The Hour of Demons Draws Near

Yoruichi's Secret Base, Underground Training Ground

The layout here is extremely similar to the training ground underground at the Urahara Shop —the same rock walls, the same open space, and the same Reishi lamps casting a cold white light overhead.

Ichigo gripped Zangetsu, the blade trembling slightly. He had been standing in the Training Ground for almost a whole day, his limbs bound with Yoruichi's specially made Reiatsu weights, requiring him to mobilize many times more Reiatsu than usual with each swing of his sword.

Yoruichi stood at the edge of the field, her arms crossed over her chest.

She was thinking:

Tenshintai

It was Bankai tool developed by Kisuke Urahara using himself as the test subject. Three days was the time it took him to learn Bankai, and also the number of days he judged would be dangerous if shortened any further.

Before setting off, Urahara leaned against the doorframe, holding up his fan and jokingly said, "It's alright, Kurosaki-kun's talent is even greater than mine, he can definitely do it."

Yoruichi had truly believed his lies back then. She stared at the orange-haired boy now trembling in the center of the training ground, swinging his sword until his shoulders shook.

I only believed Urahara's nonsense and let him try it, but based on the progress of his training yesterday—up to now—I still haven't sensed any increase in Ichigo's Reiatsu. Sigh... I'll observe for another day.

Meanwhile, in a corner by the field, Amber was fast asleep, wrapped in a coat, completely unaware of the sound of swords whistling through the air. Uryū sat cross-legged to the side, resting, Orihime knelt beside the medicine box, adjusting bandages. The group had clearly grown accustomed to this background noise.

"Yoruichi- san." Ichigo sheathed his sword, turning around breathlessly. "Warm-up complete."

Yoruichi was still lost in thought, her mind racing with the matter of the Tenshintai, considering whether she should increase the intensity and extend the training time today, but she couldn't be sure if Ichigo's soul could withstand the pressure.

Ichigo walked up to her, leaned close to her face, and took a deep breath. "Hey! Yoruichi- san!!"

Yoruichi slapped him on the head as he leaned in. "Shut up. I heard you, get ready, I'm bringing the Tenshintai over right now."

Ichigo was slapped to the ground by Yoruichi then turned to go to the Tenshintai.

Meanwhile, in the corridor of the Fourth Division.

Rangiku leaned against a stone pillar, unconsciously touching the gray-blue leather rope bracelet on her wrist:

Silver, this time I won't let you run away on your own again.

After settling Hinamori in, Tōshirō left the ward and went to Rangiku's side, his brow furrowed more deeply than ever. Gin's words were still echoing in his mind—

"What you see and hear isn't necessarily the truth. What you see is only what others want you to see. If you only look at actions and not motives, you'll be led astray."

Gin doesn't seem to have altered Aizen's letter. So what does that mean? Judging only by actions and not motives, does it mean he had no motive to kill Aizen?

Furthermore, what the eyes see is not necessarily the truth? What exactly does this mean?

And to use the power of the Sōkyoku to destroy Soul Society? Can a torture device really have that much power?

The sound of flapping wings interrupted his thoughts. A Hell Butterfly flew from the end of the corridor and landed in front of the two of them, its commanding voice echoing throughout the corridor.

"Captains and Lieutenant, I have something to report. The execution date for death row inmate Rukia Kuchiki has been changed. The execution will take place in nineteen hours from now. This is the final decision and will not be changed. Over."

The Hell Butterfly fluttered away. Rangiku's hand stopped on the bracelet. Tōshirō was silent for a moment, then walked straight out the door.

"Team leader."

"Regardless of whether Ichimaru or someone else is behind this," Tōshirō without turning around, "If their goal is this execution, then my task is simple—to stop this suspicious execution first. Matsumoto, come with me."

Rangiku followed him. The two left the Fourth Division Barracks directly.

The news of the Hell Butterfly spread to all the Lieutenant at the same time. Most of them showed a hint of surprise, except for one person.

Marechiyo Ōmaeda sat in the Lieutenant's office, with piles of documents spread out in front of her, some about the Sōkyoku, some about the Central 46, and even some about the Hollowfication Experiment.

As the last syllable of the Hell Butterfly's command fell into his ears, a slow smile curved his lips.

"The sentence has been brought forward several times in the past few days, and finally it was moved up to this afternoon? This looks like a conspiracy!"

He picked up the Denreishinki and handed it to Fon Shaoling.

"Captain, have you heard about the Hell Butterfly?"

"I heard you," came Fon Shaoling's voice from the receiver.

"The enemy's objective is clear: to execute Rukia, and they can't wait to do it."

What are your thoughts?

"With the enemy's objectives unclear, the more they try to do something, the more we should do the opposite. Stopping this execution is enough to make them furious."

The sudden advance of the execution date was enough to alert almost all the captains; all it would take was to bring it up at this morning's Captains' Meeting— "

"Marechiyo Ōmaeda," Fon Shaoling interrupted him, "This won't work. The Captain-Commander has already decided to personally witness this execution."

Marechiyo Ōmaeda's finger hovered over the documents. He couldn't understand why the Captain-Commander, who couldn't possibly be unaware of the irregularities, would agree to the execution.

"Are there any other ways?"

"Captain, what are your thoughts?" Marechiyo Ōmaeda was afraid that if the Captain-Commander expressed his opinion, his own captain would also change his mind.

"Of course, it's to stop the execution."

Fortunately, Fon Shaoling did not change her stance. Marechiyo Ōmaeda raised her head, her eyes, slightly red from days of insomnia and overexertion, looking at the gradually brightening sky outside the window.

"Then we'll have to resort to drastic measures. Amber is still with the Ryoka; I'll go contact them now. But what are the captains' thoughts...?"

"Don't worry about the captain," Fon Shaoling's voice was steady. "We'll handle things here."

"Yes. I'll make the arrangements right away, ensuring that the group of Ryoka can arrive in time to interrupt the execution."

He hung up the phone, stood up, organized all the documents, and strode out of the office.

When Fon Shaoling put down the Denreishinki, Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai was sitting opposite her.

This is the Captain-Commander's office. Also present are Retsu Unohana, Cilian, and Chōjirō Sasakibe. Fon Shaoling looked at the communicator in her hand, then raised her head to look at Captain-Commander Yamamoto.

"Is this alright, Captain-Commander?"

Captain-Commander Yamamoto, his hands clasped together, leaned on the cane formed from Ryūjin Jakka. His eyes, etched with the wisdom of a thousand years, held no trace of hesitation as he nodded.

"Yes. Let's do it this way. Let Marechiyo Ōmaeda lead the Ryoka and his men straight in. As for the other captains, I'll order them to be present."

His voice was as deep as an ancient bell, each word like a red-hot iron nail. "This time, we must eliminate the traitors within the Gotei 13 and capture the Sōsuke Aizen!"

The group unanimously accepted the order.

By this time, it was already dawn.

In the Training Grounds of the Secret Base, Ichigo had already used the Tenshintai to bring Zangetsu into the real world.

Zangetsu stood in the center of the training ground, his massive, handguardless Zanpakuto bearing a striking resemblance to the Ichigo. The battle between Ichigo and Zangetsu had begun—a primal clash of blades, a fight with no end in sight; if a sword broke, another would be drawn and the battle continued...

Yoruichi stood at the edge of the arena, watching Ichigo his sword. Each strike carried an unwavering momentum, and even after Zangetsu, he could immediately follow up. The situation from yesterday, where Zangetsu was constantly being chased by Zangetsu, had been broken— Ichigo was beginning to find openings to counterattack under Zangetsu's blade. He was indeed improving, and under normal circumstances, Yoruichi might have marveled at his rapid progress and astonishing talent. But now, Yoruichi felt that this speed was far from enough.

Yoruichi looked up, her brow furrowed. She had had an ominous premonition since earlier, as if something ominous was approaching.

Boom--!

The dome of the training field was smashed open, leaving a huge hole. Debris rained down, and dust instantly engulfed the entire field.

"I was wondering what you were doing hiding in this place!"

Uryū leaped onto the high ground on his Hirenkyaku, drew his Spirit Bow to its fullest extent, the string stretched taut, and aimed the arrow at the direction from which the sound came from amidst the dust and smoke.

Inoue sprang up from beside the medicine box, clasped his hands together, and the light of the Santen Kesshun unfolded in front of him. Kou was jolted up from the ground by the loud noise, holding the Jiku'a, but after sensing the Reiatsu of the newcomer, he put the sword down again.

"So you were secretly hiding away, training for Bankai." Renji emerged from the smoke and dust, a few pieces of gravel still hanging from his shoulder.

He looked around— Uryū, Inoue, Ichigo, and the tall figure in the center of the training ground confronting Ichigo.

"So this is the true form of your Zanpakuto? That's quite interesting."

"Renji!?" Ichigo's sword was still at his side. "How could you—"

"Judging from your puzzled look, there's really no great reason," Renji, stretching his shoulders. "It's just that time is running out, and I want to find a place to concentrate on my training."

Just then, the Denreishinki in Amber's arms rang. He answered it, and Marechiyo Ōmaeda's voice came through the receiver.

Ichigo looked at Renji, his brows furrowed, and he too had a bad feeling. "What do you mean by 'not much time left'?"

"Rukia's execution time has been changed again," Renji solemnly. "The new execution time is this afternoon."

In Koko's Denreishinki, Marechiyo Ōmaeda's voice came out almost simultaneously with Renji's. "The execution time for Rukia Kuchiki has been set. It's from 5 PM to 6 PM today—what's commonly known as the Twilight Hour."

Renji didn't look at them, but simply drew the Zabimaru, tip pointing downwards. "It's a pity. With my strength, I'm still a little short of being able to rescue Rukia."

"What do you mean?"

"That means I'm one step away from Bankai."

He plunged the sword into the ground. Reiatsu surged, Zabimaru materialized in reality—a baboon half the height of a man squatted beside him, wiry and silent, its tail a winding snake, its head resting on the baboon's shoulder, flicking its tongue.

Renji looked into Ichigo's eyes. "Don't worry, I won't disturb your training. In exchange, you shouldn't disturb mine."

He turned and walked to the other side of the training field, with the baboon following behind him.

Yoruichi stood still.

"This afternoon!?"

Only these words remained in her mind. "Three days was already the limit, and now even those three days have been cut by more than half. In that case..."

"Yoruichi- san."

Ichigo noticed Yoruichi's unease. "Didn't you start this training? How can you give up first?"

"But, Ichigo, what if—"

"I don't want to hear about 'what ifs'," Ichigo interrupted her, his voice low but each word seeming to strike straight from the depths of his soul. "Since the deadline has been changed to this afternoon, I'll finish it before then."

His Reiatsu began to rise with his resounding words, climbing at an almost steady, calm pace.

Yoruichi's pupils contracted slightly as she looked at the Reiatsu. This was a sign that her Bankai training was beginning to show results; her soul was starting to resonate more deeply with Zangetsu.

"Yes, Yoruichi- san." Amber hung up the Denreishinki and ran over.

Renji was startled by the voice and took a step to the side. "Amber!? When did you get here?"

"What are you talking about, Renji." Amber waved her hand, turned to Yoruichi, and her expression became unusually serious.

"Let's not talk about that for now. Yoruichi- san, Marechiyo Ōmaeda just sent word. It seems the Captain-Commander is also going; this is now confirmed information. However, the attitudes of the various squad captains are rather ambiguous; I guess they all have some doubts about this execution."

He paused, and Uryū and Inoue, who were cultivating nearby, also stopped what they were doing and looked over.

"As for our Second Division —ever since our Marechiyo Ōmaeda -Lieutenant Ōmaeda discovered that the entire team was being mentally manipulated, everyone's been holding their breath." Amber cleared her throat, her back unconsciously straightening. "I'll be relaying the Stealth Force from the leader of the Marechiyo Ōmaeda."

"To make our mortal enemies who have fooled us pay the price, the Stealth Force will pave the way for Ichigo Kurosaki and his companions to reach the Hill of Sōkyoku Hill."

Uryū lowered his Spirit Bow, Inoue clasped his hands in front of his chest, his eyes brightening.

Renji leaned against the wall, paused for a moment after hearing this, then chuckled softly, "No wonder, ever since the Ryoka invasion, news from the Second Division has always been late. So that's why."

Yoruichi didn't speak. She stood there, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.

Shaoling, that little girl...

She recalled the little girl who knelt before her and wept over a hundred years ago. And now, the Stealth Force she led would confront the entire Seireitei's rules head-on for the sake of a Rukongai.

This was something the Stealth Force of the past, which only valued orders and efficiency, would never have done. Yoruichi lowered her eyes, a very faint smile curving her lips, suppressing her relief within them.

At the same time, Stealth Force were underway throughout the Seireitei...

Underground prison

A Stealth Force, dressed in black, stood in front of the cell door and bowed slightly to the three people imprisoned inside. Yasutora Sado was leaning against the wall, Ganju was still lying on the stone bed recovering from his injuries, Hanatarō was changing his bandages.

"Mr. Shiba, Mr. Chad, Mr. Yamada, the Road to Sōkyoku Hill will be cleared for you by the Stealth Forces. Please prepare yourselves and await the opportune moment."

In the 11th Division Captain's hospital room, Kenpachi was tearing off the last bandage wrapped around his waist and casually tossing it on the ground. Behind him, a figure silently landed, and Kenpachi didn't even lift his eyelids.

"Who are you? You've trespassed on my territory, you've got some nerve."

"Captain Zaraki, I've come to offer you some news that will allow you to fight with Captain Zaraki."

Kenpachi's hand froze in mid-air, then he grinned, revealing a chilling smile, "Tell me about it."

Near the Tenth Division barracks, Tōshirō and Rangiku were walking along the stone path when a dark figure landed from the side and knelt on one knee.

"Captain Hitsugaya of the Tenth Division, and Lieutenant Matsumoto of the Tenth Division. I bring you both information."

The team member took out two documents from his pocket. The first was a thick stack of bound materials, with the Second Division's insignia on the cover. The second was a separately sealed paper file. He handed the two documents to Tōshirō and Rangiku respectively. Tōshirō opened the first page, which contained records personally compiled by Marechiyo Ōmaeda —a cross-referencing of recent meeting minutes of the Central 46 with the dates of government orders issued, with every anomaly circled in red.

"Information on Stealth Force? You're only starting now? Isn't it a bit too late?"

"I'm very sorry, Captain Hitsugaya. Our Stealth Force recently conducted an emergency self-inspection, and we were only able to resume operations today."

"Emergency self-inspection? Even Stealth Force can be infiltrated one day?"

"The situation is rather complicated and I cannot disclose further details. However, I believe this information will be of great help to you."

The team member turned to Rangiku. "Lieutenant Matsumoto, this is a soul analysis report from when you became Soul Reaper. During the Stealth Force's self-inspection, we discovered traces of concealment and forgery. We have recovered the original data and hope it will be helpful to you."

Rangiku took the file. She looked down at her name on the cover, her fingers tightening slightly.

"May you both have great success in your military endeavors."

The next moment, the figure of the Stealth Force disappeared in front of the two.