The Most Sublime Act Is to Set Another Before You

The most sublime act is to set another before you.--William Blake<The Marriage of Heaven and Hell>(1790-1793)

In the battle zone where the Tenth Division is located

Rangiku carried Ichigo at high speed across the ground, silver-gray dust swirling around her, sweeping away the rubble and broken Reishi tubes in their path, with Ichigo following closely beside her.

Above the two, Rain was flapping his wings, with Sylvan holding him by his claws and dangling in mid-air, his black sleeveless vest fluttering in the night wind.

His gaze remained fixed on the melting iceberg in the distance. He knew very well that with Hyōrinmaru's power, his ice would not melt until the battle was over.

"Rangiku- nee, did you notice?" Sylvan's voice came from the air, sounding somewhat broken by the evening breeze.

"Yes, I know." Rangiku's brows furrowed slightly, her long golden hair fluttering in the night wind like a tattered flag. "I haven't been able to sense the captain's Reiatsu since just now, although I feel that nothing bad should have happened to the captain..."

"That Tōshirō said it wasn't a big deal, but it's actually very serious!"

Ichigo's brow furrowed, his pace quickening until he flashed past Rangiku like a black and white lightning bolt, turning back to shout to Sylvan and Rangiku, "I'm going ahead!"

Just then, Sylvan's eyes caught sight of something rapidly approaching around the corner ahead.

"Ichigo! Watch out ahead!" Sylvan shouted urgently.

"Huh?" Ichigo turned around abruptly to look ahead, but it was too late.

Two figures moving at high speed collided solidly at the corner, the impact sending them both staggering back several steps. Ichigo steadied himself and looked up at the figure he had bumped into.

"Hyōrinmaru!?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki?" Hyōrinmaru's surprise was no less than Ichigo's.

He instinctively took a half step back, his arms protecting him—and in his arms, he was holding a small, white-haired figure.

"Captain!" Rangiku rushed to Ichigo's side, her gaze falling on the unconscious figure in Hyōrinmaru's arms, her pupils suddenly contracting.

Almost reflexively, she drew her Zanpakuto, silver-gray dust billowing from its blade. "What did you do to the captain!"

In Hyōrinmaru's arms, Tōshirō's eyes were closed, his short, silver-white hair was disheveled and stuck to his forehead, his Captain's Haori was cut in several places by ice shards, and there were still red marks on his face from the cold.

Ichigo also drew his twin swords, Zangetsu, one black and one white, crossed in front of him, and his Reiatsu began to rapidly condense on the two swords.

"Wait!" Hyōrinmaru shielded Tōshirō with one hand, raising the other to signal the two not to act rashly. "It's not what you think! Master just fainted because he used up too much Reiatsu!"

Rangiku's blade hovered in mid-air, her expression unchanged, while Ichigo's twin swords remained untouched, the Reiatsu emanating from them continuing to rise.

Hyōrinmaru, noticing the wary looks in their eyes, lowered his head and looked at the unconscious white-haired boy in his arms. He had no choice but to recount everything that had happened not long ago...

Just after Ichigo left the battlefield to support Rangiku, Tōshirō and Hyōrinmaru engaged in their final battle on the Frost- covered ruins:

The blizzard howled between the two. Hyōrinmaru stood in the center of the snow curtain, surrounded by extremely cold air. Tōshirō stood opposite him, the distance between them filled by the wind and snow, with only an endless expanse of white as far as the eye could see.

"Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens!" Tōshirō raised his Zanpakuto, its tip pointing towards the sky. He took a deep breath, his emerald green eyes burning with a resolute light—he had to subdue Hyōrinmaru here, no matter the cost.

"Hyōrinmaru!"

As the Shikai phrase was uttered, his Zanpakuto erupted with a dazzling blue-white light.

Ice spread from his feet outwards, and behind him, an Ice Dragon made of pure ice and snow condensed, its body coiled, its head raised high, letting out a roar that shook the night sky.

Hyōrinmaru's pupils contracted sharply, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his cold, handsome face. "You're actually using my power... Kid, why...?"

His voice sounded particularly faint in the wind and snow, carrying a kind of confusion that even he himself couldn't explain.

He was all too familiar with this power—it was a power that belonged only to him, but in his imagination, it should be driven by a powerful Soul Reaper, not by this kid in front of him.

"I'm not called 'boy,' I'm Tōshirō Hitsugaya, your master!" Tōshirō Zanpakuto horizontally in front of him, the cold light of the blade reflecting in his emerald green eyes. "Still can't remember? Then let me show you again!"

He lowered his center of gravity, Zanpakuto at his waist, the tip of the blade aimed at Hyōrinmaru. The Ice Dragon slowly coiled behind him, its mouth slightly open, and cold air condensed deep within its throat.

"I wonder what the consequences would be if this move were used in its Shikai state." A smile appeared on Tōshirō's lips.

His figure vanished from his spot, and the next instant, he appeared in front of Hyōrinmaru, his Zanpakuto, enveloped in extreme cold, thrusting out.

"Ryūsenka!"

The moment the blade touched Hyōrinmaru's chest, a cross-shaped ice frame exploded from the point of contact. The ice frame rapidly expanded around the two of them, trapping both Tōshirō and Hyōrinmaru inside.

Inside the ice, two figures were frozen in a cross-shaped ice frame. Tōshirō held his Zanpakuto, Hyōrinmaru stood opposite him, their eyes meeting through the ice.

"Remember it quickly!"

Tōshirō's voice came through the ice. "Who is it that heard your voice!"

Hyōrinmaru's pupils contracted slightly within the ice.

"Remember it quickly!"

Tōshirō's voice suddenly rose. "Where exactly do you think you are! What is your name—"

More ice began to spread between the two, extending outwards from the center of the ice shelf.

The ice crystals, like countless transparent hands, surged in from all directions, pulling them closer and closer. The gaps between the ice layers were filled with the ever-growing ice crystals, eventually transforming into a towering ice pillar.

Deep within the ice pillar, Hyōrinmaru's vision began to blur, and forgotten memories swirled before his eyes like shattered glass.

He saw a white-haired boy kneeling on the icy plain, gripping his Zanpakuto in both hands, shouting at the sky; he saw that boy standing in the ranks of captains, donning for the first time the white haori with a single character written on it; he saw himself appear in the World of the Living for the first time at the boy's call.

The face of that boy gradually overlapped with that of the boy standing in front of him.

"Hyōrinmaru!"

"Owner!"

The icicle shattered with a crash.

Countless ice fragments scattered and flew everywhere. Hyōrinmaru burst out from the shattered ice pillar, knelt on one knee, and gently held the unconscious Tōshirō in his arms.

"And so, my master smashed everything he had against me, helping me regain my memories."

Hyōrinmaru, having said this, lowered his head to look at the white-haired boy in his arms, a hint of tenderness appearing in his cold eyes. "Let him rest for a while now."

After hearing the explanation, Rangiku let out a long sigh and sheathed her Zanpakuto: "So that's how it is. There's really no way to deal with the captain."

She stepped forward, intending to check on Tōshirō's sleeping posture, but when she got closer and saw Tōshirō's condition, she froze on the spot.

"... this."

Ichigo that Rangiku had stopped moving, Ichigo also moved closer, his gaze falling on the trembling white-haired boy in Hyōrinmaru's arms. His expression instantly became subtle. "Ah, this..."

Seeing that Ichigo was also stunned, Sylvan walked to Rangiku's side and looked down.

In Hyōrinmaru's arms, Tōshirō was shivering uncontrollably. Fine ice crystals clung to his eyelashes, his lips were slightly purple from the cold, and his body was curled up in a ball, instinctively wanting to find a warm place to lean on—but the person holding him was Hyōrinmaru, and Hyōrinmaru's hands were made of pure ice.

"Could he be frozen?" Sylvan, looking at Tōshirō's pale face.

Rangiku looked at Hyōrinmaru's hands, which were clearly made of ice, and then at her captain's trembling appearance. Without saying a word, she snatched Tōshirō from Hyōrinmaru's arms.

She looked up at Hyōrinmaru's cold, bewildered face and sighed, "No, if you hold the captain like that, he'll definitely get sick."

Hyōrinmaru looked down at his hands, which were gleaming with coldness, and fell silent for a moment.

Just then, an extremely terrifying Reiatsu suddenly exploded from the center of the Twelfth Division's base.

That Reiatsu was like a cold tide surging from the bottom of an abyss, passing through layers of ruins, through the pervasive smoke and fire, and penetrating the souls of everyone.

Ichigo unconsciously gripped his twin swords tighter. "This Reiatsu is...!"

Hyōrinmaru turned his gaze toward the Twelfth Division's base, his usually cold face now showing an unprecedented seriousness.

Sylvan stood on the ruins, his knuckles white as he gripped his cane. He knew better than anyone what this Reiatsu meant—it was Jiku'a!

It was Yexing Hu's sharpest weapon and her greatest reliance, but at this moment, there was no gentleness or restraint in its Reiatsu, only pure and undisguised sharpness.

"So you found it first after all, Muramasa..." Sylvan's brows were so furrowed that even the skin on his nose was lifted.

"This Reiatsu is ominous." Ichigo stared in the direction from which the Reiatsu was coming. "I can't sense anything except danger."

"That's where the Captain Kyōraku's command post was set up, and the medical post is also there." Rangiku hugged Tōshirō tightly, her voice filled with barely concealed anxiety.

"Then let's get going--"

Sylvan was speaking when suddenly something gripped his chest, and a sharp pain exploded from the depths of his soul without warning.

He arched his body, his knees buckled, and he half-knelt on the ground. The jet-black cane slipped from his hand, making a crisp sound as it struck the gravel.

Rain reacted almost in sync with him; his wings froze in mid-air, and his entire body plummeted straight down, crashing onto the stone slab with a thud.

"Sylvan! Rain! What's wrong with you two?!" Ichigo rushed to the side of the man and the bird.

Rangiku handed Tōshirō back to Hyōrinmaru, then quickly walked over to Sylvan and knelt down beside him, placing her hand on Sylvan's shoulder. "Sylvan, what's wrong?"

"... I'm fine." Sylvan shook his head, slowly stood up, and looked towards the outskirts of the Twelfth Division's base. "I just sensed... the anger of another fragment of a soul."

His fingers were trembling slightly; the emotion transmitted through the soul connection was too intense.

"He needs strength now," Sylvan, his voice hoarse but firm.

"It's Oren, it must be Oren!"

At this moment, Rain also flapped its wings and got up from the ground. It shook its head, flew onto Sylvan's shoulder, and used its beak to preen the sparse feathers at the base of its wings. "When I found that guy before, he was with Fon Shaoling, and now only Fon Shaoling and the others are fighting outside the Twelfth Division."

Sylvan stood up, leaning on his cane. He closed his eyes and pinched his nose hard. He could feel the connection between him and Oren being unilaterally broken by Oren.

Meanwhile, images from Oren's side were also flooding into his consciousness through the soul connection—he saw Fon Shaoling, saw the large and small Bee-Crest Flower patterns pierced on the white Captain's Haori, saw her panting heavily, gripping her Zanpakuto, struggling against a golden light.

Oren could only watch helplessly, his anxiety burning with unvented anger.

To be honest, Sylvan is in a difficult position. The Reiatsu coming from the core area of Twelfth Division, which proves that Muramasa Jiku'a materialized the Jiku'a; on the other hand, Fon Shaoling is being suppressed by Suzumebachi, and Oren's anger is surging from the other end of the soul connection.

He stood there, unable to make a decision.

"Sylvan, go to Captain Soi Fon's side." Rangiku noticed his hesitation and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"But--"

"There's no 'but' about it." Sylvan had barely uttered a word when Ichigo interrupted him as the orange-haired boy walked up to him.

"Isn't a fragment of your soul calling out to you? Something terrible must have happened—like an important ally being attacked. That's what the expression on your face is telling me."

Ichigo looked into Sylvan's eyes with unwavering certainty.

"But—" Sylvan's fingers clenched white on his cane, "Ichigo, you don't know the situation. Right now, in the central area of Twelfth Division, it's very likely—"

"No buts!" Ichigo said, headbutting Sylvan with a powerful blow to the forehead after Sylvan said "buts" again.

A muffled thud exploded in the ruins, and Sylvan was thrown back half a step, clutching his forehead, his silver eyes filled with disbelief.

"Of course I know." Ichigo straightened up. "That dangerous Reiatsu coming from over there is Jiku'a, right?"

Sylvan clutched his forehead, a flicker of surprise in his silver eyes. "You could sense it?"

"Of course. I watched Amber's battle from beginning to end on Sōkyoku Hill that day, Jiku'a's Reiatsu."

Ichigo spoke, his voice unconsciously lowered a few decibels, recalling the battle on Sōkyoku Hill.

"That's right, all I did back then was stand by and watch..."

"Then you should know how dangerous it is for Jiku'a to stand on the opposite side. If I don't go—"

"What good would it do if you went?" Ichigo looked up, staring directly into Sylvan's eyes, interrupting him. "Can you, with an incomplete soul, subdue Jiku'a?"

"Yes, Sylvan, I know better than anyone how much an incomplete soul affects the capture of Zanpakuto. If you appeared before Jiku'a now, he would very likely kill you."

Rangiku stood to the side, her usually languid eyes now unusually serious. "Besides, even with Rain, you only have two-fifths of your soul. Your most important task now is to find the remaining soul fragments and regain your power."

She paused, shifting her gaze from Sylvan to the still-churning plumes of smoke in the distance: "During this time—"

"During this time, we'll keep Jiku'a in check," Ichigo, picking up where Rangiku. "We absolutely won't let him run rampant."

Sylvan looked at Ichigo, into those unwavering eyes, then at Rangiku nodded back at him.

Having said all that, Sylvan didn't say anything more. He took a deep breath and said, "Then... I'll leave it to you."

He raised his right hand, Featherlike Pattern tattoo suddenly lit up. Rain spread his wings, took off from Sylvan's shoulder, grabbed his wrist with his claws, and lifted him off the ground.

The man and the bird flew towards the outskirts of the Twelfth Division's base and quickly disappeared into the night.

Ichigo watched the receding Blue-Violet trail and clenched his fists.

He recalled the figure covered in a dark blue exoskeleton armor on Sōkyoku Hill, the Demon Shadow that easily suppressed Aizen, and the helplessness he felt at that time, unable to do anything.

"I've become much stronger since the time at Sōkyoku Hill. This time, I definitely won't be just a spectator anymore."

He turned around and looked towards the core area of Twelfth Division. The chilling Reiatsu was still rising, dyeing half of the night sky a dark blue.

"Trust me, Amber!"