Grand Opening at Sōkyoku Hill

Sōkyoku Hill, the Shinigami execution grounds.

This was the highest point of Seireitei's absolute order, and also its coldest place of finality.

Sharp gale-force winds howled across the barren mountaintop like blades, sweeping up dry dust and draping this silent region in a desolate veil.

The massive execution scaffold, Sōkyoku, rose like the spine of a colossal beast beneath the heavens, casting a suffocating shadow.

"So this is Sōkyoku? Now that I think about it, I've been in Seireitei for so long, but this is the first time I've seen it up close."

Rangiku Matsumoto broke the silence with a click of her tongue. Her Shinigami uniform, already looking thin in the cold wind, snapped loudly around her.

With an arm around Rukia, she strolled over to the pillar-like scaffold and extended a pale hand, gesturing across the wooden frame covered in the mottled traces of time.

"With an execution blade that huge, it'd definitely hurt if it came down."

"Hey, hey, Rangiku! If a blade that big came down, my head wouldn't feel anything anymore! How could it possibly hurt?!"

Rukia shouted with a dark expression. Though she was complaining, the tension in her heart had indeed eased considerably after being passively comforted along the way.

She tilted her head up slightly and looked at the spear-like tip piercing the sky.

No matter what the outcome would be, she felt that she could accept it calmly.

Though she felt deeply guilty toward those still running about for her sake, things had reached this point. Rather than fate being unfair, it was more accurate to say that she had brought this upon herself.

This was probably the ending that Rukia Kuchiki deserved.

"Hahaha, don't be so pessimistic! They say it has the combined destructive power of a million Zanpakuto, but