Sōkyoku Hill Battle (4)

Sajin Komamura's giant blade still hung in mid-air, and Hades's massive arm gleamed with a cold, chilling light in the twilight.

And the group of Ryoka:

Chad was covered in blood, and the shield on his right arm was riddled with cracks;

Orihime's hands were still clasped in front of her chest, the light of the Sōten Kisshun was so dim that it was almost invisible, and the speed at which she recovered from her injuries was not as fast as when the battle had begun;

Ganju slumped to the ground, the Stone Wave spell having drained almost all of his Reiatsu, making it difficult even to stand up;

Uryū's fingers trembled, the string of the Spirit Bow chafing his fingertips, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound. Each time he drew the bow, beads of blood flew from his fingertips.

They looked like they were at their last gasp.

Over here in Komamura.

The collapse of the Shellbreaker King was still replaying in his mind:

The Shellbreaker King crumbled layer by layer from the inside, its Core Spell was precisely cut open, and the countless sparks dissipated into the twilight—something the Ryoka could not accomplish.

But apart from Ichigo Kurosaki, all the other Ryoka were now before him.

There is absolutely no way that Ichigo Kurosaki could defeat all the captains on Sōkyoku Hill.

Confusion and unease surged within Komamura's beast-like eyes.

"Don't you understand?" Uryū didn't draw the bow again; his fingers could no longer move, but he still stood ramrod straight.

"Your Gotei 13 are different from us. You have a different attitude and different intentions in this execution, so naturally you cannot achieve your goal."

"Do you think I'm someone who would eat someone who sows discord?!" Komamura's voice boomed from under his helmet, and his Reiatsu surged even higher.

"This isn't provocation." Uryū adjusted his glasses, his gaze calm and sharp behind the lenses. "Actually, you should have noticed it yourself; the Seireitei's reaction to this incident is off. Both the executions and the handling of the Ryoka are problematic."

Komamura fell silent, his fingers tightening slightly on the hilt of the Tenken sword. He had indeed noticed it:

The repeated advances of the execution date, the rejection of all appeals by the Central 46, and the inconsistent reactions of the various squads after the invasion of the Ryoka —all of these indicate that there are differing opinions within these Gotei 13.

"So what?" Komamura's voice was even lower, each word seeming to be forced out from the depths of his throat.

"I am Sajin Komamura, leading the Seventh Division! I only carry out the orders of the Captain-Commander. And the Captain-Commander's orders are Rukia's execution and the killing of the Ryoka!"

He raised the Tenken once more, Hades's massive arm soaring high, its blade aimed at the Ryoka and his companions.

However, just as the blade was about to fall, a series of urgent bell rings came from the alley entrance. The members of the Fourth Division, carrying first aid stretchers and medicine boxes, rushed into the battlefield, ringing alarm bells, and lined up between the two sides who were on the verge of fighting.

The leader of the team knelt on one knee and held up a secret letter with both hands.

"Captain Komamura! This is the first secret order jointly signed by Captain-Commander Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, Second Division Captain Soi Fon, and Fourth Division Captain Retsu Unohana! Please review it immediately!"

"Secret Order Number One!?" Komamura was extremely surprised.

"Secret Order Number One? It's actually Secret Order Number One! This is the most confidential order ever issued."

He took the secret order, and the moment his fingers touched the cover, he sensed it— the Reiatsu attached to the three team flowers was indeed that of the three captains.

Code Number One is the highest-level code and the special instruction with the highest priority.

The last time they purged half of the Central 46 — the Bamboo Creek Plain Battle, led by Soi Fon and involving several lower-ranking noble families—they only used ordinary secret orders.

This time, however, a mere five Ryoka used the No. 1 secret order.

A heavy, almost suffocating sense of foreboding washed over Komamura.

He tore open the seal, unfolded the secret order paper. There were only a few lines of text on that page, but each word pierced his beastly eyes like a nail.

"The Fifth Division Captain, Sōsuke Aizen the mastermind behind this rebellion. He used the power of his Zanpakuto, Kyōka Suigetsu, to interfere with the operations of various Seireitei institutions for a long time and orchestrated the unjust punishment of Rukia Kuchiki."

The Gotei 13 shall immediately cease all operations related to this execution and devote all efforts to the capture of Sōsuke Aizen!

"What!?" Komamura's hands trembled, not with fear, but with utter shock. "How is this possible!"

He had seen Aizen's body with his own eyes, and Captain Unohana had personally examined it. However, a secret order told him it was all a lie; Aizen was not only alive, but also the biggest traitor.

He raised his head and looked at the four Ryoka who had been driven to the brink of defeat but refused to back down. Then he lowered his eyes, folded the secret order again, and put it into his pocket.

"... Iba." His voice was so hoarse it was almost unlike his own.

Tetsuzaemon Iba knelt on the ground, his body still pierced by Uryū's Reishi arrows. He raised his eyes and looked at his captain's face, which was covered by his helmet.

He had followed Komamura for many years and had never heard the captain's voice like this before. He lowered his head and remained silent for a moment. "... Yes."

Then he stood up, supporting himself with his knife, and pulled out the arrows from his limbs one by one, throwing them on the ground.

"Fourth Division, please heal me."

In the dense forest below Sōkyoku Hill

The setting sun filtered through the gaps in the tree canopy, cutting thin streaks of light across the ground.

Two swift figures passed each other, the muffled thuds of fists and feet colliding echoing through the forest, startling a flock of birds into flight.

After a kick exchange, the two retreated and landed on the broken surfaces of two adjacent ancient trees.

Yoruichi stood with her hands on her hips and her Fon Shaoling stood on the tree stump opposite her, her arms crossed over her chest.

"I see." Fon Shaoling's voice was low, her golden eyes fixed on Yoruichi's nonchalant face. "You've been missing for so long, yet your martial arts haven't improved much."

"I think your martial arts skills have declined somewhat," Yoruichi grinned.

Why are you stopping me from tracking Abarai?

"Because it's unnecessary." Yoruichi Aizen needs the Sōkyoku to extract the Hōgyoku. It's just a matter of how to use it."

"What's the meaning?"

"I didn't quite understand the underlying principles," Yoruichi scratched her head. "It all started with the Shellbreaker King sealed within the Sōkyoku, who had the ability to freely utilize Reishi and transform them into his own weapons—"

"I've already heard that from the Captain-Commander," Fon Shaoling interrupted her. "Please get to the point."

"In short, we either need to use Shellbreaker King to burn Rukia, leaving behind the Hōgyoku, or we need to use that power to extract the Hōgyoku directly. Either way, it must be done on Sōkyoku Hill."

Yoruichi stated the result directly, "Now that the Sōkyoku Scaffold has been destroyed, it's impossible to release Sōkyoku again. Aizen can only use the latter."

"So we should lie in ambush?"

"Yes. The final battlefield will definitely be at Sōkyoku Hill."

Fon Shaoling nodded, her finger already on the Denreishinki. "Then I'll have the Inner Court Corps contact the other captains and have them meet at Sōkyoku Hill— "

"There's no need for that," Yoruichi interrupted her. "I already asked Captain Unohana for help before the release of Sōkyoku. They should have started making contact by now."

Fon Shaoling frowned. "Shouldn't this kind of communication be handled by my Second Division? You know how slow the Inner Court Corps's communication is."

Yoruichi looked at her, a very faint smile flashing in her eyes:

"You're still too green, Soi Fon."

Yoruichi began to offer her advice. "At times like these, it's the Fourth Division that rushes to the various battlefields without attracting attention."

This time, the target is a guy who's been hiding in the Gotei 13 for two hundred years.

Yoruichi then said in a serious tone, "You can't even handle such details, that's why he fooled you all the way to Bamboo Creek Plain. Even Urahara and I couldn't solve this guy together, do you want to solve it yourself?"

Fon Shaoling's fingers clenched tightly inside her sleeve. "I... I've become stronger."

She felt wronged, and her voice trembled. "You left suddenly at that time, Marechiyo Ōmaeda's father also resigned from his position as Lieutenant because of you and went on an indefinite leave of absence, which left the Second Division leaderless and demoralized."

It was me! I brought everyone Integration bit by bit... All these years, I've only... only wanted to...

Her eyes reddened, and a thin layer of tears welled up in her golden pupils, but she stubbornly held her chin up, refusing to let the tears fall.

Yoruichi landed lightly in front of Fon Shaoling, and gently placed her hand on the top of Fon Shaoling's head. Her hand was warm, just like when she was the Second Division Captain.

"Yes, I know all that. I knew it as soon as I saw the Second Division you were leading..."

"You've grown up and become stronger, Soi Fon."

Fon Shaoling's body stiffened. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but her throat felt like it was blocked by something.

Then she turned her head away, rubbed her eyes hard, and when she turned back, her expression had returned to its usual indifference.

"You're quite strange. The Tenkaichi on Ichigo Kurosaki has the Shihoin family Heavenly Treading Silk; you gave it to him, didn't you?"

"That's right." Yoruichi withdrew her hand. "After all, if you can't fly, you can't Rukia."

"You had time to go get that thing, but not enough time to come to the Second Division?" Fon Shaoling's voice was very low, almost carried away by the wind. "The guys in the division really want to see you."

Yoruichi lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long time. Then she raised her head, her usual ease gone, replaced by an intensely honest, almost clumsy, earnestness.

"I didn't say anything when I left, and I'm too ashamed to go back now. I'll have to go back and apologize properly once this is over."

Fon Shaoling looked at her. "Is that really true?"

"Of course." Yoruichi tilted her head. "If those guys have any complaints, I'll take them all."

The wind blew from the depths of the dense forest, carrying the cool scent of leaves. When Yoruichi opened her eyes again, she was surrounded by black figures.

The Onmitsukidō silently emerged from the shadows of the trees, forming a circle around the open space where the two were. Yoruichi's gaze swept over these familiar faces one by one, finally landing on the woman standing behind Fon Shaoling.

Sakiro took a step forward. "You said it yourself, Lady Yoruichi." Her voice was gentle, and a very faint smile curved her lips. "It's not just Captain Soi Fon; we also have quite a few complaints we want you to hear."

Yoruichi stared at her for a long time, then she grinned, revealing the signature smile she had worn over a hundred years ago when she was the Second Division Captain.

"Sakiro? Are you the deputy commander of the Onmitsukidō now? I'm so sorry about what happened over a hundred years ago. Let's get together properly after this is over."

"Yes!" the Onmitsukidō responded in unison. The voice echoed through the dense forest, startling a flock of birds returning home.

Meanwhile, at the other end of Seireitei

Shunsui Kyōraku released his grip on Ukitake's shoulder, and the two stopped on a hillside. He took off his straw hat, fanned himself with it, and looked back. "That should be far enough, right?"

Ukitake's forehead was still damp with the cold sweat from when Kyōraku suddenly pulled him into Shunpo. "Yeah. Now that we're this far away, we shouldn't affect anyone else, right?"

"Nanao- chan is so slow." Kyōraku tilted his head, the usual flippant smile returning to his lips.

Nanao arrived, panting, "It was the captains... they were too fast..."

Nanao pushed up her glasses, took a deep breath, and swallowed all her complaints back down her throat.

Then she looked up and froze. There stood Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, leaning on a cane made of Ryūjin Jakka. His steps were as steady as an ancient tree, each step heavy yet firm.

Nanao's fingers twitched unconsciously, ready to use Kidō at any moment.

Ukitake's breathing tightened, and his fingers clenched slightly inside his sleeve.

Kyōraku put his straw hat back on, the brim covering most of his face. The smile on his lips was still there, but the flippancy in that smile had completely disappeared.

The three stood ready, prepared to meet the Captain-Commander's attack at any moment.

Yamamoto walked up to them, stopped, and looked at the three captains and Lieutenant before him, who were as tense as arrows about to be released from a bow. He remained silent for a moment.

Then he sat down on the spot, leaning on his cane...

Kyōraku's smile froze, Ukitake's eyes widened, and Nanao's mind was still reeling.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto rested his hands on his cane and let out a long breath.

"Phew—you two used to run around all the time for fear of my punishment. I didn't expect that after all these years, you two would still be the same."

The three men looked at each other in bewilderment. All the preparations they had made for the day, all the battles and confrontations they had rehearsed in their minds, were now suspended in mid-air, unable to find a foothold.

"... Lord Genryūsai," Ukitake's voice still carried a hint of uncertainty, "You didn't come here to chase after us?"

"Chase." Yamamoto closed his eyes, as if savoring the weight of the word. "Of course we'll chase. I've been chasing all this way, and now I'm tired. Can't I even rest for a bit?"

Captain-Commander Yamamoto sat on the hillside, his cane resting on his knees. Shunsui Kyōraku, Jūshirō Ukitake, Nanao Ise stood in front of him, their expressions still frozen between anticipation and bewilderment.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Yamamoto's voice remained steady, but there was a very faint, almost imperceptible layer in his tone—as if this thousand-year-old man found it quite amusing at this moment.