In the central courtyard of the Seireitei, Soul Reapers from different squadrons paced around.
"I can't explain how he fought," Shūhei said, conversing with Rangiku. Rangiku Matsumoto was the lieutenant of squad ten, serving under Tōshirō Hitsugaya. She has long and wavy blond hair, blue eyes, full lips, and a beauty mark located under the right side of her mouth. What was most known about her was her curvaceous figure. She was also once a lieutenant under Isshin Kurosaki.
The two were walking to the lieutenant compounds, waiting for their captains to arrive for instructions. Not long ago, an announcement was made regarding Aizen's supposed death.
In a confused look, Rangiku wondered what kind of Soul Reaper Silas was. "He sliced through a kidō spell with just his spiritual pressure, you said?"
"No. It wasn't spiritual pressure; it looked like a thin wave of light emitting from his Zanpakutō."
"Still fretting over that ryoka?" a voice from behind asked. When the two turned, they saw that it was Renji Abarai. "It's not like he beat you, you worrywart."
"I wouldn't say that," Shūhei mumbled. "It's just… What he exposed."
"What's that mean?" Rangiku asked. Renji had the same curious look as she did.
"It was like he wasn't even trying to fight us. Almost like he was polishing himself."
"I wish I was there to have fought him," Renji confessed, sliding the doors open to the lieutenant's compound. "I was busy running errands for my captain. Apparently some Quincy was causing a commotion in our—"
Before he could continue, he was interrupted by Tetsuzaemon's singing. "Oh, how saké fills me with delight. Oh how… Huh? You guys are late!" A red line streaked across Tetsuzaemon's face, indicating he was drunk. Rangiku sighed, stating that now was not the time to be drinking on the job. This only made Tetsuzaemon laugh, claiming that he saw her at a bar with another guy not long ago.
Following behind the three, a gruff voice interrupted their conversation. It was Marechiyo Ōmaeda, an obese Soul Reaper donning a large purple collar. Though he was written to be arrogant and proud of his rich family's position, his status as a lieutenant wasn't just for show.1
A half-eaten rice cracker jutting from his lips. "Heard you three talkin' 'bout that ryoka punk," he grumbled, wiping crumbs from his face. "What's the latest gossip? Did they finally manage to catch the bugger?"
Renji was going to reply until Retsu Unohana stepped into the room alongside her lieutenant, Isane Kotetsu. Retsu had the appearance of a slender and very youthful woman with blue eyes and long black hair braided down to the front of her. Though she might seem innocent, being in charge of the medical provisions that take place within the Seireitei, she is still the first Kenpachi. "Captain Tōsen is in charge of finding his whereabouts," she responded in a motherly tone.
Some of the lieutenants were a tad frightened by her sudden arrival. Isane, her lieutenant, was the complete opposite of Retsu, in both personality and appearance. "We just came to check on lieutenant Shūhei before the meeting, a request from Captain Tōsen."
Shūhei revealed that although he did suffer from injuries, they weren't fatal. What troubled Retsu, however, were the injuries he'd sustained. "I promise, Captain Unohana, I'm fine."
"That's the issue," she replied. "The cut carved into your chest wasn't ordinary. None of your wounds were."
"What does that mean?" Rangiku asked.
"It means the ryoka spared his private parts," Tetsuzaemon hiccupped.
Retsu explained to the group that Silas's attacks weren't at all lethal. At any time, he could have killed the three lieutenants during the fight. But he chose to aim for areas that were easy to treat. Even the deeper wounds were so carefully precise that it allowed Retsu's squadron to heal them with ease.
"How does that even make sense?" Renji asked. The concept wasn't difficult to understand. Silas might have come to where Rukia's confines were, but he purposefully chose to spar with the lieutenants, fleeing the area not just because of Zaraki's incoming presence but because he was finished fighting.
An ere atmosphere unfolded within the room. If Silas wasn't here for Rukia, and wasn't looking to kill, then who was responsible for Aizen's "death", and why were the ryoka truly present?
A tense silence descended upon the group as Retsu left. "You're not the only ones worried," someone said, entering the room. It was Nanao Ise, Shunsui Kyōraku's lieutenant in squad eight. She was a slim, youthful Soul Reaper with flat, black bangs pinned to the back of her head. She also wore oval glasses. "All of us are trying to make sense of it. We might not have valid proof or any evidence, but what the ryokas have done was... disturbing, to say the least."
Each lieutenant grappled with the implications of Nanao's words. The only lieutenants not present were Momo and Izuru, who had been imprisoned, Nemu Kurotsuchi, and Yachiru Kusajishi.
• • •
Only seven captains of the thirteen court guard squad gathered within the captain's assembly hall. The hall buzzed with a cacophony of broad speculations. Each captain, burdened by the weight of duty and responsibility, grappled with the unsettling truths that Silas was bringing to light. The harmony of the Soul Society felt fractured, a discordant note of doubt and suspicion even amongst themselves.
There were thirteen captains in total, six of whom were excused from this urgent meeting. Tōsen had already been deployed to kill, Zaraki was out looking for Silas on his own volition, Jūshirō was still bed-ridden, Aizen was hiding in the meeting area of Central 46, Byakuya was dealing with Uryū, and Tōshirō was out trying to investigate Aizen's faked death.
"The situation is dire!" Genryūsai announced, standing in the front. We've lost a captain in the Seireitei… This is now a matter for our best people. I will overlook Captain Ichimaru's actions from before."
Gin was a tad surprised, thanking the head captain despite not having done anything wrong.
"I am permitting all top captains and lieutenants to be armed with Zanpakutō and to use full wartime powers within the Seireitei! Pass that along to those who could not be here!" The air became dreadful after hearing those words. "Everyone… Let us declare all-out war on these ryoka."
1 It was actually after Ichigo man-handled him. Lol.