Stop ahead
"It's you?"
The Little Lion had already spotted the entrance to Central 46 when suddenly a squinty-eyed figure darted out from the roadside. Tōshirō sighed.
"Are you from Central 46?"
"Oh my gosh~? I guess so."
Trying to glean anything from Gin Ichimaru's face was a waste of time. Tōshirō understood after just one glance that this was an impossible task. Therefore, no matter what, he had to enter the Central 46.
"Get out of the way!"
"Hey kid, do you know who you're talking to?"
Tōshirō scoffed, "A mere rookie captain? If my captain hadn't returned from Hueco Mundo twenty years ago, I'd be in the same position as you. What's there to pretend about? And as a lackey of the Central 46, what's there to be proud of? Get out of my way!"
Gin Ichimaru squinted so narrowly his eyes were almost invisible, and clicked his tongue. "I hate self-righteous guys like you the most. Hmph~ If you want to get in, you'll have to step over me first."
Their swords clashed violently. Tōshirō chose to attack, his Shunpo use of Gin Ichimaru off guard. However, this also thoroughly enraged Gin Ichimaru, and the two became blurry figures as they fought wildly in the Cave.
The two tacitly refrained from using Kidō, but the sword winds of their Captain-level strength still left the Cave walls covered in cuts. As the fight progressed, Little Lion realized he was falling behind; his Shunpo technique was inferior to Gin Ichimaru's.
"Seated atop the Frost Heaven- covered heavens! Hyōrinmaru!" Tōshirō immediately unleashed his Shikai, "Ice Blade Break!"
With a sudden forward swing of his sword, a massive iceberg was cleaved open. What was originally a Cave was now divided in two by this single strike, effectively restricting Gin Ichimaru's movement.
"Oh my~, he actually used Shikai, is he serious?" Gin Ichimaru twirled his sword. "Then I'll get serious too, let's shoot him down! Shinsō!"
The Little Lion tried its best to dodge, but the Shinsō still managed to cut a gash in its face. Then, it instantly swung its blade, creating another ice wall to block the second Sword God.
However, the power of the Shinsō lies in its rapid, multi-stage thrusts. Seeing the ice wall gradually shatter from the chaotic jabs, Tōshirō suddenly slashed at it with his sword, sending the ice wall shattering into hundreds of fragments that shot towards Gin Ichimaru.
At the same time, the Little Lion blocked three consecutive Sword God, then with a wave of his hand, hundreds of fragments suddenly changed direction, enveloping Gin Ichimaru layer by layer. Gin Ichimaru quickly dodged, but each time these fragments collided, they formed a small icicle on the spot.
Small icicles kept appearing, and when fragments collided with them, new icicles would form. In an instant, an ice tree branch, shrub, or coral reef would take shape—a chaotic structure that took up a lot of space, forcing Gin Ichimaru into a corner.
Gin Ichimaru realized something was wrong. This place was perfect for Little Lion. It was just a dilapidated Cave; even Captain-level fighter could fill it with Spiritual Power. If Tōshirō wanted, freezing the entire Cave wouldn't be difficult. How could they possibly fight like this?
So, seeing Tōshirō draw his sword and point it at him, Gin Ichimaru flicked his sleeve, and a strip of cloth came out from inside, which he then used to wrap himself up.
It all happened in an instant. Tōshirō's Ice Dragon Tail Spin was unleashed, and a giant ice dragon hurtled towards Gin Ichimaru's location. But Gin Ichimaru had already vanished, leaving only a single sentence behind.
"You won today, bye-bye."
Tōshirō had absolute control over his ice, knowing that his Ice Dragon Tail Spin attack would be fruitless, and there was no need to unleash his combo, since Gin Ichimaru was no longer there.
"Space Kidō? Hmph! Space Kidō is forbidden to be learned except by the Twelfth Division and the Kidō Corps, and it's just been released like this. The Central 46 are really something!"
With a flick of his wrist, he sheathed the sword. After the Shikai release was complete, the ice shattered and dissipated into Reishi. This wasn't the Thousand-Year Ice Prison; it didn't possess such powerful abilities. The Little Lion thought to himself as he walked towards Central 46.
"Could it be that they joined the Central 46 just to break these rules and gain more power? That makes sense, but Captain Shimizu also knows these things, so..."
"Are the rules of Soul Society made for the weak? But isn't it like that everywhere? However, if Captain Aizen has strength comparable to Captain Shimizu, what good are these things? Would the Gotei 13 really kill him? No way! They wouldn't even say a word."
"So that argument doesn't hold true either. Captain Aizen's death remains a mystery. I want to see what kind of den of dragons and tigers the Central 46 is!"
Tōshirō pushed open the door to Central 46, and from the moment he did, Tōshirō sensed something was wrong.
Why is nobody here?
Central 46 isn't just home to forty-six councilors; there are many office staff as well. Little Lion has been to Central 46; he's the Vice-Captain and occasionally comes back to hand over some tasks.
But now there's no one in Central 46, which is very strange. Tōshirō has drawn his sword; at this moment, he certainly doesn't have time to worry about respect. In this bizarre situation, his own safety is his top priority.
Tōshirō knew how to get to the Central 46. He turned right as soon as he entered, and started descending the stairs. The Central 46's council chamber was underground, with the upper floors being all office areas.
As he walked, Tōshirō noticed a pool of blood, splattered on the wall. It was clearly blood from a knife wound or a fatal attack. Tōshirō focused his attention, leaped forward, and then...
"What is this!?" Tōshirō was stunned, almost dropping his sword, because what appeared before him was that the entire corridor was covered in blood, and the blood was still flowing on the ground.
With the council hall just ahead, Tōshirō stepped through the blood-soaked ground to reach the entrance. It was a scene of utter Hell; all Central 46 councilors lay dead in their seats, and in the center of the hall was a mountain of corpses—the bodies of the Central 46 councilors' staff.
Suppressing his discomfort, Tōshirō entered the room. He first examined all the council members' corpses, finding that each one had been killed with a single, fatal stab wound. Tōshirō; the methods of death varied considerably.
"It's Gin Ichimaru!?" Tōshirō wasn't entirely sure. "Or maybe not. I'm certain Gin Ichimaru is involved, but whether he has accomplices is still unknown. The deaths of those councilors were definitely Gin Ichimaru's doing, that sword called 'Shinsō'..."
Tōshirō suddenly leaped to the ceiling of the council hall, right in the center, and then brandished his sword. Sure enough, he could assassinate every councilor from there. And judging from the speed at which it extended during the previous battle, who knew if that was Gin Ichimaru's full power?
But thinking about it that way, everything becomes chaotic again. Which side is Gin Ichimaru on? He should be on the Central 46's side, but why did he kill all of the Central 46?
"Could it be? He's avenging Captain Aizen, but that doesn't seem right either."
"Why was he guarding outside before? If he was one of them, shouldn't he have destroyed some things? Or had he already destroyed them all?"
"What exactly is it? I..."
Tōshirō had stopped thinking and was about to do something when he heard footsteps at the door. He turned around and saw Tōshirō Momo Hinamori.
Of course, there were others too. A great many people had come, including Soga Dōsan, the Vice-Captain of the Fifth Division Tetsuzaemon Iba, the Vice-Captain of the Seventh Division; Makoto Kibune, the Vice-Captain of the Third Division; and countless others.
Both were in shock. Seeing the incredulous look on Momo Hinamori, Tōshirō didn't refute it. Tōshirō knew he'd been tricked. At that moment, Tōshirō remembered Jun's words again.
Are you prepared for this?
"Is this the kind of resolve I've come to?" Tōshirō thought to himself, "If this is it, I think I have it now!"
"Tōshirō Hitsugaya! Drop your weapons! Surrender!" Fifth Division Vice-Captain Soga Dōsan drew his sword, and the others did the same; the situation was terrifying.
However, Tōshirō absolutely could not surrender so easily, nor could he harm these people in front of him too much. Although this place was suitable for him to fight, he couldn't let it drag on for too long.
"Release! Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"
Tōshirō's sudden release was incredibly surprising, as it was so decisive that no one had time to react before being slammed against the wall by a Dragon Tail Swing. Tōshirō then took the opportunity to escape.
Because Tōshirō held back, no one was injured. After they climbed down from the wall, Momo Hinamori shouted, "Let's go after him!"
"Hinamori, calm down!" Soga Dōsan and the other two Vice-Captains exchanged glances and nodded, indicating that they knew something was amiss. "Investigate the scene thoroughly. Tōshirō Hitsugaya's sword is ice-based. How come there's not a trace of ice at the scene after he killed so many people?"
Momo Hinamori's eyes blazed with fury, but she was merely a lieutenant, still waiting for a position in the Fifth Division. Since Aizen was dead, she couldn't become a lieutenant anymore, so she had little say. After all, she was just a lieutenant. But she still had to speak.
"None of you believe Captain Aizen's suicide note!?"
Soga Dōsan is a Soul Reaper over four hundred years old, a veteran Soul Reaper. If it weren't for his lack of talent, he would very well have become a captain. His eyes widened at Momo's shout.
"Hinamori! Remember your place! Although Captain Aizen's death has caused you great pain, and of course I have too, that's no excuse for losing your composure! Besides, that suicide note itself is highly suspicious."
"Are you kidding me! That's Lord Aizen's handwriting! I can't be mistaken! It's Lord Aizen's handwriting! It's Lord Aizen's own handwriting! If you won't go, I'll go myself!"
After saying Momo Hinamori chased after him outside. Tetsuzaemon Iba said, "This child is a bit worrying. Are we just going to leave her like this?"
"Hmph! She lacks even the most basic judgment; she's lost her mind. Let her go, let's continue."
The group began examining the bodies. Then, Soga Dōsan, like Tōshirō, arrived at the center of the ceiling. After landing, he said, "Those ice marks were indeed made by Tōshirō Hitsugaya. The wounds on these bodies clearly show signs of being frozen. That's it! He's the killer! Let's go."