Inside the First Division's spacious assembly hall.
Sunlight streamed through the tall sliding windows, casting straight shadows across the floor.
Thirteen captains in white haori stood on either side of the broad aisle. The only sound in the room was the rustle of fabric.
Wearing the brand-new haori Senjumaru had tailored for him, with Hekyō hanging at his waist, Yoriichi walked at an unhurried pace onto the Captain-Commander's raised platform at the far end.
It was the place where Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had stood for a thousand years, symbolizing the supreme authority of the entire Gotei 13.
Now Yamamoto stood below and to the side of the steps, both hands folded over his wooden cane, his lone eye half closed, saying nothing.
The old man's voluntary surrender of power was the most shocking fact of this captains' meeting.
Every captain's gaze was fixed on Yoriichi.
Those gazes held scrutiny, anticipation, and a measure of barely concealed doubt.
Standing on the platform, Yoriichi took in all those subtle expressions.
He did not rush to speak. He simply stood there quietly and began deliberately releasing a portion of his reiatsu.
The wooden floor gave faint cracks under the unbearable weight.
The nearest captains could even feel their breathing grow somewhat labored.
Second Division Captain Soi Fon frowned.
She had originally had plenty of complaints about Captain-Commander Yamamoto's sudden abdication.
As commander-in-chief of the Stealth Force, she instinctively rejected this abrupt change of leadership that lacked a solid foundation.
But now, feeling that almost tangible pressure, she was astonished to discover that the purity of his reiatsu exceeded her comprehension.
She could only swallow every word of objection.
"I know what you're thinking."
Yoriichi folded his arms across his chest. "With a powerful enemy at our doorstep, the Seireitei suddenly changes commanders-and picks