Back at First Division headquarters, Kazuma had been sitting motionless with his eyes closed.
They snapped open.
A sharp glint flashed through them.
"So the four old bastards finally showed themselves."
He knew that reiatsu.
There was no mistaking it.
The Tsunayashiro founder had entered Soul Society.
Kazuma vanished from his office.
A moment later, he appeared beside Shunsui and the others just in time to watch the enormous hand disappear with Tokinada.
He made no attempt to stop it.
Shunsui glanced at him, his expression grave.
"Captain-Commander… what was that?"
If even Kazuma had been drawn here personally, whoever had intervened was clearly no ordinary enemy.
Kazuma looked up at the closing fissure.
"That was the founder of the Tsunayashiro Clan."
"What?!"
Shunsui and the others had already heard Kazuma's story.
Hearing about the ancient founders was one thing.
Seeing proof with their own eyes was another.
And after watching that hand tear through the barrier and casually neutralize Shunsui's attack, they finally understood just how powerful those ancient monsters truly were.
"So the four old bastards really did come back."
Kazuma frowned.
"Looks like they have no idea what condition I'm in. Otherwise, we'd probably already be fighting again."
He'd stayed behind at the First Division specifically to watch for Yhwach.
Instead, the first threat to show itself was the Tsunayashiro founder.
Shunsui was still thinking about the enormous hand that had taken Tokinada.
"Captain-Commander, what do we do now?"
If the Tsunayashiro founder was that powerful, and there were three more like him, then Soul Society had a serious problem.
"What do we do? Hell if I know."
Kazuma answered irritably, then quickly pulled himself together.
"All seated officers and regular division members involved in the operation will remain here and handle cleanup."
He looked toward the captains.
"Everyone else returns to the First Division immediately."
With that, Kazuma vanished in Shunpo.
Shunsui and the others exchanged glances before deciding to find Unohana and return together.
...
"Captain Unohana, I assume you saw what just happened?"
Shunsui asked the question, then immediately realized how stupid it sounded.
Unohana narrowed her eyes at him.
"What kind of question is that? Do you think I suddenly went blind?"
Shunsui gave an awkward laugh.
"Well… the Captain-Commander confirmed that the giant hand belonged to the Tsunayashiro founder. He's ordered us back to the First Division for an emergency meeting."
Unohana's stare sharpened.
"And you waited until now to mention that?"
She vanished before he could answer.
Shunsui rubbed his nose.
"My, my…"
He really should have led with the important part.
...
"Everyone."
Back inside the First Division, Kazuma stood before the assembled captains and lieutenants.
"I assume you all saw that enormous hand appear over Soul Society."
The room gradually quieted.
"That was the work of the Tsunayashiro founder."
The remaining murmurs stopped.
"A stronger and far more dangerous enemy has now entered the picture. The Seireitei is already dealing with enough problems, so from this point onward, I want everyone on heightened alert."
The mood in the room changed immediately.
Byakuya stepped forward.
"Captain-Commander, how strong is the Tsunayashiro founder?"
"If we understand what level of power we're facing, we can prepare accordingly."
Kazuma nodded.
"Then I should explain something first."
"As everyone here knows, Shinigami reiatsu can be divided into twenty tiers. Most seated officers fall somewhere between Tiers Nineteen and Seven. Lieutenants generally range from Tiers Six to Four."
"Once someone reaches Tier Three or above, they normally possess the spiritual power required to learn Bankai and enter the captain class."
Kazuma paused and gave Rukia a meaningful glance.
"Normally."
Rukia's current strength had long since stopped following ordinary standards after receiving his star power.
Kazuma continued.
"For most of Soul Society's history, Tier One has been considered the upper limit of Shinigami reiatsu."
"Captain Unohana, Batsu'unsai, and former Captain-Commander Yamamoto all reached that level."
His expression hardened slightly.
"And so did Aizen Sōsuke before he betrayed Soul Society."
Several people listened more closely.
"But Tier One isn't the true limit."
"There's another level above it."
Kazuma paused.
"The transcendent tier."
A few expressions changed.
"Once you cross that threshold, you begin touching the laws that govern the world itself. At that level, a person can start influencing and wielding those forces directly."
Hitsugaya couldn't contain his curiosity.
"Captain-Commander…"
He hesitated, then asked, "Is there another level above the transcendent tier?"
Several people immediately looked at Kazuma.
Clearly, Hitsugaya wasn't the only one wondering.
Kazuma nodded.
"There is."
Then he looked directly at him.
"But Tōshirō, that's not something you need to worry about yet."
Hitsugaya stiffened.
"First, get your own reiatsu to Tier One."
Kazuma gestured toward Hyōrinmaru.
"Hyōrinmaru is considered the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō in Soul Society. If you keep developing it, there's no reason you can't eventually reach the same heights as Old Man Yama."
"But right now, you're nowhere near bringing out everything Hyōrinmaru can do."
Hitsugaya's face flushed.
"Understood, Captain-Commander."
He immediately regretted asking.
He should have kept his mouth shut!
Kazuma looked around the room again.
"Now that you understand the scale, you should have a better idea of what kind of opponent the Tsunayashiro founder is."
This was the first time Kazuma had explained the existence of this higher tier so openly to the captains.
The room fell into thought.
After a moment, Shunsui spoke.
"Then the Tsunayashiro founder is a transcendent-class opponent."
He considered the implications.
"And by that same standard, you, Captain Unohana, former Captain-Commander Yamamoto, and Captain Batsu'unsai should all be at that level too."
Shunsui visibly relaxed.
From his perspective, the numbers suddenly looked much better.
The four noble founders had four transcendent fighters.
Soul Society also had four.
And beneath them stood the rest of the Gotei 13 captains.
Shunsui smiled.
As far as he was concerned—they had the advantage!