"Boom!"
Amid constantly rippling Spiritual Power, the Senkaimon—Garganta—slowly opened before Captain-Commander Araki and the other captains of the Gotei 13. Every captain present narrowed their eyes.
Today was the day the Hueco Mundo expeditionary force returned. As the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Araki had naturally gathered the captains before the Senkaimon, silently awaiting the heroes of the Hueco Mundo expeditionary force as they returned to the Soul Society, just as Genryūsai had done for Araki centuries ago when he had been Captain-Commander.
Some Soul Reaper officers who had weathered countless years and served in the Gotei 13 since centuries ago had tears well up in their eyes at the sight before them. The scene from back then once again appeared before their eyes...
Yet with the passage of time, the Captain-Commander standing before the captains had changed from Genryūsai to Araki, and the captains of the Gotei 13 who had once stood behind Genryūsai had all changed as well. Though they had not read many books and did not know many words, they understood clearly in their hearts that this was probably what inheritance meant.
"That Senkaimon feels a little strange to me. Something about it just doesn't seem right."
As the newly appointed captain of the 12th Division and the director of the Department of Research and Development, Hikifune Kirio immediately noticed upon seeing the Senkaimon Araki had prepared that something was wrong with it. It was not the normal Senkaimon used by Soul Reapers.
"This is the first time I've seen a Senkaimon that can let captain-class Soul Reapers pass through it, reach Hueco Mundo smoothly, and remain stable for such a long time! It looks like I'll need to set aside some time in the future to properly study Senkaimon~"
As Hikifune Kirio spoke, she narrowed