Three days after the Hueco Mundo war, the Seireitei was thrown into turmoil, all because Gin Ichimaru, the Captain of the Ninth Division, surrendered to the Central 46, uncovering a shocking miscarriage of justice from decades ago...
In Central 46, on the wooden Gin Ichimaru, "What was Aizen's purpose in the first place? Why did he conduct such illegal experiments?"
Gin Ichimaru's Zanpakuto had been confiscated, and his hands were bound by a wooden frame that suppressed Reiryoku, making him look like a prisoner. But he still had a smile on his face, showing no remorse for being a prisoner.
Gin Ichimaru chuckled and replied, "The purpose... is basically the same as that rebellious Nangong Ling: to reform! He believes that your Respira ideas and order are no longer necessary for Soul Society, so he came up with the idea of a new order."
A voice drifted down from behind the wooden sign at number thirty-five. "Nonsense! Under this order, the Soul Society and the World of the Living maintain a balance and continue to exist. To attempt to change this order—has he considered how many sacrifices would be required? Utter ignorance!"
Gin Ichimaru said nonchalantly, "According to Captain Aizen's plan, there will definitely be some sacrifices in the New World. That's normal!"
"Don't stray from the topic. What role Kaname Tōsen play among the three of you?"
"What character? Probably Lord Aizen's strongest subordinate! He's already mastered Bankai; it was he who used Bankai to attack Kensei Muguruma and Shinji Hirako, among others..."
Under questioning from the Central 46, Gin Ichimaru revealed the entire story of how the incident began, especially his revelation that Kaname Tōsen had already mastered Bankai but chose to hide it, which shocked the Central 46.
When the topic turned to the feud between Kaname Tōsen and the Tsunayashiro Clan, the Central 46, in order to maintain the dignity of the nobility, stopped Gin Ichimaru from continuing...
Gin Ichimaru was merely an accomplice, and he did his best in the battles against the Espada and Arrancar. He even assisted Aizen in saving the Central 46 during the Arrancar's attack, making an undeniable contribution. Moreover, the masterminds and others were 'dead'.
Ultimately, he was 'Resurrection' in the first level of the Underground Prison, with a sentence of three hundred years. His Zanpakuto had to be destroyed, but his Reiryoku was preserved.
He was much luckier than Zero. After the Respira Central 46 was wiped out, at least new factions emerged within this Central 46, and they were more receptive to new ideas...
The Inner Court, which is the underground area of Shin'ō District, contains eight major the Jail, also known as the eight levels of Hell. From top to bottom, they are 'Resurrection', 'Black Rope', 'Muken', 'Wailing', 'Great Wailing', 'Heat', 'Extreme Heat', and 'Muken'.
So far, only six prisoners have been thrown into 'Muken'. In the original timeline, there were only eight people, including Azashiro and Aizen. Only those with the ability to destroy the Soul Society can go in.
Clearly, Gin Ichimaru is not qualified. If we exclude the Pluses, none of the people he is known to have harmed have died, so his judgment falls under the category of those who can still be saved.
The next day, Gin Ichimaru was imprisoned. Rangiku Matsumoto went to see him. Gin Ichimaru only said "I'm sorry," but it made her tears flow uncontrollably.
She didn't understand why Gin Ichimaru wanted to be a rebel. He hadn't said anything, she hadn't asked, and she couldn't get an answer... Just because she didn't ask didn't mean others wouldn't.
After receiving treatment from Unohana, Kyōraku, though not fully recovered, was able to move freely again. He waited for Gin Ichimaru to come to the entrance of the 'Resurrection'.
Several Guards responsible for detaining Kyōraku watched him warily, but after a brief negotiation, he was granted permission to speak, with five Guards standing nearby.
Kyōraku asked Gin Ichimaru, "How's it going? Feeling like a prisoner?"
"It's nothing! Given my situation, I can go in and live there for a few hundred years and then come out and live a normal life." Gin Ichimaru still squinted his eyes, with a smile on his face, making it impossible to tell whether he was telling the truth or not.
"Do you really want to go in? I'll let you go now."
"The conditions must be very harsh, and I probably can't meet them at all, so I'd rather go in and have food and lodging for hundreds of years!"
Gin Ichimaru ignored Kyōraku's temptation. In just a few words, he already knew Kyōraku's true intentions: to trick him into confirming whether Aizen was truly dead or not.
If it weren't for the certainty that this place was being monitored, Gin Ichimaru would have really wanted to give him a hint.
Watching Gin Ichimaru disappear into the Underground Prison, Kyōraku murmured, "He refused so decisively! Is he really dead?"
Unable to come up with a solution, Kyōraku turned and walked toward Yama-jii's office. Just as Gin Ichimaru had predicted, all of this was captured by a tiny surveillance camera.
The Soul Society returned to peace, but the missing Captain positions were not so easy to resolve. A new faction that emerged within the Central 46 believed that Shinji Hirako and others should be recalled to continue serving as Captains.
The old faction, however, believed that simply dropping their charges was sufficient. Reinstating them as Captains would be tantamount to admitting that Central 46 had also made mistakes, which would damage Central 46's prestige.
The "renewal" faction, which had a solid basis for its arguments, consisted of only twelve people, while the conservative faction had a full twenty-seven, with nine remaining neutral. Both sides held their own views, and due to the large number of conservatives, the tug-of-war lasted for a full six months without a resolution.
It wasn't until Yama-jii felt things were dragging on too much that he intervened again, influencing the decisions of the Central 46... He joined forces with the Shihoin, Kuchiki, and Shiba families—the pinnacle families symbolizing power in Soul Society —to exert pressure, and only then was the topic of the meeting settled.
It was thought that Soul Society would gain eleven more Captain-level combatants, but only the Captain and Vice-Captain of the Ninth Division and the Captain of the Fifth Division Shinji Hirako, returned. They were essentially reinstated.
Hirako and pleaded with everyone to let one member of the Visored return as his Vice-Captain, but no one was willing.
Especially Hiyori, who always had a look of disbelief on her face, never hid her hatred for the Soul Reapers.
As for the others... Love didn't want to give up the manga, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi was because the position of Third Division Captain was not vacant, Hachigen Ushōda was because the Kidō Corps did not lack Captains.
Lisa Yadōmaru was busy training her Bankai, and even when Kyōraku came to invite her back, she ignored him.
Yoruichi, needless to say, loves her freedom, Tessai Tsukabishi also doesn't want to return to the Gotei 13, which is known for its coldness towards its members.
Therefore, only three people returned, which can be considered as making a statement. Urahara also secretly communicated with Yama-jii, acting as the eyes and ears of Soul Society to monitor the World of the Living.
Awooooo!
A Ragged Hollows, while trying to reach the World of the Living through the Garganta, lost its way in the Dangai because its rough foothold was not sturdy enough. After being swallowed by the dark void, no matter how hard it struggled, it could no longer climb back up.
The only place that can create a foothold is that small, calm passage. Even if there are Reishi in other places, they cannot create a foothold because the Reishi will be scattered by the spatial turbulence.
As the Ragged Hollows plummeted, it roared and fell, not knowing where it would end; it could only howl and struggle in terror.
In the boundless darkness below, it finally saw a glimmer of blue light, thinking that was its foothold, and it desperately adjusted its position to get closer to that point of light.
A few minutes later, the Ragged Hollows approached, but it wasn't a place to land; it was a spirit, just falling at a slower pace.
The Ragged Hollows was disappointed, but it thought that having a good meal before dying wouldn't be bad, so it continued to approach the soul.
When it reached a range of about ten meters, its entire body disintegrated. It had no idea what had happened. The disintegrating soul could not go to the World of the Living or the Soul Society for reincarnation, but continued to drift down to a space Valley of Screams.
It was because of the touch of this Ragged Hollows that the body, which had been motionless for more than half a year, suddenly opened its eyes, the eerie blue light faded, and it vanished instantly.
Zero, experiencing weightlessness, asked in confusion, "Where am I... inside the Garganta?"
"No, I'm afraid this place is beneath the Dangai. I've been entangled with the Hōgyoku for far too long."
After taking another careful look, Zero recalled being pushed into the Garganta by his own explosion. Judging from the thick dust on his body, Zero had been unconscious for a long time.
The explosion not only blasted away Yama-jii, but also shattered space, plunging him into an endless abyss from which he could not find his way.
"An attack that could destroy Las Noches couldn't kill him, this old man is something else! But if it weren't for Aizen's abilities and the Hōgyoku, he could have been dealt with much sooner."
Zero's expression remained relatively calm. He tried several times to condense a foothold with his Reiryoku but failed. He could maintain it for a little over a second and could barely jump, but considering that he had already been in freefall for a long time, he decided not to try to go any further.
'Since there is a fall, there must be an end.' With this thought in mind, Zero adjusted his body and accelerated his descent until half a day had passed.
A small, visible world appears. Zero descends from the sky, breaking through the weak barrier resembling an atmosphere, and looks down upon the lifeless earth.
With my spiritual senses activated to their maximum, I learned everything about this place. This space is like a small continent, with a diameter of at most a little over one spirit mile. It is oval-shaped, with a Blue Sky but no sun or moon, and no buildings.
Is anyone there?
Zero sensed the presence of Hakudō, and in a few Shunpo, he arrived at the center of this world. There was Mountain Valley here, and Zero stood on the Mountain Valley and looked down. A group of white-robed, red-headed souls were dancing.
Who are you people? And what is the nature of this world?
Zero jumped into the valley and asked a white-clad, red-haired man at the edge, but he received no answer; the man continued to wander.
Zero quickly concluded that this guy had no self-awareness, no Reiryoku, and was simply a wandering soul he had never seen before.
The scientific name is 'Blanks'.
Another place, almost identical to the space where Zero is located, has buildings and people.
The technician frantically tapped on the screen. When he saw that someone had descended upon another "Valley of Screams," he hurriedly reported, "Lord Aizen, we've discovered Nangong Ling's whereabouts."
"Where?"
Aizen's calm voice came through the communicator, but if you listened carefully, you could hear a hint of gloom in his voice.
"He is currently exploring the Sixth Valley of Screams, which is about to be merged."
"Good, we don't need to alert him. Just keep an eye on him from a distance; he won't be able to get out."
Upon hearing that Zero's location Valley of Screams, Aizen's face lit up with joy, and he immediately issued an order that no action needed to be taken.
It was a coincidence that their team was able to discover Valley of Screams, and it took them more than a decade to master the method of free entry and exit. Nangong Ling clearly entered by mistake and it was impossible for him to fly out in a short time.