In the Seireitei conference hall, Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto sat in his chair, cane in hand, face stern.
Every Gotei 13 captain was present except Gin Ichimaru.
"Effective immediately, I am issuing wartime special orders. Seal all Seireitei entrances and exits. Each division will patrol its assigned sector.
All Shinigami will carry their Zanpakutō and are authorized to release them for combat."
"All captains will remain on standby. The moment Ryōka are detected, locate them immediately and kill them on sight."
The atmosphere in the hall was suffocating.
Yamamoto rapidly assigned tasks to each division. The captains below listened in silence.
Once everything was arranged, Yamamoto turned to Retsu Unohana. "What is Gin Ichimaru's condition?"
"He's awake. No serious physical injuries—but the mental trauma is significant. He won't recover quickly."
Unohana then recounted everything she knew.
When Gin was first brought to the Fourth Division barracks, Unohana had tried every method she could think of to wake him.
All of it failed.
In the end, Gin had woken on his own.
Learning that Gin's consciousness had been trapped in an endless loop of illusion, Unohana was stunned.
She never imagined such an ability existed in this world.
She even suspected that if Gin hadn't somehow broken free, he might have remained trapped forever—until his mind was completely destroyed and he died.
If Gin hadn't experienced it firsthand, she might never have believed it.
Even after waking, the fear in Gin's eyes hadn't fully faded. Unohana could see it clearly.
The others reacted differently upon hearing her report—but everyone understood this situation was far from simple.
Shunsui Kyōraku, draped in his patterned pink haori with his straw hat as always, smiled lazily. "Well now, they really are something. No idea where they crawled out from."
"Hah, this is getting interesting. I can't wait to meet them. Hope they don't disappoint!" Kenpachi Zaraki said excitedly, already itching for a real fight.
Twelfth Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi suddenly turned to Hitsugaya. "Captain Hitsugaya, I heard they left right in front of you—and you didn't stop them?"
Hitsugaya glared at Mayuri. "You foolish old fool. They're stronger than you think.
You couldn't have stopped them either."
The hall erupted into heated debate. Tensions between the captains flared.
Aizen stood to one side, silent—but his eyes flickered with unreadable thoughts.
Yamamoto tapped his cane against the floor. Quiet returned.
"Enough. That concludes this matter. Carry out your assignments.
Any questions?"
Shunsui was about to ask about Rukia Kuchiki—
But someone spoke before he could.
"Captain-Commander, is there some mistake about Rukia Kuchiki's arrest? From what I know of her, she's not the type to collude with Ryōka."
Shunsui looked at Aizen in surprise. He hadn't expected Aizen to show such concern for Rukia.
In the ranks, Byakuya Kuchiki's expression didn't change—but his hand trembled slightly.
Yamamoto fell silent.
After a moment, he spoke. "Not long ago, Central 46 sent over the final verdict on Rukia Kuchiki."
"What is it?" Shunsui asked urgently.
"Rukia Kuchiki is guilty of colluding with Ryōka. Her Shinigami status is revoked immediately. In forty-eight hours, the Sōkyoku will be released for her execution."
"What?" Shunsui's face went pale.
Shunsui frowned. "Old man Yamamoto, is there some mistake?"
Yamamoto's expression didn't change. "This is Central 46's judgment. You need only carry it out."
In a remote corner of Rukongai, there was almost nothing around—just a lone house standing on a patch of grass in the distance.
The house was unmistakable. Two enormous arms flanked either side, and behind it rose a massive pillar.
Lin Xuan looked around, then fixed his gaze on the distinctive building. The corner of his mouth curled up.
"Didn't expect to wander all the way here. Well, since I'm here—might as well go in and meet the person inside."
He strode toward the house.
Two tall, muscular men stood guard outside—but Lin Xuan walked right past them. Neither noticed a thing.
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T/N:
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