The wind blew hard across the Hill of the Twin Executions.
A massive execution scaffold stood in the center of the grounds, its supports gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
Farther away lay the sealed Sōkyoku, where the Destroying Cocoon King slept—a special Zanpakutō without a master, possessing the power of a million Zanpakutō.
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni stood before the execution scaffold with his eyes closed.
The wind swept his Captain's Haori back, its hem snapping in the breeze.
Hikifune Kirio stood half a step beside him, her hands tucked into her sleeves.
She lifted her head and looked toward the sky. It was blue, with few clouds and no sign of any passage or gate.
"Captain-General," she asked softly, "will that person really appear?"
Her gaze fell on Ryūjin Jakka, the Zanpakutō in Yamamoto's hand.
"That brat will definitely come."
Yamamoto opened his eyes slightly and looked calmly up at the sky.
"Brat?" Hikifune Kirio sounded surprised. She had not been there when the King appeared last time.
From the other captains' accounts, he was a being with an astonishing presence. She had never expected Captain-General Yamamoto to call him a brat.
"An arrogant whelp who doesn't know his limits." Yamamoto's voice was deep.
"The last attack taught him that the gates of the Royal Palace aren't so easily opened. He won't let this opportunity slip away."
His right hand closed around the sword hilt at his waist.
This time, the moment that self-proclaimed King appeared, he would strike.
Bzzzt!
The sound came from the sky—a low-frequency rumble caused by reiatsu vibrating the air.
The air throughout the Seireitei suddenly grew heavy, as though an invisible weight were pressing down on everyone's shoulders.
The sky above the Hill of the Twin Executions began to distort.
First came fine cracks, like