Byakuya Kuchiki vs. Renji

On the way to the Sōkyoku, the air was as still as iron. With each step Renji Abarai took, he could feel the invisible wall in front of him—not a physical obstacle, but a barrier constructed purely of Reiatsu.

A powerful, cold, and undeniable Reiatsu.

He was all too familiar with this Reiatsu. In the past, he had trained, fought, failed, and then risen again countless times under this Reiatsu. This was Byakuya Kuchiki's Reiatsu, the Captain the Squad Six, the man he looked up to, chased, and longed to surpass.

Renji Abarai stopped in his tracks. At the end of the street ahead, a figure stood with his back to him. A white haori fluttered slightly in the morning breeze, and long black hair was tied into a ponytail, each strand exuding a cold and aloof aura.

"Renji," Byakuya Kuchiki's voice was calm and even, without even turning around, "You took off your Vice-Captain's armband to fight the Ryoka, and ultimately failed. So what do you intend to do now?"

Renji Abarai took a deep breath. He could feel the scrutiny in Byakuya Kuchiki's words; it wasn't an interrogation, but a test. He straightened his back, his scarlet hair fluttering in the morning breeze.

"I must save Rukia!!"

The voice echoed through the empty streets, each word resounding with conviction.

Byakuya Kuchiki finally turned around slowly. His usually expressionless face still showed no emotion, but something seemed to be flickering deep within his deep purple eyes.

"Really?" His voice was soft. "Is it because Liu Hao said something after he rescued you?"

"No," Renji Abarai answered without hesitation, "I wanted to save Rukia from the very beginning. This was my own decision, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."

Their eyes met. Morning light streamed between them, casting long shadows on the ground. The streets, lined with typical Seireitei buildings, were eerily silent—as if the entire neighborhood was awaiting the outcome of this conversation.

"I see." Byakuya Kuchiki took a step forward. "What if I said no?"

Renji Abarai placed his hand on the Zanpakuto at his waist. The action was almost instinctive, but he did not back down; instead, the flame in his eyes burned even more fiercely.

"Then I'll defeat the Captain!!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the windows of the buildings on both sides of the street shook simultaneously. It wasn't a physical vibration, but a spatial tremor caused by the collision of Reiatsu.

A barely perceptible flicker crossed Byakuya Kuchiki's eyes. He looked at Renji Abarai, his gaze sweeping from his scarlet hair over his young yet resolute face, finally settling on his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"I'm very confident." Byakuya Kuchiki's voice remained calm. "Is it because of the unusual power you gained when you lost to Ryoka?"

Renji Abarai's fingers tightened. "No. I don't know who created that power. Their aim was to turn me into a mindless Hollow. It's just that Liu Hao saved me at the time."

He didn't hide anything. There was no point in hiding anything from Byakuya Kuchiki —this man could always see through everything.

"Then what makes you think you can defeat me?" Byakuya Kuchiki asked, his tone ambiguous, neither mocking nor genuinely questioning.

Renji Abarai drew his Zanpakuto. The blade gleamed coldly in the morning light, and the patterns on the hilt were exceptionally clear in his palm.

"With the knife in my hand."

Byakuya Kuchiki remained silent. After a few seconds, he slowly nodded. "Is that so? In that case, let me see how your blade can bring me down."

Before he could finish speaking, Byakuya Kuchiki vanished.

It wasn't Shunpo, but a true disappearance—at least that's how Renji Abarai past. But he was no longer the Renji Abarai of the past.

The instant Byakuya Kuchiki disappeared, Renji Abarai's body reacted instinctively. He whirled around, his Zanpakuto horizontally in front of him.

Clang--

The sound of metal clashing was crisp and piercing. Byakuya Kuchiki appeared behind him, the tip of his Zanpakuto against the blade of the parrying Zanpakuto.

"Senka," Renji Abarai's voice was calm, though his heart was pounding like a drum, "A special kind of Shunpo with added spin, quickly moving behind the opponent to pierce and disrupt their Saketsu and Hakusui."

He pushed the blade forward forcefully, forcing Byakuya Kuchiki back a step.

"Before, I could barely see," Renji Abarai gripped the hilt of his sword, his eyes sharp, "But now I can finally keep up with your speed, Captain Kuchiki."

Byakuya Kuchiki took a step back to steady himself, and for the first time seriously examined the former adjutant before him. The morning light shone on Renji Abarai's face, illuminating his eyes burning with fighting spirit and his undisguised confidence.

"You're so proud of yourself just for cracking a little trick?" Byakuya Kuchiki's tone remained calm, but Renji Abarai keenly caught the fleeting hint of approval in his eyes.

Then, Byakuya Kuchiki held the sword upright in front of him, its blade reflecting the morning light.

"Let it scatter--"

Before he could finish uttering the release phrase, Renji Abarai had already moved. He took a step forward and Zanpakuto. It wasn't a slash, but rather a subtle thrust—the blade spontaneously released itself during the swing, Zabimaru's blade extended segment by segment, like a giant snake coming to life, precisely striking the blade in Byakuya Kuchiki's hand.

The impact interrupted Byakuya Kuchiki's release. Senbonzakura did not scatter; it remained in its normal blade form.

Byakuya Kuchiki glanced down at the sword in his hand, then looked up at Renji Abarai. For the first time, his expression changed noticeably—not with surprise, but with a sense of understanding after confirmation.

"I see," his voice remained calm. "Release your Zanpakuto without using a release phrase. You've mastered Bankai. No wonder you were so confident in defeating me."

Renji Abarai retracted the Zabimaru, and the blade returned to its normal form, but the Reiatsu was completely different—more solid, more violent, and carrying a kind of wild, beast-like savagery.

"So, Captain Kuchiki," a smile played on his lips, not of smugness, but of a warrior's excitement in facing a formidable foe, "Let me surpass you."

He raised his arm, and his Reiatsu began to rise rapidly. It wasn't the explosive increase he'd seen before, but rather a deeper awakening. The Reiatsu surged from his body as if it were tangible, forming a visible vortex around him.

"Bankai-- "

The cyclone suddenly expanded, and the ground began to crack. The buildings on both sides of the street groaned under the impact of the Reiatsu.

"Baboon King Zabimaru!!"

The moment the release command was uttered, the Reiatsu storm reached its peak. When the storm subsided and Renji Abarai reappeared, his appearance was completely different.

A massive, Zanpakuto, composed of countless interconnected wooden blades, coiled around his center, each segment reflecting a dangerous glint. Most striking was the mask on his left cheek—a mask fused with the image of a baboon and a snake, covering only half his face yet radiating an inhuman aura.

Byakuya Kuchiki watched all of this calmly. His gaze swept over the enormous serpentine blade, finally settling on the mask on Renji Abarai's face.

"Hmm, not bad." His assessment was brief. "You do indeed possess the Reiatsu of Bankai. However, the Reiatsu is mixed with Hollow power—it seems you've also touched upon that forbidden power."

Renji Abarai reached out and touched the mask on his face, his fingers brushing against the cold surface of the mask.

"I didn't want to touch this forbidden power either," he said, his voice tinged with helplessness, "But to prevent myself from turning into a Hollow, Liu Hao had no choice but to let the power of the Hollows merge into my Zanpakuto. This also mixed the power of the Hollows into my own power."

He lowered his hand, his gaze hardening once more. "But it doesn't matter. Since it's my power, I have no reason not to use it."

"Forced?" Byakuya Kuchiki asked thoughtfully. "It's understandable."

"Excusable?!" Renji Abarai suddenly laughed, a laugh laced with sarcasm. "Captain Kuchiki, you really are high and mighty!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already moved. It wasn't him who moved, but the Baboon King Zabimaru surrounding him that moved. The huge snake head rushed towards Byakuya Kuchiki with the force of thunder, the blade slicing through the air with a piercing shriek.

Byakuya Kuchiki vanished before the attack arrived. Shunpo, the most basic Soul Reaper movement technique, was used by him to achieve an effect almost like Space Transfer.

The snake's head slammed into the ground, sending rubble flying and leaving a deep crater in the street.

But the attack did not stop. Renji Abarai swung the hilt of his sword—the control core of the Baboon King Zabimaru —and the huge snake body twisted like a living creature, chasing after the direction that Byakuya Kuchiki had dodged.

Attack after attack, dodge after dodge. The streets quickly turned into ruins in the battle, filled with smoke and dust.

Byakuya Kuchiki never retaliated, only dodging. But his expression grew increasingly serious—not out of fear of Renji Abarai's power, but out of a reassessment of his tactics.

Finally, after dodging, Byakuya Kuchiki stopped. He stood on a ruin, raised his hand, and blue light gathered at his fingertips.

"Hadō #33, Sōkatsui."

Without any incantation, it was released directly. A shockwave formed from blue flames shot out from his fingertips, its power undiminished, heading straight for Renji Abarai.

Renji Abarai swung the hilt of his sword, Baboon King Zabimaru, turned around to block in front of him. Flames struck the blade, bursting out with dazzling light and a violent shockwave.

When the light faded, charred marks were left on the snake's head, but Renji Abarai was unharmed.

"The Kidō, which abandons chanting," he murmured in amazement, "Can still unleash such power."

In the dust and smoke, Byakuya Kuchiki's figure flashed by again. Renji Abarai's eyes narrowed. "Don't even think about escaping!!"

The Baboon King Zabimaru, gave chase again. But this time, Byakuya Kuchiki did not dodge. He leaped onto a higher ruin, and the instant the snake's head reached it, he raised his Zanpakuto, the blade precisely pressing against the tip of the snake's head.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

This time, the release phrase was uttered in full. The blade in Byakuya Kuchiki's hand scattered like cherry blossoms, transforming into countless tiny petals that danced and spun in the air, and then—

It wrapped around the blade of the Baboon King Zabimaru.

Renji Abarai's pupils constricted sharply. He felt the Reiatsu connection between himself and Baboon King Zabimaru, being severed and disrupted by Senbonzakura. Each of those seemingly beautiful petals was a sharp blade, dismantling his Bankai.

But he didn't panic.

"Disperse!" Renji Abarai hissed.

The Baboon King Zabimaru, surrounding him suddenly disintegrated. It wasn't cut by Senbonzakura, but rather dispersed on its own. Countless blade segments flew away as if they had come to life, avoiding Senbonzakura's entanglement range.

Byakuya Kuchiki frowned. He landed back on the ground, with the petals of Senbonzakura swirling around him.

The scattered blade fragments, after flying a distance, began to reassemble. Like migratory birds returning to their nests, they flew back from all directions and reassembled into the complete Baboon King Zabimaru in front of Renji Abarai.

Renji Abarai gripped the newly formed hilt, a smile playing on his lips, "Senbonzakura, composed of a thousand tiny, barely visible blades resembling cherry blossom petals. However, my sword is connected by my Reiatsu —just now, I dispersed the blade's joints myself to dodge those thousand blades."

He raised his sword, and the enormous snake head rose again, aiming at Byakuya Kuchiki.

"Captain, I've seen through your tricks." Renji Abarai's eyes were sharp as knives. "Let's end this battle with my sword."

Before he could finish speaking, the ground beneath Byakuya Kuchiki's feet suddenly cracked open. Two sections of the Baboon King Zabimaru's sword emerged from the ground, like venomous snakes lying in wait, aimed straight for his vital points.

Byakuya Kuchiki hadn't expected this move. He barely managed to dodge to the side, the blade shard grazing his haori and kicking up a clump of fabric. When he landed, his movements lost their usual elegance, and he had to kneel on one knee to steady himself.

Renji Abarai did not pursue. He stood there, looking at Byakuya Kuchiki, and suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a complex emotion:

"Captain, it wasn't until I joined the Squad Six that I started to see you as my role model. It was much earlier—originally, I simply looked up to you."

Byakuya Kuchiki slowly stood up, brushed the dust off his haori, and said nothing.

"Until Liu Hao sent Rukia to the Kuchiki Clan," Renji Abarai continued, as if these words had been building up in his heart for a long time, "I didn't understand him then. I thought he wanted to use Rukia to climb the social ladder. At that time, I thought, I will defeat you, I will trample the powerful people he wants to climb under my feet."

The morning light grew brighter, illuminating the expression on his face—not anger, but a kind of relief.

"Later, he told me about Hisana- neechan, and I realized that he did it so that Rukia and Hisana- neechan wouldn't have any regrets. But when you came to the Shin'ō Academy to take Rukia away, the thought of defeating you kept surging in my heart."

Renji Abarai gripped the Baboon King Zabimaru, slowly swam around him.

"This time, it's not about grudges," he said, looking directly into Byakuya Kuchiki's eyes, "It's simply about winning. That's all."

The street fell into a brief silence. Only the mournful sound of the morning wind blowing through the ruins could be heard.

Byakuya Kuchiki stared at Renji Abarai for a long time. Then, he calmly nodded.

"I see. In that case, let's end this battle with my sword."

"I told you, it will be my sword that ends this battle!!" Renji Abarai roared, Baboon King Zabimaru charged out once again.

This time, Byakuya Kuchiki held back. He raised his hand and unleashed the Sōkatsui once more, but instead of aiming at Renji Abarai, he aimed at the head of the Baboon King Zabimaru. The blue flames collided with the snake's head, and the enormous impact caused the snake's head to veer off course, while the dust and smoke it kicked up obscured the view.

Renji Abarai searched for Byakuya Kuchiki amidst the smoke and dust. He heard the sound of wind cutting through the air, coming from the side—

The hilt swung, and the snake's head turned. But just as it turned, the Baboon King Zabimaru suddenly lost control. It wasn't attacked, but rather that the internal Reiatsu connection had malfunctioned. The massive blade sections collided with each other, emitting a piercing metallic scraping sound, and finally fell limply to the ground.

As the dust settled, Byakuya Kuchiki appeared in the distance. He looked calmly at Renji Abarai, his voice devoid of emotion:

"Renji, it's too early for you to use Bankai in battle. Because of its enormous size and Reiatsu, Bankai requires at least a decade of practice after mastering it."

Renji Abarai was panting; he could feel the disordered Reiatsu within his body. Byakuya Kuchiki was right— Bankai wasn't a power that could be perfectly used simply by acquiring it; it required time to refine and countless practices to master.

But he didn't have time.

"So what?" Renji Abarai gritted his teeth. "I knew all that before I came. Luckily, my sword is dull enough that even if it's missing a section or two, it won't matter!"

He swung the hilt of his sword again, trying to regain control of the Baboon King Zabimaru. But this time, Byakuya Kuchiki did not give him the chance.

"The Bakudō #61, the Six Rods Light Restraint."

Without any incantation, it was released directly. Six beams of light appeared out of thin air, instantly fixing Renji Abarai in place. He struggled, but the light prison remained unmoved— Byakuya Kuchiki Kidō exceeded his imagination.

"Renji, you seem to have forgotten," Byakuya Kuchiki walked slowly over, "I can also Bankai."

He walked up to Renji Abarai, turned his Zanpakuto upside down, and then released it.

The blades struck the ground silently, yet they stirred up visible ripples in the air. At the same time, dozens of enormous blades rose from the ground around the two figures, encircling the battlefield like tombstones.

Byakuya Kuchiki's voice echoed in the silence:

"Bankai."

He paused for a moment, as if waiting for something. Then, he calmly continued:

"Scattered, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The massive blade shattered simultaneously, transforming into countless tiny petals. These were not the beautiful cherry blossoms of before, but rather a denser, sharper storm of blades, like a blizzard. They swirled and converged in the air, eventually completely enveloping Renji Abarai.

Each petal is a knife, and each knife can take a life.

Renji Abarai looked at the endless blades around him and sensed the approach of death. But he did not despair. On the contrary, some deeper power awakened within him.

"I didn't want to use it originally," his voice came from the light prison, tinged with suppressed pain, "But now it seems I truly cannot defeat you with Bankai. I also can't control the power that follows, Captain, be careful."

The moment he finished speaking, Renji Abarai reached out and pressed his hand against the baboon mask on the side of his face. He didn't remove the mask, but instead pulled hard—

The mask covered his entire face.

Boom!!

A violent Reiatsu erupted like a volcanic eruption. The Six Rods Light Restraint shattered instantly, turning into specks of light and dissipating. Renji Abarai regained his freedom, but he was no longer the Renji Abarai was.

Beneath the mask, his eyes transformed into completely black pupils with gold, like the vertical pupils of some dangerous beast. The Hollow power that had been suppressed within his Reiatsu was fully released, mixing and clashing with the power of the Soul Reaper, ultimately achieving a dangerous balance.

He swung the hilt of his sword, and the Baboon King Zabimaru, vibrated simultaneously, unleashing a crimson Reiatsu wave. The wave spread, shaking away all the Senbonzakura blades surrounding him.

At that moment, the entire Seireitei felt this unusual Reiatsu.

Liu Hao, who was tracking Tōshirō Hitsugaya, suddenly stopped and looked in the direction of the battle.

"Renji has activated his Hollowfication ability," his voice was calm, but Momo Hinamori keenly caught the fleeting worry in his eyes. "It seems Byakuya Kuchiki is putting a lot of pressure on him."

"I hope nothing bad has happened?!" Momo Hinamori asked anxiously.

Liu Hao remained silent for a moment before slowly replying, "We can only pray he doesn't die."

"Aren't you going to save him?!"

"I've already sent someone to rescue him," Liu Hao turned his head and looked ahead again, "I hope he can hold on until they get there."

He continued walking, but Momo Hinamori noticed that his pace was a few degrees faster than before.

On the battlefield, Byakuya Kuchiki looked at Renji Abarai, who had Complete Hollowfication, and for the first time, his expression became noticeably serious.

"Is this the forbidden power?" His voice remained calm, but the Senbonzakura in his hand had reassembled, forming a defensive vortex of blades around him.

"Yes," Renji Abarai's voice came from beneath the mask, hoarse and low, "I didn't want to use it either, but I'm no Captain you, Captain. There's no other way; for Rukia, I'm willing to risk everything."

Byakuya Kuchiki nodded, as if he understood the determination.

Even so, you still can't bridge the gap in strength between us.

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and waved it. Senbonzakura's blades, like an army receiving a command, rushed towards Renji Abarai from all directions. This time, the blades were faster and their trajectories were more unpredictable, almost sealing off any possibility of dodging.

But Renji Abarai did not dodge.

He swung the hilt of his sword, and the Baboon King Zabimaru, once again spread out, not to dodge, but to attack. The scattered blade segments were like countless independent venomous snakes, bypassing Senbonzakura's blade from all angles, heading straight for Byakuya Kuchiki himself.

Meanwhile, Renji Abarai himself used Shunpo to weave through the gaps between the blades. Hollowfication granted him greater speed, strength, and a kind of beast-like fighting instinct.

Senbonzakura's blade kept trying to surround him, but always missed by a hair's breadth. The blade of the Baboon King Zabimaru collided with Senbonzakura's blade in mid-air, producing a dense metallic clang like raindrops hitting banana leaves.

Byakuya Kuchiki stood in the center of the battlefield, surrounded by several layers of Senbonzakura forming a defensive perimeter. He calmly observed Renji Abarai's offensive and commented:

"An attack of yours is utterly incapable of causing me any harm. If that's all you're capable of, I advise you to give up."

Renji Abarai did not answer. He suddenly stopped after a dodge, and all the scattered sword fragments returned to their original positions, reforming into the complete Baboon King Zabimaru. Then, he gripped the hilt and pointed the tip of the sword at Byakuya Kuchiki.

A crimson Reiatsu began to gather at the tip of the sword. It wasn't the Reiatsu of the Zanpakuto itself, but rather a more violent and dangerous force—the power of a Hollow.

The Reiatsu was compressed, condensed, and compressed again. Finally, it transformed into a thin, hair-like, yet blindingly bright red beam of light.

"Cero." Byakuya Kuchiki whispered.

A beam of light shot out, moving at a speed beyond the limits of visual perception. The Senbonzakura blades before Byakuya Kuchiki instantly formed several layers of defense, but the beam pierced through the first, second, and third layers—

It finally stopped before the fourth floor, where it exploded violently.

Smoke and dust filled the air, completely obscuring visibility. Without waiting for the smoke to clear, Renji Abarai swung his sword hilt, and the scattered sword sections rose up simultaneously, each section glowing with a scarlet light.

"Fang of the Baboon King: Absolutetooth."

The blades, like an enraged swarm of bees, shot simultaneously toward the center of the smoke and dust. Explosions continued incessantly, the smoke and dust being repeatedly ripped apart by the new explosions, only to gather even denser with each resounding crash.

Renji Abarai landed, panting. The Hollowfication power was rapidly draining his strength, and he could feel the mask draining his life force. But he didn't deactivate Hollowfication; instead, he stared intently at the center of the smoke and dust, while simultaneously recalling all the sword fragments left from his attacks.

Just then, he sensed movement behind him.

It wasn't something he heard or saw, but rather some kind of instinctive warning. He rolled forward, and almost simultaneously, a blade grazed his back, leaving a deep scratch on his Shihakushō.

Renji Abarai looked up, his pupils suddenly contracting.

Byakuya Kuchiki stood in his original spot, his haori spotless, his expression as calm as ever. The Cero and the Fang of the Baboon King: Absolutetooth seemed to have caused him no harm whatsoever.

"Is that Cero? Not bad, you can use the power immediately after gaining it." Byakuya Kuchiki's assessment remained calm. "Renji, you've improved a lot. But you're still not quite there yet."

Renji Abarai gritted his teeth and swung his sword hilt again. But this time, Byakuya Kuchiki was no longer on the defensive.

Senbonzakura's blades suddenly appeared from all directions, not the previous encirclement, but a true all-around attack. Renji Abarai tried to dodge, but there were too many blades and they were too fast. He leaped upwards, and Senbonzakura followed, while the branching blades blocked all escape routes.

He had to recall the Baboon King Zabimaru, and have the massive blade encircle himself in an attempt to block the incoming blade.

But Byakuya Kuchiki's attack this time was completely different. Senbonzakura's blades were no longer scattered, but concentrated on a single point. The blades struck the same section of Baboon King Zabimaru like a torrential downpour, again and again, until—

Click.

The knife shattered.

The chain reaction began. The shattering of one blade disrupted the structural balance of the entire Baboon King Zabimaru, and more blades crumbled under Senbonzakura's attacks. Finally, the blade broke through the defense, enveloping, dragging, and slamming Renji Abarai to the ground.

Boom--

Smoke rose again, but this time it dissipated quickly.

Renji Abarai lay in the center of the ruins, his mask shattered, with only a few fragments still clinging to his face. His Shihakushō was tattered, and his exposed skin was covered in wounds. He tried to stand up, but his body wouldn't obey him.

Byakuya Kuchiki walked up to him, the blade of Senbonzakura silently swirling around him.

"Renji, stop." Byakuya Kuchiki's voice remained calm, but there seemed to be something more to it. "You can't win."

"I won't... give up..." Renji Abarai's voice was weak, but he still tried to prop himself up.

Byakuya Kuchiki raised his hand, Senbonzakura's blade lightly grazed his body. It wasn't a fatal wound, but it was enough to knock him down again.

This time, Renji Abarai truly couldn't stand up. His Bankai had been deactivated, and the Baboon King Zabimaru had returned to his ordinary Zanpakuto, lying beside him. His Hollowfication had also completely dissipated, and fragments of his mask fell off his face.

But he still tried to grab the knife. His fingers trembled as he moved forward little by little.

Byakuya Kuchiki looked at him and suddenly asked, "Why are you so stubborn?"

Renji Abarai's fingers finally touched the hilt of the sword. With his last bit of strength, he gripped the sword and tried to stand up.

"Because I swore an oath..." His voice was barely audible.

"To whom?"

Renji Abarai raised his head; his eyes, which were always full of passion, were now dim, but the flame deep within them had not yet been extinguished.

"To my own soul!!"

With his last ounce of strength, he thrust his sword at Byakuya Kuchiki. But the blade snapped the moment it touched Byakuya Kuchiki —not because it was defended, but because it could no longer withstand any force.

Renji Abarai collapsed and completely lost consciousness.

Byakuya Kuchiki stood before him, looking down at the man who had once been his adjutant. After a long while, he slowly knelt down and removed the feather symbolizing his Captain from his haori.

He gently placed the feather on Renji Abarai's chest.

"Renji, you're very good." Byakuya Kuchiki's voice was soft, only he could hear it, "Although you broke the rules we are required to follow, your fangs have already touched us."

He stood up and looked at the sun that had already risen in the east.

"Unfortunately, your time is running out."

He turned and left. His white haori fluttered in the morning breeze, and the blade of Senbonzakura silently circled around him, eventually transforming into countless cherry blossoms that dissipated into the air.

In the ruins, only Renji Abarai remained, lying quietly. The feather on his chest shimmered faintly in the morning light, like a silent acknowledgment.

In the distance, two figures were rushing towards them— the Fourth Division Captain Retsu Unohana, and the Vice-Captain Isane Kotetsu. Their steps were hurried, and their faces showed obvious anxiety.

Time continues to flow. And the execution platform on Sōkyoku Hill is already beginning to take shape in the morning light.

Rukia's execution is about to begin.