Kaien Shiba

The Heavenly Pillar Carriage descended. However, perhaps the remotely guided Spirit Particle Reconstruction had suffered an extremely slight deviation, or perhaps the Soul Society's spirit particle flow was somewhat abnormal today.

The Heavenly Pillar Carriage's trajectory shifted subtly.

BOOM—!!!

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It crashed into a dense, uninhabited forest on the outskirts of Seireitei.

The Heavenly Pillar Carriage's massive pillar-like body smashed a huge crater into the center of the forest, sending dust into the sky and startling flocks of birds into flight.

The hatch slid open, and Liu Chuan stepped out, lifting his head to survey his surroundings.

Towering ancient trees encircled him, while sunlight filtered through the dense canopy in mottled patches.

"Did it deviate?" Liu Chuan sensed the surrounding flow of Spirit Particles and examined the terrain.

Very quickly, he determined his approximate location—he was deep in a forest on the western outskirts of Seireitei, far from any sign of people.

"Looks like the remote guidance still has accuracy issues, or it was interfered with."

Liu Chuan muttered to himself, though he wasn't particularly annoyed. After all, he couldn't demand pinpoint landing accuracy from a "vehicle" like the Heavenly Pillar Carriage.

He glanced at the gigantic pillar lodged in the crater.

"I should mark this thing's coordinates first, then contact the Shiba Clan and have them send someone to retrieve it.

If it stays here and some Rukongai resident or unknown creature accidentally touches it, that'll be troublesome too."

Suddenly, Liu Chuan caught the rapidly approaching fluctuations of Spiritual Pressure from deep within the forest, along with... voices?

And those two Spiritual Pressures felt somewhat familiar.

Liu Chuan stopped moving, turned around, and looked toward the source of the Spiritual Pressure.

Before long, two figures, one ahead of the other, pushed through dense brush and tangled branches and entered Liu Chuan's view.

The person in front was petite and wore standard Soul Reaper Robes. Her short hair was dark purple, and her face had initially held anxiety and vigilance, but the moment she saw Liu Chuan, her eyes filled with astonishment.

"Liu Chuan... classmate?" Rukia Kuchiki stopped short, the words nearly spilling from her mouth. Her voice was thick with confusion. "Y-you, why are you here? At this time... shouldn't you already be at the Soul King Palace?"

The person behind her also approached at an unhurried pace. He was a male Soul Reaper with a gentle face and long white hair.

He wore a captain's haori. His complexion was somewhat pale, and there was a sickly air between his brows, but his gaze was gentle and wise.

He was none other than the captain of the Thirteenth Division, Jushiro Ukitake.

Liu Chuan was also somewhat surprised by their appearance, but he quickly regained his composure.

He nodded to Rukia Kuchiki. "I just returned from the Soul King Palace. It's just... there seemed to have been a slight error during the landing, and I deviated from the intended location."

After briefly explaining, his gaze swept over the two of them, especially the anxiety that had yet to fade from Rukia's face and the faint gravity beneath Jushiro Ukitake's gentle expression. He asked in return, "But why are you two here? Judging by your expressions, something urgent seems to have happened?"

Rukia glanced at Jushiro Ukitake. Only after seeing her captain give a slight nod did she take a deep breath and explain in a somewhat hurried voice.

"We're here because of Vice-Captain Kaien. According to the latest intelligence, that Hollow—Metastacia, the one that killed Vice-Captain Kaien's wife—has appeared in the nearby area.

After Vice-Captain Kaien learned of it, driven by his desire for revenge, he went ahead to track it down.

We received word and rushed over immediately. We're going to meet up with Vice-Captain Kaien and support him."

Metastacia? The Hollow that had killed Kaien Shiba's wife? Liu Chuan's heart stirred.

He recalled the expressions Kūkaku and Ganju had worn when they mentioned their older brother at the Shiba Clan estate. He also recalled the rumors about Kaien Shiba—the genius vice-captain of the Thirteenth Division and current head of the Shiba Clan.

So it was for revenge.

"I see." Liu Chuan understood. He looked at the Heavenly Pillar Carriage behind him, then at the worried Rukia and Jushiro Ukitake, who remained calm but had a faint solemnity between his brows.

After a brief moment of thought, he said, "In that case, I'll go with you. I happen to have something I need to discuss with Vice-Captain Kaien as well."

He pointed at the Heavenly Pillar Carriage behind him. "The retrieval of this thing will probably require the Shiba Clan's help. I'll discuss it with him while I'm there."

Upon hearing that, a gentle smile appeared on Jushiro Ukitake's pale yet refined face. He coughed softly twice before speaking slowly.

"If Lord Liu Chuan is willing to accompany us, we couldn't ask for more."

"You're too kind, Captain Ukitake," Liu Chuan said. He noticed that Jushiro Ukitake's breathing was somewhat unsteady as he spoke and that he kept coughing. Unable to help himself, he asked, "Captain Ukitake, your health..."

"An old ailment. It's nothing serious."

Jushiro Ukitake waved his hand, his smile remaining as gentle as ever, though the sickly gloom between his brows could not be dispelled.

He seemed unwilling to discuss his illness further and changed the subject.

"Time is of the essence. Let's leave at once. Kaien... has probably already encountered that Hollow."

The three of them wasted no more time. Guided by Rukia's familiarity with Kaien's Spiritual Pressure and the direction indicated by the intelligence, they quickly headed deeper into the forest.

Liu Chuan temporarily set aside the matter of the Heavenly Pillar Carriage. He had already recorded its coordinates, so it would not be too late to handle it later.

As they traveled, perhaps to ease the slightly heavy atmosphere, or perhaps because she was still surprised to see Liu Chuan, her former "classmate," here—

Rukia took the initiative to speak with Liu Chuan. Naturally, the conversation revolved around the person they were rushing to support—Kaien Shiba.

"Brother Kaien... is truly amazing." Rukia's voice carried undisguised admiration and respect.

"He's a genuine genius. Back at Shin'ō Academy, he spent only a single year completing the entire curriculum that was originally meant to take six years, graduating with the very best results.

After joining the Thirteenth Division, he started as Third Seat. In just five years, he became vice-captain through his unquestionable strength and prestige."

She paused, her tone turning gentler and carrying a trace of heartache.

"Because Captain Ukitake often needs to rest due to his health, Vice-Captain Kaien handles nearly all of the division's affairs.

Not only does he manage the division's work with perfect order, he also takes exceptional care of the members, especially me..."

Rukia's voice lowered, as if she had recalled countless moments when he had looked after her. A faint blush appeared on her face.

"He's like a dependable and gentle older brother. From work to daily life, he's given me so much guidance and help. There's no one in the division who doesn't respect or like him."

Liu Chuan listened quietly. From Rukia's account, he could clearly sense her deep trust and admiration for Kaien Shiba.

It was not merely a subordinate's respect for a superior. It was mixed with a complex affection resembling that of family and an idol.

It seemed Vice-Captain Kaien held an extraordinary place in both the Thirteenth Division and Rukia's heart.

Jushiro Ukitake listened quietly from the side without interrupting. Yet deep concern and helplessness also showed in his gentle eyes.

His occasional suppressed coughs sounded especially clear in the silent forest.

Liu Chuan nodded in understanding. The hatred of having one's wife murdered was irreconcilable.

Given Kaien Shiba's deeply loyal nature and powerful sense of responsibility, it was no surprise that he was so determined to seek revenge.

But in the Soul Society, when a Soul Reaper lost their composure because of hatred, it often meant even greater danger.

The three of them said no more and increased their speed, racing toward the depths of the forest, toward the direction where abnormal Spiritual Pressure fluctuations could faintly be felt.

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