Kindred Spirits Are Always Attracted to Each Other

"Something's not right."

Yan Si spoke softly, his voice only audible to Axto beside him and to Shiba Kaien, who had just walked over.

"That rift, it's not planning on closing."

Upon hearing this, Axto and Shiba Kaien's expressions immediately turned grim.

They followed Yan Si's gaze, and indeed, the rift remained wide open.

Even if Captain Kuruyashiki could dispatch Hollows one by one, if this rift kept opening, how many would come next? Ten? A hundred?

The captain's spiritual pressure wasn't infinite, and the other Shinigami couldn't hold out forever.

This wasn't a battle at all, but an endless war of attrition.

Suddenly, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi let out a "Hmm?" and looked up at the sky again.

Almost simultaneously, that disgusting, immense, chaotic spiritual pressure surged forth once more from the depths of the rift!

Amidst the frozen smiles and fixed gazes of the Shinigami below, another Menos Grande, its size no less than the previous one, clawed its way out of the rift's edge and descended into the living world.

"Oh?" Kuruyashiki Kenpachi was genuinely surprised this time, raising his thick eyebrows.

"What's going on? Are Hollows over in Hueco Mundo overselling, having a clearance sale?"

His tone even carried a hint of bored teasing. The spiritual particles beneath his feet exploded lightly, and his figure vanished from his spot, reappearing in mid-air the next second to meet the newly emerged Menos Grande.

It was still a simple slash of his sword.

A purple blade light flashed.

The second Menos Grande followed in the footsteps of the first, letting out a short, sharp roar before dissolving into spiritual dust.

"Too strong! Invincible!"

Cheers erupted from below once more, but this time, the voices lacked pure ecstasy and were tinged with trembling and unease.

The smiles on some of the Shinigami's faces had become strained, their eyes involuntarily drifting towards the gaping tear in the sky.

Yan Si's brow furrowed slightly; things were becoming increasingly unsettling.

Just as the atmosphere grew tense, at the edge of the battlefield, the air rippled like water without any warning.

Immediately after, a plain-looking wooden sliding door with an ancient design appeared out of thin air.

"Gara."

"Uwah!"

Captain Hirako Shinji of the Fifth Division was the first to poke his head out of the Senkaimon, his blond hair swaying in the hot wind whipping across the battlefield.

He looked up and saw the monstrous black rift in the sky, his mouth immediately turning downwards.

"What the heck, the sky's got such a big hole, where's the renovation crew? Who are they trying to scare?"

He slowly stepped out completely, his haori worn loosely.

Then, he noticed the colossal pale giant figure that was just looking down in front of the rift.

"Huh? There's another Menos Grande," Hirako Shinji scratched his soft blond hair, his tone indifferent. "Haven't seen one in over a hundred years. Still the same, really un-eco-friendly looking."

"Captain Hirako."

A gentle voice sounded beside him.

Captain Utsugi Kirio of the Twelfth Division had appeared beside him at some point, a kind smile on her face, but her eyes were fixed straight on the rift in the sky.

"We'll be counting on the Fifth Division for the support operation. As for that... 'big trouble'," she tilted her head slightly, her smile deepening.

"We, the Twelfth Division, will take it upon ourselves to research... no, to handle it."

"Yes, yes, I understand," Hirako Shinji picked at his ear, looking utterly annoyed.

At this moment, another figure quietly walked to Hirako Shinji's side.

The newcomer was tall and slender, wearing black-rimmed glasses. The flower on his armband, Andromeda, and the "Five" indicated his identity as the Fifth Seat of the Fifth Division.

He wore a suitably worried expression, and his tone was gentle:

"Captain Hirako, the situation is urgent. Our comrades from the Thirteenth and Eleventh Divisions are still fighting fiercely. Since we've arrived, we should share the burden as soon as possible and reduce unnecessary sacrifices."

Hirako Shinji glanced sideways at Aizen Sōsuke, silently scoffing in his mind. This guy really knows how to put on a show.

"Yes, yes, Seat Five Aizen is right," Hirako Shinji drawled, drawing the Zanpakutō at his waist. "Let's get to work. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go for drinks."

His spiritual pressure flickered beneath his feet, and his figure appeared in mid-air.

But when he saw Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, who was not far away, swinging his Zanpakutō and casually slicing the third emerging Menos Grande into scattered light particles like a child whittling wood, he immediately lost interest in intervening.

"What the heck, they don't need anyone else," he muttered, then decisively landed back on the ground, joining the effort to clear out the remaining ordinary Hollows.

Almost simultaneously, another Senkaimon opened, and the Fourth Division's medical team swiftly and quietly entered the battlefield. Faint green healing lights began to illuminate among the wounded.

The arrival of reinforcements finally allowed Axto and Shiba Kaien, who had been on edge, to breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing this, Yan Si also silently returned to the ground.

He no longer participated in direct attacks against Hollows. Instead, his figure flickered across the battlefield, specifically appearing beside Shinigami who were clearly exhausted but still pushing themselves.

"Reinforcements have arrived. You've done well enough, stand down and rest." His voice was steady, with a reassuring, cool reliability.

"Yes! Fifth Seat Gengo!" The exhausted squad member responded gratefully, staggering back.

"Your perseverance is commendable, but leave it to others now." He supported another swaying squad member.

"Thank you, sir!" The other man was on the verge of tears.

In just a few minutes, over a dozen squad members on the brink of exhaustion had been "persuaded" out of the front lines by him.

Not far away, Shinji Hirako, who was casually shattering Hollows with the back of his sword, hadn't taken his eyes off Gengo.

The eyes beneath his golden bangs narrowed slightly.

This kid... when did he become such a warm-hearted comrade?

Weaving back and forth across the battlefield, specifically picking out those who were exhausted to "save" them? What was he trying to do?

Shinji Hirako considered himself a good judge of character, especially of "his own kind."

From the first time he met Mirai Gengo at a tavern, he knew the guy was hiding something behind his face.

His words were a mix of truth and falsehood, his emotions veiled by a "misty veil," always interacting with people using the most reasonable "surface facts."

So he had always been wary of Gengo, though he hadn't found any substantial evidence yet.

And now, this Fifth Seat Aizen beside him... heh, his mask was even more tightly sealed than Gengo's.

As for why he, Shinji Hirako, could sense something was off with both of them at a glance?

Simple, those of the same kind were always exceptionally sensitive.

Soon, Shinji Hirako's attention shifted from Gengo to Aizen, who was also moving across the battlefield.

Chaos and crisis—these were the perfect stages for those with ulterior motives to make their moves.

Aizen's performance was exemplary.

He also weaved through the battlefield, specifically rescuing comrades in danger or exhausted. His movements were swift and effective. After helping up a teammate, he would offer a few gentle words of comfort, his face showing a warmth that made one feel as if bathed in spring breeze.

Shinji Hirako's teeth itched a little as he watched.

These two guys... their words and actions were practically as if taught by the same master!

They both exuded a sense of carefully calculated "correctness" that made it impossible to find fault, yet made one uncomfortable all over. Neither of them were easy to deal with!

With the efforts of the two captains and numerous supporting Soul Reapers, the Hollows on the battlefield were cleared at a visible rate.

Ever since the Menos Grande started lining up to be killed, no ordinary Hollows had emerged from the rifts, making the cleanup work exceptionally efficient.

Shinji Hirako sheathed his Zanpakuto and brushed off non-existent dust from his hands.

As his gaze casually swept across the battlefield, he happened to see Aizen, not far away, finishing another "rescue" and walking steadily towards another direction.

And at the end of that direction, Mirai Gengo had just handed over an injured Thirteenth Division squad member to a Fourth Division member. He stood alone on a slightly elevated patch of scorched earth, quietly gazing up at the rift in the sky.

Shinji Hirako's eyebrows twitched.

Oh? Is it about to begin?