Several hours later.

After escaping the area, Silas made it to the hidden location Yoruichi informed him about. Since he had concealed his spiritual pressure, he managed to arrive without being followed.

Zaraki's earlier arrival was beyond his expectations. Whether Uryū failed in his mission or it was Aizen who had sent Zaraki, Silas was by no means going to entangle himself with a captain like that. If those two were to fight, there would be no telling how much destruction they would cause.

"You finally made it," a deep voice said from the shadows. Yoruichi, still in her cat form, came out to greet him.

"What have you heard?" Silas calmly asked.

Yoruichi explained that although it's only been less than twenty-four hours since their arrival in the Soul Society, both Uryū and him have been causing a ruckus. Neither of the two knew exactly where Uryū was. The plan was to have the Quincy make a disturbance in squad eleven's district. But considering that Zaraki and most of his squadron were still able, it could only mean that Uryū failed.

Silas kept his hopes up, believing that Uryū wouldn't be trodden down so easily. This news, however, was not what Silas was after. "A captain died recently," she said. There was only one captain who died during this arc. It was Aizen, but he wasn't truly dead; he had faked it with his Zanpakutō.1

Hearing this news gave Silas a sense of clarity about where he was in the story. Even better, he had an understanding of where Aizen was now. In the story, Aizen had hid himself in Central 46. If that were the case now, then every action on the surface would be periodically seen by him.

"Is that all?" Silas asked.

"No. I've located Rukia's whereabout after two lieutenants got into a scuffle."

Yoruichi was likely talking about Momo and Izuru. Momo would attack Gin, believing that he was the one to have killed Aizen. This would lead to both lieutenants being imprisoned, furthering the internal struggles between the thirteen court guard squads.

Silas decided to tell Yoruichi about his recent encounter. When she heard it, her slitted eyes widened with perplexity. To take on three lieutenants at once was an admirable feat. "I've got a bad feeling prickling my whiskers."

It was right of her to sense an impending doom lurking around the Soul Society. Silas began thinking about his next action until he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Yoruichi panicked, asking what was wrong. "It's nothing. Do you have any medicine?"

The cat gave a disconcerting look. There weren't any medical supplies in the area. And even if there were, Silas's condition was caused by having kept Enrakyōten active as Kyōka Suigetsu for this long. Yoruichi pleaded with Silas to stay hidden here while she went out for supplies.

This condition was not something that could be medically treated. Silas just needed Yoruichi gone.

He found a nearby wall to sit down on. Sunlight dripped through the cracks in the room, painting grotesque stripes across the concrete floor he was sitting on. He lifted up his gown to reveal Enrakyōten safely hidden away. Closing his eyes, he then rested his fingers on its hilt. When he sensed something nearby, a pulsating tumor of malice gnawed at the edges of his spirit.

Enrakyōten was standing directly in front of him.

Then silence. A slow, agonizing silence. Silas opened his eyes, daring to slowly lift his head. When their eyes met, the spirit's gaze was a nightmare. It wasn't a majestic warrior or benevolent spirit, but a spectral girl with hair like tangled seaweed and eyes like black pits. Its porcelain mask of a smile held the promise of slow, exquisite agony!

"You," it rasped, voice grinding of bones on stone. "The owner who claims dominion over a king's blade. You reek of despair and emo poetry."

Silas remained calm, but his throat was parched, feeling the intense pressure the sword carried. "Enrakyōten, I—"

The spirit cut him off with a giggle that sent shivers down his spine. "Oh, I've heard all your pathetic pleas and your grand pronouncements. You yearn for more of my power. But you're just a child playing dress-up in a borrowed cloak. To wield me, boy, means death."

She paced back and forth, each step echoing in the room. "You wield Zangetsu like a stolen toy, and now you lie there, begging for me?"

A slight smirk etched across Silas's face. Though he was feeling internal pain, he wasn't being affected by Enrakyōten's wordplay. The spirit said "pleas" and "begging". Not once had he done those things.

This was a test.

Enrakyōten stopped, its smile widening. "I've tasted truer darkness, souls blacker than your angst. You bore me, Hollow-wannabe. Give me one reason why I shouldn't devour you where you lie and claim your spirit as my morsal."

Silas's bravado piqued. A cold, primal urge crawled up his throat. He saw glimpses of the Zanpakutō's true potential, the likes of which no Soul Reaper or man from earth could ever imagine. Enrakyōten wasn't just a Zanpakutō, it was every Zanpakutō in existence!

"I can't offer you anything more than what you aren't already taking." When it heard that, it stared into Silas's eyes, drowning in his gaze. "I wonder how long it's been since you've caused chaos, since you've made souls scream your name."

Enrakyōten tilted its head, understanding what Silas was insinuating. It was like a predator, considering its prey. "Are you sure, little shadow? Or are you just playing with fire you can't control?"

Silas's expression became serious. His eyes showed confidence and a lack of mercy toward anything standing in his path. Even if that same thing was a Zanpakutō. "Let's find out," he whispered, the taste of ash already coating his tongue.

Enrakyōten's smile sharpened even more. "Very well," it hissed. Its form then flickered like a dying flame, leaving behind the words, "Let's paint the canvas red before you die, shall we?"

The sword hummed a dark song, unwrapping some of its spiritual tendrils around Silas's soul. The spirit by no means made a promise not to spare his life. Rather, it slowed down the process. Deep down inside, Silas understood that if it were to get on Enrakyōten's bad side, it would once again hasten his demise.

1 His faked death actually happened one day later.