Kyoraku suddenly licked his lips, parched beyond belief.
The temperature around him kept rising, giving him the urge to strip naked and run around.
"Hey, old man, I think it's about time you gave up that Captain-General seat."
Old man's reply caught Kyoraku somewhat off guard. "What? You're in that much of a hurry?"
"Cough, cough, cough!" Kyoraku choked on his saliva several times. "Old man, are you trying to murder me?"
Since when had this old man become so adorable?
Was that really something he could say?
Inside the domain.
"Cough, cough... What the hell is this place?"
Ikkaku swung his Zanpakuto, cleaving apart the dust and smoke sweeping down from all directions. He wiped the dirt from his face and surveyed his surroundings. The sky was cherry-red, while buildings shattered by ice spikes lay scattered everywhere.
"Captain, are you alright?"
Rangiku braced herself against a falling boulder, shielding Toshiro beneath her. She shoved the boulder aside and pulled Toshiro to his feet.
Though Toshiro's expression remained calm, his eyes flickered faintly.
"Don't look at me like that." Cold sweat clung to Rangiku's brow as she forced a bright smile. "Protecting the Captain's back is a Vice-Captain's duty."
Toshiro's lips moved, as if he wanted to say thank you, but a hurried glance was enough to freeze him in place. His pupils widened slightly at the sight behind Rangiku.
"Captain?"
Noticing Toshiro's odd behavior, Rangiku turned around.
It was the direction of the Central Great Underground Prison. The prison no longer looked anything like it had before.
The Central Great Underground Prison's ice-sealed pillar-like structure was wrapped in layers of spiraling, grayish-white honeycomb rock.
The rock carried an intense sense of desolation. It clearly did not belong to any structure in Soul Society. Kusaka had likely used the