"A very important person?"
Rukia, bewildered, stared at the white version of herself.
She had always known there was someone inside her heart, but…
She had always believed the other one wouldn't hurt her.
And yet now, the other one kept rampaging again and again, harming others.
Rukia truly couldn't understand why.
But after hearing the other's answer, she became even more confused.
What does it mean… to agree to the request of someone very important to me?
"You'll understand soon."
Dark Rukia turned to her and smiled gently. "We were originally one, but our consciousness is different. Isn't that strange?"
"You're a Shinigami. I'm a Hollow. You have your companions, and I have mine."
Dark Rukia spoke softly. "You think I'm hurting your companions, don't you? But have you ever considered that the Hollows you've killed could have been my companions too?"
"Th-This…"
Rukia didn't know what to say, and froze in place.
"I've always thought…"
She paused, as if trying to explain something, but Dark Rukia only smiled.
"Because you think Hollows are fallen souls who don't care about companions at all, right?"
"In truth, you're not wrong. But exceptions always exist. Shinigami do vicious things, and Hollows do things only the heart can do."
"In fact, Shinigami don't have malice. But once you've promised something, you have no choice but to do it. And besides… if we stay together like this, sooner or later something will go wrong. That can't be avoided."
"What do you mean…?" Rukia's voice faltered again.
In other words…
Dark Rukia opened her palm. In the next instant, spirit particles transformed into a gigantic scythe. The scythe of death spun in her hand, then finally pointed straight at Rukia.
"We have to separate."
Rukia's pupils constricted. She hurriedly tried to draw Sode no Shirayuki, but it was already too late.
In a flash, Dark Rukia appeared behind her and struck, piercing her body in a single blow.
The pain she expected never came—but dizziness and vertigo crashed over her so hard she felt like she might black out.
Her body went limp. Her knees buckled, and she toppled forward, collapsing onto an endless-looking frozen plain.
Dark Rukia gazed at the fallen Rukia and said gently, "A temporary farewell is for a better reunion. We'll meet in Hueco Mundo."
Her body gradually turned into spiritual particles and began to vanish.
She had used the ability of Severance to cut the connection between herself and Rukia—in other words, she was trying to separate from Rukia's body.
However, their bond was far too deep. She couldn't fully sever it—and she didn't want to.
Not yet, at least.
Dark Rukia's strength was directly tied to Rukia's true self: the stronger Rukia became, the stronger Dark Rukia would become.
Her abilities would be enhanced as well.
At first, the scythe of death could only cut visible matter. Later it could cut abstract things too—even Soi Fon's special two-hit technique could be severed.
But everything that exists in the universe—every ability—has different levels of strength.
The more complex something is, the more powerful it is, and the more deeply interconnected it is, the harder it is to sever.
At least for now, Dark Rukia couldn't completely cut her connection with Rukia's true self.
Of course, even if she could, she wouldn't.
At this very moment, outside…
Inside the hole in the ruins, Rukia's body leaned against the wall with eyes closed—yet a faint light began to glow from her.
Pale blue light surged forth, and a white, vortex-like outer layer formed around her body. From within it, another figure emerged.
This wasn't the white Rukia of her inner world.
This was Rukia's form after becoming Hollow.
Dark Rukia's violet eyes grew even colder. She said nothing, only stared at the unconscious Rukia.
"Is everything ready?"
A voice came from the distance.
Dark Rukia looked over and realized it was Kaname Tōsen.
"Where's Aizen?"
"…Shouldn't you say Lord Aizen?" Tōsen frowned, but continued. "Lord Aizen is at Central 46. We should go at once—before someone discovers him."
"I helped Aizen because I owed him, and for Yoshio's sake. I have no intention of selling my life to that man."
Dark Rukia spoke calmly. "Also, Urahara Kisuke's Hōgyoku seems to have a special seal. If you forcibly remove it from Rukia's body, it will be forced into a dormant state."
"…" Tōsen looked startled, but still said in a low voice, "It's fine. Everything is within Lord Aizen's plan."
He didn't realize it himself, but he believed Aizen must have anticipated this to some extent.
"Then… let's depart."
…
"Tenshintai?"
In the secret base beneath the Sōkyoku Hill, Ukitake discovered an item.
Hearing the name, Ichigo couldn't help asking, "What does it do?"
"I've heard of it," Ukitake said. "A special weapon system for covert operations—not something belonging to the Gotei Thirteen."
"It should be the Shihōin family. With it, you can master Bankai in a short period of time."
Ukitake's voice dropped.
Now that he had lost his Zanpakutō, he couldn't bring out much of his strength.
Without a Zanpakutō, a Shinigami's situation became troublesome.
All Shinigami trained in swordsmanship and spirit arts, and Ukitake's spiritual pressure was immense—but relying only on swordsmanship and Kidō to defeat a Captain would be difficult.
Ichigo had not mastered Bankai, so handling Captains with Bankai would be extremely hard.
In this situation, Ichigo absolutely had to learn Bankai. Otherwise, no one knew what would happen next.
No one expected that simply coming to rescue Rukia would cause so many events to erupt in Soul Society!
It was hard to imagine just how many people were taking advantage of the chaos.
"Angra!"
While Ukitake was deep in thought, Ichigo looked ahead, surprised.
Angra was back.
Ukitake was startled. He'd considered the possibility Angra would escape, but this…
Wasn't it too easy?
Angra who reappeared now was completely uninjured!
As if he hadn't been fighting Captains at all—like he'd just been having tea with them.
"Leave the maintenance of the Tenshintai to me," Angra said. "Ukitake, you have more important work."
"…" Ukitake fell silent for a moment, then said, "You're right. Then Ichigo is in your hands."
Indeed, he had something important he needed to do.
Retrieve my Zanpakutō!
After retirement, his Zanpakutō had naturally been confiscated.
But now, he needed the Sōgyo no Kotowari—only in this way could he dispel the fog enshrouding Soul Society and see the truth.
With that thought, Ukitake no longer hesitated.
This might put him at odds with Soul Society, but he believed he was doing the right thing—walking the path of justice.
He used Shunpo and vanished on the spot.
…
In contrast to Angra, the Captains who failed to stop him—especially Yamamoto—performed poorly.
The fight shouldn't have ended so quickly, but a message forced Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni to halt the battle.
"…"
As a result, he lost interest in fighting Angra and immediately returned to the First Division.
Someone…
Had infiltrated the Central Great Underground Prison.
How?
"The gate has been sealed, and layered defenses have been deployed. Who could possibly break in?" he demanded, barely containing his fury.
Lieutenant Sasakibe Chōjirō of the First Division reported, "Neither the seal nor the defenses were broken. The enemy must have used some special method to infiltrate."
Yamamoto seethed.
Soul Society was already in chaos. Problems after problems had been piling onto him, but at least they had a clear target: Rukia.
Now another party was causing trouble, and inexplicably, they had set their sights on Muken, making the already baffling situation even more unpredictable.
He suppressed his anger and asked, "What happened in the Central Great Underground Prison?"
Sasakibe paused, then finally said:
"It wasn't only Muken. In fact, from first level to Muken, every prisoner in the prisons… has been released!"
"!!!"
Yamamoto's blood pressure spiked, but he had nowhere to vent his anger. He clenched Ryūjin Jakka's hilt tightly, then finally uttered:
"Trace them."
"We're still searching, but… we may not find much."
Hearing the response, Yamamoto's heart sank.
While Rukia was causing a disturbance, someone secretly infiltrated the prisons? But…
That should have been impossible!
Setting aside the other levels, he had personally dealt with most of the prisoners in Muken and knew what kind of vicious, depraved group they were.
Even after being imprisoned in the deepest levels of Hell for years, it didn't mean they'd repent.
Everyone there possessed tremendous power—most of them had Captain-level strength.
And they were too unruly. It was hard enough to get even one to cooperate, let alone release many at once.
Who would dare do something this bold?
And even if someone truly did free them… could they possibly not cause trouble?
Based on what Yamamoto knew, he suspected that the moment they were released, some of them would immediately begin wreaking havoc.
Yet…
Everything was calm, as if nothing had happened.
"Does Central 46 know about this?"
"The message was sent recently, but Central 46 hasn't responded—only that they're still in deliberation."
"Hm…" Yamamoto nodded, his gaze uneasy.
This time, the threat Soul Society faced was far smaller than the old invasions by the Hollow King—but Yamamoto felt an urgent sense of doom and grew extremely anxious.
It wasn't clear yet, but he constantly felt that whatever was behind this might be even more terrifying than that Hollow King.
It was hard to believe that a mere Kuchiki Rukia could be involved in some grand plan spanning the Three Realms.
So…
No matter what, they needed to find Kuchiki Rukia first.
As he thought this, a member of the Onmitsukidō arrived.
"Captain-Commander! Kuchiki Rukia, who was on the run, has been captured by Captain Tōsen of the Ninth Division!"
?
Yamamoto opened one eye, startled. He looked at the operative and asked, "Where?"
"Captain Tōsen returned her to the Repentance Cell and said he will guard it himself."
"…Have Captain Kyōraku go there as well. Let those two Captains guard Kuchiki Rukia."
"Yes!"
After the stealth force departed, Yamamoto's brow furrowed again.
Rukia, who had been so difficult to capture, had been taken so easily by Kaname Tōsen. It felt strange…
The best course was to execute her as soon as possible.
At that moment, a butterfly fluttered around Yamamoto and quickly relayed Central 46's order.
"The execution will take place in two days…"
Yamamoto closed his eyes. "Let it all be over by then."
This time, he couldn't leave so easily.
He feared falling into another diversion.
Last time, his rash move led to the theft of the Ōken; this time, his departure led to Muken being infiltrated…
If he left again, who knew what would be destroyed?
He resolved not to leave the First Division barracks unless absolutely necessary.
…
Two days wasn't long.
But it took two full days for Rukia to awaken.
When she opened her eyes, she realized she was back in the Repentance Cell.
She didn't resist. She didn't feel anger or fear. As if accepting her fate, she simply stared out at the world beyond the palace.
For some reason, she felt calmer than ever before.
She didn't realize Dark Rukia had separated from her body. Looking outside, she thought that perhaps if she died, everything would end.
If she died, the Captains wouldn't have to struggle so hard for her anymore. Ichigo wouldn't have to risk his life in Soul Society for her sake.
Maybe she didn't need to keep bringing trouble upon everyone anymore.
Knowing there was only half a day left until the execution—when the sun stood directly overhead—Rukia lowered her head again.
"…Did you receive it?"
A familiar voice came from outside the prison.
Renji.
"…" As Renji approached, Rukia said nothing, only nodded.
"Accepting death? The Rukia I know isn't a coward like that!" Abarai said in a low voice. "But I actually understand what you're thinking. Still, let me tell you something—secretly."
Renji lowered his voice so the guards couldn't hear. "I sensed a powerful but familiar spiritual pressure beneath the Sōkyoku."
!
Rukia's pupils widened.
But Renji had already turned away. "Alright, I came to tell you that because I have something to do too. There's still something I must do…"
"The final half day!"
"Wait, Renji!" Rukia called after him, but Renji acted as if he hadn't heard, hurrying away.
The fact that he'd rushed here just to tell her this meant…
Rukia collapsed weakly to the floor, breathing hard.
She knew why Renji had come.
If spiritual pressure existed beneath the Sōkyoku, it meant someone was already preparing to attack it…
Rescue her at the execution grounds.
Was it really necessary to go that far for her?
Ichigo had been in Soul Society long enough; he should know the strength of the Gotei Thirteen. He had nearly been killed before—so why was he still…?
That idiot…
Don't do this…
People can die!
…
"What?!"
In the Fourth Division infirmary, Hitsugaya had only just awakened when he heard Unohana recount what had happened in Soul Society. He shot upright and shouted, disbelief written all over his face.
"Rukia is being executed!?"
"This is an unchangeable fact," Unohana said calmly. "I understand Captain Hitsugaya's feelings, but Kuchiki Rukia has already caused tremendous damage to Soul Society. As a Captain, you must not disrupt the order of Soul Society for personal reasons."
"No!" Hitsugaya snapped.
"Something is wrong. When I went to Hueco Mundo with Yoshio earlier, there was an Arrancar there called 'Rukia.' But back when she was active in Hueco Mundo, Rukia should've still been a Shinigami!"
Unohana looked slightly surprised. "Rukia already Hollowfied in front of Captain Soi Fon. Your reasoning alone is not enough to prove her innocence."
"It wasn't only Captain Soi Fon who saw her Hollowfy."
"What you see isn't necessarily the truth," Hitsugaya said in a low voice. "Either way, something feels suspicious. I'm going to Central 46 right now."
"Don't waste your energy," Unohana added. "At this hour, no one will be at Central 46."
"And your body hasn't fully recovered. Acting rashly may worsen the wounds we've already stitched."
"Thank you, but I have to see it." Hitsugaya got out of bed, threw on his hospital robe, and ran toward Central 46.
"Matsumoto?"
Outside, he saw Rangiku, who had come with him earlier. Surprised, he asked, "What are you doing here?"
"I haven't been able to contact Captain for the last few days. I didn't know what else to do, so I came to ask… but—have you recovered?" Rangiku asked hurriedly.
"Yoshio-san is missing!?" Hitsugaya blurted, immediately losing composure.
"How did this happen? Did that man really infiltrate the Tres Cifras? Damn it!"
Hitsugaya was torn.
He wanted to go to Central 46 to request a change in Rukia's execution method, but he also worried Yoshio might cause trouble in Hueco Mundo.
"I don't know. Captain's been out of contact since just recently, and he didn't say where he was going!" Rangiku said quietly. "Where are you going now?"
"…" Hitsugaya gritted his teeth. Finally, he said:
"To Central 46! Whether it's rescuing Rukia or rescuing Yoshio, we need official help immediately!"
"…Alright. I'll go too," Rangiku said.
Hitsugaya nodded, and the two ran together toward Central 46.
Though Soul Society was in turmoil, the Central 46 Compound was a rare sanctuary of quiet and peace.
When they arrived, the guards stopped them.
"Forgive us, Captain Hitsugaya. Without an order from Central 46, entry is forbidden."
"Move. I have urgent business with Central 46!" Hitsugaya growled.
"We can deliver anything you need, but you cannot enter the Central 46 Compound," the guard added.
"You—" Hitsugaya took a deep breath, his voice tense. "What if I insist on going in?"
His words instantly panicked the guards. They couldn't stand against a Captain.
"Captain Hitsugaya… you're joking!"
"I'm not joking." Hitsugaya already had one hand on his sword hilt. "I'm serious. Move."
The guards looked at one another, not knowing what to do.
In the end, they clenched their teeth and decided they couldn't yield.
If they stepped aside, Hitsugaya might not do anything to them, but Central 46 would definitely punish them!
If they refused, Hitsugaya wouldn't kill them—at worst they'd be punished for negligence, not executed.
Seeing their resolve, Hitsugaya sighed and was about to draw Hyōrinmaru.
But then a familiar voice came from within the forest.
"Alright, stop teasing them."
A figure walked out, clapping lightly.
"?!"
Hitsugaya and Rangiku both stared in shock.
"Yoshio!?"
Yes—the one who emerged from the Central 46 Compound was Yoshio, who they thought was trapped in Hueco Mundo?!
Yoshio clapped lightly. "Correct. But there's no prize."
Hitsugaya, startled by Yoshio's sudden appearance, nevertheless let out a sigh of relief.
Confused, he asked, "Why are you in the Central 46 Compound? Aren't you still in Hueco Mundo?"
"Because I already found 'Rukia' and brought her to Central 46."
?!
Hitsugaya reeled again. "Huh? You already found Rukia!?"
"…If you want to know, come with me," Yoshio said.
He turned and walked deeper into the Central 46 Compound.
"…"
Sensing something off about Yoshio's behavior, Hitsugaya frowned. He glanced at Rangiku—she wore the same frown.
But they still followed Yoshio, and the guards wisely did not stop them.
Rangiku spoke irritably. "If you're fine, why didn't you reply to my messages? It's infuriating!"
"My apologies. I lost that item in Hueco Mundo, so I can't reply right now."
Yoshio smiled. "Besides, I haven't been back in Soul Society for long."
So… what exactly happened?
Following behind Yoshio, Hitsugaya asked quietly, "The three-digit 'Rukia' and Kuchiki Rukia… are they really related? What did Central 46 say?"
"You could say… there's some connection," Yoshio replied. "By the way…"
He seemed about to say something, but he stopped as two strong spiritual pressures collided violently somewhere in Soul Society.
It wasn't the spiritual pressure coming from the Central 46 Compound.
Instead, somewhere within Soul Society, two powerful forces were clashing intensely.
The three of them looked in that direction at the same time.
"Such powerful spiritual pressure…" Hitsugaya murmured, startled. "Is this the Ryoka?"
When he woke up, he already knew Ryōka had invaded Soul Society, and that multiple factions were involved—including one of the humans who had been frozen by Rukia in the Human World.
And one of those spiritual pressures felt very familiar…
"This… is Zaraki's spiritual pressure!"
Hitsugaya asked, "Who is he fighting?"
Rangiku looked up at the sky. "It's not time for the execution yet, but… shouldn't we leave soon?"
The road from the prison to Sōkyoku Hill was neither long nor short. At full speed, they could arrive quickly.
But by Soul Society's rules, the prisoner had to walk step by step, savoring the approaching pain of execution.
It was like the Repentance Cell: the former made the prisoner stare at the tools of execution in solitary confinement; the latter forced them to approach the execution ground step by step, to repent in fear.
The transfer from the Repentance Cell to the Sōkyoku Hill was the best chance for a jailbreak.
Once the prisoner was delivered to Sōkyoku, opportunities would be few—by rule, all Captains must assemble for the Sōkyoku's activation.
Rescuing Rukia in front of so many Captains was simply too difficult. It would be better to stop it midway.
They needed to hurry.
Hitsugaya said in a low voice, "If this drags on any longer, Rukia's execution will begin!"
All he could do was hope the Ryōka were strong enough to stop Rukia from being transferred to Sōkyoku, buying time.
"We're here," Yoshio said softly.
He looked toward Central 46's main gate. "The truth you want is inside."
Another familiar face stepped out from the gate.
Hinamori Momo said, "Lieutenant Matsumoto, you may not enter. Central 46's order is…"
"Only the Captain may enter."
…