Setting Out Again

A week after the Konsō Ceremony Yexing Hu, an expedition team was established within the Seireitei to go to Hueco Mundo to defeat Aizen. In preparation for the upcoming battle, the Gotei 13 began joint training with different squads.

Today it was the turn of the Sixth Division, the Eighth Division, and the Thirteenth Division to conduct joint training. In the huge joint training field, the members of the three divisions sat around the edge of the field, their eyes all fixed on the two figures facing each other in the center of the field.

Renji Abarai held the Zabimaru horizontally in front of him, his Reiatsu slowly gathering around him; Byakuya Kuchiki stood opposite him, Senbonzakura hanging at his side, his face still expressionless and indifferent.

Renji strikes first, "The Roar, Zabimaru!"

When the Zabimaru Shikai, the blade transforms into several sections of a snake-belly sword, which writhe and twist in the air like a living python.

Renji his sword, Zabimaru's blade sliced through the air, biting towards Byakuya with the force of a gust of wind.

Byakuya drew his sword to parry, the blade clashing with Zabimaru, sparks exploding between the two swords. He used the Shunpo to circle behind Renji, his Zanpakuto aimed straight for the back of Renji's neck.

Renji reacted quickly as well—the instant Byakuya disappeared, he tightened the blade of Zabimaru, turned around to parry, and the two swords clashed again.

This time, however, Renji did not passively defend. Taking advantage of the momentum of turning around, he used his arms to forcefully deflect Byakuya's sword with his wrist strength, and then a vertical slash came down from the sky.

Byakuya raised his sword to meet the attack, and the blades clashed. The two were locked in a stalemate in the center of the arena, their Reiatsu tearing at each other, causing fine cracks to appear on the stone slabs beneath their feet.

A moment later, the two retreated simultaneously, creating distance between them. As Byakuya retreated, he placed Senbonzakura horizontally in front of him.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

The blade transformed into millions of tiny blades, which, under the lights of the training ground, resembled cherry blossom petals fluttering in the sky. The torrent of petals rushed towards Renji, who was retreating. Renji raised the Zabimaru to block, but the shift in his center of gravity as he retreated made it impossible for him to fully stabilize himself, and he was pushed back continuously by this torrent.

The onlookers began to whisper among themselves.

"Lieutenant Abarai is going to lose."

"Why? Weren't they evenly matched just now? Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Abarai only just unleashed their Zanpakuto. You can't say Lieutenant Senbonzakura lost just because he was pushed back a few steps by Abarai."

"This is not a matter of taking a few steps back. Captain Kuchiki seized on Lieutenant Abarai's unsteady center of gravity and pushed Lieutenant into a dangerous situation."

If Lieutenant Abarai hadn't retreated with the momentum, he would have definitely been pushed over in his current position. Captain Kuchiki's Shunpo is no joke; if he had fallen, Senbonzakura would have been on his neck.

If they continue down this path of regression, they'll soon be pushed out of the game.

"I see. It seems Captain Kuchiki is indeed superior to Lieutenant Abarai in the use of Zanpakuto."

The team members nodded in agreement, acknowledging the analysis.

However, Renji offered a different answer.

"Bankai!"

The Baboon King Zabimaru, unleashed a massive red Reiatsu, erupting from Renji's body like a volcanic eruption. The shockwave deflected all the petals of Senbonzakura, and the red light dyed the entire training ground crimson.

As the red light subsided, a gigantic Bone Serpent coiled around Renji's body. The Bone Serpent was formed by countless interlocking vertebrae, connected by crimson Reiatsu flames. The massive serpent's skeletal head hovered above Renji's head, and deep within its mouth burned a ball of red Reiatsu in the shape of a flame—a core of light that spontaneously ignited after Reiatsu had reached its peak.

"Baboon King Zabimaru!"

The surrounding members cheered upon seeing the Bankai.

"Good!"

"Charge, Lieutenant Abarai!"

Byakuya stared at the sky-covering Bone Serpent without changing his expression. He pointed the tip of Senbonzakura downwards, the blade sinking into the ground.

"Renji, don't forget—if you control it with your hands, the petals will move twice as fast. Your powerful Bankai won't be able to stop it."

The petals of the Senbonzakura Blossoms surged from the cracks in the ground, swirling rapidly around Byakuya. The petals were indeed more than twice as fast as when Shikai form, leaving countless pink trails in the air.

"It's coming, Renji."

Just then--

"Listen to my voice."

A voice, like a whisper, rang out from the shadows, but no one heard it in the noisy environment.

In that instant, a petal from Senbonzakura brushed past his forearm, cutting a very fine wound. Blood seeped from the cut, trickling down his wrist and staining his cuffs red.

Byakuya frowned slightly. This was an almost impossible mistake— Senbonzakura was his own Zanpakuto, and every petal was under his control.

They would never touch him unless he commanded them to attack him.

But that petal had indeed slipped out of his control.

Renji had already charged forward wielding the giant serpent. Byakuya had no time to think. He manipulated the torrent of flower petals to meet it. The petals were faster than when he used his Shikai, drawing countless pink trails in the air and blocking all of the Bone Serpent's path.

To avoid the flower petals, Renji leaped into the air. The giant snake coiled around his feet, lifting him into the air, and the flower petals rushed up with him, like a waterfall flowing backward.

Renji controlled the giant serpent to rush towards the flower petals, and crimson flames erupted from between the Bone Serpent's vertebrae.

"Hikotsu Taihō!"

The Bone Serpent opened its massive jaws, and each vertebra lit up with crimson Reiatsu, extending from its tail to its head. The red core of light burning deep within its mouth suddenly expanded, transforming into a gigantic Reiatsu projectile that shot towards Byakuya with destructive power.

Byakuya's Reiatsu surged rapidly. With a wave of his right hand, billions of petals from Senbonzakura gathered in front of him to form an impenetrable wall. The Hikotsu Taihō crashed into the petal wall, and the Reiatsu clashed and tore at each other. The shockwave from the explosion overturned all the team members at the edge of the training ground, and smoke and dust engulfed the entire area.

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, the petal wall cracked open from the inside, revealing Byakuya's figure below—the density of the Senbonzakura petals had more than doubled.

Renji landed on the ground, the giant snake slowly coiling around him. He looked at Byakuya and grinned, "Captain, you used Bankai."

Byakuya didn't answer, but simply withdrew Senbonzakura. The petals reformed into the blade and fell back into his hand. He glanced down at the still-bleeding wound on his forearm, his brows furrowing slightly.

Renji noticed that Byakuya seemed troubled. "Captain, what's wrong?"

"... nothing."

Just then, Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake walked over from the sidelines, clapping their hands. Kyōraku's straw hat was pulled low, and the corners of his mouth were in his usual smile; Ukitake's complexion was rosier than before, and he seemed to be in good spirits lately.

"That was fantastic, what a wonderful match!" Kyōraku's voice was as cheerful as ever.

"Lieutenant Abarai, your skills have improved again," Ukitake said with a smile.

Renji put away the Zabimaru and bowed to the two of them. "Thank you for your compliment."

Byakuya turned around, sheathed Senbonzakura, and walked towards the exit of the training ground.

"Captain, what's wrong with you...?" Renji looked at his back.

That's all for today.

Renji bowed to Byakuya's retreating figure. "Thank you for your guidance, Captain."

Ukitake took a step forward: "Byakuya-- "

Byakuya didn't turn around, but simply raised his hand and waved, "Excuse me."

Kyōraku stroked his chin, watching Byakuya's retreating figure disappear at the exit. "What happened?"

Ukitake shook his head, and neither of them asked any further questions, as everyone has their own private matters.

"Alright, alright." Kyōraku clapped his hands and turned to the team members on the sidelines, "The joint training isn't over yet, next group, get ready--"

Meanwhile, at the Tenth Division barracks.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya sat Zanpakuto in his hand. He closed his eyes, his breathing was steady, and his Reiatsu flowed slowly around him, gradually entering his Inner World.

Gradually, the surrounding scenery transformed into an ice field. He stood on the ice, with bottomless ice beneath his feet. Fine snowflakes drifted down from the sky, and in the distance, a giant Ice Dragon was peeking out from the clouds.

Tōshirō took a step forward.

The Ice Dragon lowered its head, its eyes, formed from icy ice, meeting his gaze. Just as he was about to speak, the Ice Dragon suddenly let out a deep roar, and its massive body began to shatter.

The ice began to collapse from the dragon's tail, and cracks spread along the dragon's spine all the way to its head. The entire Ice Dragon turned into ice shards before his eyes.

Tōshirō was expelled from his Inner World.

He opened his eyes, and before he could even think about what had just happened, he heard Rangiku Matsumoto yelling from the direction of the office.

"You should be coming out soon!"

Then came the sounds of rummaging through drawers, drawers being pulled open and closed, cabinet doors slamming shut with a bang, and the crisp sound of something breaking in the middle.

Tōshirō's eyelids twitched. "Matsumoto!"

He stood up and strode towards his office.

In the office, Rangiku planted her Zanpakuto in the floor, put her hands on her hips, and glared angrily at the motionless sword.

"Get out here right now, Haineko!"

Seeing that her Zanpakuto was unresponsive, Rangiku began to search high and low—she opened every drawer, rummaged through every cabinet, and even squatted down to check under the table and in the cracks of the sofa.

"Are you even listening to me or not?!"

"And also, tell me, where exactly do I look like an old lady?"

Don't lie to me with your eyes wide open!

She rummaged through the last drawer, then plopped down on the sofa, panting heavily.

"Wildering, willful, and capricious." She crossed her arms. "I really want to see who forged Zanpakuto like you."

The door was pushed open, Tōshirō stood in the doorway, his face ashen. "Matsumoto!!"

Rangiku was startled and jumped up from the sofa, patting her chest. "Captain, don't scare me! I'm talking to my Zanpakuto right now."

Seeing the reproach on her face, Tōshirō felt a vein throb at his temple, and he was about to explode:

"You don't look like that at all—"

The door was pushed open again, and Momo Hinamori and Isane Kotetsu stood in the doorway, each holding a stack of documents and a paper bag.

"Hello, Rangiku- nee, Little White." Hinamori greeted him with a gentle smile.

"You should really change how you address me," Tōshirō said through gritted teeth.

"Hinamori, Isane." Rangiku nodded to them, Rangiku her captain's words, and waved to the two of them. "What brings you two here?"

Another vein appeared on Tōshirō's temple. "Hey!"

Hinamori ignored Tōshirō's remarks and handed the document in her hand to Rangiku: "This is the report from the Lieutenant's liaison meeting."

"Thank you." Rangiku took the document.

Hinamori turned her head and asked Tōshirō in a serious tone, "Little White, what did you just say?"

Rangiku also looked at Tōshirō with a serious expression.

Tōshirō stared at their faces, which clearly said, "I didn't hear a word you said," and gritted his teeth. "You two are doing this on purpose, aren't you?!"

Isane's gaze fell on the Haineko stuck in the floor. "Rangiku- nee, what are you doing?"

"Ah, I'm talking to my Zanpakuto." Rangiku walked to the Haineko's side, reached out to pull out the sword, then withdrew her hand, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes. "I want to hone my skills."

She quickly composed herself and waved her hand, "That guy Haineko, he didn't show up at all today, what a useless fellow."

Hinamori frowned and said seriously, "No, you can't talk about your Zanpakuto like that."

I need to open my heart more and connect with others. When I was feeling down, Tobiume was always worried about me, and that's when I realized—I'm not alone after all.

Tōshirō leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, and muttered dismissively, "So, you've finally fallen to the point where your Zanpakuto has to worry about you?"

Ignoring their bickering, Isane lowered her head, clasped her hands in front of her, and hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Um... about the Zanpakuto, my Tōun has been quite slow on the uptake these past few days."

Rangiku turned her head. "Isane yours like this too?"

"Yes, this has never happened before." Isane's voice was clearly unease.

This made Tōshirō realize something was wrong. Hyōrinmaru suddenly shattered in the Zanjutsu meditation, Haineko refused to respond to Rangiku's calls, and Tōun became sluggish—all three Zanpakuto at the same time, which was no coincidence.

Rangiku chimed in, "It's only the first time, it's alright. Haineko is a repeat offender."

"That's why I'm worried, it's the first time." Isane's voice was even lower.

Tōshirō felt he needed to report this, so he turned and walked towards the door.

Hinamori called out to him, "Little White, where are you going?"

"Idiot, you're still working." Tōshirō waved his hand without turning around.

"It's rare that Captain Unohana gave us some sweet natto." Hinamori took a beautifully packaged little box from the paper bag in Isane's hand.

Tōshirō paused for a moment.

Isane also took the sweet natto out of the paper bag, opened the box, and the aroma of sweet natto filled the office.

Rangiku leaned closer, picked up a tea bud, put it in her mouth, and mumbled, "Captain, why don't you have some tea with us? You like this the most, don't you?"

Tōshirō swallowed hard. He stood there, his back to the three of them, his shoulders stiff for a long while. Then, with great difficulty, he finally took a step and walked out, his footsteps heavier than when he came in.

The door closed behind him.

As the sun sets, the twilight bathes the stone paths of Seireitei in a golden-red hue.

Four figures emerged from the twilight in front of the Captain-Commander's office building.

At the forefront stood a graceful and mature woman. She had purple curly hair, wore an eyepatch over her right eye, a striking skull headdress, and a gorgeous courtesan's outfit. A faint smile played on her lips.

Behind her followed two twin children dressed in blue priestly robes, the sleeves of which were wide and made a very soft rustling sound as they walked.

Finally, there was an extremely eerie figure, a mysterious person draped in a cloak. The heavy cloak concealed their true face, allowing only a vague glimpse of a deep shadow beneath, exuding an elusive and mysterious aura.

The four men stood in front of the main gate of the Captain-Commander's office building. The heavy wooden door was tightly closed, and the carvings on it gleamed with a dark golden light in the setting sun.

The woman raised her eyes, the one eye peeking out from under her blindfold reflecting the patterns on the door. "We've arrived. This is our destination."

One of the twins spoke up, "Let's begin." The other immediately followed, saying, "Start now!"

The wooden door opened silently, revealing a long corridor with a faint candlelight shining through at the end. The four people entered one by one, and the door slowly closed behind them.

Nobody knows what happened inside.

As the sun completely set and the last rays of twilight disappeared from the stone pavement of Seireitei, the door reopened.

A massive number of Hell Butterflies emerged from the gate—more densely packed than at any previous emergency meeting of the captains. These black butterflies, their wings shimmering with a ghostly blue light, poured out from the cracks in the door like a flood bursting its banks, flying towards every corner of Seireitei.

They flew across the training grounds, through the barracks, through the bamboo grove in the courtyard, towards all the Soul Reaper capable of Shikai their Zanpakuto.

Meanwhile, far away in Bamboo Creek Plain.

Despite the bright sunshine these past few days, the road in front of Qinghui Clothing Shop is muddy and treacherous, with traces of water erosion everywhere.

Gravel and broken branches were scattered in the roadside grass, and the roots of several old bamboos were hollowed out by the rain, leaning crookedly against the edge of the bamboo forest.

Sylvan stood at the entrance of the Clothing Atelier, adjusting the sleeveless vest he was wearing.

This was sewn for him by Keiko —black fabric with extremely fine silver ripples embroidered on the collar and cuffs, fitting his thin frame perfectly.

He had a new Featherlike Pattern on his right arm, resembling black wings with feather-like patterns, and wore dark gray tapered trousers and black ankle boots.

Sylvan swung the all-black cane in his hand, its fine patterns gleaming faintly in the morning light. He turned to look at the two people behind him.

Shimizu lay on a bed made of water, the water flowing gently beneath him, supporting his weary body.

His hair was still wet, and his school uniform still bore traces of water damage. Keiko sat beside him, her hands folded on her knees.

"Shimizu, Keiko- nee," Sylvan's voice was soft but steady, "Thank you for taking care of me these past few days. I have to get going."

Shimizu propped himself up and sat up. He looked at Sylvan's silver eyes—the same color as Amber's eyes. His face was seven or eight parts similar to Amber's, but thinner and paler, and the curves of his eyes and eyebrows were more calm and reserved than Amber's.

"I don't care if you're Amber or Sylvan," Shimizu's voice was hoarse. "This is your home. You can come back anytime you feel tired."

A small tentacle extended from the waterbed beneath him and gently shook it, as if bidding farewell to Sylvan.

Sylvan looked at the small tentacle waving at him, a very faint smile curving his lips, and nodded.

"Don't worry, Hu will definitely come back."

A Blue-Violet Raven flew out from the shadows of the bamboo forest and landed steadily on Sylvan's shoulder, its silver eyes sweeping over Shimizu and Keiko.

"It's about time we went." There was a hint of distance in Rain's voice.

"I know." Sylvan raised his right hand, and Rain spread his wings.

The patterns on those wings shimmered with a bluish glow in the morning light, each feather like an extremely thin blade, its edges shimmering with a faint silver sheen. Sylvan grabbed Rain's foot, Raven took flight.

Shimizu and Keiko stood at the entrance of the Clothing Atelier, watching the Raven carrying Sylvan higher and higher.

The morning light filtered through the bamboo leaves, falling on the muddy path, on Shimizu's shoulders, and on Keiko's clasped hands.

Sylvan's figure grew smaller and smaller until he became a black dot on the horizon and disappeared in the direction of Seireitei.