In the quiet confines of the First Division meeting room, Satou Kazuma and Yamamoto sat across from each other, the air heavy with tension.
"That's the truth of it," Kazuma said, his voice low. "Kensei Muguruma was betrayed, ambushed by his own subordinate, Kaname Tosen! As for Aizen—we had eyes on him, Shunsui even saw him this afternoon. The squad reports swear he never left the Fifth Division barracks during the incident."
Yamamoto frowned, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening. "Does that mean Aizen has nothing to do with this?!"
Kazuma shook his head, a grim smile touching his lips. "Yamamoto, you forget the true nature of Aizen's Zanpakutō. Do you really believe the man your squads and Shunsui saw was the real Aizen?"
The reality of it hit Yamamoto like a physical blow, his grip tightening on his cane.
"So that is his game! What is the Ninth Division's current situation?"
"Captain Kensei isn't in any mortal danger," Kazuma replied. "Aizen doesn't intend to kill them, he intends to use them."
"Use them?!"
"He's researching an artifact called the 'Hōgyoku,' which requires a staggering amount of Shinigami souls to fuel its development, explaining the recent disappearances in the Rukongai. He's also exploring the boundaries of Hollow power, and they injected a Hollow's essence directly into Kensei's body! By now, Kensei are likely undergoing Hollowfication."
Yamamoto's eyes narrowed. "What of the squad members who accompanied them?"
Kazuma looked away for a moment. "Only those with the spiritual fortitude of a Vice-Captain or higher can survive the process. If they master it, their strength will multiply, but the ordinary seated officers didn't stand a chance!"
...
In a dense, shadowed forest on the outskirts of the Rukongai, Shinji Hirako, Love Aikawa, and Rōjūrō "Rose" Ōtoribashi dashed toward the incident site, their breath catching in their throats.
They broke through the tree line into Kensei's camp, only to freeze.
The scene was a nightmare!
The bodies of the Ninth Division advance team littered the torn earth, their blood staining the grass.
The group searched the wreckage in a panic, but found no trace of Kensei.
Night deepened around them, and a pair of hollow, crimson eyes suddenly pierced the darkness, followed by a crushing, suffocating Spiritual Pressure!
Caught off guard, a brutal strike hit Love, launching him through the trees with a sickening crack.
As the dust settled, Shinji and Rose stared in horror at their attacker.
It was Kensei!
A bone-white Hollow mask clung to his face, stripping away the friend they knew and leaving only a starving predator, his expression dead.
Before they could process the sight, Kensei charged!
Shinji and Rose fell back, their voices cracking as they screamed his name, desperate to reach whatever humanity was left inside him.
But Kensei only roared back, his strength breaking his usual limits as he battered their defenses, pushing them to the brink.
Shinji gritted his teeth, refusing to draw his blade on his brother.
This was an internal tragedy, and they would not kill their own! Forced to adapt, they shifted tactics.
Shinji, Love, and Rose coordinated feint attacks, throwing themselves into harm's way to draw Kensei's primal rage and buy precious seconds for Hachigen Ushōda.
"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!" Hachigen yelled, his hands trembling as he slammed six rods of light into Kensei's torso.
A heartbeat later, Kensei let out a distorted, inhuman shriek, his Reiatsu flaring and shattering the binding spell to dust!
"He broke a level sixty-one Kidō?!" Rose gasped, stumbling back.
Seeing the spell fail, panic edged into Hachi's voice. "Everyone, buy me more time! I need to prepare a level ninety-nine spell!"
Shinji and the others dove back into the fray, their bodies aching as they stalled the masked brawler.
"Bakudō Number Ninety-Nine: Kin!"
Spiritual fabric wrapped tight around Kensei, pinning him to the earth.
After a bitter, exhausting struggle, they managed to restrain Kensei. They collapsed onto the grass, panting and exchanging relieved glances.
Then, the world went pitch black.
"Bankai: Suzumushi Tsuishiki - Enma Kōrogi."
Kaname Tosen struck from the void.
"Tosen!" Rose roared into the darkness, his voice thick with disbelief. "You betrayed Kensei?! You caused this?!"
The only answer was the cold bite of steel.
Blood sprayed hot across the grass as Tosen's blade tore through flesh, leaving Shinji, Rose, Love, and Hachi to collapse, crying out in pain.
As the darkness lifted, the four injured Shinigami knelt in the dirt, clutching their bleeding wounds.
Two more figures stepped from the shadows: Sōsuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru.
"You guessed wrong, Rose," Aizen said, his voice quiet and even. "Tosen does not possess the capability for such a grand design."
Shinji coughed, he clutched his torn shoulder, his eyes burning with a betrayed fury as he stared up at his lieutenant.
"Aizen! I knew there was something wrong with you, I kept you by my side to watch you, and I still couldn't guard against this! Are you starting a rebellion?!"
"Rebellion? No," Aizen replied, looking down at them with chilling, detached pity. "I am pursuing a higher state of existence, and the decaying higher-ups of the Soul Society obstruct my path. I am merely using this method to clear the way."
"You're naive!" Shinji spat, struggling to stay upright. "You think you can change the world like this? The power of the Soul Society is not something you can challenge!"
"The power of the Soul Society?" Aizen scoffed, a dark amusement in his eyes. "It is the stagnant authority of decaying old men who have lost the drive to ascend. I alone will lead the Soul Society to new heights!"
"You madman," Rose ground out, gripping his sword hilt with trembling hands. "You will pay the price for this!"
"Price? That depends on whether you have the power to collect it. For now, you will all serve as my stepping stones." Aizen drew his blade, stepping over the fallen captains.
A dense Spiritual Pressure flared at the edge of the clearing!
Everyone turned to see two figures emerge from the tree line: Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi.
Kisuke's usual easygoing smile was gone, replaced by a grim, heavy silence as he took in the broken bodies of his comrades.
"Aizen," Kisuke said, his voice tight. "Your plan ends here!"
Aizen looked at the new arrivals, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Kisuke. I didn't expect you to arrive so soon. It seems this night will be interesting after all."
He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Captain Urahara, step back," Tessai commanded, crossing his arms to gather a massive charge of Reishi.
"I will handle this villain! Hadō#88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"
A colossal beam of electrical energy ripped through the forest, illuminating the terrified faces of the wounded!
"Dankū," Aizen chanted, skipping the incantation.
An invisible wall of defense stopped the Grand Kidō Chief's spell dead in its tracks.
In the blinding flash of the impact, Aizen, Gin, and Tosen vanished into the night.
Before Kisuke or Tessai could pursue, a viscous white liquid bubbled from Shinji and the others' mouths!
Their screams tore through the silent forest, their faces contorting in pure agony as the Hollowfication accelerated.
"This is bad!" Kisuke muttered, his eyes widening.
Abandoning the pursuit, Kisuke dropped to his knees in the mud, his hands hovering over Shinji's thrashing body.
Catching Aizen didn't matter anymore, keeping his friends alive did!