The reason Rukia Kuchiki was in such a hurry to reach the Seiryū Gate was simple—she wanted to stop things before they spiraled out of control.
What she couldn't figure out was why Lin Xuan had clashed with Gin Ichimaru the moment he arrived in the Soul Society. Even more baffling was the mysterious screen that had suddenly appeared in everyone's view—clearly Lin Xuan's doing. Why was he deliberately escalating the fallout from this fight?
Based on what she knew of him, he wasn't the impulsive type.
Rukia didn't have time to dwell on it. She could only push herself to move as fast as possible, racing toward the Seiryū Gate before the situation worsened further.
Perhaps if she stepped forward as a Shinigami and made it clear that Lin Xuan and the others meant the Soul Society no harm, she could still put a stop to all of this.
What she never expected was that the moment she left the barracks, someone blocked her path.
Rukia was about to snap—until she saw who it was and froze.
Standing before her was a tall man with brown skin, a head of purple curls, and a white protective visor over his eyes.
She recognized him at once. Ninth Division Captain Kaname Tōsen.
"Captain Tōsen? What do you need from me?" Rukia asked, frowning slightly.
Under normal circumstances, running into Tōsen wouldn't have bothered her. After all, he was a Shinigami of the Gotei 13—and a captain at that.
But Lin Xuan had already told her the truth: Tōsen had joined the Gotei 13 purely for revenge, and before long, he would follow Aizen in betraying the Seireitei.
Tōsen showing up now, at this exact moment, sent a chill of foreboding through her.
Tōsen's face was blank as he said flatly, "Rukia Kuchiki. Central 46 has issued an order. You are suspected of involvement with Ryōka.
Come with me."
As he spoke, he pulled a sealed directive from his robes—the official seal of Central 46.
At the same time, several figures emerged behind Rukia. All of them were Shinigami from the Ninth Division, cutting off her escape route.
Rukia's expression darkened. She understood immediately.
They hadn't come for her—they'd come to stop her from intervening at the Seiryū Gate.
Was this Aizen's handiwork?
But if it was, then why would Central 46 get involved so openly?
Lin Xuan and the others had only just arrived in the Soul Society. There was no way Aizen could know them—or know that she knew them.
Rukia was deeply puzzled. Faced with the full force of the Ninth Division, even she had no chance of breaking free. And she couldn't run anyway.
If she fled now, she'd be resisting arrest—making everything worse, and probably playing straight into Aizen's trap.
After a brief hesitation, Rukia chose not to resist. She let Tōsen and his men take her away.
But through the cross-dimensional communication link, she reported what had happened to Lin Xuan.
At the Seireitei Gate, Lin Xuan received Rukia's message. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he smiled.
"Tōsen, is it? Aizen's even sharper than I thought. Looks like he's already picked up on something."
Some things, it seemed, were destined to follow the same path no matter what.
Knowing Aizen's personality, if he made a move, it would never be this simple.
Arresting Rukia was probably about the Hōgyoku inside her. Aizen was getting restless—otherwise he wouldn't have struck now.
Lin Xuan knew this was only the beginning. More moves would follow soon enough.
But whatever Aizen Sōsuke was planning, it suited Lin Xuan just fine.
If he'd come to the Soul Society only to help Rukia, he might have chosen to stay hidden and build his strength slowly.
That wasn't his style. He preferred to stir things up—because only then could he earn more prestige points.
And sure enough—
Shortly after, every Shinigami in the Seireitei received a message from Central 46: the people at the Seiryū Gate were a group of Ryōka, and upon investigation, they were confirmed to have ties to Hueco Mundo.
Furthermore, Rukia Kuchiki was implicated in the matter. She had been arrested and would be tried and sentenced by Central 46.
The entire Seireitei erupted in shock.
Many had assumed this was merely a conflict between Shinigami and the Rukongai. Some had even thought the man trading blows with Gin Ichimaru was impressive—maybe he'd join the Gotei 13 and become one of them after this.
Nobody expected it to turn out like this. The intruders were Ryōka. They had connections to Hueco Mundo.
And worst of all, Rukia Kuchiki was somehow caught up in it.
When Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai heard the news, their faces changed.
In the Thirteenth Division barracks, Kiyone Kotetsu turned to Shunsui Kyōraku. "Captain, what's going on here?"
Shunsui shook his head, brow furrowing. He'd noticed Rukia leaving earlier—but he never imagined things would escalate this fast.
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T/N:
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