The division barracks were quiet.
On the surface, everything looked normal.
But behind the desk, sorting through reports, Matsumoto Rangiku had her brows drawn tight. After skimming several intelligence files sent from the Human World, her expression darkened further.
"Why… is it like this…?"
"It's only been a little over a month…"
"Narumaki City, Akita City, Chiba City… and more…"
"This is seriously wrong."
Her voice dropped as a chill ran down her spine.
"More than a dozen Shinigami stationed in the Human World… have died under mysterious circumstances."
For a vice-captain, it wasn't just alarming—it was unprecedented.
Rangiku knew the Human World well. Hollows appeared there frequently, yes, but most were weak and posed limited threat. Even if the stationed Shinigami were mostly low-rank personnel—not even seated officers—they could usually handle routine patrols without difficulty.
In the past few decades, injuries had happened.
But deaths?
Almost none.
That was exactly why the moment Rangiku read these reports, her expression changed so violently.
In just a single month, a level of bloodshed had occurred that hadn't appeared in the last hundred years.
As the vice-captain of the Tenth Division, Rangiku felt the weight of responsibility press down on her.
And her instincts—sharp, almost frighteningly sharp—told her this wasn't an accident.
She could smell a conspiracy.
"But…"
"Is it coincidence… or is it too perfect?"
Her eyes swept through the files again, and her frown nearly knotted.
"Why are all the incidents…"
"happening in the small cities surrounding Karakura Town…"
"yet Karakura itself—the spiritually dense focal point—has been spared?"
The moment she noticed that detail, she became even more certain.
This wasn't random.
Someone was steering it.
A full-blown scheme.
Just as Rangiku was about to follow that line of reasoning deeper—
BANG!
The office door flew open.
Shiba Isshin strode in, fresh from being out.
"Captain Shiba—perfect timing!"
Rangiku stood up immediately, pushing the reports toward him.
"I was organizing the division paperwork, and the Human World reports… this is serious."
Isshin barely glanced at the first page before his eyes widened.
"Seriously?! Over ten deaths in a little more than a month?!"
"That's insane!"
The carefree, slacker-like captain who usually acted like nothing in the world could bother him…
was gone.
His expression hardened.
He snapped his head up and glared at her.
"Rangiku—why the hell are you only telling me now?!"
His tone was sharp—rarely so.
Rangiku didn't flinch.
She rolled her eyes and fired back instantly.
"Captain, you've got nerve saying that."
"You disappear every other day, skip work, and run off to who-knows-where."
"If you didn't dump everything on me like a shameless deadbeat, the division wouldn't be this behind!"
She didn't hold back at all.
She looked like she was one breath away from smacking him across the face.
And she wasn't wrong.
The only reason she had only just processed the Human World reports was because one person could only do so much.
She had to keep the Tenth Division running and manage paperwork and cover for her captain, who had effectively appointed himself a permanent "hands-off supervisor."
That negligence had indirectly allowed the deaths to pile up.
Allowed the killer in the Human World to slaughter unchecked.
Isshin exhaled hard, guilt flickering across his face.
"…You're right."
"This happened because I was careless."
"I'll own it. This is my fault."
He rubbed the back of his head, then looked up, eyes serious now.
"So what do we do?"
Rangiku's voice was low and steady.
Isshin's answer came without hesitation.
"We investigate. We dig until the truth is completely exposed."
"Until then…"
"I don't deserve to keep this captain's haori."
He didn't even wait for a reply.
He turned and started for the door.
Rangiku's eyes widened.
"Hey—wait!"
Isshin paused and looked back.
"Where are you going?"
"Where else? The Human World."
He forced a grin, trying to look relaxed.
But his eyes weren't relaxed at all.
"Instead of sitting here guessing and worrying, I'll go investigate myself."
"That's what a captain is supposed to do."
He even tried to throw on a cocky expression at the end—
but Rangiku could see through him instantly.
He was rushing because he knew this was dangerous.
He intended to go alone.
Rangiku stepped in front of him and cut him off.
"Captain, you forgot the rules."
"A captain can't go to the Human World whenever they feel like it."
"First you have to report to the First Division."
"After permission, you still need a limiter applied before the Senkaimon will let you through."
Her voice sharpened with urgency.
"I know you're worried about our people."
"But if you go without approval, the Captain-Commander will hold you responsible."
"And Central 46 will pile on too."
"Don't forget—Hueco Mundo expedition preparations are coming up. This is a sensitive period."
Isshin clenched his jaw.
"But if I can't investigate personally…"
"And someone else goes in my place and gets killed…"
"Then it's just making the mistake worse!"
He started to push past her.
He didn't care anymore.
And then Rangiku said one name.
Isshin froze.
His eyes widened—this time, with sudden hope.
"…Right."
Rangiku nodded, voice firm.
"He's a Third Seat in the Thirteenth Division."
"If he goes to the Human World, he doesn't need to file the same kind of request a captain does."
"And the Thirteenth Division is a purification division—they already take regular assignments in the Human World."
"So we go to Bai Chen."
"He's the best candidate. No question."
Isshin stared, then nodded hard.
Even if the "monster that hunts Shinigami in the rain" was far stronger than anything they'd faced before…
Isshin believed one thing instinctively:
Bai Chen would handle it.
The plan was decided.
Isshin abandoned the idea of sneaking into the Human World alone.
Instead, he rushed straight to the Thirteenth Division.
Not long after, in the Thirteenth Division—
with help from his nephew, Shiba Kaien, Isshin quickly met Bai Chen and explained everything: the deaths, the pattern, the fear spreading through the stationed Shinigami, and his own dilemma.
"A string of killings in the Human World…"
"A monster that hunts Shinigami on rainy nights…"
As Bai Chen listened, a familiar image surfaced in his mind immediately:
a black body… and sharp horns.
He let out a quiet laugh.
"So Aizen couldn't wait anymore."
"He's already triggered White's kill protocol."
In Bai Chen's memory, Hollow White shouldn't have started killing until decades later—after certain people had entered the Gotei 13.
The timeline didn't match.
Which meant only one thing:
His own recent actions had created another butterfly effect.
He had pressured Aizen hard enough to force a change of plans.
"Got spooked, did you?" Bai Chen sneered softly.
Isshin's voice turned pleading.
"You won't refuse me… right?"
He looked almost ready to swallow his pride and beg.
Bai Chen opened his mouth—
then suddenly paused.
He froze.
And then—
his expression shifted into unmistakable excitement.
Because at that exact moment, in his mind—
the system notification sounded again, the first since his successful sign-in at the Grand Library.
Ding!
New sign-in mission unlocked!
No time limit. Proceed to the Human World—Karakura Town. Reach the Visored Legion's stronghold and sign in.
Reward upon completion: Sage Mode (Hollowfication Advanced Version)!
Bai Chen's eyes sharpened.
"Sage Mode…?"
"And it's a system-modified version—an advanced hollowfication variant…"
After absorbing Soul King power and elevating his reiatsu…
this reward was pointing toward something even more extreme.
His gaze turned blazing hot.
"This is it…"
"This time, I'm going to break the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow—completely."
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