The group stepped inside the massive chamber of the Kūkaku Taihō, its interior humming faintly with stored power. At the center, the Reishukaku floated in place, glowing softly like a captured star.
One by one, they positioned themselves around it, each placing their palms against its smooth surface.
They closed their eyes.
Reiatsu stirred.
Each of them focused inward, pulling at the core of their spiritual power and feeding it outward. Streams of reishi flowed from their bodies, converging around the crystal. Slowly, carefully, a translucent sphere formed around them. It shimmered faintly, layered with the combined will of everyone inside.
Outside, Kukaku stood before the cannon, her presence alone commanding the air. She rolled her shoulders once, then planted her feet firmly into the ground.
Her ritual began.
She raised her arm, fingers splayed, and the air around her ignited with sparks of golden light. Reishi responded to her call, swirling around her like embers caught in a storm. She traced precise patterns in the air with her hand, each movement deliberate, ancient, and practiced. Symbols briefly flared into existence before dissolving, the cannon itself reacting as lines of light ran along its frame.
She slammed her palm against the cannon's side.
Boom.
The Taihō roared softly, awakening.
Kukaku clenched her fist, firework energy spiraling around her arm, crackling with volatile brilliance. She inhaled once, then snapped her knuckles.
A spark shot from her fist and struck the detonation rope.
She shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice carrying over the entire Shiba compound.
"OKAY NOW! GET READY YOU DIMWITS! IT'S SHOWTIME!"
Inside the cannon, panic rippled instantly.
Ichigo's eyes widened. Tatsuki swallowed hard. Orihime clutched her hands together, heart pounding. Even Ishida's calm cracked just a little.
Shinichi stood still.
He knew this was coming.
And yet his body betrayed him.
His fingers trembled slightly, a shiver running down his spine. Knowing and experiencing were two completely different things.
Then it happened.
The world detonated.
A blinding explosion swallowed the Taihō as the cannon discharged with catastrophic force. The reishi sphere screamed as it was hurled forward, ripping through the sky like a meteor. The wind howled around them, pressure slamming into the barrier from all sides as the Seireitei walls rushed toward them at impossible speed.
They were flying.
Inside the sphere, Ichigo suddenly heard it.
Muttering.
Low, frantic, almost rhythmic.
His eyes snapped toward Ganju. The man's lips were moving rapidly, chanting something under his breath. The words were strange, old, and heavy with meaning.
Then the barrier shook.
Violently.
Cracks of instability rippled through the reishi sphere, its surface warping.
Tatsuki turned on Ichigo instantly and screamed, "CONTROL YOUR REIATSU YOU DAMN IDIOT!"
Ichigo shot back, veins bulging. "HEY! I'M DOING MY BEST HERE!"
Ishida adjusted his glasses even as the world threatened to tear apart. "As expected of you, Kurosaki. You're going to get us all killed."
Ichigo snarled. "HUH? COME AGAIN, FOUR EYES?"
Ganju suddenly screamed over them both. "YOU IDIOTS! I MESSED UP THE CHANT BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPIDITY! DAMN IT!"
Shinichi blinked. "Oh… so what now?"
Ganju's face drained of color. "WE ARE FUCKED!"
At that exact moment, the reishi sphere slammed into something unseen.
The invisible atmospheric barrier of the Seireitei.
The collision was cataclysmic.
The sphere buckled, light exploding outward as opposing forces clashed. Ichigo shouted at the top of his lungs, "HOLD ON TO EACH OTHER!"
Tatsuki instinctively grabbed Shinichi.
Ichigo grabbed Ganju.
Orihime reached out but caught nothing.
Her body tipped forward, falling toward the Seireitei below.
"INOUE!" Ichigo screamed.
Chad moved without hesitation.
He launched himself forward, muscles roaring as he grabbed Orihime and hurled her safely into Ishida's arms. The impact sent them spinning away together.
"CHAD NO!" Tatsuki screamed.
Suddenly she felt fingers clamp onto her collar.
Shinichi's voice was calm, almost gentle. "Yeah. Go see how he's doing."
"What?" Tatsuki barely managed to say.
She never finished the sentence.
Shinichi swung and threw her with all his strength toward Chad.
As she flew, her scream echoed faintly through the chaos.
"SHINICHI YOU BASTARD!"
The wind swallowed her.
Shinichi exhaled slowly.
"Sorry, Tatsuki," he thought. "But I prefer being alone here. You'd only hold me back."
Then the final force hit.
The reishi sphere shattered completely, dispersing everyone in violent arcs across the Seireitei. Bodies were flung in different directions, swallowed by the vast city below as the night sky tore them apart.
They were inside.
Separated.
And the real invasion had begun.
---
Everyone landed exactly where fate had placed them in the original flow of events.
The only differences were small, yet dangerous. Tatsuki was now paired with Chad. And another variable had entered the equation entirely. Shinichi Kisaragi.
Shinichi's body cut through the air and slammed into the ground with a controlled roll. Dust burst outward as his boots scraped against packed earth. He came to a stop on one knee, one hand braced against the ground, breathing steady.
He lifted his head.
He was standing in what looked like a vast training ground within the Seireitei. The space was wide and open, bordered by tall stone walls worn smooth by time and combat. Wooden posts stood in uneven rows, some cracked, some splintered clean in half. Deep grooves scarred the ground, marks left behind by countless blades and bursts of reiatsu. The faint metallic scent of sweat and blood lingered in the air, old but stubborn, clinging to the stones like memory.
The place was empty.
Too empty.
No voices. No footsteps. Only the distant hum of Seireitei life far beyond these walls, muted and unreachable. A light wind drifted through the field, stirring dust and carrying with it the echo of past battles. This was a place where Shinigami honed themselves. A place where weakness was burned away.
Shinichi straightened slowly.
He already knew where Rukia was.
His eyes lifted toward the horizon, locking onto the towering silhouette far in the distance. The massive structure atop Sōkyoku Hill loomed like a monument to death, barely visible yet unmistakable. Even from here, its presence pressed down on him.
"Tch…" he muttered. "Just my luck."
He clenched his jaw, eyes narrowing.
"I'm at the farthest corner from that building."
His hand moved to the hilt of his sheathed blade. The familiar weight grounded him, steady and reassuring. Without another word, he leaned forward and broke into a run, feet pounding against the scarred earth as he shot toward the distant hill.
The wind tore past him. The Seireitei rushed by in fragments of stone and shadow.
"I gotta make haste," he said under his breath, voice hard with intent. "If I wanna do that."
---
Tatsuki and Chad moved through the narrow streets, keeping to the shadows, slipping between buildings and rooftops whenever footsteps drew too close. The Seireitei felt alive now, tense and alert, like a beast that had finally realized it was being hunted from within.
Tatsuki clenched her fists as she walked, her jaw tight with rage.
"I swear to God I'll kill Shinichi if I see that bastard's face again!"
Chad glanced at her, a bead of cold sweat rolling down his temple. "Yeah… I was confused too when he threw you at me," he said quietly. "But that's just how he's always been. Unpredictable."
Before Tatsuki could snap back, a booming voice echoed across the Seireitei, carried by spiritual amplification that made the air vibrate.
"ATTENTION ALL UNITS. THERE ARE INTRUDERS IN THE SEIREITEI. SEVEN RYOKA HAVE ILLEGALLY STEPPED FOOT HERE. ALL UNITS, FIND THEM AND INCAPACITATE THEM IMMEDIATELY."
Tatsuki turned sharply.
Behind them, a group of Shinigami had already spotted them. At least ten, fanning out instinctively, hands moving to their swords.
One of them pointed. "Hey! That's them! The intruders!"
"Get them!" another shouted.
Tatsuki ground her teeth. "Ah shit… looks like we gotta fight, Chad."
Chad stepped forward without hesitation. His right arm transformed instantly, black and crimson plating crawling over his skin like living armor. He drew his fist back, muscles tightening, reiatsu condensing into a crushing point of pressure.
He punched the air.
The strike detonated.
A massive shockwave roared outward, the ground cracking beneath Chad's feet as compressed force tore through the Shinigami ranks. The blast slammed into them like a battering ram, hurling bodies backward, smashing some into walls, sending others skidding across the stone in uncontrolled rolls. Dust and debris exploded into the air, drowning the street in chaos.
Before the dust could settle, Tatsuki moved.
Her body blurred.
Yellow sparks ignited in her eyes as her canines lengthened and her nails twisted into vicious, curved claws. She launched herself forward with feral speed, closing the distance in a heartbeat. Her claws tore through the air, slashing across uniforms and flesh alike. One Shinigami screamed as she raked across his chest. Another was knocked flat as she spun and drove a clawed kick into his ribs.
She landed lightly, pivoted, and struck again, moving like a wild predator unleashed. Blood splattered across stone as her claws carved through defensive stances, her movements precise, brutal, and merciless.
When the last of them collapsed, groaning or unconscious, Tatsuki exhaled sharply, forcing her transformation back down. Her claws retracted. Her breathing steadied.
"We gotta get out of here," she said, wiping sweat from her brow. "And we need to find where Rukia is."
She took a step forward.
And stopped.
The air changed.
A crushing weight slammed down on them, invisible yet overwhelming. Tatsuki's knees threatened to buckle as her instincts screamed danger. Chad stiffened beside her, his breath hitching as a cold pressure wrapped around his chest.
This was different.
This wasn't just reiatsu.
This was intent.
They turned slowly.
A man stood behind them, black robes fluttering slightly, a long scythe resting casually over his shoulder. His expression was calm, almost bored, but his presence alone warped the air around him.
It was Shūhei Hisagi, lieutenant of the Ninth Division.
He took a single step forward, and the pressure intensified.
"Looks like you're creating quite a fuss here," he said evenly. "I shall exterminate you."
Tatsuki glanced at Chad and smirked. "Chad. He's mine. We should split up. I'll keep him busy, you go find Rukia."
Chad hesitated. "But Tatsuki—"
She cut him off, smiling with absolute confidence. "Chad. Trust me. I've worked day and night for this."
Chad searched her face for a moment, then nodded. "Be careful."
He turned and ran, disappearing down the street in a burst of speed.
Hisagi sighed softly. "I was hoping to take both of you down together," he said, rolling his neck once. "But I suppose it doesn't matter. After I defeat you, I'll catch up to him and deal with him as well."
Tatsuki laughed, sharp and fearless. "Alright, you fucking emo. You gonna keep talking or actually do something?"
Hisagi frowned.
He vanished.
The next instant, he reappeared in front of her, scythe swinging down with lethal force. Tatsuki barely had time to react. Her claws snapped up, meeting the blade head-on.
The clash exploded.
Metal screamed against hardened claws as shockwaves blasted outward, dust ripping up from the ground in a violent ring around them. Tatsuki slid back a few steps, boots carving lines into stone, but she held.
She looked up, eyes glowing yellow, teeth bared in a savage grin.
Hisagi tightened his grip on the scythe, eyes narrowing.
The real fight had begun.
Without warning, Hisagi vanished.
Tatsuki barely had time to react before metal screamed past her face. She ducked, feeling the wind shear as Kazeshini's blade sliced where her neck had been a second earlier.
She jumped back, skidding across stone.
"Fast," Hisagi said, impressed. "But instinct alone won't save you here."
Tatsuki growled under her breath.
She lunged.
Her speed exploded forward, claws slashing toward his chest in a brutal arc. Hisagi twisted, blade spinning to parry, sparks flying as steel met hardened reiatsu-coated claws.
The impact sent shockwaves through both of them.
Hisagi slid back a step.
"…Claws reinforced with spiritual pressure," he muttered. "You've trained."
Tatsuki smirked despite herself.
"Yeah. And I hit harder than I look."
She attacked again, low sweep, rising slash, spinning kick.
Hisagi blocked two, dodged one, but the kick clipped his ribs. He grunted as he was forced back, boots scraping stone.
"Damn," he said. "You fight like a brawler."
"And you fight like you talk too much," Tatsuki shot back.
Hisagi's expression hardened.
He spun Kazeshini, the chain linking the twin blades rattling ominously.
"You really shouldn't provoke a Lieutenant."
The chain shot forward like a serpent.
Tatsuki leapt but the chain curved midair, wrapping around her ankle and yanking hard. She slammed into the ground, stone cracking beneath her.
Before she could recover, Hisagi was on her, blade raised.
She crossed her arms, claws up.
The strike sent her skidding across the street, tearing deep grooves into the stone.
She coughed, blood touching her lip.
"…So that's how you play," she muttered.
Hisagi didn't gloat.
Instead, he spoke quietly.
"You're strong. But you're reckless. That's how people die."
Tatsuki pushed herself up, legs shaking.
"Funny," she said, eyes glowing faint gold.
Her reiatsu surged.
The air vibrated.
Tatsuki inhaled deeply then roared.
The sound wasn't just loud, it was primal, layered with raw spiritual force. The shockwave blasted outward, cracking walls, shattering windows, and forcing Hisagi to plant his feet as the pressure slammed into him.
His vision blurred.
"…That voice," he whispered. "That's not human."
Tatsuki stood there, breathing heavily, claws fully extended now, white fur visible along her forearms.
"Neither are you," she said softly. "You carry death around your neck like a badge."
Hisagi steadied himself.
Kazeshini rattled as if excited.
"Then let's stop pretending this is a misunderstanding."
They moved at the same time.
Hisagi flung the chain wide, blades circling like twin moons, creating a killing zone around him. Tatsuki dove in anyway, weaving between arcs that would have cut a normal person in half.
She took a slash across her shoulder, ignored it.
She landed a clawed punch into his abdomen.
Hisagi gasped as the force lifted him off his feet.
He twisted midair, hooking the chain around her arm and dragging her with him as they crashed into a wall together.
Stone exploded.
They staggered apart, both bleeding now.
Shuhei Hisagi stood with his shoulders rising and falling, Kazeshini dangling loosely at his side, its chain clinking softly against the stone. His gaze never left Tatsuki.
Across from him, Tatsuki remained crouched low, one knee bent, claws dug into the ground. Her breath steamed faintly in the cool air, golden slit pupils locked onto him like a predator that had finally decided this hunt would end here.
Hisagi spoke first.
"…You're still standing."
Tatsuki lifted her head slowly.
"So are you."
He tightened his grip on his zanpakutō.
"Then let's finish this."
Kazeshini screamed.
The chain snapped taut as Hisagi swung both blades outward, reiatsu surging violently around him. The air warped, pressure slicing the ground into clean, crescent-shaped gouges.
"I won't underestimate you again," he said, voice sharp.
"Lieutenants don't get that luxury."
He vanished.
The chain came from everywhere.
Above. Below. Behind.
Tatsuki twisted, claws flashing, deflecting one blade—only for the second to slash across her thigh. Blood sprayed as she stumbled, teeth gritting.
Hisagi appeared in front of her, foot slamming into her chest.
She flew back, crashing through a stone pillar.
"Instinct isn't enough," Hisagi said coldly, stepping forward.
"You hesitate. That's why you lose."
Tatsuki coughed, blood dripping from her chin.
"…You're wrong."
She stood.
Slowly.
The air around her changed.
Her reiatsu didn't explode this time. It settled.
Calm. Dense. Heavy.
The fog-like pressure spread low across the ground, coiling around her legs, her arms, her claws, like moonlight pooling on water.
Her fur shimmered faintly silver.
Her breathing evened out.
"I don't hesitate," Tatsuki said quietly.
"I choose."
Hisagi's eyes widened.
Tatsuki stepped forward.
And vanished.
She didn't rush him head-on.
She circled.
Her movements were no longer feral or wild, they were precise. Calculated. Every step silent. Every breath measured.
Hisagi swung but missed.
She appeared at his flank, claws raking across his shoulder.
He spun, chain whipping,
She ducked under it, sliding across the ground, then roared.
Not loud.
Focused.
The red shockwave from her roar hit Hisagi point-blank.
His body froze, muscles locking, senses dulled, reiatsu disrupted.
"…Tch—!" he gasped.
Tatsuki was already there.
She drove her clawed fist into his abdomen.
Once.
Twice.
A spinning kick shattered his guard and sent him flying across the street.
He crashed hard, skidding until he slammed into a wall.
Kazeshini slipped from his fingers.
Silence.
Hisagi tried to stand.
His legs gave out.
He dropped to one knee, breathing ragged, blood dripping from his mouth.
Tatsuki approached slowly, claws retracting slightly, but still ready.
She stopped a few steps away.
"…It's over," she said.
Hisagi laughed weakly.
"…Yeah."
He looked up at her, not angry. Not bitter.
Impressed.
"You didn't lose control," he said.
"You didn't give in."
She tilted her head.
"That's the point."
He nodded once, firmly.
"Then this fight's yours."
Kazeshini rattled faintly as its chain slackened.
Shuhei Hisagi, Lieutenant of the 9th Division,
Did not rise again.
Tatsuki exhaled slowly, the tension draining from her body. The fur receded. The claws shortened. Her eyes returned to normal, though something deeper, stronger, remained behind them.
Tatsuki turned away, shoulders squared.
Somewhere in Seireitei, a Captain felt a disturbance, and frowned.
And far beyond the walls, Shinichi Kisaragi felt it too.
And smiled.
---
Shinichi slowed for just a fraction of a second.
"I felt that roar quite clearly…" he muttered under his breath as he ran. "You've grown, Tatsuki."
The words had barely left his mind when instinct screamed.
He jerked his head sideways.
A blade cut through the space where his neck had been a heartbeat earlier, the wind pressure alone slicing a strand of black hair loose. The steel passed so close he felt its chill kiss his skin.
Shinichi skidded to a stop and turned sharply, eyes wide for a split second before settling into something calmer. Something sharper.
"So you just attack unannounced like that?" he said, genuinely surprised.
The man standing before him lowered his sword slightly.
He was tall and slender, with long, pale yellow hair tied back loosely, several strands falling over his face. His expression was perpetually tired, almost melancholic, as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. Heavy-lidded eyes stared at Shinichi with quiet focus, devoid of anger or excitement. He wore the standard Shinigami uniform neatly, almost too neatly, and held his Zanpakutō with disciplined precision rather than aggression.
It was Izuru Kira.
"That's how it should be," Izuru replied calmly, his voice soft but firm. "Only a fool announces their attacks."
Shinichi hopped backward lightly, putting distance between them, the corners of his mouth lifting into a slow smile.
"Well… well…" he said, rolling his shoulders. "I guess this is an inconvenient interaction."
His grip tightened around the hilt of his sheathed blade.
For a brief moment, the air around him shifted.
His eyes sparked red.
Not with rage.
With interest.
The Seireitei wind stirred between them, dust lifting from the ground as two very different kinds of pressure began to collide.