Jūshirō Ukitake was a pale-faced, gentle-natured man whose slender frame made his Shihakushō and Captain's Haori look overly bulky.
When other squads saw him for the first time, they would wonder, "Is this really the captain?"
There was no sense of oppression whatsoever; instead, he seemed like he could die at any moment. He was not as good as some vice-captains or Third Seat.
This is a very wrong understanding.
Hidden beneath Jūshirō Ukitake's gentle demeanor lies a conviction and absolute rationality that surpasses that of anyone else.
He was willing to risk his own health and life, and spend time and effort to save Kaien.
Even after learning that Kaien was beyond saving, he did not hesitate to kill her without a moment's hesitation.
His rational judgment was that if he couldn't save Kaien, he could at least preserve Kaien spirit to prevent it from being completely devoured by the Void.
This rational choice, in contrast to his gentle appearance, makes him seem exceptionally cold.
His coldness is so chilling that it makes people feel that absolute coldness is his true nature, while ignoring his gentle side.
You bastard!
Upon hearing Kūkaku Shiba's curses, Jūshirō Ukitake did not refute them, but took two steps forward, his face full of guilt.
"I should have come to explain the situation to you last night, but my old illness flared up and I couldn't stay conscious. Thank you for not Rukia."
He knelt on the ground and kowtowed.
"Too verbose."
Kūkaku Shiba seemed very impatient, wanting only to grab the man's collar and interrogate him fiercely. She forcibly withdrew her hand halfway through, afraid that too rough a move would make the man even more unable to speak.
"What exactly happened? Why did my brother die at the hands of Shinigami? That fatal knife wound couldn't have been faked!"
Jūshirō Ukitake slowly stood up, his expression grave, and said, "She... she was killed by a Hollow."
"My sister-in-law..." A look of surprise flashed across Kūkaku Shiba's face, but he quickly understood and didn't continue.
Listen quietly Jūshirō Ukitake recounts the events of last night, bit by bit.
The process is not very complicated.
The deaths of Tomokazu and his fellow soldiers led Kaien Shiba to face the Hollow alone. He wanted to complete the unfinished mission for his wife and the soldiers, fulfilling his responsibilities as a husband and vice-captain.
"I grant permission."
Jūshirō Ukitake looked somewhat pained; perhaps he shouldn't have told Kaien Gen about his whereabouts back then.
But who could have imagined that a Hollow that isn't even Menos Grande would possess such monstrous abilities that even Menos Grande don't have?
"That Hollow's ability can make Zanpakuto disappear."
Most Shinigami rely on their Zanpakuto (soul -Zanpakuto) for combat power, especially emerging Shinigami like Kaien.
Because of the short training time, he was unable to master the Zankensoki ) and could only specialize in Zanpakuto training.
This path isn't wrong; it's Bankai because he specialized in Zanpakuto that Kaien learned Bankai at a young age, giving him the formidable strength to succeed the Thirteenth Division.
However, once you lose your Zanpakuto, your weakness of not being proficient in Zankensoki) becomes very obvious.
This caused Kaien's combat ability to decline sharply, turning what should have been a few moves to kill Hollow into a life-or-death battle.
" Rukia saw his Zanpakuto disappear, she wanted to go and help him, but I stopped her."
"It concerns my elder brother's dignity..." Kūkaku Shiba murmured, understanding why Jūshirō Ukitake had spoken up to stop him.
In the eldest brother's eyes, his own life was never his top priority.
Partners, wife, family, dignity—these are all things the eldest brother would be willing to risk his life to defend.
That's just his personality.
"Hmm," Jūshirō Ukitake exhaled heavily, then continued, " The Kaien was in a fierce battle, but it gradually gained the upper hand. At this moment, the Hollow revealed another, even more amazing ability: spirit fusion."
Its head detached from its body at incredible speed, burrowing into the Kaien's flesh and beginning to devour it from the inside. I should have stopped it, cough cough."
As he got more emotional, Jūshirō Ukitake coughed heavily, staining his handkerchief even more crimson, but he didn't care. His face was contorted with pain as he said, "But I couldn't stop it. Instead, I made Rukia bear a responsibility she shouldn't have had to bear. She respected Kaien so much."
"No wonder my brother had that expression on his face."
Kūkaku Shiba loosened his clenched Riot Games, unsure of who to vent his pain and anger at losing his older brother.
Shinigami named Rukia? No, judging from last night, that woman was clearly the one in the most pain; her expression of despair was heartbreaking.
Stopping Jūshirō Ukitake from helping? No, he couldn't; he was upholding his elder brother's dignity, which was more important than his own life.
False?
They're all fucking dead.
Kūkaku Shiba felt a strong aversion to herself; why think so clearly?
If you're a little less sensitive, you can release your sadness and anger instead of bottling them up and making yourself suffer.
"Ahem," Shiraishi coughed, drawing the attention of the two men, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Perhaps now is not the time for me to interrupt."
"If you understand, then shut up!"
Kūkaku Shiba yelled, "What time is it? Stop spouting nonsense! Can't you see she's in a bad mood?"
They just had to walk right into the line of fire!
Shiraishi's expression grew even more helpless. He pointed to the coffin on the cannon platform, "But your elder brother's spirit is slowly dissipating."
"You shut up!" Kūkaku Shiba glanced sideways, the word "fart" frozen in place, and the coffin on the turret actually floated up with pale blue light spots. He the Roar, "Why didn't you say so earlier!"
"I just noticed it myself," Shiraishi explained, but no one listened.
Kūkaku Shiba Shunpo before the coffin, watching as his elder brother's lower body dissipated into Reishi, and his upper body gradually vanished as well. His face filled with astonishment, he exclaimed, "What... what happened?"
"So quickly he's become Reishi... is it because he fused with a Hollow?"
Jūshirō Ukitake Shunpo before the coffin. Faced with this unusual phenomenon, he could only attribute it to the fact that Kaien and Utsuro had merged.
Otherwise, Shinigami with Captain-level Reiatsu wouldn't be able to undergo Reishi and return to Soul Society so quickly without going through the Konso Reisai.
No, is this a return to Soul Society?
He looked up at the fading lights, feeling as if they were going somewhere else.
If the fusion with the Hollow caused Kaien to become a Hollow as a whole, then where do the Reishi of the Hollows killed by the Shinigami in Soul Society go?
Hueco Mundo?
"Big brother!" Kūkaku Shiba reached out to grab him, Kaien's face disintegrated into blue light spots that drifted past his fingertips and disappeared into the air.
"Ah!"
She slammed her fist down in a fit of rage, shattering the coffin. "Bastard!!!"
"..." Shiraishi stood to the side, unsure how to offer any advice. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his head stood on end, and a chilling coldness seeped into his bones.
Someone attacked from behind!
His Reiatsu erupted instantly, and he swiftly drew his sword and swung it.