weren't you the one who claimed the plan was foolproof? Seems like it's falling apart," Tsunayashiro Tokinada sneered sarcastically.
"Shut up!" Tsunayashiro Yōtō snapped. "Even if Kakyō gets killed by that Vasto Lorde, we'll find another chance to recover the fragment!"
But the tide of battle shifted again. The Vasto Lorde that had been overwhelming the Shinigami was suddenly restrained—by none other than Azashiro Kana and Kakyō.
At that very moment, the Kōtotsu burst through the passage.
"This Hollow's useless—it couldn't even kill a Spiritual Arts Academy student!" Yōtō clicked his tongue. "There's no time. Grab Kakyō and that other disciple of Katori Nanatsuki, and toss them into the temporal stream."
He planned to drag Azashiro Kana into the time flow as well.
Katori Nanatsuki had repeatedly disrupted the Tsunayashiro family's plans, and most of those plans had been under Yōtō's management. These failures had already eroded his standing within the clan.
He hated Nanatsuki with a passion. Now that he had a chance to kill one of Nanatsuki's other disciples, he wasn't about to waste it.
"Yes, sir!" the black-robed subordinates responded.
The Tsunayashiro family had conducted extensive research into the Kōtotsu—even its surrounding temporal torrent could be influenced to a limited extent.
They had ways to avoid being swept into the deeper layers of the time stream.
The moment the Kōtotsu arrived, they slipped into its outermost edge.
At the same time, two black-robed operatives threw out white whips that dragged Kakyō and Azashiro Kana into the temporal torrent.
As for Szayelaporro, who had been left unattended, he was struck by the Kōtotsu and thrown deeper into the time stream, vanishing without a trace.
After receiving a message from Kotetsu Ayane, Katori Nanatsuki rushed into the Dangai.
Upon seeing the scene, his heart sank.
The Shinigami had suffered severe casualties.
Worse yet, Nanatsuki couldn't sense the Reiatsu of Azashiro Kana or Kakyō, which filled him with dread.
Unohana Retsu was also present, leading a squad of medical division Shinigami to treat the wounded.
"Captain Unohana, what's the situation?" Nanatsuki approached her.
"The Kido Corps has taken heavy losses. It's not looking good," she replied while healing a patient. "What exactly happened here?"
"He's the Kido Corps' squad leader. If you want details, you can ask him," Unohana gestured toward a nearby Shinigami.
Nanatsuki noticed that Sakai-sensei was also among the injured, lying near the Kido Corps leader.
She was unconscious, and a healer was using Kaido to treat her.
"Master Katori, you're here too!"
"I came to check on things. Please continue the treatment," Nanatsuki nodded to the healer and examined Sakai-sensei's wounds.
He immediately sensed traces of Hollow Reishi in her injuries.
"A Cero..." Nanatsuki frowned.
Judging by the nature of the wounds, he quickly identified them as damage caused by an explosion.
Sakai-sensei had been among those casting Hadō at Szayelaporro. She had been caught in the Vasto Lorde's counterattack—a Cero blast.
The Kido Corps leader sat nearby, also being healed, though he remained conscious.
Nanatsuki had met this squad leader before when he visited the Kido Corps to reminisce with Ushada Hakugen, so the two were acquainted.
"Let me help," Nanatsuki took over the treatment. "Yoshino-kun, what exactly happened in the Dangai? Why were the losses so great?"
"Master Katori…" the squad leader looked guilty. "I must apologize. I failed to protect your student."
"You're being too harsh on yourself," Nanatsuki shook his head. "Missions can always go wrong. I sensed Hollow Reiatsu in your wounds. Did you encounter a powerful Hollow?"
"Yes, we encountered a powerful Vasto Lorde. He called himself Szayelaporro, and his strength was overwhelming. He fired a single Cero and caused massive damage."
The squad leader shivered as he recalled the horror.
Szayelaporro's Cero was immensely powerful, and in the cramped space of the Dangai, there was no room to evade—its destructive force was fully unleashed.
"Szayelaporro..." Nanatsuki frowned. He recognized the name. One of the future Espada, created by Aizen Sōsuke.
He was indeed a formidable Hollow.
However, at this point in time, Aizen had not yet taken control of Las Noches, nor begun transforming Hollows into Arrancar. Szayelaporro should not yet be an Arrancar.
"Where are Azashiro Kana and Kakyō? And how did you drive off Szayelaporro?" Nanatsuki asked.
Even though Szayelaporro hadn't become an Arrancar yet, it didn't necessarily mean he was weaker than his future Espada form.
In fact, the transformation involved splitting, which weakened him substantially.
While his Arrancar form regained some strength through fusion, it was hard to say which version was stronger.
After all, the complete Szayelaporro had once been designated Espada No. 0 by Aizen.
Back in this era, he was one of the strongest in Hueco Mundo. Nanatsuki didn't believe the Shinigami present—especially not just the Kido Corps and the 3rd Division—could have driven him off on their own. Something else must have happened.
"Azashiro Kana, Kakyō, and that Vasto Lorde were all struck by the Kōtotsu. I believe they were swept into the temporal stream..." the squad leader said with a sigh. "If not for Kana and Kakyō restraining him, that Hollow wouldn't have been caught either."
"The rest of us only survived thanks to their efforts."
Nanatsuki's heart sank.
Being hit by the Kōtotsu meant being cast into the time flow.
If it was just a shallow current, they might reappear in a few days or months.
But if they were flung centuries forward—or back—their spiritual bodies might be torn apart by the turbulence.
"Why did the Kōtotsu show up in the first place? Weren't you reinforcing the Dangai's barrier? You should've sealed it off before starting repairs!" Nanatsuki frowned.
"That's what puzzles me!" the leader grimaced. "Our first priority upon arrival was sealing the Kōtotsu to prevent interference… but it somehow broke free."
"Did your sealing technique fail?"
"I checked—it was forcibly broken. I've never seen anything like it before."
He had been with the Kido Corps for over a century and had conducted many maintenance operations, so he was familiar with Kōtotsu-sealing protocols. What happened now, however, was unprecedented.
"This complicates things..." Nanatsuki muttered. "I have no idea where in time Kana and Kakyō were thrown."
"If they weren't dragged too deep, they won't have gone far," the squad leader reassured him.
The Dangai still required repairs, and the Kido Corps would send more squads to continue the work.
Nanatsuki remained behind, searching for Azashiro Kana and Kakyō.
He suspected they'd been swept away alongside Szayelaporro. If they resurfaced, they might end up encountering him again.
A few months later — somewhere in the Dangai
Several black-robed figures appeared inside a Dangai passage, accompanied by Azashiro Kana and Kakyō.
"Who are you people?" Kana grabbed Kakyō and stood protectively, her eyes wary.
Good luck or bad, it was unclear—but during their battle with Szayelaporro, the Kōtotsu had shown up.
They had been dragged into the time stream, thus escaping Szayelaporro's clutches.
Previously, Kana had thought the white whips that dragged them in were launched by Szayelaporro.
But it was these black-robed figures who had thrown them.
It now appeared these cloaked individuals had been watching from the shadows all along.
Kana didn't believe they were allies.
Anyone lurking in the Dangai and secretly observing Shinigami battles—then dragging two Shinigami into the time stream—clearly had ulterior motives.
"Are you Shinigami?" Kakyō asked.
"I'm your fiancé, Miss Kakyō!" Tsunayashiro Tokinada pulled back his hood, revealing a twisted grin.
He had long added her to his kill list—for daring to reject him.
"Tsunayashiro Tokinada!" Kana and Kakyō exclaimed in unison.
They never expected to see that face here.
"Enough talk. Retrieve the Spirit King Fragment!" Yōtō barked.
He wasn't sure how far the Vasto Lorde had been flung. To avoid complications, the best move was to recover the fragment immediately.
"You're Vice Dean Tsunayashiro!" Kakyō recognized his voice.
"It was you! You destroyed the seal on the Kōtotsu—that's why it appeared!" she said, shaken.
She had been working with the Kido Corps examiners the past few days and was well aware that the Kōtotsu had been sealed to prevent interference with the repair work.
But it had suddenly appeared—and now, seeing these men, she realized it had all been a trap set by the Tsunayashiro family.
All because she had refused to marry into their clan.
She didn't even know Tokinada personally—her rejection should've been expected. But instead, they had schemed to kill her.
It was vicious beyond reason.
And worse—her senior, Azashiro Kana, had been dragged into it too.
Kakyō felt guilty.
"So it really was you!" Kana stepped forward, drawing her blade.
A flash of Flowlight burst from her sheath, streaking toward Yōtō.
Clang!
"You dare flaunt your skills in front of me, little Seated Officer?" Yōtō raised his blade and blocked the strike.
He was once a Vice-Captain in his youth—a seasoned veteran. He didn't consider Kana a threat.
Besides, several of the Tsunayashiro elites present were no weaker than Vice-Captains themselves.
Few noble houses in the Soul Society could assemble such a team.
Against one Seated Officer and a yet-to-graduate student? It should've been an easy victory.
But the very next instant—another, even brighter flash of light arrived from deep within the Dangai.
Shlick—!
Yōtō's sneer froze. He felt a chill at his throat, and the world began to spin.
Before he could react, the radiant strike severed his neck.
His head flew into the air.
As it hit the ground, he watched—still conscious—as blood sprayed from his headless body.
His lingering Reiatsu kept him alive momentarily, but with a shattered throat, he could no longer speak.
'That blade... is it Nanatsuki's?'
'How… did he arrive so quickly...?'
Yōtō's final thoughts faded as a gentle voice echoed from above:
"Since you're so tired of living, allow me to send you off."
A foot stepped from the shadows—and crushed his head underfoot.