Bleach: Three Paths

by Getsuga Goon

What if Rukia arrived too late at the start of Bleach? You'd be surprised. The fates of the Kurosakis would be forever changed by this one event. Takes inspiration from the Bleach Fanfiction named "White" by Melkor's Mercy. [Cross-posted on Ao3.] Cover image by Chris-Jin on DeviantArt.

60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Ash

Many millions of years ago, the 'world' was very different from how it is now…

'Death' did not exist in this primordial world…

Yet, even in a world without death...

The fear of being devoured…

Something that promised your sense of individuality would be lost within the stomach of a Hollow…

That fear very much still existed...

A young green-haired boy with pale white skin and a hole in the middle of his chest stands protectively in front of the unconscious form of a dark-skinned girl with violet hair lying in the sand behind him, with a gaping hole in the middle of her stomach. Both children wear dirty rags as clothes, possess a katana, and have unique white fragments adorned on their heads. The boy holds his bloodstained katana before him as fearful tears fall from his golden eyes.

Surrounding the two children are countless, massive monsters of various shapes and sizes glaring down at them with piercing, predatory eyes. Notably, these monsters also have gaping holes in their chests. They stand atop the crumbling ruins of stone buildings, partially buried within the sands. They suddenly lunge, making the boy close his tear-filled eyes, readying his blade to counter.

So, it was devour or be devoured…

Those with weak instincts perished, but those who learned and adapted...

They thrived...

They devoured…

The young boy's lips are coated with blood as more monsters surround him. He continues to stand defensively before the downed form of the girl, his tears now long gone. The pale boy suddenly lunges at the new monsters, tearing their ears off with his teeth and chopping up their limbs with his blade before savagely beating them to a pulp.

There is a certain purity to it…

It is neither good nor evil…

Such contrived concepts could never do it justice...

No...

It is what is known as nature...

The boy runs across the sands and ruined buildings, constantly cutting apart and savagely devouring bits and pieces of the monster's flying body parts. A few of the monster Hollows close in on the downed formed of the violet-haired girl, making the boy suddenly shift his golden eyes at them before throwing his katana through one of them, bisecting its body. The others pause in fear before the child appears before them with a buzz and begins to brutally slam punches into the sides of their bodies, proceeding to tear their limbs off with his bare hands.

No matter what anyone does, it always runs its course…

And eventually, I came to realize…

Mounds of monster corpses lay strewn out on the ground around the young boy, who now breathes heavily. The blood of the beasts stains the sands and completely soaks the boy's body, which glows with a slight crimson aura, having grown stronger from devouring so many of the creatures.

When nature dictates that you must constantly kill and devour others to survive...

The violet-haired girl, now awake and standing, scrunches her brows in concern as she looks at the carnage around her.

She then looks at the boy with worried crimson eyes, starting, "Are you alright, brother...?"

The boy, soaked in blood, responds as he starts to turn around, "Yes, sister..."

…it is also natural that…

He fully shifts to look at her, making her widen her eyes, shocked by the expression on the boy's blood-covered face.

The young primordial Hollow wears a toothy, satisfied grin on his face with his eyes narrowed in a pleased manner, "...never better."

...you come to enjoy it.

Present, Sōkyoku Hill, Soul Society

The Squad 1 Barracks continue to burn to the ground as Arturo, still only wearing the black bindings covering the lower half of his body, descends and lands on the plateau next to the Senzaikyū: Sōkyoku Hill. Further, a gaping pit is left in the burning ruins of the Squad 1 Barracks from where he forced his way out of the underground prison system.

The ancient Hollow's flaming red and purple wings fade as he stares upon the ruined Seireitei below, clicking his tongue, "I can't be outdone by whatever youngster left the Soul Society like this…"

He considers something for a moment before smirking as he glances at the massive, blazing bird hovering in the sky above him, awaiting his orders, "Yes… I'll reduce everything to ash!"

The Hollow now wears an evil look as he holds up his hand toward the massive orange flaming phoenix still in the air before seemingly directing its trajectory. The phoenix descends upon the Seireitei, sweeping across the ruins and burning any buildings and Shinigami in its path to ash, their dying screaming music to the Hollow's ears as he cackles madly. His golden eyes suddenly twitch as his laughter ceases, raising a brow due to the phoenix suddenly being forced to stop.

The green-haired Hollow extends his neck and bends over slightly, now looking down with a frown and a curious look in his eyes. There is a prompt explosion of golden aura in the distance, seeming to hold the massive flaming bird back.

In the streets below and with his worn blade clashing against the phoenix's beak, halting its advance, Kenpachi Zaraki without his eyepatch on cackles in maddened glee, beyond happy that yet another considerable enemy has appeared. The captain successfully parries the bird, knocking it back slightly, before following up by bringing his blade down, vertically bisecting it as its flames disperse into the air and it lets out a distant, dying squawk.

The sight causes Arturo to wear a toothy smirk after letting out a low whistle, "Seems the Gotei 13 still has warriors up here worth my time as well..."

The Hollow turns to look behind him, finding several Shinigami appear to face him. He looks over the group, finding Byakuya, Komamura, Iba, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Ukitake, Izuru, Soi Fon, Omaeda, and Nanao standing with steeled, yet nervous expressions. They all already have drawn their blades, excluding Nanao, who aims a Hadō spell at the Hollow, making their intent clear.

Ukitake is the first to speak as he calls to the other Shinigami, "Keep up your guards—"

The captain cuts himself off, widening his eyes as Arturo suddenly breaks off his right middle finger, causing blood to spurt everywhere, before he quickly launches a distorted red blast from his bloodied right fist, hissing, "Gran Rey Bala!"

The blast is so quick that none of the captains can tell where it is going, leaving it to suddenly strike the upper half of Izuru's right torso, causing it to explode as his arm flies off and blood likewise pours everywhere.

The sake Rangiku gave him explodes from the broken case as well, spilling over him as he falls on his back, his thoughts accepting as he loses consciousness, "Sorry... it doesn't look like we'll get that drink, after all..."

The Shinigami all gawk, having no proper time to react as Arturo's finger regenerates in the form of ashen embers, and his arms become coated in scarlet and violet flames before he uses the wingbeat attack from earlier, hissing, "Begone, weaklings!"

The attack launches Nanao, Omaeda, Iba, Ikkaku, and Yumichika off of the plateau, as well as Izuru's dying body, leaving only the captains to remain, able to resist being blown away.

Arturo huffs as he disrespectfully rubs his hands together, as if taking out the trash, before perking up and addressing Ukitake jovially, "Oh no, don't stop on my account… you can finish what you were saying now that only the worthy remain…"

The white-haired captain narrows his eyes as a nervous sweat trickles from his forehead.

The Hollow tilts his head, looking ready to say something before Kenpachi suddenly appears behind him, sword raised above his head and poised to split the primordial in two. Arturo merely sidesteps, allowing the blade to hit nothing but air before grabbing the captain's wrist, striking him in the gut with a punch that causes him to spit up blood, and throwing him towards the other captains. Kenpachi manages to regain his bearings within the air, however, now skidding against the ground and laughing gleefully as he stares at the Hollow.

Arturo returns the smirk as he addresses the captains as a whole, "Those of you with a Bankai, I suggest you use it now..."

Wasting no time, Byakuya turns his Zanpakutō in a reverse grip, allowing it to fall into the ground before several massive blades rise from the ground behind him and disperse to form countless pink petal blades, "Bankai: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"

Simultaneously, Komamura roars as a gargantuan horned samurai materializes behind him, wielding an equally massive blade, "Bankai: Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!"

Soi Fon likewise follows up, holding her blade in a reverse grip in her still-healing right arm, held in a split, before a stinger gauntlet forms on her right hand, the stinger itself covering her middle finger, "Sting all Enemies to Death, Suzumebachi!"

The woman's back also crackles with lightning, blowing off her Haori before she fully activates her Shunkō.

Finally, Ukitake holds his sword before him before they turn into two identical unique-looking blades connected by a rope with talismans hanging on it, "All Waves, Rise now and Become my Shield, Lightning, Strike now and Become my Blade; Sōgyo No Kotowari!"

Ukitake, Soi Fon, and Kenpachi take a moment longer to charge in at the Hollow as opposed to the Bankai-wielding captains, who currently are confronting him. The wolfman and noble captains send down their respective massive blade and sea of petals, creating a small explosion of dust to kick up. Komamura's Bankai struggles, making the captain flinch as within the sea of petal blades, Arturo cackles, casually holding back the massive blade with his bare hand while constantly regenerating his body as it is cut up by Byakuya's petal blades.

Both the 6th and 7th captains widen their eyes as the primordial Hollow continues to cackle and suddenly materializes a flame sword, which cuts Tengen's blade in half before he promptly coats his arms with scarlet and violet flames, producing a fiery shockwave that repels Byakuya's petals.

Arturo immediately follows up with two red Ceros, one in each hand, which he throws at Komamura and Byakuya, who brace themselves as the blasts connect. The Ceros create two explosions that blast both captains off of the Sōkyoku Hill along with their Bankais, now smoking messes.

By this point, Kenpachi is at the Hollow's front and Soi Fon is at his back. Arturo attempts to catch the scarred captain's sword with his hand, however, he widens his eyes slightly as Kenpachi manages to slice his fingers off instead, cackling like a madman as he goes in for a follow-up.

The Hollow is shocked for a moment, in complete disbelief, "He's getting... stronger...?!"

This momentary shock on the Hollow's part leaves him open to Soi Fon, who manages to land a blow to his back with her stinger, causing a butterfly tattoo to appear. The woman also winces, however, as her still wounded arm, previously broken by Nelliel, recoils from the pain of even striking an opponent.

Arturo's shock fades as he now scowls, taking the two more seriously as he hardens his Hierro, using his forearm to parry Kenpachi's blade before slamming a kick in the man's midsection, sending him once more skidding back a distance.

Before Soi Fon can land her second, killing blow, the primordial turns on his heel and slams his right fist, now with fingers regenerated, into the woman's side, making her cough up blood before being sent flying. Arturo follows up, pointing a red and purple Gran Rey Cero, mixed with the blood from his fingers, in the direction the female captain flew off before launching it after her.

The Hollow widens his eyes as Ukitake appears with a flash and stands between the blast and Soi Fon, using his Zanpakutō to briefly absorb the attack, causing the talismans to light up. Arturo has a bad feeling as the captain quickly releases the attack, leaving it to crackle through the air, exploding upon contact with the one who initially launched it. This leaves Arturo's body spasming and smoking as ashen embers appear on his wounded areas, working to heal him. Ukitake narrows his eyes, continuing to sweat nervously as the Hollow begins to laugh, far from a good sign in any battle.

Soi Fon regains her bearings before exhaling as she regards the older captain, "Thanks, Ukitake…"

The white-haired man nods, not allowing his gaze to leave the Hollow as he and the younger captain join Kenpachi, who just now rejoined the fight, in circling the enemy.

Arturo glances at the captains, a smirk on his face as he is just about fully healed before regarding Ukitake, looking at the captain's blades, "You wield two swords like that other captain who liked to play games! It seems you have an interesting ability as well! The ability to send my attacks back at me!"

The white-haired captain widens his eyes slightly at having his ability so easily found out before he scowls at the mention of his friend.

The Hollow notices, only serving to further his amusement, "Would you feel despair if I told you I killed him?"

Ukitake hisses at the green-haired being, "You can't trick me with your games, Hollow! I'll—"

The captain cuts himself off as Kenpachi, without warning, madly charges at Arturo, cackling as he explodes with a golden aura with his sword held over his head.

The Hollow holds his right hand to his side, prompting a flame sword to materialize in its grasp, smirking as he shouts to meet the crazed captain, "And you!"

Arturo and Kenpachi clash blades, their gazes meeting as the primordial maintains his amused smirking expression, "You seem to be getting stronger as we continue fighting! That must be your Bankai ability, isn't it?!"

The scarred captain snorts, asserting, "The hell are you talking about? I don't have any fancy abilities like the others, only this sword!"

Arturo widens his eyes slightly as he finishes his parry, pushing the captain back a distance and muttering, looking confused, "You don't have a Shikai or Bankai...?"

Ukitake shouts at Kenpachi from across the hill, "Captain Zaraki! Don't fight him alone! He'll kill you! This Hollow is more powerful than even White!"

The scarred captain turns to bark at the other captain, "Shut the hell up! This is a fight to the death! No one—"

There is a buzz that makes Kenpachi flinch as Arturo appears behind him now, his smirk widening as he notes the back of the other man's Haori, "Ah... I see... Squad 11, huh? Why is it then that I still feel the Kenpachi's Reiatsu on the other side of the Seireitei... has she grown weak and cowardly like, Yamamoto...?"

Ukitake scowls deeply at the comment as the Squad 11 captain swings his blade at the Hollow, forcing him to block with his own fiery one, barking at him, "Maybe if you beat me like White did, she'll consider fighting you! In the meantime, you'll have to face the one holding her title—ME!"

Arturo narrows his eyes slightly, "White...? Is that the name of the Hollow who freed me?"

The primordial Hollow stores the thought for later as his smirk remains, realizing the meaning behind the other man's words.

He perks up and starts to slowly laugh, slowly building into outright mad cackles toward the sky, using his free hand, not holding his blade to hold back Kenpachi's, to press against his forehead, "Hold on, you?! THE KENPACHI?! You are nothing but a shit stain compared to her, boy!"

This seems to anger the scarred captain, whose Reiatsu intensifies, allowing his to cut through Arturo's fire blade, forcing it to dematerialize. He continues to attempt a follow-up, however, the primordial Hollow once more sidesteps and trips the captain, robbing him of proper footing. As Kenpachi stumbles, Arturo slams his elbow into the back of the captain's head with such intensity that it instantly knocks him out and slams him face-first into the dirt.

The Hollow remarks with a neutral expression, "Yet it's obvious you have potential... I'll keep you alive until you can become a warrior worthy of killing..."

Arturo then turns and glares at Ukitake and Soi Fon, five fiery swords forming in the air behind him as he states in an ominous tone, "Now, where were we...?"

The white-haired captain tenses as he regards the smaller woman, "Stay behind me, Soi Fon…"

Ukitake suddenly rushes toward the Hollow, his blades readied. Arturo points at the captains to direct the blades as he did with the phoenix, sending the blades flying through the air at them. Ukitake uses his Shikai to absorb and redirect the first back at the second before weaving and skidding against the ground on his back to catch the third, which had swept low, and redirecting it to destroy the first, leaving explosions in the sky. Soi Fon follows closely behind the captain, maintaining her Shunkō to keep up with him.

Arturo laughs and claps his hands together as he looks at the explosion, "Good! Very good!"

As the Hollow continues to laugh, the fifth fiery blade launches at Ukitake, which he captures with his Shikai as well before sending it back at the primordial. Arturo leaps in the air, dodging the redirected sword that soon reduces the ground where he previously was standing to red and purple ash. The two captains leap into the air after him, clearly poised to follow up.

Arturo's expression becomes dark as he glares down at them, "...now... let's try more..."

Ukitake widens his eyes and stiffens as at least one hundred scarlet and violet fire blades form in the air behind the Hollow before all immediately launching at the captains.

The white-haired veteran curses before grabbing the younger captain around her waist, making her widen her as he mutters, "I'm sorry, Captain Soi Fon, but you're too slow…"

She cannot respond as Ukitake disappears with a flash, narrowly evading being incinerated by the fire blades. As the captain reappears a distance away and still holding the shorter woman, he flinches as he isn't so much as offered the chance to put her down as the blades continue to pursue them. Ukitake runs to avoid being incinerated once more, leaving a multitude of blades to crash and explode against the ground as he continues to retreat.

After a few moments, Ukitake spins on his heel before managing to capture one of the swords with his right blade and releases it from the other, left blade, which now is held in his mouth due to Soi Fon being held in his left arm. The redirected fire blade is sent back into the sky behind him, exploding against several of the other pursuing fire blades. However, there are simply too many of them as they continue to rain down on the captains and engulf them in an explosion.

Arturo cackles as he takes in the sight, "Come on, don't pretend like that killed you! I know it didn't!"

Ukitake and Soi Fon jump out of the smoke cloud produced by the flames, their skin somewhat singed but overall, more than able to continue fighting.

They both breathe heavily as the Hollow starts to taunt, "Yamamoto would have dealt with that attack easily! Oh, how the Gotei has fallen—"

Arturo widens his eyes as Mashiro and Kensei suddenly appear on each side of him, already masked as they slam a respective devastating kick and punch into his stomach and the back of his head, causing him to recoil slightly, now in a daze as their Hollow powers act to bolster their attacks. They both follow up with a red Cero, engulfing the Hollow in a red explosion before they both land on the ground next to the two captains. Temporarily ignoring the gawking forms of the captains, the two Visoreds narrow their Hollowfied eyes with black sclera behind their masks as they look down in the hole leading down to Muken, their eyes softening.

Kensei closes his eyes and accepts, "I see, so Tessai is gone..."

Mashiro looks down sadly before Ukitake questions, "Why are you two helping us?"

The green-haired Visored woman turns on her heel and answers in a distorted Hollow voice, "Isn't it obvious? We're helping Urahara, not you!"

Kensei nods before taking a battle stance, reminding the woman, "Focus, Mashiro. This isn't over…"

This prompts the green-haired woman to look up to the sky, finding Arturo looking back at her, mostly unharmed by the combo attack.

The Hollow suddenly cracks a smirk as he tilts his head, taunting, "Is that it?"

The Visoreds leap back into the air to reengage, once more punching and kicking at the primordial, which he dodges with ease as he weaves through the air, laughing all the while. This goes on for a few moments before the Hollow starts charging red Ceros in his hands and releasing them on the pair of Visoreds, launching them back down to the ground below, smoking messes.

Arturo cackles, "I didn't know there were Shinigami with Hollow powers! This era is one amusing surprise after another!"

Mashiro, whose mask has disappeared, lies in a pile of rubble, her jumpsuit dirtied and burnt as she is down for the count, whining, "Keeeeennseeeeiii... you'll have to… go on… without... me..."

This leaves Kensei, also without his mask on, to scowl and punch her lightly on the head, making her pout as she rubs the bump now forming, "Quit being a drama queen! You're not dead yet!"

The white-haired man glances up at the Hollow in the air as he rises to his feet, his expression and tone becoming more serious as he orders, "Even so, stay down. He's not safe for you to fight at all…"

The woman is quiet, genuinely starting to lose consciousness, as the man cracks his neck, dawns his Hollow mask once again, draws his knife Zanpakutō from his belt, and finally leaps in the air to reengage.

Arturo smirks as he is ready to continue to brawl as well, however, both the Hollow and Visored pause as their gazes shift to the side, glancing at something on the hill. Both Ukitake and Soi Fon look at what the others are gazing at as well, their expressions becoming both shocked and confused. What earns everyone's attention is the beaten, limping form of Shuhei Hisagi, balancing himself using one of his scythes. The vice-captain's approach pauses as he looks at Arturo with a steeled gaze, clearly intent on fighting.

The Hollow merely raises a brow at the sight before scoffing, "Pissant…"

Arturo ignores Shuhei as he turns to engage Kensei, who is now joined by Soi Fon and Ukitake, leaving the Hollow to once more face three captain-level fighters. Shuhei scowls at being so easily written off before adjusting his stance and holding on to his blades, now able to stand on both of his feet, if barely.

Arturo smirks in amusement as he clashes with the Shinigami, evading Soi Fon's blows by weaving and side-stepping while successfully parrying and countering just about anything Ukitake and Kensei can throw at him. After a few moments of this, the Hollow's arms become coated with his red and violet flames, using them to produce a shockwave that knocks the trio back a distance.

As the green-haired Hollow stands up straight and the flames disperse, he widens his eyes and looks up, just now noticing that Shuhei is in the sky above him due to his focus on the stronger Shinigami. The vice-captain throws one of his scythes, which starts spinning in a high-speed circle around the connection point to the black chain, appearing not unlike a rotating saw. Arturo, whose instincts hardly ever fail him, manages a sidestep at the last moment, leaving the scythe to clip his chin and completely cut the skin off, leaving him shocked.

The Hollow, still with widened eyes, slowly places his hand on his profusely bleeding chin as Shuhei tugs on the black chain, prompting the scythe to return to him as he states coldly, "You're fortunate, Hollow… I'd have taken your head if you hadn't sidestepped…"

Arturo's eye twitches in annoyance as his chin slowly heals in the form of ashen embers and looks up at the Shinigami in the air warily, "He might be pitifully weak, but that blade of his is deadly…"

The Hollow narrows his eyes, "Being struck by it, it feels like it carries with it the power of death itself… is that his power?"

Shuhei frowns as he notes the look on the primordial Hollow's face, confirming, "I've seen that look before, Hollow… I don't blame you for your contempt of this ugly power of mine. The power of death itself… even I can't help but fear it."

Black runes briefly float through the air as someone else currently is viewing the battle.

Bottom of Sōkyoku Hill

At the bottom of the long stairway leading to the top of the Sōkyoku Hill, a woman with short gray hair and wearing a black business suit stands within the rubble of the Seireitei, looking up at the hill with interest. This woman is known as Aura Michibane, currently serving as the 'Head Maid' of the Tsunayashiro Clan, and she currently wears a somewhat interested expression on her typically emotionless face.

Aura hums, remarking as she observes the battle above through her mysterious runic power, "Shuhei Hisagi, the vice-captain of Squad 9—Kaname Tosen's vice-captain…"

The woman can't help but smile slightly, something exceedingly rare for her, "Your tough act despite staring death in the face is rather endearing… or perhaps the correct word is cute…?"

She closes her eyes as her smile fades, returning to a neutral tone as she decides, "If you somehow survive this, I do think I will keep an eye on you, if for no other reason than that you are Tosen's vice-captain…"

Sōkyoku Hill

Arturo blinks as he continues to quietly stare at Shuhei for a moment, unable to find a proper response that suits his liking.

After a moment longer of considering the Shinigami in the air, the Hollow releases a chuckle, "Ah, yes… this era of Shinigami is certainly far more interesting than I expected. All the same, I'm afraid I don't have time for you right now…"

Shuhei frowns, "What do you—?!"

The vice-captain widens his eyes as Arturo suddenly releases a Cero, which completely engulfs him and sends him flying off the hill a smoking mess.

The Hollow remarks with a slight frown as he watches Shuhei's smoking form fall to the ruined Seireitei below, "You ought to run away and come back when you're stronger and have a Bankai. Then, I will consider giving you a proper death… assuming you even survived that…"

Arturo then shifts his gaze back to Soi Fon, Ukitake, and Kensei, who just now have regained their bearings.

The white-haired Visored narrows his eyes behind his mask, "Damn kid… you should've known better than to come here picking a fight."

The Visored shifts his gaze on the weakened forms of Ukitake and Soi Fon before he looks back up at the Hollow and tells them in a distorted voice, "Stay out of my way you two… I can't guarantee your safety after what I'm about to do…"

The captains each raise a brow before stiffening as Reiatsu rains down on them. This also piques Arturo's interest, who tilts his head forward slightly and narrows his eyes, wondering what the Visored is up to.

Kensei holds his Zanpakutō in a reverse grip as he chants in a distorted voice behind his Hollow mask, "Bankai: Tekken Tachikaze!"

An explosion of wind erupts as the knife transforms into gray segmented armor that covers the man's arms and shoulders. Further, he now wields two silver knuckle blades, one in each hand, and a thick segmented band arches behind him, above his head, ending as loose ends under his arms.

The sheer intensity of the man's Reiatsu causes the two spectating captains to flinch as the Visored leaps into the air with a sudden surge of speed and power, making Arturo widen his eyes slightly in shock. With the distance closed, Kensei slams a punch into the Hollow, sending him further skyward with a shockwave before chasing after him in the air.

Arturo deploys his flame wings momentarily, using them to halt himself in the air as the wings then promptly fade. As the Hollow regains his bearings, however, he widens his eyes as Kensei is charging a red Cero in his hands before launching it off with a shockwave of wind, sending it streaking across the sky with such speed that the primordial is forced to brace himself, holding up his arms defensively to tank the attack that causes a massive crimson explosion.

Ukitake and Soi Fon watch below with widened eyes, the former uttering, "S-So this is the true power of a Shinigami with Hollow powers..."

Kensei continues to rush toward the smoking form of Arturo, who flinches as the former captain slams his right-bladed fist into his face before following up with a left hook. The former captain repeatedly beats the Hollow's face, causing blood and teeth to fly from his mouth. The Visored then reels back his right fist, once more glowing with the red buzz of a Cero, before sending his final punch toward his opponent. However, Arturo suddenly catches the punch in his hand, causing Kensei to flinch and Ukitake and Soi Fon to widen their eyes in horror as the Hollow's nearly immeasurable Reiatsu begins to pour out on the battlefield.

Arturo slowly raises his bloodied face, which slowly heals in the form of embers, with a dark and evil smirk on his face, "Very good, Shinigami... you've embraced the savage killer instinct of a Hollow, as well as the powers of one..."

Ukitake tenses before he shares a look with Soi Fon and the two start rushing toward Arturo and Kensei in the air. The Hollow twists the Visored's arm in the next moment, promptly making it crunch and bleed as it breaks and snaps, making him howl in pain.

The primordial laughs evilly, "We might as well seal the deal and make you a full-blown Hollow with this..."

The Shinigami's howls become muffled as Arturo pierces his chest with his right hand, making him vomit blood, which seeps from the holes of his mask. The Hollow removes his hand, leaving a hole in the middle of the man's chest before brutally headbutting him, making his mask completely shatter as he is sent crashing to the ground with a shockwave, landing not far from the downed form of Mashiro.

As Arturo raises his head, his eyes widen slightly with Ukitake now right before him, capitalizing on his focus on Kensei by slamming his blades down at the Hollow.

The green-haired Hollow exhales, beginning to tire slightly after all the fighting as he hardens his Hierro and blocks the blades with his arms, "He can simply absorb my fire swords, so I must resort to this..."

The white-haired captain makes it clear he is one of the Head Captain's protégés as he occupies the tiring Hollow. This leaves Arturo's back open to another strike from Soi Fon, who appears behind him.

The woman strikes the butterfly tattoo again, smirking as she does, "Gotcha..."

After a moment both she and the other captain look in horror as the primordial asks, "Was that supposed to hurt?"

Soi Fon and Ukitake back away slightly, the former stating in disbelief, "I-Impossible, you should be dead—!"

She gasps as the tattoo on Arturo's back visibly peels off, leaving him to laugh, "Seems you've forgotten that most abilities can simply be nullified by a sheer difference in Reiatsu…"

Ukitake prepares to clash with the Hollow again, who smirks, more than ready to continue their battle, as the captain heightens his Reiatsu and shouts, "It seems you've given me no choice!"

Arturo's eyes widen in excitement as the captain begins, "Bankai—auaghihggghu?!"

Both the other captain and the Hollow are shocked as Ukitake suddenly coughs up blood, his illness damning him at the moment.

Arturo is visibly confused while Soi Fon is horrified, leaving the white-haired captain to curse himself mentally, "Damn it, not now! Why is it always at the worst times?!"

The Hollow smirks before dismissing the white-haired captain, turning on his heel and staring directly at the other captain, causing her to flinch.

Before anyone can do anything, the Hollow savagely rips off her already wounded right arm with her Shikai on it. Ukitake's eyes are filled with horror as he continues to cough up blood, helpless to assist. Arturo then materializes his flame sword and promptly cuts Soi Fon's body in half with it, leaving the pieces of her body to fall to the ground before he discards her arm as well. At this point, Ukitake is on his knees puking blood as his illness kicks in at full force.

The Hollow turns around and looks at the sickly captain, promptly writing him off before glaring at the Seireitei, hissing, "I grow tired of this... now, where have you wretched Shinigami hidden my Zanpakutō...?"

A familiar playful voice calls behind him, "What's wrong? Don't feel like playing with our lives anymore, Hollow?"

Arturo frowns as he turns and finds two giant mannequin doll arms reaching toward Soi Fon before they visibly stitch her body back together, narrowly saving her life.

The woman coughs, having seen oblivion as she lies on the ground and looks up at her savior, "Kisuke… Urahara...?"

Once again facing off against the Hollow is the form of Kisuke Urahara with a fierce look in his eyes, casually twirling a green and white striped hat in his hand as he stands in front of a giant, black-haired doll woman with a red outfit and her eyes closed.

He suddenly stops twirling the hat, with stitch marks on it, on his head before stating, "Meet my Bankai, Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame…"

The Hollow asks with a frown, his eyes narrowing, "How did you heal the woman? I struck her with my flames…"

Urahara smirks, vaguely explaining, "You just saw it, didn't you? My Bankai saved her life…"

Arturo shifts to a scowl as Kirinji, Kyoraku, and the form of a noble-looking man with long black hair appear to confront him as well. The Hollow's frustration only increases as he notes the stitch marks across the royal guard's arm, clearly stitched back on with the shopkeeper's Bankai as well.

Ukitake widens his eyes as he looks upon the noble-looking man before shifting a demanding gaze to Kyoraku after coughing up more blood, "Why are you allowing Captain Azashiro to walk free, Shunsui?!"

The one-eyed captain tilts his straw hat down to partially hide his gaze, "Because we can't afford to pull any of our punches…"

His friend's objective words cause the sickly captain to become quiet before continuing to cough up more blood.

Meanwhile, hidden from everyone besides Azashiro, a black-haired noble-looking woman, with sizable cleavage and both of her eyes hidden behind black fabric, chuckles and comments, "You sure seem to be popular!"

The noble-looking man maintains his ever-neutral expression, ordering the woman, "Silence."

Azashiro then raises his left hand and focuses his gaze on the green-haired Hollow, who simply raises a brow, wondering what the man is planning. Before he can so much as say anything, Arturo's arms and his right leg explode from his body, leaving him to fall face-first on the ground, completely baffled at the inexplicable action. Unknown to the Hollow, the former captain used his Bankai ability to 'possess' the cells within his body before promptly turning them into invisible swords, the same manner in which he killed Kuruyashiki.

Kyoraku tilts his head before walking over to the forms of Ukitake and Soi Fon, watching with shocked expressions. The white-haired captain looks up at his friend in mild confusion as he is promptly handed his floral kimono and white captain's Haori.

The bearded captain keeps his elaboration brief, "Hold onto those for me…"

Ukitake slowly nods as he watches his friend walk back toward Urahara and Azashiro, now wearing only a normal black Shinigami Shihakushō, straw hat, the eyepatch over his right eye, and the pinwheel hairpins tying his brown hair into a ponytail.

Kirinji grunts as he slowly approaches the downed Arturo with the runic blade from earlier in his left hand and his Zanpakutō in his right, musing, "It's like I'm not even needed…"

Meanwhile, Las Noches

Ashido, flanked by Stark and Lilynette, walks through the halls of Las Noches with an intent expression on his face. The group approaches the forms of Szayel and Aizen currently discussing something.

They hear the tail end of the conversation as the former captain finishes, "...continue your research... I'll keep an eye on the King."

Szayel bows slightly before walking off, prompting Stark to frown and question, "Is something wrong with Ichigo...?"

Aizen wears a calm smirk as he looks at the trio, noting Lilynette shifting nervously.

The Shinigami attempts to set their worries to rest, speaking to them in a friendly tone, "No, it's nothing you have to worry about. After what happened in the Soul Society, His Majesty has simply requested to be left alone right now."

The two Hollows nod, finding the answer both acceptable and understandable.

Aizen then addresses Ashido's intent gaze that he has been sending to him ever since the trio arrived, "What can I do for you, Ashido Kano?"

The former Hollow hunter requests, "Why was Kenpachi Azashiro banished to Muken?"

The turncoat Shinigami slightly widens his brown eyes, visibly thrown off by the sudden question.

Ashido frowns slightly as he notes this, "What's with the confusion?"

Aizen shifts back to a smirk as he regains his composure, "I expected you to ask why I betrayed the Soul Society or something like that… the 8th Kenpachi was not a topic I expected from you at this point…"

The rugged, fur-wearing Shinigami narrows his eyes and hisses in disgust, "I know all I need to about your mutiny, Sosuke Aizen… I don't understand how someone as decent as Kaname Tosen could follow someone as crooked and pompous as you…"

The brown-haired former captain frowns slightly, muttering, "That's something you should ask him…"

The rogue Shinigami's brow twitches as his gaze becomes thoughtful, deciding that he will discuss the topic with Tosen later.

After a moment, Ashido sighs before reminding, "I didn't come to ask about Tosen… I want info on Kenpachi Azashiro's motives… what kind of man killed my captain?"

Aizen nods before starting, "It was shortly after he became Kenpachi…"

Roughly 249 Years Ago, Central 46 Chambers

"You wish to use your powers to alter the Rukongai citizens?", one of the councilmen asks.

Azashiro, standing in the center of the chambers and wearing the Squad 11 Haori, nods, "They will become strong soldiers, used to invade Hueco Mundo. The Hollows will be purged."

The chambers are quiet for a moment, allowing the man's words to linger before all of the representatives begin laughing, one in particular mocking, "How ridiculous! 'The Hollows will be purged' as if it would be that easy!"

The captain remains neutral as they continue to laugh, following up objectively, "I would require help, but my powers might also later be used on humans. Their negative emotions leading to them becoming Hollows could be erased, making Konsō no longer necessary."

The members of the Central 46 erupt in further laughter as one of the scribes writes down Azashiro's statements in their notes, which would much later be found by the young vice-captain of Squad 5, Sosuke Aizen, when researching the 8th Kenpachi.

The speaker laughs in amusement, clearly not taking the man seriously as he states, "Very well! Give it a go, if you can!"

Azashiro bows politely before leaving the chamber, still consumed by laughter.

A Short Time Later, Rukongai

However, Azashiro succeeded in modifying the souls of a few criminals. Seeing these soldiers, who pledged loyalty to the captain, Central 46 quickly changed its attitude — probably fearful of their own position. Central 46 obviously hid the fact that they had authorized the plan, instead, accusing Azashiro of 'altering the souls of criminals without permission'. He was thereby branded a criminal.

This leads to the current confrontation between Azashiro and the massive form of Jidanbo, standing in front of the large white gate keeping the captain inside of the Seireitei. The giant slams his axe down at the captain before it crashes to the ground, leaving nothing left.

The giant remarks, "Turned him to dust…"

Unknown to Jidanbo is that Azashiro easily slipped past him with superior speed, beginning to enter the Rukongai. The captain pauses, however, as he narrows his eyes at the sight of Kyoraku and Ukitake, appearing visibly younger than in the present day, holding their twin Shikai blades, ready for a fight.

Azashiro glances at the floral captain in particular, warning, "Do not fight me. You cannot win."

Kyoraku frowns while Ukitake urges, "Don't do this, Captain Azashiro! Can't you see that robbing these people of their free will is wrong?! They aren't fodder to throw at our enemies!"

The Squad 11 captain frowns as he regards his peer, arguing in an objective tone, "You fail to see the righteousness in my plan, Ukitake. The Shinigami have hunted Hollows far before even Head Captain Yamamoto was born, let alone created the Gotei 13. Yet Hollows are still the greatest threat to peace throughout the realms. I would sacrifice anything to eliminate that threat."

The white-haired captain widens his eyes, staring in disbelief, "You're mad…"

Kyoraku sighs, already having decided this would end up as a fight, as the two students of Yamamoto begin to take battle stances, making their intentions clear.

Azashiro begins to prepare a Kidō in his hand, his tone ever so slightly disappointed, "So be it…"

Before the captain can finish the spell's chant, he suddenly pauses and looks back at the Seireitei, whispering, "I see… even the Soul King rejects my plans."

Azashiro looks back at the two captains before ceding, "I will surrender and undergo the Central 46's trial…"

Kyoraku and Ukitake look slightly confused for a moment before feeling the distant Reiatsu in the Seireitei as well, catching on.

They both sheathe their blades before escorting the Squad 11 captain back into the Seireitei, leaving Jidanbo to widen his eyes as they pass, "A twin?!"

Back in Seireitei, they're greeted by the sight of several hundred unconscious Shinigami, even including several captains as well. Every one of them was defeated by Azashiro, although the captain oddly seemed to leave all of them alive as there are no fatal wounds on any of the bodies.

As the trio passes a particular shop, close to the noble district, the Squad 11 captain's gaze softens ever so slightly upon making eye contact with the wounded clerk glaring at him, "I shall pay you back what I owe one day…"

Present, Las Noches

Aizen concludes, "Azashiro was then sentenced to 19500 years in Muken. Although, interestingly, his idea to 'improve souls' would later be taken up by Captain Hikifune of the 12th division, leading to the creation of Mod Souls… but that is a tale for another time."

Ashido frowns in confusion, "But why did he allow himself to be arrested so easily?"

The turncoat Shinigami narrows his eyes, answering with contempt, "Squad 0."

The rogue Shinigami widens his eyes, only having heard stories of the secret unit of royal guards. Aizen remains quiet, choosing not to elaborate further.

After a moment, the former captain bows slightly, "If you'll excuse me…"

Standing further down the hallway and watching Aizen suddenly leave is the form of Gin Ichimaru, frowning slightly, "What is he up to…?"

Ashido suddenly walks away in the opposite direction of the former captain, looking conflicted, "He wanted to wipe out all Hollows, just like I used to… he's clearly mad, but he has a point… Hollows are the greatest threat to the peace as it stands… aren't they…?"

Stark and Lilynette both frown and look nervous or slightly worried at the conflicted look on their friend's face.

The male Arrancar muses, "The last time I saw that look was when he first met us... that can't be good..."

The pair of Arrancars then quietly follow the conflicted Shinigami.

Meanwhile, as Aizen continues to leave the area, he considers, "Szayelaporro Granz's research revealed there was a good reason Azashiro didn't want to fight Squad 0. There is a risk in his Bankai ability to fuse with the matter around him... specifically if he fuses with a being with far higher Reiatsu than himself..."

Sōkyoku Hill, Soul Society

Kirinji approaches Arturo, still grounded and bleeding profusely, as he begins to raise the runic sword above his head, poised to strike the Hollow. Urahara, with his Bankai still active, as well as Kyoraku and Azashiro, circle the area, the former two wearing cautious expressions as they limit the Hollow's means of escape. Ukitake, still coughing up blood, looks warily at Azashiro, however, clearly still not trusting the mysterious prisoner. Meanwhile, Soi Fon, clearly out of it, weakly continues to regain her bearings, needing to acclimate from being cut in half and forcefully stitched back together.

Arturo frowns as he shifts his head up and glares at the Shinigami, his eyes narrowing as his gaze lands on Azashiro, "I can tell my limbs exploded from his power… but I didn't 'see' his attack with my eyes… I can feel it… his Reiatsu…"

The pale, green-haired Hollow shifts to a toothy smirk, a menacing look now in his piercing gold eyes, "How amusing…"

Kirinji's eyes widen as he suddenly pauses his approach due to the sudden downpour of intense, evil Reiatsu from the Hollow. The other three Shinigami tense as well before, simultaneously, both Arturo and Azashiro are suddenly engulfed in scarlet and violet flames.

The noble-looking prisoner's now smoking form screams in pain as he staggers, the black-haired woman in the air behind him for once shifting to an urgent expression as she instinctually calls, "S-SOYA!"

The other Shinigami look in shock at the sight of the once-thought-to-be unbeatable Azashiro screaming in pain. Kirinji flinches as, at the moment he instinctually takes his eyes off Arturo, he hears a mixture of flowing and crunching before a distinct buzz rings out behind him.

"Damn it!", he curses as he glances back at where the Hollow was on the ground formerly.

Urahara and Kyoraku urgently look around the battlefield for signs of the primordial being while Ukitake widens his horrified eyes just as another buzz is heard. The Shinigami turn in shock to find Arturo standing to Azashiro's left with his back turned on them, evidently having regenerated his limbs.

The noble-looking prisoner, whose face is somewhat charred and whose eyes are slightly widened, flinches as the Hollow begins with an amused chuckle, "How bold of you to inject your essence in me like that… but it wasn't a half-bad idea. If I were a lesser being, I'd be dead!"

Azashiro slowly shifts his head to the left as the primordial being places his pale, left hand on the former captain's shoulder. He finds the Hollow's evil golden eyes piercing through him as a feral, toothy grin is plastered on his face.

The charred noble-looking Shinigami's gaze turns neutral and dejected as he cedes, "Finish me."

The noble-looking woman hisses at him, "W-What?! Don't just give up! You can't—!"

"Oh, I think not…", the Hollow quickly responds, a slight frown now on his face.

Azashiro and the woman floating in the air behind him, hidden from all but himself, look at the other green-haired prisoner in shock.

Arturo is now frowning as he asserts, "You are not worth killing. I've seen that closed-off look in the eyes of broken beings before, be they Shinigami or Hollow. Every time it is a boring hunt…"

The Hollow's grip on the Shinigami's shoulder tightens slightly as he whispers, his golden gaze the only thing the noble-looking man can see, "What was it that broke someone as strong as you…?"

Azashiro cannot help it as he trembles slightly under the primordial being's haunting golden gaze, making the green-haired prisoner shift back to a toothy grin.

Before the Hollow can say anything, Kyoraku appears to his right while Urahara and Kirinji appear at his respective front and rear, all swinging their blades to cut him down. This forces the Hollow to dodge via Sonido before reappearing a distance back with a still amused look on his face.

The Hollow remarks as his red and purple flaming wings rematerialize, "Clearly none of you are in a talking mood, so I shall oblige you with a proper battle to the death…"

Arturo then lunges at Kirinji, Urahara, and Kyoraku, resuming his battle with them. Meanwhile, the still-sickly form Ukitake looks at Soi Fon, who seems to have finally regained her bearings and fully stands up.

She looks ready to rejoin the battle as well, however, the white-haired captain calls to her with an objective tone, "You will die if reengage, Soi Fon."

The woman scowls as she glares at him, arguing, "I'm a captain too! And I can fight, so—"

"CAPTAIN SOI FON!", the white-haired man shouts as blood still falls from his mouth.

Soi Fon flinches at this, clear fear in her gaze as her senior lets out a few labored breaths before glancing across the battlefield at Kenpachi, Kensei, and Mashiro, "Collect those who can't fight anymore… take them to Squad 4… you're the only one of us who can right now…"

The woman widens her eyes before glancing around the battlefield as well, finding the trio the other captain was looking at, as well as sensing the others who were blasted off of the hill. After a moment, she looks back at the captain and nods quietly before disappearing with a flash, beginning to collect the wounded. This leaves Ukitake to glance at the charred form of Azashiro standing a distance away.

The noble-looking prisoner's mouth is ajar as he dejectedly looks up at the fight, now taking place in the sky above the hill.

He mutters in defeat, "Fighting him is futile…"

The noble-looking woman floating in the air behind him urges in an uncharacteristically somber tone, "It's just like back then… Even now with my help, you are powerless in the face of this Hollow. Don't forget your goal, Soya! You can't die here! We need to run!"

The man widens his eyes slightly as the woman's words, combined with Arturo's, force flashes of his past to flicker through his mind. Visions of a dark pit as well as a beastly Hollow ripping through countless people wearing noble robes are forced to the front of his mind. His mind then lingers on the vision of a young female Shinigami with black hair standing protectively in front of him, her blade pointed at the Hollow.

Azashiro's mouth closes before his lip twitches, frozen in place as he mutters, his tone conflicted, "I cannot win… Yet… Shinigami do not run from Hollows…"

The black-haired woman floating in the air behind him frowns slightly and, for once, holds her tongue, allowing the former captain to continue observing the battle.

Arturo vs Kirinji, Urahara, and Kyoraku

A multitude of fire lances streak across the sky, forcing Kyoraku and Urahara, still with the mannequin of his Bankai behind him, to quickly weave through the air to avoid being incinerated by the flames. Arturo, meanwhile, laughs madly as a dozen more flame lances form in the air and suddenly shoot at the two Shinigami, leaving them wide-eyed and shocked as they are about to be pierced from nearly every direction. Suddenly, however, a massive wave of red, almost blood-like, fluid crashes down on all of the flaming lances, promptly extinguishing them.

Arturo glares in annoyance at Kirinji, who suddenly appears behind him with his Zanpakutō in his right hand and the runic sword in his left. The royal guard brings his Zanpakutō down, completely drowning the Hollow in the red fluid. As both beings are submerged, Arturo's flame wings are extinguished as well, a sure sign that the flames are no longer a concern. This prompts the Shinigami to once more attempt to strike the Hollow with the runic blade, however, he widens his eyes mind-swing as he seemingly made a damning assumption.

Arturo wears a toothy grin as he glares at the Shinigami, pointing his index finger at him, trailing with reddened flames that boil the fluid. Kirinji immediately shifts his body back, his back now pointed at the ground and narrowly avoiding being killed as the Hollow releases a quick, concentrated flame attack, causing the fluid engulfing them to completely erupt. The royal guard widens his eyes as he stares at his now cut-in-half and singeing hair extension, his hairdo thoroughly ruined.

The Shinigami shifts to reengage the Hollow, however, he flinches as he is greeted by an incoming right fist engulfed in scarlet and violet flames. This makes him hastily raise the wooden sign in his right hand, summoning a defensive wave of red fluid just as the punch strikes his stomach. Despite neutralizing the flames coating the punch, Kirinji still pukes up blood and is sent flying with a shockwave from the sheer amount of raw power backing the attack.

As the Shinigami flies through the air, he hears the maddened laughter of Arturo, who is pursuing, echoing across the Seireitei, making him scowl, "I knew he'd be a monster, but still…"

Recent Past

Kirinji and the plump form of Hikifune currently stand together in front of a large shrine, surrounded by a city that seems to float in the bright blue sky.

The black-haired Shinigami narrows his eyes as he regards a sheathed blade, held in his right hand, asking, "I get that, above all others, you need to stay by the Soul King's side… and I understand that this Hollow requires at least some of our attention… but if you're telling me all we need to do is strike him once with this blade when he doesn't even have his own, I have to ask: why can't we just give this blade to the Gotei 13 and have them deal with it? I don't think this requires Squad 0's direct involvement…"

In front of the two Shinigami, seated within the shrine, is a bald man wearing a white Haori. He has his back turned on them so they cannot see his features beyond that.

The man in the shrine utters in a warning tone, "Arturo Plateado will be weak upon his awakening… if the Gotei 13 were fresh, perhaps they could deal with him… however…"

Kirinji and Hikifune flinch as the man turns around and glares at them with ominous red eyes, "Even without his sword, he possesses the ability to partially release his Resurreccion… if you take too long to defeat him, he will regain enough of his power that one of you will need to resort to Bankai…"

The two royal guards widen their eyes in disbelief at this, unable to imagine the existence of a Hollow so mighty.

Present, Sōkyoku Hill

Returning from his thoughts and still flying through the air above the Seireitei, Kirinji's eyes narrow dejectedly as Arturo appears before him with a buzz. The returning fire wings and the blazing phoenix tattoo still present on the left side of the primordial being's chest are the focus of the Shinigami's gaze. The Hollow wears a feral and toothy smirk as he clasps both of his fists together and slams them against the royal guard's chest before sending him crashing down through the streets of the Seireitei and through multiple buildings due to the sheer intensity of the strike.

Arturo cackles madly as he eyes the downed and beaten form of Kirinji lying in a crater in the distance, satisfied with at least temporarily taking him out of the fight. Just then, Shunsui and Urahara jump at Arturo from behind, making the Hollow pause his laughing. He sidesteps, evading Kyoraku's strikes before slamming his knee into the captain's stomach. This makes Kyoraku gasp before being sent off with a shockwave.

As Kyoraku crashes to the ground, leaving a small crater in his wake, Ukitake cries as his illness makes him spit up more blood, "SHUNSUI!"

Arturo smirks as he turns on his heel, raising his left arm to block a large knife, held in the hand of Urahara's Bankai.

The Hollow's eye twitches as he starts to taunt, "What was that supposed to be? I didn't even feel—?!"

He widens his eyes as Benihime's knife cuts right through his arm, leaving it to fall as sparkles of red light pour from it as if cutting the limb off down to its spiritual atoms. Arturo starts to backstep, attempting to retreat, however, his right leg is cleaved off as yet again, making him briefly lose his balance, relying on his fiery Reishi wings to maintain his bearings.

Arturo growls, "W-What the hell! Your Bankai is a healing power, so how…?!"

The Hollow flinches and stares at Urahara in urgent confusion as the shady Shinigami glares coldly from under his hat, "My Bankai doesn't heal… it reconstructs matter… but it can also deconstruct it as well…"

Arturo tenses and instinctually uses his wings to retreat slightly as Urahara swings his sword diagonally in the air, causing the massive manakin woman to do likewise with her knife, cutting partially through the Hollow's neck as she does so. The Hollow gags as he holds his throat, his windpipe now critically damaged. He slowly starts to descend as he shifts through the air, wearing an urgent expression.

Urahara closes his eyes, following up on the primordial being's earlier statement, "As for not wanting to chat… I'm sorry if I'm not exactly in a talkative mood after you just killed my friend…"

The descending Arturo maintains his wide-eyed expression for a moment longer before a smirk suddenly crosses his face, "Ah, I see!"

The shopkeeper widens his eyes and tenses as the Hollow's neck regenerates and his arm and leg regenerate themselves in the form of magma.

The shady Shinigami looks in horror as the Hollow cackles, "In that case, all I need to do is regenerate faster than you can cut me up!"

As Arturo lunges, Urahara uses his sword to urgently direct his Bankai to continue chopping up the Hollow. One after another the creature's limbs are sliced, almost immediately regenerating themselves across the cut lines, burning briefly with red and purple flames. Urahara raises his sword, bracing himself as the Hollow is right before him, wearing a toothy smirk and drawing back his palm, coating it with reddened flames.

In the next moment, the Hollow sends his right palm directly at the shopkeeper faster than he can react, creating a piercing red blast of flames as it connects with the left side of the Shinigami's stomach. The blast is sent through the captain, as well as his Bankai, leaving gaping holes in both of their stomachs.

The Hollow stands up straight, smirking evilly as cracks begin to form on the Bankai. Urahara pukes up blood before he looks directly at the Hollow and gives a weak dejected smile. In the next moment, the Shinigami's Bankai explodes into various pieces before he falls to the ground as well. Arturo breathes somewhat heavily as he wears a satisfied smirk, watching Urahara and the pieces of his shattered Bankai crash to the ground below.

The Hollow's ears perk up before sidestepping and once more evading being struck by Kyoraku's twin simitars. This makes him look away from the ground, completely missing the way the broken arms from Urahara's Bankai slowly use their fingers to crawl closer to the downed Shinigami before a large sewing needle is held in its cracked right hand instead of the knife.

The Hollow continues to focus on the Squad 8 captain as he throws a punch at the captain's stomach, covered by his black Shihakushō. The ancient being frowns as the contact feels weaker to him than it should, hardly knocking the captain back at all. Kyoraku follows up and slashes through the black bindings on Arturo's left leg, effectively cutting it in half.

The Hollow widens his eyes slightly as he uses his wings to produce a shockwave, knocking the captain back while his leg regenerates in the form of blazing magma.

Arturo's brow twitches as he now sees a dark smile on the captain's face, prompting him to bark, "What manner of trickery are you up to now?!"

Kyoraku smirks coyly as he reminds the primordial, "We are still playing Iro Oni. We're both stuck with the same color until I call out a color again."

The Hollow shifts to a dark expression, "Ah… so that's why you've discarded your white coat… but you seem unable to see the one place where a small amount of white yet exists on your body…"

The captain widens his eye before suddenly shifting his head to avoid a quick and condensed flame attack, which most certainly would have incinerated the sclera of his remaining left eye. Arturo closes the distance and slashes at Kyoraku's face, attempting to strike his eye again, however, the captain closes it, making him take less damage, although a faint scar is left behind as he is knocked back.

The primordial smirks, "If I can't strike white, then I'll simply make it…"

He then holds up both of his hands, placing them together and making flames appear at his fingertips. The flames heat up until the point of becoming white, thereafter the Hollow blasts a concentrated beam of the white flame at the captain still with his eye closed, making it fully impale the man before he immediately burns completely to ash.

Ukitake widens his eyes in horror at the attack, "He completely flipped Iro Oni against Shunsui!"

Arturo chuckles, complimenting, "Your instincts were impressive, however…"

The Hollow suddenly sidesteps as the form of Kyoraku appears seemingly from out of nowhere, attempting to bisect the Hollow with his scimitars. The fact that his attack failed leaves the captain wide-eyed, completely shocked. Arturo promptly smashes his fist down against the top of Kyoraku's head, sending him crashing down into the hill and making a shockwave.

Arturo cackles, finishing, "…your instincts pale in comparison to a proper Hollow! Though, I'll admit that flawless replica of your Reiatsu was considerably impressive. However, you failed to realize an instinctual being such as myself would never be tricked into only relying on spiritual awareness in the middle of a battle!"

The Hollow shifts his head down, now glaring at the shocked captain in amusement, "I knew as soon as you hid within the nearby Reiatsu in the air that you were taking the quickest path to cut me down!"

Kyoraku smirks dejectedly in disbelief, "Even Daruma-San Ga Koronda can't catch him off-guard…? This Hollow's something else…"

Upon Arturo landing in front of the captain, the Hollow raises a brow as the captain asks, buying time, "Why did you pretend to fall for it, then?"

The Hollow grunts a bored frown on his face, "That should be obvious…"

Arturo shifts to an evil smirk as his fire wings flare up in intensity, "I thought it would be amusing to plunge you into despair before killing you!"

The Hollow suddenly produces a flaming sword in each of his hands, poised to strike the captain down. However, Kyoraku, knowing he needs to be one step ahead or else he'll be killed, was prepared as he parries both of the flame blades.

Arturo grins as he is about to bring his blades in for another attack. Without warning, however, his arms seemingly come undone after brief lines zip across them, making the blades disintegrate.

The Hollow hisses as he glares at the heavily breathing form of Urahara, with his stomach patched up and a crudely stitched together version of his Bankai behind him, reminding with a dark smirk, "Don't forget this isn't one-on-one…"

During the shopkeeper's momentary distraction, Kyoraku eyes the black within Arturo's Hollow hole before reiterating, ominously, "Black…"

The Hollow widens his eyes as the captain mercilessly slashes both of his blades across the Hollow hole, causing cracks to form on the primordial being's chest as blood spews from the wound. Arturo recoils and vomits blood, now trembling and immensely wounded due to the attack. Despite this, Kyoraku and Urahara both widen their eyes as monstrous, almost godly Reiatsu rains down. Arturo roars and begins to form a flaming Gran Rey Cero in his hands, mixing with his blood.

As the Hollow is about to launch it, however, he is suddenly submerged with blood-red fluid once again, extinguishing his attack and flaming wings. Arturo instinctually disappears with a Sonido as the fluid disperses, narrowly evading being struck by a runic blade. Kirinji, beaten and battered, but still more than able to fight, stands in front of Kyoraku, now glaring at the primordial across the Sōkyoku Hill.

As the Hollow continues to bleed out, his expression is now completely and utterly hateful as he glares at the three Shinigami in wrathful bloodlust, breathing heavily. Clearly, the combined efforts of every Shinigami that had fought him throughout the day were beginning to have a visible effect as the Hollow is now reaching the end of his rope.

Despite this, Arturo once more roars in complete blood lust as he raises his slowly regenerating right arm skyward, a massive blood-red and brilliantly violet flaming lance forming in the sky above. Without exception, every single Shinigami present gawks at the massive attack in the sky above, buckling under the Reiatsu as they know they will die instantly if the Hollow releases the attack.

Arturo's bloodshot eyes twitch as he laughs madly, truly beginning to lose his sanity, and declares, "ENOUGH PLAYING! YOU ALL DIE NOW!"

The Hollow is about to throw the attack, however, he suddenly flinches as he feels another source of monstrous Reiatsu, currently rivaling his weakened own. Everyone stares in shock at its source—Kirinji.

The royal guard smirks as he glances up at the sky, "About damn time you two offed yourselves so I can go all out!"

Arturo glares at Kirinji, who holds out his Zanpakutō, his Reiatsu continuing to rise.

The Hollow hisses, "I'll kill you before you can use your Bankai!"

Kirinji maintains a steeled gaze as he is prepared to meet the attack, beginning to chant as his Reiatsu continues to rise, "Bankai—?!"

The royal guard cuts himself off as Arturo's attack suddenly disperses and his Reiatsu plummets. The Hollow looks at his right arm in horrified confusion as white, stone-like scales violently sprout out of it, soon encasing it completely, taking the form of a stone pillar that causes him to slump, struggling to support its weight.

Arturo hisses, "W-What is this?!"

Everyone else looks in confusion as well, excluding Urahara, who starts chuckling, earning everyone else's attention.

The shopkeeper's beaten form balances himself on his blade as he continues laughing, his eyes hidden beneath his striped hat, "It looks like the experimental Kidō is finally taking effect…"

Arturo widens his eyes as more stone scales suddenly sprout from his left shoulder, making him glare at the Shinigami with hatred and biting off his tongue once more, starting to charge yet another Gran Rey Cero.

Urahara frowns as his laughing stops, his tone now dark, "It's no use…"

Before the Hollow can release the Cero, white stone scales sprout from his mouth, clamping it and making the attack disperse.

Within Arturo's confused golden eyes is the look of genuine fear as the shopkeeper cocks his head to the giant mannequin of his Bankai behind him, "Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame is exceptionally useful. After my Bankai deconstructed you the first time, I was able to stealthily insert into you an experimental sealing Kidō I had been developing to defeat transcendent beings. Of course, I wasn't expecting it to work until you'd been heavily wounded… either way, it's a success!"

Hate shines in Arturo's golden eyes as Urahara begins to chuckle, seeing the results of his research.

Before anyone else can do anything, however, Kirinji immediately closes the distance and stabs the primordial Hollow with the runic sword, causing his eyes to widen in fear as his Reiatsu plummets further. Urahara, Kyoraku, and Ukitake widen their eyes at the sight of flames seeping from Arturo's body and beginning to collect into the runic sword, his Reiatsu now around that of a mere Gillian.

The royal guard glares at the wrathful Hollow, growling, "Enjoy the remainder of your eternity in Muken, you damn Hollow…"

As Arturo continues to be sealed, Azashiro looks upon the sight from a distance away, further recalling visions from his past. The earlier vision of the Shinigami standing in front of him is replaced by one of a mangled, bleeding body lying on the ground before him as the beastly Hollow howls into the air.

The Shinigami's typically indifferent eyes shine with something akin to hatred as he hears a young woman's voice in his head, which is similar to but slightly different from the one belonging to the woman who floats in the air behind him, "Be strong… Soya…"

This recollection makes him mutter, "I may be weak on my own… and my Zanpakutō may not be sufficient, either… but there are other ways to defeat Hollows than by a Zanpakutō attack…"

The woman behind him breaks her silence and laughs loudly, although unheard by everyone besides the noble-looking man, "What's the plan then, Soya?!"

Azashiro raises his right arm, making Ukitake, who once more glances at him, raise a brow.

The man's face is neutral once more as he asserts objectively, "That Hollow is pure evil… sealing it away is not enough. It must be wiped from existence."

Azashiro glares at the Hollow as hundreds of Shinigami corpses suddenly appear on the hill, moving mechanically like zombies. This makes the Shinigami present, particularly Ukitake and Kyoraku, frown and narrow their eyes as they look upon the corpses.

The woman behind Azashiro laughs obnoxiously as she realizes, "OH! How resourceful! Making use of the countless corpses of the Shinigami left in the wake of White's attack!"

Ukitake looks at the noble-looking Shinigami with a worried expression before his eyes widen as he begins to hear chanting from the mouths of the standing corpses on the battlefield. The corpses continue the incantation as they all raise their hands if they still have them, to point toward Arturo, red light beginning to form in them.

Kirinji, Urahara, and Kyoraku wear horrified expressions as they recognize the chants and, avoiding a certain death, use Flash Step to disappear as the corpses, conclude, "Hadō 96, Ittō Kasō."

Giant red blasts all fire at the Hollow, completely vaporizing him along with the sealing Kidō and runic sword, subsequently resulting in a gargantuan explosion that produces a shockwave that alone knocks over enter blocks of buildings below the hill and sends tremors throughout the entirety of the Soul Society. As the tremors recede, a massive crater filled with reddened ash, beginning to float through the air, is all that remains.

Azashiro gasps and he falls to a knee as the corpses disintegrate in the form of reddened ash as well, shaving off a portion of his own soul fused with them due to utilizing the sacrificial Kidō. It takes Urahara, Ukitake, Kyoraku, and Kirinji a moment to regain their bearings, but when they do, the royal guard scowls perhaps the worst he has in the entire day, leveling a glare on the noble-looking prisoner.

Kirinji walks over and immediately picks up Azashiro by the collar and shouts at him, "WHY DID YOU INTERFERE?! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!"

Ukitake, Kyoraku, and Urahara wear confused and shocked expressions as the noble-looking Shinigami returns the royal guard's gaze with a neutral one, "The Hollow has clearly been destroyed."

Kirinji's brow twitches as he points to the crater as the wind blows across the hill, continuing to carry much of the ash off with it, "Arturo Plateado is one of two primordial phoenix Hollows! That means, like a phoenix, he will rise from the ashes! In other words, he's immortal! That's why he needs to be sealed!"

Everyone present appears shocked and horrified at the reveal, even the most knowledgeable having no idea about that aspect of the ancient Hollow's powers, as that was never something the mighty Hollow ever needed to resort to against the forces of the Soul Society until now.

Azashiro shows emotion by widening his eyes in disbelief, "I-Impossible! Nobody across the Soul Society ever mentioned that…!"

Kirinji raises a brow, not intimately familiar with the other man's abilities. He looks at the others, finding their looks of confusion confirm that they honestly had no clue either.

Kyoraku appears particularly troubled as he asserts, "He must be telling the truth… I mean, I didn't have any clue either… all you or Hikifune told me was that he needs to be sealed. You didn't mention why."

After a moment, the royal guard growls at the former captain in his grasp again, "Either way, you interfered! We ought to lock you back up in Muken for this!"

The one-eyed captain cuts in again, waving his hands defensively as he eyes the ashes blowing off the hill, "Now hold on there. If it's true that the Hollow Plateado is going to rise from the ashes, then that means he could rematerialize pretty much anywhere at this point. In that case, we'll want the help of his abilities locating the phoenix when that happens."

Kirinji maintains his frown as he argues, "We don't have time for loose cannons like him meddling in Squad 0's business!"

The bearded Shinigami tilts his hat to partially hide his expression as he jabs, "After you all in Squad 0 didn't tell us a crucial piece of information, who exactly is the loose cannon here…?"

The royal guard releases his hold on Azashiro before approaching Kyoraku with a feral expression, "The hell did you say to me?"

Urahara, meanwhile, scrunches his brows and hums as his Bankai recedes, "When using my Bankai to observe his composition, it didn't seem all that different from any other Hollow… it was just vastly more powerful and advanced… there's got to be a catch to his immortality…"

Kirinji and Kyoraku continue to argue, both thoroughly heated at this point, leaving Ukitake to wear a worried expression as the situation looks like it is about to escalate further. Before it can, however, three figures suddenly appear with a flash, making the Shinigami turn and regard them.

Standing before them is the bandaged, bearded form of Yamamoto, balancing on his cane, as well as the less bandaged form of Unohana. Lastly, Soi Fon has returned alongside them, having successfully delivered all the critically wounded to Squad 4. The two veteran captains glance at Azashiro, making them both frown before briefly glancing across the rest of the battlefield. The black-haired woman wastes no further time in approaching the wounded form of the shopkeeper and beginning to apply healing Kidō, earning her an appreciative look.

The Head Captain, meanwhile, settles his gaze directly on the royal guard, musing, "So it seems he wasn't just boasting about his powers, was he…? Arturo Plateado can rise from certain destruction…"

Kirinji nods and asserts, "Manako Oshō witnessed the ability once before, in the primordial world. These brats of yours should not have presumed to question his knowledge or wisdom, Genryusai…"

Kyoraku levels a nasty look at the royal guard, prompting Yamamoto to hiss, "Stand down, Captain Kyoraku!"

The bearded Shinigami glances at his mentor before closing his eye and sighing, finally sheathing his blades as they revert to their sealed state, "As you wish, sir…"

The Head Captain looks back at the royal guard, urging, "Either way, Tenjiro Kirinji, I suggest you be more open in your cooperation with us. If no one else, Arturo Plateado is the exact enemy where we cannot afford to hold anything back. That goes for former Captains Urahara and Azashiro there, too!"

Azashiro and Urahara both nod in understanding as their former boss acknowledges them.

Kirinji scowls, "How can you so easily trust that criminal?"

Yamamoto grunts, explaining, "I don't. But there are a few reasons I know he won't do anything rash. Firstly, you are here. He immediately turned himself in as Squad 0 arrived last time, so he clearly did not wish to fight you. Secondly, if he were to try anything in the Rukongai, he would have to deal with the allies of the Shiba Clan as well. And lastly, it is evident to me that he wanted to kill Arturo Plateado for good. The fact that he was willing to go so far as to use that Kidō tells me all I need to know about where he stands with this…"

Azashiro is quiet before the Head Captain concludes, "If Squad 0 objects, however, we can banish him to Muken right now."

Kirinji looks away, "I can't speak for Manako Oshō, so I'll just refer to your judgment for now…"

Despite his disrespectful tone and comments toward the older Shinigami in the past, based on his current tone, it is clear that the royal guard at least possesses some level of respect for the Head Captain.

Everyone on the hill is quiet for a long moment, Kirinji's eyes shifting across the dirt briefly before he releases a sigh, "Anyway, Nimaiya was in the process of forging a second sealing blade when Hikifune and I left in case something like this happened. He should be on his way down soon enough."

Yamamoto looks at the royal guard intently, asking, "How long do we have until the phoenix returns?"

Kirinji shrugs as he feels his burned hair, making him wear a slightly sad look, "According to what Manako Oshō said… a few days, give or take."

This makes the wounded living legend look down in slight disappointment, "My sword may still be sealed by then… in that case…"

Yamamoto looks at Kyoraku again, ordering, "Until I can take to the battlefield, Shunsui Kyoraku shall continue to lead in this matter specifically. You are to use any means necessary to hunt down and seal Arturo Plateado."

The one-eyed captain nods before the Head Captain glances at Azashiro again, stating, "Because we are in the midst of a crisis, I use emergency wartime powers as Head Captain to declare that Captain Azashiro will temporarily be allowed to return as a special captain. After the rogue captains led by and including Sosuke Aizen as well as the Hollows White and Arturo Plateado have been dealt with, you shall be tried again for your crimes."

The noble-looking Shinigami nods before Kyoraku regards him, Soi Fon, and Ukitake, "Until we start seeing traces of the phoenix's Reiatsu start to reappear, I'd say the best thing to do is continue with the rebuilding and search for survivors..."

Everyone nods before dispersing, feeling unnerved by returning to business as usual after a brutal battle against one of the twin Hollow Gods. Unohana and Kirinji also disappear with Flash Step, no doubt to attend to the wounded Shinigami that Soi Fon delivered to the Squad 4 Barracks.

Kyoraku and Yamamoto both glance at Urahara, the one-eyed captain stating, "Now… we can discuss the matter of Hōgyoku…"

Urahara widens his eyes slightly before shifting to a neutral expression and nods, "Alright, but let's meet somewhere more suite for discussing this… also, I need Isshin Shiba, Shinji Hirako, and Yoruichi Shihoin to be there."

The one-eyed captain shares a look with the Head Captain before nodding, "Very well then. Where would you like to meet?"

Rukongai

Standing in front of the great white gate separating the Rukongai and Seireitei are the forms of six Shinigami. Included within the group are Rukia and Renji, currently speaking with Isshin, Rangiku, and Momo, who all wear anxious expressions given what just happened. Standing slightly behind the red-haired Shinigami is a shorter boy with black hair wearing hanging hair ornaments above his left ear. He also sports a black tattoo above his left eye, similar to the 6th vice-captain's own facial tattoos.

The young Shinigami murmurs, with an anxious expression, "I hope Captain Kuchiki and the others are alright… I still can't believe a Hollow stronger than White exists…"

The boy pales at the thought of Arturo's evil, suffocating Reiatsu, unable to hide his fear.

Rukia and Renji both wear somber, dejected expressions, the woman noting, "Brother's Reiatsu plummeted right after using his Bankai… that Hollow makes the others we struggled to survive against seem like toddlers…"

Isshin's expression, meanwhile, is completely grim, his eyes narrowed as an ominous thought passes through his head, "I felt Kisuke's Reiatsu, but not Tessai's… that can't mean anything good…"

As the former captain's thoughts worsen, Momo suddenly regards the red-haired vice-captain, "Renji… would you happen to know if Shuhei and Izuru were posted in the Rukongai as well…?"

The tattooed man frowns slightly as he sees the almost desperate look on the girl's face, clearly wishing both of their mutual friends to have had absolutely no part in the battle with Arturo. The vice-captain briefly eyes Rangiku as well, finding a nervous look on her face too, although not nearly as desperate or pleading as the other girl's.

Renji rubs the back of his neck and sighs, "Rukia and I were given strict orders to not engage that Hollow by Captain Kuchiki himself. He thought we'd just get in the way so told us to wait here for Captain—I mean, Lord Shiba and escort him inside after the battle concluded. Not sure if they received similar orders. If they didn't, I don't feel too good about Izuru and Shuhei's chances given their personalities…"

At the man's words, the blonde woman scrunches her brows and frowns while the black-haired girl's face shifts to one of horror, looking as if her heart had been ripped out again, feeling as if it's like she is losing one person close to her after another. Seeing the devastated look on Momo's face, Rukia narrows her eyes slightly and frowns, attributing her worsening state to the red-haired vice-captain's incredibly blunt, tone-deaf, and quite frankly unnecessary remark.

This prompts the raven-haired woman to jab her elbow harshly into Renji's side, making him yelp in pain, "Ouch!"

Rukia then smiles slightly as she assures the other two women, "I'm sure they are both fine… Seeing that the attack is over, you are more than free to join us to check for yourselves."

Momo and Rangiku perk up slightly and nod, wearing weak smiles, the black-haired girl responding, "Y-yeah… they'll be perfectly fine…"

Isshin then looks directly at Renji and grunts, "Well then, you two are supposed to be my escorts, right? Then let's get going. I'd hate to leave Urahara waiting any longer…"

Rukia and Renji's expressions become serious as the vice-captain nods, starting, "Right, then. Follow us, sir—"

A brash, young voice cuts the man off, calling out, "Finally I found you, Goat-chin!"

Isshin and the others immediately turn to look down the street, seeing the villagers disperse slightly as Karin, flanked by Toshiro and Nozomi, approaches.

The scarred girl huffs as she continues to regard her father in mild annoyance, "I felt your Reiatsu pop up and disappear on completely different sides of the Rukongai faster than I can breathe! Next time you run off by yourself, stay in one damned place—!"

The girl cuts herself off as her stride abruptly stops and she widens her eyes. Her gaze is directly on Rukia, who also widens her eyes as the pair makes brief eye contact. The raven-haired Shinigami is the first to look away, a guilty expression on her face as she now regards the ground, leaving the scarred girl to continue staring in silence. The awkward silence between them is telling as almost everyone watching frowns slightly in mild confusion, wondering what could have happened between them.

Isshin, however, softens his gaze as he recognizes, "This is about Yuzu and that Hollow pretending to be Kaien, isn't it…?"

The bearded Shinigami sighs before regarding his daughter with a big smile, his tone doting as he puts up a front in an attempt to lighten her mood, "I'm touched! My adorable daughter finally wants some quality with her dear old dad!"

Momo and Renji, standing next to the captain, both flinch, widening their eyes as Isshin begins to cry comical tears and run towards his daughter before embracing her in a bear hug. Oddly, Karin doesn't resist the man's comical embrace as she usually would, merely allowing things to play out. Meanwhile, Rangiku and Toshiro smile slightly upon seeing their captain show his more casual side.

The man releases his daughter from the bear hug, maintaining a jovial smile, "Anyway, we're about to go see Mr. Urahara. So how about it: wanna tag along?"

Karin's gaze remains distant as she slowly nods before answering distantly, "Alright, I'll come…"

Toshiro furrows his brows at the taller girl's reaction, looking up slightly to see her sad expression before shifting his somewhat hostile gaze to Rukia, "What did she do to Lady Shiba…?"

Nozomi, on the other hand, softens her gaze, "Lady Tsunayashiro was right to be worried… her brother and his allies did more than scar her face…"

Isshin's brow twitches as he notes his daughter's continued standoffishness, making his jovial front drop as he shifts to a neutral expression, suggesting, "In that case… how about you, Toshiro, and Nozomi go up ahead with Rangiku and Momo there? I won't be long."

The girl nods slowly before the bearded Shinigami glances at Renji, prompting the red-haired man to then look upon the black-haired boy standing slightly behind him, "Start escorting Lady Shiba and the others through the Seireitei… we'll catch up."

The boy nods before leading the group through the gate. As they walk ahead, Karin still wears a somber expression as everyone remains quiet. The others can't seem to come up with something to say to the girl, leaving them all with a combination of nervous and conflicted expressions.

This leaves the black-haired boy to suddenly regard Karin as they continue to walk, "So you're Karin, right? Ah—I mean, Lady Shiba. Ryunosuke has told me a lot about you."

The scarred girl frowns slightly at yet another person insisting on referring to her as a noble before raising a brow, "You know Ryu…?"

The Shinigami blinks before smiling and introduces, "I'm Rikichi Yuki, Ryunosuke's older brother. He probably mentioned me."

Karin widens her eyes slightly before shaking her head, "Oh… I forgot if he did mention you, sorry…"

This makes Rikichi sulk, leaving Momo to somewhat pity the boy and pat him on the back.

After Karin and the others enter the Seireitei and are out of earshot, Isshin and Rukia lock gazes before the man starts, a serious expression on his face, "Thanks for protecting my daughter from that Hollow. I can't say I'd have done anything differently than you did when it comes to her, including about Yuzu…"

The raven-haired woman widens her purple eyes as the man sighs and closes his eyes, "I knew as soon as Yuzu was captured that Karin would cross any foe to free her twin sister, her own safety be damned. It seems you understood that as well… I owe you a debt…"

Rukia looks down and smiles slightly as frustrated tears begin to fall from her eyes, "I still lied to her, though… that is something she will never forgive me for…"

Isshin exhales, "It doesn't change the fact that you are the reason Karin is still alive. If you weren't there to assist her against that Hollow, I would be fatherless right now…"

Before she can respond, the Shiba man turns on his heel and follows his daughter, entering the Seireitei and leaving Rukia's crying form with Renji. The red-haired man embraces her, allowing her to let out her emotions as she cries into his Gi.

As Isshin walks through the gate, he muses, "I don't see the entirety of the Soul Society as my enemy… only the ones who had a hand in putting my daughter to death…"

Top of Spire, Hueco Mundo

A particular, dark-skinned wraith with short violet hair stands at the top of the endlessly tall spire in Hueco Mundo, looking across the equally boundless desert realm below. Most of the wraith's features are hidden under her gray cloak, with shifts in the wind.

The wraith, Athena Plateado, narrows her crimson-red eyes, "I felt brother die... that means he must've escaped…"

She closes her eyes and exhales, "I should probably train the boy, then…"

The violet-haired wraith shakes her head and looks in the direction of Las Noches, "No… not yet. He is not ready quite yet…"

After a moment of allowing her words to linger, she suddenly perks up and looks in the direction of the massive pit, raising a brow, "Oh? What's this…?"

Hueco Mundo

Ulquiorra appears with a buzz, now standing at the top of the boundless gaping pit where he was born. The Hollow narrows his green eyes as he hears the hisses and shrieks of the winged creatures below, ready to leap out and drag any lesser Hollows down into the pit with them.

The Espada calmly chants, "Enclose, Murcielago…"

His sheathed Zanpakutō glows and fades. Thereafter, black bat wings sprout from the Hollow's back as his black hair lengthens and his horned helmet returns to its complete, unsealed state.

Ulquiorra, now in his Resurreccion, notably chooses to not use a Cero to light up his surroundings as was the case the last time he was here. Instead, the Hollow wordlessly descends into the boundless darkness from whence he was born, fully embracing it as he is alone. There is no light to guide him through the darkness this time.

Canopy, Las Noches

Ichigo continues to look off into the distance on top of the tower above the great arena of Las Noches. Tatsuki, too, remains seated to his right, quietly gazing up at the crescent moon in the forever-dark sky of Hueco Mundo. The pair sit in silence for a while, basking in the seeming tranquility. The Hollow King, however, gradually shifts to an intense frown as his thoughts are dark.

He narrows his eyes, recalling the humans who died as a result of the fighting in Karakura Town. Further, there is the way he left the Soul Society in ruins, as well as his merciless orders for the Arrancars to kill any Shinigami they see. There is also Orihime, whose eyes were the most betrayed and fearful of them all as he nearly choked the life out of her. Finally, the King considers the mound of corpses from his earlier vision holding him down, a literal manifestation of the guilt and self-loathing he feels for himself.

After a moment Ichigo looks at the karate girl, a troubled and anguished look on his face as he asserts, "I am an evil sack of shit."

Tatsuki flinches and widens her eyes as she looks at her friend with a shocked expression, "W-what?"

The Hollow looks dejected as he insists, "Even if I wasn't to blame for what happened to my mom and Yuzu, I still killed a ton of people… more than I can even count. I…"

His lip twitches as his eyes become guilty and downcast as he admits, "…I can't even remember their faces, Suki… it's like they weren't even people to me…"

Tatsuki's mouth hangs open slightly, further disbelief on her face as she knows the teen Hollow referring to her as he did when they were small children is as sure a sign as any that he desperately wants to open up to her, if even just instinctually. It is because of this that the girl is too stunned to properly respond in the moment.

Ichigo's look is full of despair as he looks at the arena below, "If not for Mom or Yuzu, then for the countless I've carelessly slaughtered… I should be punished—"

"That's enough!", the girl suddenly shouts and stands up as she wears a resolute expression on her face, drawing pause to the Hollow's words.

The young orange-haired King raises a brow as he looks at his friend, who asserts, "I won't deny that you have done evil things, Ichigo. In fact, I struggle to even recognize you knowing what you've done!"

The Hollow starts to look down in dejection, however, he pauses as Tatsuki bends over, forcing him to regard her face right in front of him, "HOWEVER, can't the same be said of Orihime, Chad, and I? And let's not forget your sisters, either."

Ichigo widens his eyes slightly, the girl's words starting to get through somewhat as she stands up straight and crosses her arms, "None of us are guiltless… not anymore. But the world isn't so black and white, is it? It doesn't always mean you are evil if you have committed evil acts… If you ask me, it's why you committed those acts that matters the most."

The Hollow looks at the girl in shock, likewise unable to recognize her as the same Tatsuki he knew. He has no clue how her time after he died was spent, but there is no doubt that the girl's new sense of moral ambiguity is a direct result of her training with Kisuke Urahara for over a year. The man brutally drilled her while slowly projecting his worldview on both her and Orihime, inadvertently making them more open to such brutal moral compromises.

After a moment, the Hollow narrows his heterochromatic eyes, seemingly looking through the karate girl as he asserts distantly, "I… I did it for Yuzu…"

Suddenly, the distorted voice of Zangetsu rings in the Hollow King's ears, "CUT THE BULLSHIT! You enjoyed it!"

Ichigo widens his eyes and grits his teeth as he sees a mirror of himself with white hair and black fur materialize behind Tatsuki, cackling, "Admit it, Ichigo! You enjoyed punishing the Shinigami, slaughtering any who got in your way! You enjoy murder—"

Ichigo shoots to his feet and screams at the manifestation of his Zanpakutō standing behind the karate girl, "N-NO! I DON'T ENJOY KILLING!"

Zangetsu frowns as his laughing halts, now hissing at his wielder, unamused, "Denying it will only make things more difficult, White… Did you forget that you are a full-blown Hollow now? You'll be forced to admit your lust for bloodshed, one way or another…"

The karate girl snaps out of her shock at her friend's screams, making her urgently shake his shoulders, "I-Ichigo! Who are you screaming at?!"

Ichigo widens his eyes before breathing heavily and holding his head, calming down a bit as the materialization of Zangetsu, only seen or heard by himself, fades.

Tatsuki frowns at his lack of response before questioning in concern, "Ichigo, are you alright…?"

The Hollow looks down dejectedly, admitting, "No…"

The black-haired girl widens her eyes as tears begin to fall down the boy's cheeks, continuing with an anguished and frustrated expression, his gaze still directed to the ground, "I-I didn't want to kill anyone, Suki…! I just wanted to protect my sister… I was so angry at the Shinigami… I already killed so many… I lost control, in my anger… and part of me still desperately wants to kill more of them for what they did to her! …even though I know it won't bring her back…"

Ichigo's crying becomes more intense as his knees buckle, leaving Tatsuki to continue supporting him by holding his arms, keeping him from collapsing.

Her eyes soften as she looks directly up into her friend's despairing heterochromatic ones, asserting, "Then you'll need to carry that weight with you, Ichigo. If you truly regret it, you should carry those you killed with you as a reminder to never lose control again…"

Ichigo flinches, still crying as his frown deepens.

Tatsuki's gaze turns more hopeful as she smiles slightly, reminding him, "And if that burden becomes too heavy for you to bear alone, then you should look to your friends to help you carry it… that's what we're for."

The orange-haired Hollow nods slowly, accepting her help before he wipes his eyes and regains his bearings, now feeling ever so slightly less bad about his actions, although still far from feeling anything positive about himself.

Meanwhile, slightly behind the pair of friends, Aizen's form stands within an invisible, Reiatsu-suppressing cloak quietly, with a curious look in his eyes.

His thoughts consider the added context to Ichigo's recent behavior, "I see… his Shinigami blood is active on some level, after all… he was screaming at his Zanpakutō… could it be attempting to convince him he loves murder…?"

Aizen narrows his eyes as he places a curious hand on his chin, "It's clear that his overly hostile behavior toward Orihime Inoue was spurred on by his poor mental state and violent Hollow nature, but could that and everything else have more to it than that?"

The former captain's lip twitches and he closes his eyes, remaining thoughtful, "Whether his Zanpakutō or not, there seems to be another side to Ichigo Kurosaki… something dark…"

Under the Canopy, Las Noches

Within the daytime desert under the palace canopy, Sora approaches his red stone palace in the distance, flanked by his sister and Fraccions.

Cirucci continues to berate the man, still pinching his cheek and yanking on it, "You should have known you had a palace to stay in, fool! I had to stay in the infernal hallway due to your ignorance!"

As this is happening, Kukkapuro is barking excitedly, leaping in a circle around Cirucci and Sora, while Orihime and Wonderweiss walk alongside each other. The gargantuan grotesque form of Hooler shifts in the sands behind them, following.

The auburn-haired girl enthusiastically explains to the blonde boy, who listens with stars in his eyes, pointing to a notebook in her hand where some kind of cyborg tank is drawn, "...as you can see, I would be a cyborg battle tank with all the bells and whistles! I would run entirely on bread, oil, and grease! See the turret here? From it, I could launch heat-sinking missiles! …although knowing what I do now, maybe something like a Cero would be more fitting…? Either way, I've always wanted to be an awesome cyborg growing up!"

Wonderweiss gawks as he questions eagerly, "Can Wonderweiss be killer cyborg like sister Hime?"

Orihime giggles with a smile as she nods, "I don't see why not! Crazier things exist!"

The boy fist-pumps the air, declaring, "Then Wonderweiss and Hooler be cyborgs too! Also run on bread!"

Hooler roars playfully at the boy's declaration, sending a shockwave across the desert.

It is at this point that Sora whines at the former Espada, who is still pinching and pulling on his cheek, "I SAID I WAS SORRY! Please let go of my cheek!"

Cirucci scoffs before releasing the man's right cheek, which now is as red as the scarlet droplet tattoos that are in a horizontal pattern across it.

He rubs his cheek as the group approaches the stairs leading into the red stone palace, pausing as a rough feminine voice calls to them, "Oi! It's about time you guys got here!"

Sora and the others widen their eyes slightly as they look up at the owner of the voice, the dark-haired form of Emilou Apacci, accompanied by the taller and more muscular form of Franceska Mila Rose.

The women both have their arms crossed and smile as they look at the Espada, who appears surprised, "Apacci...? Mila Rose? What are you two doing here?"

The duo walk down the stairs as the dark-skinned woman grunts, "What? Did you think that being an Espada means you're out of the pack? You should know you won't be rid of us that easily."

The brown-haired man rubs the back of his head and lets out a chuckle as the two women now flank him, "I guess not..."

Apacci and Mila Rose exchange a knowing look, each smirking, before the former elaborates as briefly as possible, a playful look in her heterochromatic eyes, "Also, we thought we'd get you ready for her…"

Sora becomes confused, however, he is robbed of the chance to question her as both of the women simultaneously give him a hard pat on the back, forcing him to partially ascend the stairs. He looks up to the form of Sung-Sun, now standing at the top of the stairs and within the palace entrance, her olive-green bangs hiding her lavender eyes while she holds up the white sleeve of her uniform to hide her mouth.

Sora looks back at Mila Rose and Apacci, still smiling and giving him a thumbs up, before his eyes light up as he turns and involuntarily smiles and walks up the stairs toward Sung-Sun, "I heard you were waiting for me Cyan!"

The woman perks her head up slightly, her tone dark as she questions, "You did, did you?"

The Espada pauses as his eyes widen and face pales, now seeing the cold glare held within the woman's eyes as she utters, "It is impolite to keep a woman waiting, My Lord... do you know how long I waited...?"

The male serpent flinches as Sung-Sun leaps before him and declares with a possessive smile, a blush on her face, "It seems I'll have to teach my husband discipline!"

Sora whines as the woman suddenly grabs his still sore red cheek, "Ow! Ow! Not again!"

Sung-Sun giggles and continues to blush as she cups her right cheek with her other hand beneath her elongated sleeve, "A wife must look after her husband and make sure he doesn't stray from the right path! As your one and only wife I intend to do just that!"

She immediately glares at Cirucci in a pompous manner, who returns the glare with an angered scowl.

Mila Rose and Apacci both sigh and shrug, the deer admitting, "We can't compete with Sung-Sun's insane level of devotion, so we might as well support her, eh...?"

The dark-skinned lioness nods, underscoring with a hardy laugh, "As long as we can remain his kin one way or another, that's all that matters! Oh, and serving Lady Halibel, of course!"

Sung-Sun continues to 'discipline' Sora, Kukkapuro now leaping around them and Cirucci locking her gaze with the snake woman. The other two women turn as Wonderweiss points to the side of the red palace, prompting Hooler to shift up next to it before closing its eye and resting.

The lion and deer women smile at Orihime now, Apacci greeting her, "And you are Sora's sister, yeah? Heard you were as tough as an Espada... that true?"

The girl returns the smile and bashfully rubs the back of her head, admitting, "Well, I wouldn't say that... but I am definitely one tough cookie who shouldn't be overlooked!"

Mila Rose's smirk widens, "Oh yeah? Well, what say you train with us sometime then? A petite girl like you could use some muscle!"

Apacci scoffs, "Yeah right! Like a girl as pretty as her would want to ruin her curves with gorilla muscles like yours!"

The lioness smirks pompously at the other woman, holding her sizable cleavage in her hands to emphasize, "That's rich coming from a flat-chested tom-boy like you! As you can see, these curves aren't something you can ever get rid of, and she's stacked!"

The deer woman blushes as she snaps back at her peer in fury, "Why you!"

As the pair of women start to brawl, Orihime widens her eyes slightly, taking in Mila Rose's rather lean and muscular body, unable to prevent herself from imagining herself with such a physique as an instinctual thought passes through her head, "Me? Getting buff like her? ...I wonder if Ichigo would like—?"

The auburn-haired girl slaps her cheeks suddenly as her face is now beet red from blushing, mentally berating herself, "No, stop that! Becoming a muscle mommy won't put a smile on his face! …besides…"

The girl considers the multiple times Ichigo told her to stay away, as well as when he choked her, her form seizing as simultaneous fear of and sorrow for the Hollow courses through her body, leaving her conflicted. The vision of the Hollow King's wrathful, piercing gold eye with black sclera lingers in her mind.

Her expression is dejected as she instinctually places a hand around her still sore neck, "I desperately want to help him be happy… but he might just get mad at seeing me… I don't think my heart can handle him looking at me like that again…"

The duo of Hollow women pause their brawl at the sound of Orihime slapping herself, making them look at her. The girl continues to look conflicted as she anxiously shifts, seriously considering how she might handle her next interaction with Ichigo. She unknowingly drops her sketchbook as a result of this, making the duo raise a brow as they look at the drawing of the tank.

Apacci questions as she picks up the book, "What's this...?"

Orihime widens her eyes as she is forced from her thoughts and acknowledges the women, Mila Rose theorizing, "It looks kind of like an Adjucha... and a very formidable one at that..."

Wonderweiss suddenly cuts in very enthusiastically, "That sister Hime. She killer cyborg robot with Cero missiles and powered by bread!"

Apacci and Mila Rose both gasp and stare at the human girl in horror, both thinking, "T-This is her true form?! S-she's a monster!"

Orihime giggles as she defends, "I wish that were true, Wonderweiss! But alas it's just a dream of mine..."

The pair of women briefly look the girl up and down with scrutiny before sweat dropping, "O-Of course..."

Suddenly, at the entrance to the palace, a calm voice calls out, "It seems you have acclimated to Las Noches better than us, Sora..."

Everyone stops what they are doing and looks up to regard the blonde form of Tier Halibel, whose lower face and mask fragment are hidden behind the collar of her uniform.

Sung-Sun releases Sora's cheek, causing him to rub it as he averts his gaze from the other Espada, his tone becoming particularly bashful, "Y-Yeah... I guess you could say that..."

Mila Rose, Apacci, and Sung-Sun all look at each other, seemingly taking note of the serpent's sudden change in behavior.

Halibel questions with her piercing green eyes, "You left in quite a hurry earlier... I also saw the King in a foul mood as well... could those things be linked?"

Sora and Orihime both flinch at this as the serpent becomes even more bashful and nervous, "H-He was, was he...? I didn't notice!"

Everyone besides the siblings raises a brow at their behavior, finding it an odd response to such a direct question.

The Espada woman narrows her eyes, staring at the serpent with scrutiny, clearly not buying it. At this point, sweat begins to leak from Sora's nervous brow, further preventing him from selling his lie. Halibel doesn't miss how Orihime likewise is wearing a nervous look.

The shark woman then closes her eyes, "They are both terrible liars..."

After a moment, the blonde Hollow sighs and opens her eyes, "I see... that's good. The King has enough to work through as it is right now. Understandably, he would be in a bad mood given what happened."

Sora exhales, relieved that the woman dropped the subject before she nods, "Apologies for our intrusion. I'm sure you are desperately wanting to make up for lost time with your sister..."

The serpent is less nervous but still notably bashful as he waves his hands defensively, "Not at all! We've got plenty of time and very little to do—I'm sure Orihime doesn't mind either."

This makes Halibel and her three female followers look to the auburn-haired girl, who looks at them with a friendly smile, rubbing the back of her head, "Yeah, I don't mind! In fact, I'd like to get to know you all since you were my brother's companions!"

The shark woman nods in understanding before stepping to the side and motioning to the palace entrance, "It would seem we are your guests, then..."

Sora widens his eyes slightly before nodding in turn and facing everyone else with a smile, "Welcome to my palace everyone. You're all welcome inside—I am no more familiar with this place than you after all!"

After a moment, the group enters the palace, leaving the massive form of Hooler to continue napping outside, drawing curious looks from passing Numeros traveling across the desert sands.

Elsewhere, Las Noches

Multiple children zip through the hallway, launching Ceros like crazy. Five other, adult male Arrancars hastily avoid the blasts, narrowly evading being killed by them. Specifically, these five are Grimmjow's Fraccions.

The men huff as they land on their feet, all eyeing the Picaro with frustration, who temporarily stop attacking as they opt to giggle, prompting Edrad to remark, "Damned kids are tough… it seems it was a mistake to tread on them…"

Yylfordt, standing a distance to the other Hollow's side, explains as he sweats somewhat nervously, "I told you… the Picaro used to be among the Espada at the time of its founding. They originate from a human community where all of the caretakers died, leaving the children to die of starvation, turn into spirits, and lastly merge into one Hollow without any Shinigami to send them to the Soul Society."

The other Fraccions all raise brows as Di Roy scratches the back of his head, "One Hollow…? But there are hundreds of them…"

The blonde bull Arrancar nods before elaborating with a frown, "The Hollow continued to wander Hueco Mundo and the world of the living before eventually becoming an Adjucha. It made deals with other earth-bound children spirits who died early deaths, feeding them part of its body and allowing them to become a part of it. Before I split from Szayelaporro, I found them and decided to recruit them as underlings."

Di Roy widens his eyes, "They fed them part of their body? But that's like—"

Yylfordt scowls, cutting him off, "Don't you dare say it! Our loyalty to our King is not something these stupid brats could possibly understand!"

There is a brief silence as the Fraccions all reassure themselves that their loyalty to Grimmjow trumps everything else.

Shawlong narrows his eyes before wondering aloud, "In any case, they were nowhere to be found when we attacked… where were they?"

The blonde bull Arrancar, exhales before stating, "Barragan always hated them since they were far too immature for his liking… he most assuredly barred them from fighting and stealing glory away from the Espada and his generals."

The main child, a brown-haired boy wearing white headphones, wears a bored expression, "Not that he needed us to play with you losers anyway."

Edrad's brow twitches before he looks ready to kill the boy, "What did you just call me, you little shit?!"

Nakeem and Di Roy both hold the hot-headed Hollow back, preventing the man from charging at the kid. This leaves a wary Yylfordt and curious Shawlong to glare at the hundreds of children in the hallway, many of whom are floating in the air and giggling at the sight of the volcanic Hollow.

The headphone-wearing boy tilts his head before pointing at the long-haired blonde Hollow, "Also, you sure are cocky thinking it was you who found us. You might have his memories, but we all know you are Master Szayelaporro's lesser half…"

Yylfordt's brow twitches before shifting to a maddened smile, "Oh yeah, well at least I'm not his rat! In fact, I think I might just go remind him you even exist and see how you like it then!"

The children all stop laughing before wearing angry expressions, leaving the hallway completely silent. Edrad, Nakeem, and Di Roy look around at the Picaro, nervous instinctual sweat trickling down their faces as the normally jovial, loud children are dead silent.

Shawlong widens his eyes while Yylfordt's face pales, both now buckling somewhat as the children release intense Reiatsu, making the blonde man mutter, "Shit."

Picaro immediately begin to all charge Ceros now, aimed at the blonde bull, killing-intent clear. The Fraccions brace themselves, drawing their swords, about to release their Resurreccions.

Before a fight can break out, however, all of the Picaro suddenly are forced to the ground, the Ceros dispersing as the main boy widens his eyes, horrified as he struggles to stand. Conversely, the Fraccions find the weight on their shoulders fade as they hear footsteps approach from behind.

The adult Hollows all suddenly clear a path and bow, Shawlong addressing, "My King…"

Walking between the Fraccions with his hands in his pockets is the smirking form of Grimmjow, not even bothering to regard his pack as his gaze is locked on the brown-haired headphone-wearing boy.

The Tres stops in front of the boy frozen in place, his piercing blue eyes glaring down on him with a now feral smirk on his face, "You brats are tough, aren't you? But messing with my pack, well, that's just asking for death, you little shits!"

The boy flinches as Grimmjow suddenly grabs him by the collar of his white cloak with his left hand, hoisting him in the air and hissing, "Clearly the last generation of Espadas were soft on you… Someone ought to teach you some respect!"

The rest of the Picaro cannot so much as stand under the Espada's Reiatsu. The brown-haired boy widens his eyes in further horror as Grimmjow wears an evil smirk and raises his right hand, with a red Cero charging in it.

The boy gawks, prompting the Espada to cackle, "Let's see if splattering your leader over the walls makes the rest of you change your tune—"

"Enough of this, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.", a stern feminine voice calls from behind after a buzz sound rings throughout the halls.

The Espada perks up, his Cero dispersing as he shifts his head to look behind him, finding the form of Nelliel standing between his Fraccions. His eyes twitch as he notes the dark look in her hazel eyes, as well as the gloved hand placed on the pommel of her sword.

Grimmjow grunts, unimpressed, "What is it to you, huh? These brats your kids or something?"

The green-haired woman narrows her eyes and warns, "Fighting is banned within these halls. So, unless you want me to release my Zanpakutō so the rest of the Espada can feel a disturbance, I suggest putting the boy down."

The Espadas' gazes are locked, the Tres seeing if the woman will back down as he releases more of his Reiatsu. He sees that she does not falter whatsoever, rather, releases some of her own Reiatsu, looking ready to fully draw her blade at any moment.

After a moment longer of this standoff, Grimmjow grunts before throwing the boy on the floor and promptly drawing his own blade, a feral smirk on his face as he faces Nelliel, cackling, "Looks like you need to learn respect as well, woman!"

The green-haired Hollow sweats somewhat nervously as the Picaro gather behind her, hiding from Grimmjow. Likewise, the panther's Fraccions join his side, looking anxious as a fight between two Espadas is something that they don't particularly wish to get caught up in.

Nelliel frowns as she sheathes her blade and relents her Reiatsu slightly, reminding, "Weren't you listening? I just told you fighting was prohibited."

The blue-haired Arrancar's eye twitches in annoyance as the woman continues, her gaze cold, "I shouldn't be surprised, though. You are just like Nnoitora—a base animal always looking for conflict. I'm starting to think I should reign you in similarly to get you to behave."

Grimmjow scowls, visibly pissed off, "You think you can beat me into some kind of submission like that weakling? How dare you look down on me, woman… I ought to slaughter you for that alone."

Nelliel doesn't falter, maintaining her cold glare, "Then do it already."

The blue-haired Espada looks ready to lunge before he suddenly recalls something. His brow twitches, specifically remembering his days as an Adjucha when the woman before him once saved his life from certain death.

Grimmjow grunts carelessly, his Reiatsu relenting as he sheathes his sword, "No… just this once, you get a pass."

The green-haired woman widens her eyes in surprise, something everyone else in the room does as well.

Shawlong is absolutely speechless as he gawks, "Grimmjow never backs down or spares his prey! H-Her body should be staining the walls right now!"

The panther perks up slightly, seemingly considering something before shifting to a predatory grin, "You mentioned getting me to 'behave' earlier…"

Nelliel raises a brow, still with her hand on her blade in case he tries anything. Grimmjow glares at the woman as if she is prey, although a different, carnal instinct has replaced the bloodlust usually present with him.

He looks the woman up and down before settling his gaze on her partially scarred face, "If you intend to get me to 'behave' by submitting to me and offering yourself up as my woman, I may consider hearing you out…"

Nelliel flinches as she widens her eyes, caught off guard by the man's statement. His Fraccions likewise look shocked.

Shawlong's eyes shine in a sort of realization, coming to his own conclusion, "Of course! If he is to be a true King, then he requires one of those…"

Grimmjow's feral look remains as he continues to look the other Espada up and down, remarking, "I didn't notice before, but you're quite a beauty. Any King with eyes could see your worth as a concubine…"

Nelliel furrows her brows and scowls, regaining her bearings, before she hisses, "You can only dream of such a thing, Tres…"

The panther's eye twitches before he grunts, the predatory look replaced by a bored one as he turns and starts walking away. His Fraccions look between their King and the woman briefly before following suit.

Nelliel flinches as the group suddenly starts leaving, prompting her to chase after, flanked by the confused-looking Picaro, unfamiliar with the adult aspects regarding the conversation the Espadas just had, "Wait! Where do you think you are going?!"

Grimmjow looks over his shoulder at the woman, once more wearing a feral smile, "I'm going up to the arena... for my rematch!"

2 Days Ago (Living World Time), Urahara Shōten

Ryuken and Uryu exit the Senkaimon, both wearing traditional Quincy attire. They frown as they regard the sight of several Shinigami in the basement of Urahara's shop, still posted here from after the raid.

Uryu hisses at one of them as they try to approach him, "Stay away from me, Shinigami!"

The dark blue-haired teen continues to wear a prominent scowl and stomps out of the wasteland that is Urahara's basement.

Ryuken adjusts his glasses as he glares at the Shinigami, reiterating his son's words, "Stay out of Quincy affairs, or else you will have to answer to Kisuke Urahara and Isshin Shiba."

This prompts the surrounding Shinigami to sweat nervously as the man proceeds to make further demands.

Outside

Ryuken carries a limp, scarred black-haired girl in his arms—Karin's physical body, out of the shop. He regards his car parked at the edge of the yard next to the shop where many beaten Shinigami lick their wounds. Before entering the Soul Society, the white-haired Quincy and the Visoreds had fought their way through the Shinigami to access Urahara's Senkaimon.

The man frowns, noting, "It seems Uryu ran off… unsurprising…"

The Quincy gently places Karin's body in the car before getting in the driver's seat and driving off to his mansion.

Ishida Estate

After Ryuken parks his car and once more carries his niece's body, he raises a brow of curiosity at the sight of three individuals standing in front of the front doors.

At the front is a tall dark-skinned woman with short black hair wearing a black shirt and white pants. Next to her is a taller, much older black-haired man with a mustache and wearing a long black eyepatch over his right eye, diagonally wrapped around his head and tucked under his right ear. His outfit gives him the appearance of a butler. Lastly is a black-haired thug-looking teen with a mohawk, a red shirt, and matching black pants and jacket. A steel chain also hangs from the left side of his waist.

They all look intently at the surgeon, who maintains his raised brow, "You must be those allies Kugo Ginjo was referring to… you are early…"

The woman nods before introducing, "My name is Jackie Tristan. The kid with the mohawk is Moe Shishigawara and he's Giriko Kutsuzawa. You already should know this, but we're Fullbringers."

One of the maids attending the garden approaches Ryuken upon noticing his presence, prompting him to gently hand over the girl in his arms to her and direct, "Be gentle with her. She is to stay in Masaki's room…"

As the maid enters the house with Karin's body, the Quincy pulls out his cell phone, "We'll exchange contact information, then. You are to call me if you see anything weird happen in the Tokyo area—Shinigami, Hollow, or otherwise. I will do what I can to reach out to our mutual allies in the Soul Society."

While exchanging contact information, Shishigawara is nervous as he asks, "Are Mr. Tsukishima, Ginjo, and the others alright?"

Ryuken exhales as he looks away with a dejected look, "The only one who died was my niece…"

The mohawk boy is quiet as he wears a guilty expression.

Jackie and Giriko wear somber expressions as the woman states, "Sorry for your loss…"

The white-haired man remains silent before giving a slight nod and entering his mansion after fully exchanging contact information. After a moment, the Fullbringers exit the yard and start walking down the street. One of the bushes across the street from the mansion starts to ruffle before a black-haired boy pops out from it.

Mizuiro, who was observing in the bushes, looks dubiously at the leaving Fullbringers, "They possess strong spirit energy like Ishida does… could they know where Asano, Sado, and the others have gone…?"

The boy looks back at the mansion, worried, "And that looked like Kurosaki's younger sister… why does she have scars…?"

He furrows his brows before walking down the road, following the Fullbringers, "Dr. Ishida didn't seem to be in a talkative mood… I'm better off trying to get answers from them at the moment…"

Some Time Later

As the Fullbringers continue to walk through the streets of Karakura, Shishigawara's brow twitches as he can hear Mizuiro's footsteps behind them. Jackie and Giriko, meanwhile, seem to ignore the boy's presence, apparently unbothered by it.

Eventually, however, it does get on the mohawk boy's nerves as he suddenly pauses, turns around, and starts stomping over to the other, smaller boy, "Hey! Do you have a problem with us, kid?!"

Mizuiro flinches and stutters as Shishigawara continues to glare at him, "U-uh, no…! I-I…"

Jackie sighs before sending a look at the mohawk boy, "Leave the kid alone, Shishigawara. He's no threat to us…"

The thug-looking boy grunts before doing as told, leaving the smaller boy to look at the woman in appreciation, "Thank you."

She shrugs and looks away, "Don't mention it. Now, go on and tell us what you need to say…"

Mizuiro's expression becomes anxious, "Umm… do any of you know what happened to Kurosaki, Asano, Sado, and the others…?"

Jackie raises a brow, "Can you see spirits?"

The boy nods, "For about a year now…"

Giriko exhales, now somber, "I believe every one of your missing friends, except Kurosaki, are in a place known as the Soul Society. The Ishidas have returned to the world of the living, but as for Yuzu Kurosaki herself, she has passed away."

Mizuiro widens his eyes, shook by this and unable to believe what he is hearing. He trembles and realizes that back then those Hollows truly were after Yuzu. All the spirits were.

The boy scowls as his eyes are pained, lamenting, "So soon after her brother… are the Kurosakis destined to suffer…?!"

The Fullbringers look at the boy with sympathy before Shishigawara sighs, "Sorry for being rough with you earlier... You can hang out with us for a while if you want, seeing as most of our friends are gone right now…"

Mizuiro perks up slightly and nods with a slight smile, "Sure, why not? Anything beats my parents…"

Jackie raises a brow, accidentally blurting out, "Why's that?"

The boy frowns and answers distantly, "They aren't exactly fond of me…"

The woman widens her eyes slightly before bowing apologetically, "Sorry for prying. It was inconsiderate."

The boy chuckles and waves her off before the group, now with a fourth member, continues to walk through the town.

Present, Early Morning, Xcution Hideout, Naruki City

Mizuiro and Jackie, wearing gray jumpsuits similar to those worn by mechanics, walk inside from a side door with some grease on their hands as the woman notes, "I didn't expect a petite boy like you to be the type who isn't scared to get your hands dirty… thanks again for helping me with my bike, by the way."

The boy smiles as he looks up at her, "While I am a fan of motorcycles, I'm just happy I could help out, Ms. Jackie! The less you have to dirty your lovely hands the better!"

Jackie blushes slightly as she somewhat averts her gaze, remarking, "Um… well I wouldn't exactly call them 'lovely', but thanks…"

Shishigawara sits across the room at the bar, hiccupping and blushing lightly as he is currently enjoying being able to loot Ginjo's liquor cabinet as nobody is around to stop him, "It looks like he likes cougars! *hiccup* Good for you, man! ~"

Giriko, tending the bar, sighs, "Need I remind you that you shouldn't be drinking Master Ginjo's liquor at your age. Mr. Tsukishima would not approve of this, either…"

The boy flinches as he places the liquor on the counter, his expression becoming serious as he attempts to force himself to sober up.

He frowns, "I wish Mr. Tsukishima was here… it completely shocked me when he got that call a while back before suddenly leaving without an explanation…"

Jackie and Giriko exchange somewhat somber looks as the older man states, "We all wish the others could be here too. But you must remember that Master Ginjo ordered us to handle matters in the world of the living until they return…"

Everyone is silent, leaving Mizuiro to quietly observe them for a moment. After a long moment of silence, all four perk up and widen their eyes as they feel a sudden pressure, prompting them to start leaving the hideout to investigate. Giriko, meanwhile, begins to dial his cell phone to call Ryuken.

Jackie looks back at the young human boy, warning, "You should stay here. It probably isn't safe for you."

Mizuiro, however, wears an adamant expression, "If my friends can fight spiritual monsters the likes of the Shinigami, then the least I can do is tag along."

This makes the woman smile slightly as she nods, "He's brave too… this kid is full of surprises."

Karakura Plaza

It is still lightly raining after the thunderstorm of the previous night has mostly passed. The sun peaks through the clouds, illuminating the wet town below. The Fullbringers arrive at the sight of a confused Uryu standing alone in the middle of the plaza, most people who would be here still asleep given how early in the day it is.

The Quincy boy looks around, noting with a scowl, "Those wraiths I was pursuing disappeared again… it doesn't help that nearly all of the Shinigami still in town were recalled over the past couple days. They sure as hell chose a great time to do that!"

"Ishida...?", the teen hears, prompting him to turn and regard Mizuiro with the Fullbringers.

The shorter black-haired boy widens his eyes as sees the distant and tired look in the other teen's own. The boy looks like a wreck who has gotten very little sleep, which makes sense given all that happened.

Uryu gets right to the point, "Why are you here, Kojima? Who are these people?"

This prompts Giriko to bow, answering before the young human boy can, "Greetings, young Ishida. We are the members of Xcution who remain in the living world in Master Ginjo's stead. We already made contact with your father a couple days ago."

The teenage Quincy wears a troubled expression before Mizuiro suddenly asks, "Do you know when Asano, Sado, and the others will be back from the Soul Society?"

Uryu's expression becomes even more troubled as he frowns in confusion, "Asano is missing?"

The small black-haired teen widens his eyes, worried and shocked as he realizes Keigo didn't go to the Soul Society, "Asano didn't go...? Then where...?"

Before the conversation can continue, the furry white wraiths from the previous night suddenly start appearing again, prompting the Quincy and Fullbringers to take fighting stances.

Jackie looks at Mizuiro, warning, "Stay close to us…"

The boy gladly obliges as he begins to rummage through his bag, narrowing his eyes, "Where are those extra smoke bombs from a while back…?"

The white faceless creatures, now numbering in the hundreds, notice Uryu and the Fullbringers and rush toward them, startling the Quincy, "They're hostile now?!"

Uryu's hand spasms as he tries to manifest his bow, cursing at it refuses to take form, "Damnit! I guess there's no choice than to use Gintō spells…"

The bespectacled boy pulls several small silver tubes from his pocket, all infused with spiritual energy, before throwing them at the creatures, resulting in blue explosions which successfully vaporizes over a dozen of the white figures.

Meanwhile, Shishigawara puts on a pair of brass knuckles with the number '777' on them before he hits one of the creatures with a punch, creating a shockwave that blasts dozens of them into the sky.

The mohawk boy flexes, "Jackpot Knuckle never fails! It's always my lucky day!"

More of the wraiths rush toward him, prompting him to punch them as well.

Giriko pulls out a stopwatch before launching a small green beam at the approaching creatures from it, slowing them as they approach.

The older man smirks, "None can resist father time… you mysterious creatures too are susceptible to my Time Tells No Lies."

Jackie smears the boots she is wearing with the grease still on her hands and starts landing powerful kicks, imbued with green flames, at the creatures. This launches scores of them into the air as well before to woman stomps on a puddle, sending water into the air.

She calls out, naming-dropping her ability as well, "It seems even an ugly ability like my Dirty Boots works on them too…"

Mizuiro, still behind her, suddenly asserts with a smile, "I can't help but disagree with you, Ms. Jackie. Any ability wielded by a beautiful woman like you can't be ugly..."

This makes Jackie flinch and blush lightly, taking some of her focus from the wraiths, "What's with him...?"

She stiffens and coughs into her hand while still blushing, "I see… well, you're the first to say so…"

The woman is about to say something else before Mizuiro cuts her off and shouts, "Watch out!"

He suddenly tugs the much taller wide-eyed woman out of the way of the incoming swarming wraiths.

Jackie regains her bearings before looking at the boy in appreciation, "T-Thanks…"

The Fullbringers and Uryu reengage the faceless creatures, continuing to use their powers to repel them.

The group continues to repel do this for a while longer before Uryu curses, using the last of his capsules, "Damn it! I'm out of Gintō!"

Shishigawara concurs, huffing, "I guess my Jackpot Knuckle can only work so many times…"

The mohawk boy then strikes more of the incoming wraiths, who are merely pushed back slightly as opposed to before.

Giriko frowns as he is sweating as well, "There are too many of them!"

Jackie curses as she stands defensively in front of Mizuiro, "Damn! None of our abilities are suited for this many opponents…"

The woman kicks another few of the creatures, doing her best continue repelling them.

Meanwhile, Jugram Haschwalth stands in a nearby alley watching this, his expression urgent, "I cannot allow Uryu Ishida to perish!"

A shadowy portal forms in the air next to the blonde as he begins to draw his sword from it, prepared to intervene and save the other Quincy. However, he widens his eyes as a female Shinigami comes out of nowhere and begins striking down the wraiths one after another. Upon further inspection, the Shinigami appears as a teenage girl with amber eyes and purple hair tied back with a yellow ribbon.

She dances through the crowd of wraiths, striking them down for a moment longer before leaping into the air and chanting, "Bring them to the twilight, Mirokumaru!"

Her blade takes the form of a Khakkhara with a pointed tip, which she promptly uses to summon tornados which rain down on the now retreating wraiths. The white creatures struck by the winds seemingly vanish into thin air, nothing left of their bodies in the wake of the Shinigami's attack.

Uryu scowls angrily as he looks upon the girl beginning to descend as the remaining wraiths vanish in retreat, "This is… unacceptable. To be saved by a Shinigami…"

The Quincy looks down, dejected at his powerlessness as Haschwalth, hiding in the alley, and the rest of the group look upon the girl in confusion as she lands on the wet ground.

The purple haired girl seals her Zanpakutō before sheathing it, promptly smiling and holding up a peace sign as she introduces, "Heya! You all looked like you could use some help! You can call me Senna!"

Author's Note:

Ok, I'll make it official. Expect these chapters to continue to be around this length in general from now on. With there being so many new characters and plot points to cover at this point, it seems like something that was bound to happen at some point anyway. Sure, I could break the chapters up, but as a reminder, I plan what I want inside of a chapter and decide on where I want to leave the story off before proceeding to the next chapter.

Anyway, I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter. It took me a while to write and I put a ton of effort into it, since I wanted to make sure every character here got appropriate attention and time to shine, particularly in the fight with Arturo.

The next chapter will adapt the entirety of Turn Back the Pendulum, so take from that statement what you will.