"Wh-what's happening...?"
Yet Reno felt no satisfaction or excitement. Instead, he stared in terror at something behind him...
Reno turned in terror, only to discover that two pitch-black chains had coiled around his legs. It was these chains that had prevented his earlier attack from striking Rukia, merely tearing her Shinigami robes and exposing her!
Following the chains' path, Reno's pupils constricted sharply when he traced their origin.
"How is this possible?"
The chains emerged from the Gate of Hell—a sight Reno refused to believe. How could chains extend from within the Gate of Hell and seize him? There was no such thing in his memories!
"Awoo~" Regardless of the truth, Reno knew he couldn't let the chains hold him any longer. He whirled around, his claws slashing fiercely at the chains.
Clang! A crisp metallic clang rang out, accompanied by a flash of sparks. To Reno's horror, his attack hadn't even left a scratch on the chains!
Creak... Reno's attack failed, and the chains emitted a grinding sound as they began to move, slowly dragging him toward the Gate of Hell.
"Awoo~" No matter how Reno howled in rage, roared in defiance, or frantically attacked the chains, the pitch-black chains remained unbroken, relentlessly pulling him toward the Gate of Hell.
Rukia clutched the edges of her Shinigami robes, concealing her delicate, rabbit-like breasts, and watched with lingering fear as Reno was dragged closer and closer to the Gate of Hell.
"Hmph~ Vile soul! You deserve to fall into Hell!" Rukia huffed, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. After all, this was the first time anyone had seen her completely naked.
For this very reason, Rukia etched Reno's face into her memory. A woman never forgets the first person to witness her exposed body.
"Awooo~" Reno knew his struggles were futile; he couldn't escape his fate of falling into Hell. But even in Hell, he wouldn't let Rukia, the one who had sent him there, off easy. He twisted around, opened his mouth, and began to condense a Cero.
The crimson Cero materialized in Reno's mouth in an instant, coalescing, compressing, and solidifying until fully formed. With a final surge, Reno unleashed the Cero at Rukia.
Watching the overwhelmingly powerful Cero hurtle toward her, Rukia realized she couldn't even muster the slightest movement to dodge. She could only stare in despair as the Cero threatened to engulf her.
Just as Rukia closed her eyes, bracing for death, a slender figure suddenly flashed before her. A Zanpakuto was drawn, casually blocking the Cero.
Bang! In the next instant, Reno's Cero slammed violently against the newcomer's Zanpakuto—or more precisely, against its scabbard. The Cero was immediately blocked, unable to advance even an inch, its energy relentlessly pressing against the scabbard.
With a casual flick of her Zanpakuto, the graceful figure deflected Reno's Cero completely, sending it exploding violently to the side.
"Damn it! Who the hell is that?" Reno cursed inwardly. As he was dragged into Hell, he finally caught a glimpse of the newcomer's face—a familiar face.
Reno's burning rage instantly dissolved into nothingness. In the final moment before the Gate of Hell slammed shut, he murmured, "Mother...?"
Bang! The Gate of Hell slammed shut before Reno could finish his sentence. Moments later, it shattered like a mirror and vanished into thin air.
"Captain... Captain Retsu Unohana..." Rukia murmured, opening her eyes in astonishment. She realized her savior was none other than Retsu Unohana, Captain of the Fourth Division.
"Rukia! Are you alright?" Retsu Unohana asked with a gentle smile.
"I... I'm fine! Thank you for saving me, Captain Unohana!" Rukia replied respectfully.
"It's nothing! I sensed the opening of the Gate of Hell and came to investigate. Rukia, could you tell me what just happened?"
Retsu Unohana smiled gently, having coincidentally passed by the area. However, she was deeply concerned that the Hollow pulled into the Gate of Hell had still been able to attack, so she immediately questioned Rukia.
"N-no problem!" Rukia replied quickly.
"I heard Hollows often attack here, so I secretly came alone to train my combat skills..."
At this point, Rukia's face flushed with embarrassment, but she still confessed everything without holding back.
She recounted how she had nearly been killed by the Hollow, how it was suddenly struck by lightning, how she seized the opportunity to kill it, how the Gate of Hell appeared, how the Hollow revived, how it fled, how she intercepted it, how it almost hit her again, how chains emerged, and finally, how the Hollow unleashed a Cero before Captain Retsu Unohana saved her.
"I see..." Retsu Unohana murmured, lowering her head in thought. Rukia, unfamiliar with the Gate of Hell, remained unaware, but Unohana knew all too well. Ever since Reno's rebirth, the Gate of Hell had become fundamentally different.
In contrast, Retsu Unohana paid no attention to Reno's ability to resurrect. Having been dragged into the Gate of Hell, she was certain he was finished.
"Rukia, you must be shaken! Let's return."
Suppressing her lingering questions, Retsu Unohana turned to Rukia and removed her Fourth Division captain's haori, wrapping it around Rukia to prevent any further accidental exposure.
"Captain Unohana..." Rukia exclaimed, startled and unsure how to react. This was the captain's own garment!
"Hurry now! I have urgent matters to report to the Captain-Commander," Retsu Unohana said with a smile.
"Ah... yes, Captain Unohana!" Rukia nodded immediately, and the two returned together.
In the endless darkness, occasional flashes of crimson light pierced the gloom. Reno had no idea which corner of Hell the chains were dragging him to, only that the journey was punctuated by bone-chilling screams that echoed through the abyss.
Ah...
The constant wails did nothing to interrupt Reno's thoughts, which remained fixed on that single moment: the instant he had seen Retsu Unohana.
Even though Reno knew Retsu Unohana wasn't his biological mother, seeing her still made him feel like she was.
To be honest, a major reason Reno had grown to love Bleach was to catch another glimpse of his mother.
In his previous life, Reno's mother had looked exactly like Retsu Unohana. But she had passed away two years ago, so Reno's longing for her was what drew him to Bleach.
"To be able to see Mother one last time..."
As Reno thought this, a dark thought surfaced. Retsu Unohana had ultimately saved Rukia, the very person who had condemned him to Hell.
If I ever escape Hell, I'll definitely make Retsu Unohana submit beneath me!
"What am I even thinking...?"
Reno immediately shook his head, his mind still filled with images of Retsu Unohana naked and being ravished by him.
It seems the lingering influence of Arizawa Shiro's memories is still too strong!
Even as he reasoned such the dark thought, like poison, continued to consume him.
Clang, clang—the sound of chains being pulled finally ceased...