The Conflict and Unity of Opposites Are the Foundation of Human Existence

Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to Human existence.--William Blake<The Marriage of Heaven and Hell>(1790-1793)

What did you just say?

Rukia stood in the center of the courtyard. Opposite her, Sode no Shirayuki, dressed in a pure white kimono, stood motionless in the cold wind like an ice sculpture, every strand of her hair gleaming with the light of ice crystals.

"I have broken free from your bonds." Sode no Shirayuki's voice was remarkably close to that of a typical Yamato Nadeshiko, but her words were as cold as ice. "I am free. Whatever I want to do, you have no right to stop me."

"Is that so?" Rukia looked at her, a deep weariness pressing in her eyes. "But why do you hurt innocent people?"

"I'm just acting on my own whims." Sode no Shirayuki raised her Zanpakuto, the tip pointing at Rukia. "And anyone who dares to stand in my way will not be forgiven."

Rukia looked into Sode no Shirayuki's eyes, which were as cold as a frozen lake, and into the pure Zanpakuto that had fought alongside her countless times but now pointed its blade at her.

Her hand slowly rested on the Zanpakuto at her waist:

"To be honest, I really don't want to fight you. But—"

Sode no Shirayuki gave her no chance to slowly draw her sword. Her figure vanished from the spot and appeared in front of Rukia in the next instant. Her palm, wrapped in the power of ice and snow, slashed down towards Rukia's face, and the cold air condensed into countless extremely fine ice crystals in the air.

Rukia leaped backward, her toes tracing a very shallow arc on the ground. A cold breeze from her palm grazed her cheek, leaving a thin layer of frost on her skin.

She flipped in the air, almost instinctively drawing her Zanpakuto, and uttered the release phrase she had called out countless times.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"

She landed on the stone slab at the edge of the courtyard, her Zanpakuto lying horizontally in front of her. However, the blade remained unchanged; the Asauchi was still just an ordinary Asauchi.

"So there's still no way to Shikai?" Rukia whispered.

"How could you possibly Shikai?" Sode no Shirayuki stood before her, a faint, almost mocking smile playing on her icy eyes. "Because I no longer reside within your blade."

Rukia looked up.

"Until now, you've used my power as Zanpakuto at will." The mockery in Sode no Shirayuki's eyes quickly faded, replaced by resentment towards Rukia. "That's because I allowed you to do it, because we had no other choice."

"No other choice?" Rukia repeated those four words.

"But things will be different from now on." Sode no Shirayuki raised her sword, the tip once again aimed at Rukia. "I will use this power for myself."

She took a step forward, and the stone slab beneath her feet cracked from the cold air, the cracks spreading outwards along the ground.

"Until now, you've always believed I belong to your power. But that's wrong—" her voice suddenly rose, "You can't actually do anything."

Rukia's fingers tightened slightly on the hilt of the sword. "I've never believed this was all my own power, I..."

"First Dance - Tsukishiro".

Before she could finish speaking, Sode no Shirayuki pointed her sword at Rukia, and a circle formed beneath Rukia's feet.

The cold air spread rapidly within the circle. Sensing something amiss, Rukia quickly leaped backward. The moment her front foot left the ground, the spot where she had been standing was swallowed up by a cylindrical ice wall that shot straight up from the ground, reflecting a chilling silver light.

"How is this possible?" Rukia landed a few steps away, staring at the ice pillar that was still slowly spreading its chilling aura. "Tsukishiro's Freezing Domain is..."

"Use its blade to draw within a circle, and that circle should inherently include the world within it." Sode no Shirayuki picked up where she left off, her voice laced with undisguised sarcasm. "Isn't that so?"

Rukia's heart clenched. It was Sode no Shirayuki's technique, a skill that she and Sode no Shirayuki had spent countless days and nights honing—but now, Sode no Shirayuki was using it against her, and it was even more powerful than the one she herself had used.

She had barely landed and hadn't even had time to steady herself when another Tsukishiro freezing field lit up beneath her feet. She jumped away again, but before she could land, Sode no Shirayuki had already appeared behind her.

"Wait, Sode no Shirayuki!"

Sode no Shirayuki opened her mouth, and a gust of icy wind carrying a blizzard gushed out from it. It was Sode no Shirayuki's own power of ice and snow. The wind was like countless extremely thin ice blades, Rukia down from mid-air.

She crashed heavily to the ground, and dust engulfed the entire courtyard.

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, Rukia knelt on the shattered stone slab, her entire body covered in ice shards.

Tiny ice crystals were embedded in her Shihakusho, in her hair, and even on her bare skin. Her fingers trembled, not just from the cold, but also because the person who had knocked her down was Sode no Shirayuki.

"Does that mean I can't do anything without you?"

Rukia reluctantly got up from the ground, her fingers scratching white marks into the stone slab. She looked up at the Sode no Shirayuki in front of her:

"All things... flapping their Things Crowned with Human Names! Truth and Temperance, the Dream Wall unaware of its sins, standing atop it only with claws! The Hadō #33: The Sōkatsui!"

Azure flames erupted from her palm, carrying the Heat towards Sode no Shirayuki. However, Sode no Shirayuki simply raised her left hand, and an ice wall rose up in front of her.

The Sōkatsui into the ice wall, the flames and ice tearing at each other, exploding into a blinding white light. When the light faded, only a very shallow scorch mark remained on the ice wall.

Rukia's pupils contracted slightly. "Sode no Shirayuki, you... you put the Sōkatsui..."

"Are you surprised?" The ice wall shattered, Sode no Shirayuki emerged, a faint, almost pitying light appearing in her cold eyes. "Then I've truly been underestimated. I understand—let me correct your misunderstanding."

Her figure vanished from her spot, and the next instant, she appeared behind Rukia, her blade slashing down with a chilling aura. Rukia dodged forward, simultaneously turning in mid-air, attempting to face Sode no Shirayuki.

However, as soon as she turned around, she was met with several icicles, each gleaming with a sharp, cold light and as sharp as a knife.

Rukia could only continue dodging, as ice spikes kept flying out of Sode no Shirayuki's hands.

During this time, Rukia looked at Sode no Shirayuki, who showed her no mercy, her heart was also churning violently:

"My... Zanpakuto..."

She looked at Sode no Shirayuki —at that body, as perfect as if it were the work of a master, at those eyes that had once gazed at her tenderly, but now held only coldness and hatred.

Sode no Shirayuki's white kimono fluttered in the night wind, and her long hair cascaded down her back like a frozen waterfall.

"So beautiful... No wonder it's hailed as the most beautiful Zanpakuto in Soul Society..."

Another volley of ice spikes came hurtling towards her. Rukia dodged to the side, the spikes grazing her earlobe and severing a few strands of hair. She looked into Sode no Shirayuki's eyes—eyes that reflected her own image like the surface of a frozen lake.

"But why... do you seem to hate me so much... when you are me and I am you... aren't we always meant to be together?"

Images from the past flashed through her mind: many years ago, under the guidance of Kaien Shiba, the former Lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division, she first Shikai Sode no Shirayuki. At that time, she held the hilt of the sword and clumsily poured her Reiatsu into the blade, and for the first time, a pure white light shone on the Sode no Shirayuki blade.

That was the first time she felt that her Zanpakuto was alive.

She recalled the countless battles that followed, the countless times she stood shoulder to shoulder with Sode no Shirayuki, who had never rejected her or disappointed her.

"Am I really like you say... always wanting to monopolize your power and put you in pain?"

Her steps slowed down a little, and just a little bit— Sode no Shirayuki disappeared from Rukia's sight.

"When you recall the past like you did just now, a flaw will appear in your Reiatsu." A Sode no Shirayuki voice came from behind Rukia.

Rukia turned and slashed, her Zanpakuto clashing with Sode no Shirayuki's sword. The two beings who once shared the same soul now faced each other. At the moment of impact, a burst of icy energy exploded between them, freezing and cracking all the stone slabs in the courtyard and covering the walls with a thick layer of frost.

As the chill slowly dissipated, Sode no Shirayuki had already leaped onto the roof, looking down at Rukia remained in place.

In the center of a huge block of ice, Rukia knelt, shivering from the cold, panting heavily.

Frost covered her entire body; if you looked closely, you could see it on her hair and eyelashes. Her lips were purple with Frost, and her hand gripping the knife hilt was trembling.

"Second Dance - Hakuren."

A blinding white light emanated from her blade, bursting forth from the tip like a torrent Rukia.

The white torrent froze all the water vapor the moment it touched the air, forming a huge iceberg in mid-air that sealed Rukia inside.

An iceberg stood in the center of the courtyard. Sode no Shirayuki stood on the roof, looking down at the iceberg and at the black figure sealed deep within the ice. The figure was somewhat indistinct.

Sode no Shirayuki frowned, sensing something was amiss, when at that moment a wisp of dark red Reiatsu suddenly drifted out from the iceberg.

Immediately afterwards, a crisp cracking sound rang out, and a crack appeared on the surface of the iceberg. The crack then spread in all directions like a spider web, emitting a dazzling blackish-red light from within.

"Drink!"

With a battle cry, the iceberg shattered.

Countless ice blocks scattered and flew everywhere, and ice shards fell in a flurry. In the center of that ice shards, an orange-haired boy stood in front of Rukia.

He was dressed in a black trench coat, a typical Shihakusho, and held a slender, long black blade in his hand. Black and red Reiatsu surged from his body.

"Ichigo!" Rukia, her face filled with disbelief, scolded from behind him, "What are you doing here! You haven't even figured out the reason for the Zanpakuto's rebellion yet, do you know how dangerous it is to come here at a time like this?"

"It's so noisy." Ichigo Tensa Zangetsu onto his shoulder, but his gaze never left Sode no Shirayuki. "How could I stand by and do nothing? Besides, it's alright. If we still don't understand why, we'll just go and find out."

Rukia watched his retreating figure, his black trench coat fluttering slightly in the night breeze, and her lips moved. "Ichigo..."

Sode no Shirayuki fell from the eaves, the hem of her white kimono leaving an icy trail on the ground. Her gaze fell on Ichigo, a faint, almost scrutinizing light appearing in her cold eyes.

"Welcome, Substitute Soul Reaper."

Rukia quickly said, "Be careful, she's tough to deal with."

"I know." Ichigo didn't turn around; his gaze remained fixed on Sode no Shirayuki. "After all, it's your Zanpakuto."

Ichigo launched an attack on Sode no Shirayuki. In his Bankai state, Ichigo was so fast that Sode no Shirayuki could hardly see him. He dodged Sode no Shirayuki's first slash, sidestepped the ice spikes thrusting from the side, lightly touched the ground with his toes, and moved like a black lightning bolt between the ice spikes.

But he hesitated to launch an attack.

He simply dodged and kept getting closer, having several opportunities to severely injure Sode no Shirayuki, yet he never struck.

Sode no Shirayuki frowned slightly. "What are you doing?"

Ichigo didn't answer. Sode no Shirayuki looked at him—at this Substitute Soul Reaper who clearly possessed the power to easily defeat him, yet refused to wield his sword.

She suddenly laughed, "I see. You thought I was Rukia Kuchiki's Zanpakuto, so you held back."

Her voice suddenly rose, and a blinding glint of cold light flashed from the blade. "Interesting—but you'll regret it soon!"

"First Dance - Tsukishiro!"

Tsukishiro, circular field unfolded beneath Ichigo's feet. The instant the circular frozen field lit up, the stone slabs beneath Ichigo's feet began to freeze—the ice spread upwards from his feet, enveloping his ankles and calves. He quickly swung his sword to shatter the ice on his legs and Shunpo to escape the field.

But Sode no Shirayuki had already caught up, and her sword clashed with Tensa Zangetsu. A chill spread along the blade, and a layer of white frost instantly covered the black blade of Tensa Zangetsu.

Ichigo retreated, shattering the ice on his sword as he went, but the blizzard blowing from Sode no Shirayuki caught up—the icy wind, carrying a blizzard, knocked him down from mid-air.

Ichigo crashed heavily to the ground, his upper body frozen in ice. He gritted his teeth, his Reiatsu surging from his body, shattering the ice and scattering ice shards everywhere. He used Tensa Zangetsu to support himself as he stood up.

Looking at his disheveled appearance, Sode no Shirayuki's voice was filled with undisguised mockery. "Feeling pain, Substitute Soul Reaper? You've come all the way to Seireitei just to protect Rukia?"

"So what if I am?" Ichigo wiped the ice crystals from his face.

"Madness!"

"None of your business."

Ichigo gripped Tensa Zangetsu, unleashing his Reiatsu. Black and red light surged from his body, dispelling all the remaining chill.

Sode no Shirayuki watched as he unleashed his Reiatsu to dispel the chill, and sneered, "You're still hesitating about whether to cut me down, what do you think you can do with those frozen wrists?"

Ichigo's Reiatsu erupted even more violently. "Annoying!"

In response, Sode no Shirayuki also unleashed her own snow-white, cold Reiatsu. The two Reiatsu collided in the courtyard, the black and red versus the pure white tearing at each other, pressing fine cracks into the stone slabs beneath their feet.

"Then let me tell you—" Sode no Shirayuki raised her sword, the tip pointing at Ichigo, "Your hesitation is fatal."

Just as the two were facing off from a distance, Ichigo saw a figure appear silently behind Sode no Shirayuki.

Rukia!

Rukia her sword, Sode no Shirayuki turned and blocked it—sparks exploded between them, illuminating Rukia's face, which was filled with determination.

Rukia landed in front of Ichigo after missing her first attack. Her Shihakusho was torn in several places by the ice spikes, and there were still red marks on her cheeks from the frost, but her posture remained upright.

"Ichigo, don't interfere."

"Rukia..."

Rukia didn't turn around. She looked at Sode no Shirayuki, at the pure Zanpakuto that had fought alongside her countless times, and then she spoke.

"Sode no Shirayuki. If you must hate, hate me."

Sode no Shirayuki looked at her. "Yes, I do hate you. So, to make you truly suffer, I will take away everything you cherish—your family, your friends, and even the glory of being Soul Reaper!"

Her voice was like shattered ice, each word carrying a chilling coldness. "You just need to watch from the sidelines."

Rukia remained silent for a long time. On her pale yet stubborn face, a hint of relief appeared after making a decision amidst agonizing torment.

"Is that so? As expected of my Zanpakuto, it knows exactly how to inflict pain upon me."

She looked up at Sode no Shirayuki's eyes, which were as clear as a frozen lake.

"You are beautiful. You were once my pride. I never imagined that such a beautiful Zanpakuto like you would belong to me."

The blade of Sode no Shirayuki trembled slightly. "I am not your possession!"

"Yes." Rukia looked at her, a faint, almost resigned tenderness appearing in her eyes for the first time. "You are free."

Ichigo stood behind her, watching her back. He heard those words and understood them. His fingers tightened slightly on the hilt of Tensa Zangetsu.

Rukia continued, "Then I'll set you free. So put aside your hatred—I thank you for the time we shared life and death."

Sode no Shirayuki looked at that pale yet stubborn face, at the Soul Reaper had once led her through countless battlefields. "Are you going to leave me and live on alone?"

"Yes." Rukia began walking towards Sode no Shirayuki. Their shadows drew closer, yet their hearts drifted further apart. "Even if I lose everything, even if I'm left to languish on the ground, even if I have to return to Rukongai!"

"Visored of flesh and blood, a myriad of phenomena..."

As Rukia began to chant, Sode no Shirayuki's pupils contracted slightly. She could sense a change in Rukia's Reiatsu —it was no longer the hesitant, sorrowful, and flawed fluctuation it had been before.

It is becoming solid, becoming firm!

"Do you really want to defeat me?" Sode no Shirayuki's voice trembled slightly.

Rukia did not answer, nor did she stop walking, nor did she stop singing.

"The thunderous rumble of the carriage, the pause between spinning wheels..."

"Aren't you afraid of losing me?" Sode no Shirayuki's voice suddenly rose, something shattering in her cold eyes. "Aren't you afraid—of losing me forever?"

Rukia paused briefly, glancing at Sode no Shirayuki, but only for a moment before continuing to walk and sing.

"A double lotus seal is engraved on the wall of azure fire!"

Looking into that unwavering gaze, Sode no Shirayuki suddenly understood— Rukia was no longer hesitating.

"What are you doing!" Sode no Shirayuki brandished her sword, and the cold ice and snow condensed into a spherical blizzard around her. The ice and snow spun rapidly around her, each snowflake as sharp as a blade.

Rukia, however, seemed oblivious, stepping into the blizzard-stricken area without hesitation.

"From the abyss of fire, await the distant heavens!" Her voice remained clear amidst the howling blizzard, "Bakudō #61: The Six-Staff Light Prison!"

Six beams of light pierced through the blizzard's domain from all sides, pinning Sode no Shirayuki to the spot, Rukia was also locked in place by the light shards—she fixed herself and Sode no Shirayuki in the same position, face to face, eye to eye.

"I will not allow anything that dares to harm those I am protecting to exist."

Rukia's words were firm and resolute as she gazed at that beautiful figure one last time. "I'm about to lose everything."

Her fingers slowly loosened their grip on the hilt, and the Zanpakuto slipped from her fingers, twirled in the air, and finally stuck in the stone slab at her feet.

"I will give up everything—anger, hatred, or even sorrow."

She looked at Sode no Shirayuki.

"You are not me, you are no longer... a part of me..."

So what did Sode no Shirayuki see in Rukia's eyes?

It was a heavy, heartbreaking tenderness that stirred a sense of fear within her.

"Stop!"

Rukia raised her hands, palms facing up, and a ball of blue light slowly condensed in her palms.

"I'm letting go. Sode no Sode no Shirayuki, who was once a part of me. Your beauty, and the power of Soul Reaper you gave me—I'm giving it all up." The last vestige of reluctance in Rukia's heart began to fade. "Because all of this, for both me and for you, has always been a heavy burden."

"No... that's not how it is... stop... stop!" Sode no Shirayuki's body began to tremble.

Rukia looked at her, at the anxiety reflected in those beautiful eyes.

"Sode no Shirayuki, I'm giving you your freedom now! Hadō #73: Sōren Sōkatsui!"

The fully chanted Sōren Sōkatsui burst forth with a massive blue light in her palm. That light engulfed Rukia, Sode no Sode no Shirayuki, the light shards of the Six Staffs of Light Prison, and the entire courtyard. The azure flames, carrying immense heat and repulsive force, broke through all restraints, violently blasting the two of them away in opposite directions.

Sode no Shirayuki tumbled in the air, flames scorched her kimono, her skin, and her frozen heart.

The noises that interfered with her connection with Rukia gradually melted away in the flames of the Sōren Sōkatsui. The whispers she had heard in the dead of night—those voices telling her "you are just a tool to be used," "you have never been truly loved," "she only cares about your power, not you"—turned to ashes in the flames.

She finally heard Rukia's voice again, a voice transmitted through the most primal connection between the Soul Reaper and the Zanpakuto, without any interference or distortion, a pure, complete voice belonging to Rukia Kuchiki.

"How could this happen... I never thought you would let me go."

Sode no Shirayuki closed her eyes; she heard Rukia's answer, clearer than ever before:

"If Soul Reaper fears loss, he cannot fight. Even if it is his Zanpakuto, the Zanpakuto he depends on for survival, this is still true."

"Rukia..."

Farewell... to you who belonged to me...

Sode no Shirayuki opened her eyes and suddenly realized that it was actually herself who could not live alone.

From the moment she was born, she shared the same soul with Rukia, breathed the same air, and felt the same temperature.

She thought Rukia saw her as a tool, but she never asked Rukia —never asked if the tenderness in those eyes was partly hers, never asked if those days and nights fighting side by side were just her illusion.

It wasn't until she was truly about to lose it that she understood the meaning of loss.

She reached out, desperately, with all her might, and recklessly, towards Rukia, her fingers outstretched in the air, every knuckle trembling.

But the repulsive force was too strong. Rukia too light, and no matter how far she stretched her arms to try to grab her, Rukia only seemed to get further and further away in her eyes.

"Rukia... Rukia!!" Her voice ripped through the gray sky, "Don't... leave..."

Just then, a hand with long, slender nails reached out from the side and grabbed her hand that was desperately reaching for Rukia.

Muramasa pulled her away from the area affected by the Sōren Sōkatsui and wiped away her tears. "Do you really want to die here like this?"

At that moment, the noise rose again, and the whispers that had just been burned away by the Sōren Sōkatsui, like spirits rising from their graves, surged into the depths of Sode no Shirayuki's consciousness once more.

Fourth Division Medical Station

The air was thick and stuffy, the smells of blood, herbs, and the groans of the wounded mingling together and lingering in the narrow corridor.

"Captain Ukitake, we're running out of bandages and gauze!"

"Okay, coming right away!"

"Excuse me, we've run out of towels. Could someone please provide some clean towels?"

I have some!

"We're running out of Syringes!"

"Here!"

Jūshirō Ukitake was running around the various wards in the Fourth Division's Medical Station. He carried bundles of bandages, distributed towels, and even used his Shunpo.

His forehead was covered in sweat. He had taken off his white Captain's Haori and draped it over the back of the chair. The sleeves of his inner Shihakusho were rolled up to his elbows, revealing two thin but strong arms.

"Captain Ukitake, what's going on...?" Isane returned from her afternoon patrol and stood at the end of the corridor, watching Jūshirō Ukitake, covered in sweat and carrying various medical supplies, distributing them. She stood there stunned.

"Ah, it's Lieutenant Isane. You've worked hard patrolling the tower. How are the wounded doing?" Ukitake handed a bundle of bandages to the team member next to him and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Since the Zanpakuto retreated, there haven't been any further battles. After nearly a day of search and rescue, the number of wounded hasn't increased much, and most of their injuries have stabilized." Isane paused, her gaze falling on Ukitake's sweat-drenched arms. "But what are you doing Captain Ukitake?"

Ukitake looked down at the pile of medical supplies in his arms, smiled, and said in his usual gentle voice, "Well, Captain Unohana has gone to the Twelfth Division and is temporarily not with the team."

I figured that even if I couldn't help with the medical aspects, I could at least help you in ways I could. After all, my subordinates often receive your care."

Ukitake handed the last towel to the squad member beside him, straightened up, and looked at the busy Medical Station. The wounded lay on stretchers, and the Fourth Division members squatted between the stretchers to treat their wounds. The injuries caused by Zanpakuto. The Zanpakuto abilities of ordinary Soul Reaper were almost only known to their close friends, and for the more reclusive ones, probably only the person in question knew them. Therefore, treating them required a great deal of observation skills from the healers.

"Many squad members usually underestimate the Fourth Division, thinking it's a Fourth Division only for weaklings. But only in a major battle of this scale will the Fourth Division's importance be truly revealed."

He paused, took a deep breath, and his voice carried a faint Reiatsu, clearly conveying his words to every corner of the Medical Station.

"The Fourth Division is definitely not a weak division! Rather, it is the cornerstone that allows the Gotei 13 to continue fighting in harsh environments! Even though the battlefields they fight on are different—it is still an indispensable and powerful division for the Gotei 13!"

The Medical Station fell silent for a moment. Some of the Fourth Division members who were treating wounds secretly blew their noses, while others lowered their heads and pretended to adjust the bandages, but their hands were trembling slightly.

Isane looked at Ukitake and smiled, "Captain Ukitake... you are indeed very kind. With your words, the members of our Fourth Division can continue fighting on our battlefield."

She turned around to face her Seated Officer, and patted her face vigorously to brighten her eyes, which hadn't rested for almost a day and a night.

"Everyone, cheer up! The wounded won't heal themselves!" Her voice echoed through the Medical Station. "Let the Gentians bloom!"

"Yes!" the Seated Officer responded in unison, then dispersed and returned to their respective posts.

Ukitake watched Isane and the Seated Officers busily working, a faint smile playing on his lips, "Gentian. The Fourth Division's beauty queen...?"

"I remember this flower often grows in harsh, high-altitude places; its roots are extremely bitter, but its blossoms are very beautiful." A voice came from beside him, "Don't you think it's similar to them?"

Ukitake turned his head and Shunsui Kyōraku leaning against the door frame, his pink haori jacket draped over his shoulders.

"Kyōraku? You're back?"

"Just got back." Kyōraku took a few steps forward, revealing the thin figure behind him. "Let me introduce you, this is Sylvan. We owe a lot of intelligence about the enemy this time, thanks to him."

Sylvan stood behind Kyōraku, leaning on his cane. A tear from his sparring with Kyōraku still clung to his black sleeveless vest. He bowed slightly to Ukitake: "Captain Ukitake."

"Hello, Sylvan." Ukitake nodded to him.

Just then, a Soul Reaper rushed from the end of the corridor, his footsteps so hurried he could barely stand. He reached Kyōraku and Ukitake, his chest heaving violently, his voice filled with barely suppressed tension.

"Report! Captain Kyōraku and Captain Ukitake have confirmed a large-scale battle has occurred within the Seireitei! The Reiatsu at the scene has been confirmed as belonging to Rukia Kuchiki of the Thirteenth Division and Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki!"

Kyōraku and Ukitake both looked up at the same time. "What!?"