Kisaragi Shūsuke was practically trembling with excitement.
He even wanted to drop straight down and acknowledge the Quincy called Kabuno Takuya on the spot.
Other people might not really know who Kabuno Takuya was.
But how could Kisaragi Shūsuke not know?
Shuuichi-sama was back.
He had originally only come to see what was going on.
But the moment he confirmed it, he didn't waste a single word—he switched directly to backing Higashino Shuuichi.
After all, if Shuuichi-sama had returned, then whether that Shinigami named Nemu would be saved or not was no longer the critical point.
Shuuichi-sama would definitely have his own plan.
And Kisaragi Shūsuke only needed to follow orders.
There was just one extremely annoying Shinigami.
His sudden appearance made it impossible for Kisaragi Shūsuke to go down and recognize Higashino Shuuichi directly.
The Eleventh Division Taichō—Zaraki Kenpachi.
After getting lost for who-knew-how-long and arriving late, the Taichō shrugged off the small girl, Kusajishi Yachiru, who had been riding on his shoulder. He loosened up his body slightly, then stared straight at Kisaragi Shūsuke.
"That old man Yamamoto said you lot wouldn't behave. Figures."
"But this is perfect. Since that guy's gone, I've wanted to trade a few blows with you for a long time."
"You're his student, aren't you?"
Zaraki Kenpachi's fighting spirit was boiling.
His eyes didn't even acknowledge Higashino Shuuichi and Kurosaki Masaki—two "outsiders"—as worth space.
To him, if he had to choose between stopping the Quincy from advancing and fighting Kisaragi Shūsuke…
He wouldn't hesitate for even a heartbeat.
So it looked like things had returned to the previous situation.
But they hadn't.
Because another Shinigami had come with Kisaragi Shūsuke.
Her name was Matsumoto Rangiku.
While every other Shinigami stubbornly refused to play traitor, Matsumoto Rangiku very shamelessly volunteered to become the "guide."
"Matsumoto Fukutaichō… you should know what it means to lead a Quincy to Sōkyoku Hill."
Watching Matsumoto Rangiku prepare to guide Higashino Shuuichi toward Sōkyoku Hill, Ayasegawa Yumichika couldn't help warning her.
If it were any other Shinigami acting as the guide, Yumichika would have stepped in to stop them no matter what.
But with Matsumoto Rangiku…
He couldn't.
Not because he had any special feelings for her, but because her actions, in a sense, represented Kabuma-sama's stance.
What was the Kabuma clan—one of the current Four Great Noble Houses—trying to do?
Yumichika didn't dare imagine it, and he didn't dare pick a side.
"I know. Thanks for the warning, Yumichika!"
Matsumoto Rangiku grinned, completely unconcerned.
"I'll buy you a drink some other day~"
Seriously—now that Higashino Shuuichi was back, what did they even have to be afraid of?
If the Gotei 13 really wanted to start something with their side, then with the strength they had now, they could scrape people together and rebuild a brand-new Gotei 13 from scratch if they felt like it.
Just like Kisaragi Shūsuke, Matsumoto Rangiku was one of the few Shinigami who knew Kabuno Takuya's existence—so her own excitement was hard to hide.
And she had already guessed what Higashino Shuuichi wanted to do.
So she simply played along, enthusiastically taking the "guide" role herself.
Only after Matsumoto Rangiku led Higashino Shuuichi and Kurosaki Masaki away, and the battle in the sky between the Eleventh Division Taichō Zaraki Kenpachi and the Tenth Division Taichō Kisaragi Shūsuke became a blazing clash…
Did Yumichika finally realize something was off.
Wait.
Where were the other Taichō?
That Quincy had caused a massive commotion in the Seireitei. Even ordinary Shinigami could tell something huge was happening.
So why had only one Taichō shown up—specifically the one who got lost as a hobby?
"That's because the Gotei 13 can't spare a hand right now~"
The Eleventh Division Fukutaichō, the small girl Kusajishi Yachiru, overheard Yumichika's question and cheerfully sidled over to answer.
The reason was simple: for Soul Society, Nemu's public execution mattered more.
Because it wasn't just about Central 46's authority—it was about making an example.
So once Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni realized the batch of Shinigami Higashino Shuuichi had left behind might cause trouble, he ordered every Taichō: ignore Higashino Shuuichi, the uninvited guest.
Let ordinary Shinigami try to stop the Quincy "Kabuno Takuya" disguise.
That order had also been sent to Zaraki Kenpachi.
After all, this time even the Twelfth Division Taichō Kurotsuchi Mayuri and the sickly Thirteenth Division Taichō Ukitake Jūshirō had been forcibly summoned by Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.
Zaraki Kenpachi, one of Soul Society's top combat powers, had no reason not to be on standby.
It was just that his hopeless sense of direction was on another level.
And with the Shinigami who could normally guide him temporarily pulled away because of that earlier arrow fired by Higashino Shuuichi…
Zaraki Kenpachi, carrying a Fukutaichō who was just as directionally challenged, somehow failed to find Sōkyoku Hill at all.
Even though both he and Kusajishi Yachiru had been there before.
They'd lived in the Seireitei for who-knew-how-many years, and they still got lost.
So rather than saying Zaraki Kenpachi had tracked the disturbance here like Yumichika and the others…
It was more accurate to call it a beautiful coincidence.
"What should I do?"
That same question surfaced in Yumichika's mind again.
This time, he didn't hesitate much. After entrusting the severely wounded Madarame Ikkaku—injured from having his Zanpakuto shattered—to Kusajishi Yachiru, Yumichika turned and sprinted toward Sōkyoku Hill.
He had a feeling that today, something big enough to be recorded in Soul Society's history books would happen there.
Something that might even decide Soul Society's future.
In Yumichika's mind, an image had already formed: a full-scale Shinigami civil war.
But he—like his Taichō—was trapped by battle and couldn't make it to Sōkyoku Hill.
It was the female Quincy.
She had stayed behind halfway, intending to stop the pursuers for the male Quincy.
"Kabuno-senpai said only a few Shinigami would chase us… looks like he was right!"
Kurosaki Masaki stood across from Yumichika, holding a spiritual longbow formed from condensed reiryoku.
This was her own request.
After basically being a bystander the entire time, she felt she should do something.
But she couldn't keep following Kabuno-senpai—otherwise he alone would handle everything, and she'd have no role at all.
"I honestly don't recommend you do this," Yumichika said, looking tired rather than eager. "Because you won't be my opponent."
Now that the nature of things had changed, Yumichika had lost most of his interest in continuing to treat the Quincy in front of him as an enemy.
"Then how would I know if I don't try?" Masaki shot back.
Their small battlefield began with Masaki firing the first arrow—
And ended with Yumichika being forced to withdraw from Bankai.
Masaki lost, but Yumichika didn't win either.
It was essentially a draw.
But while they fought, the sky of Soul Society truly did change—just as Yumichika had sensed it would.
Only the scene was a little different from what he had imagined.
Because the one who stirred up Soul Society's heavens wasn't a group.
It was only one person.
Time rewound to when Higashino Shuuichi first arrived outside the Seireitei's South Gate and fired that enormous Hairihi Pufairu (Holy Arrow) that streaked across the entire Seireitei.
Soi Fon, the Second Division Taichō stationed outside the Maggot's Nest, remained unmoved. She looked at Nemu inside and said,
"It's time."
"…Mm. Then let's go."
Nemu's reply was calm—so calm it was as if the one about to be executed wasn't her, but a stranger with no connection to her at all.
On the way to escort Nemu to Sōkyoku Hill, Soi Fon and her group occasionally saw Shinigami from different divisions gathering toward certain locations.
They also saw many Shinigami running to the outskirts of the noble clans' residences to establish temporary defenses.
Soi Fon's feelings were complicated.
Because of her duties, she hadn't been able to learn the Seireitei's real-time developments.
But she could roughly guess: to cause this level of uproar in Soul Society, it had to be Shinigami—there was no other likely culprit.
The Quincy's Hairihi Pufairu (Holy Arrow) was probably just a smokescreen.
Their real target had to be the Nemu in her custody.
Soi Fon didn't want anything to happen to Nemu.
But she wanted even less to cross blades with other Shinigami.
They should not have become enemies.
Something had gone wrong—somewhere.
Fortunately, all the way until Soi Fon delivered Nemu to Sōkyoku Hill, she never encountered the worst-case scenario she feared.
Unfortunately, after she handed Nemu over to the Sixth Division Taichō Kuchiki Byakuya—who had been waiting there in advance to carry out the public execution—
She spotted a familiar figure.
Soi Fon followed.
Sure enough.
Shihōin Yoruichi-sama.
"Yoruichi-sama… what are you doing here?"
Because they had met once before—fought once before, and even spoken openly once before—Soi Fon was still able to maintain the calm a Taichō should have when she faced Shihōin Yoruichi-sama again after so long.
"Nemu cannot be publicly executed. This entire judgment by Central 46 has been a conspiracy from beginning to end!"
Shihōin Yoruichi went to Soi Fon first because she believed that no matter how others were influenced, Soi Fon—alone—would not be.
And only Soi Fon would be willing to quiet down and listen.
That proved true.
Soi Fon listened as Shihōin Yoruichi explained what had happened inside Central 46, including how the Ninth Division Taichō, Tōsen Kaname, had willingly sacrificed himself to cover someone else's actions.
Shihōin Yoruichi hadn't participated directly, but she had watched the entire battle from the sidelines.
That was why she arrived so late—only after Soi Fon had already delivered Nemu to Sōkyoku Hill.
"…I can believe you wouldn't lie to me, Yoruichi-sama," Soi Fon said after a long silence. "But what about the other Taichō?"
"What you're saying is… too terrifying. The other Taichō may not believe it."
She didn't state her position outright, but the way she spoke—half negotiation, almost pleading—fully revealed what she was really thinking.
"It's fine. As long as we stop today's execution of Nemu, that's enough."
"The state Central 46 is in right now… it won't take you long to investigate and confirm the truth."
That was Shihōin Yoruichi's view.
Her stance hadn't changed.
There was no need for this battle at all.
They—and all of Soul Society—needed to recognize who the real enemy truly was.
Who had pushed Soul Society into its current state.
And who had forced the once-promising young Higashino Shuuichi, step by step, into a so-called 'dead end.'
Shihōin Yoruichi believed there had to be a mastermind behind everything, moving pieces in the shadows.
And she could say that name with absolute certainty:
"Aizen Sōsuke!"
"…The Fifth Division… Aizen Taichō?"
When Soi Fon heard the name, an image immediately surfaced in her mind: a gentle, kindly man, warm to everyone, unremarkable in strength, universally praised among Shinigami as a good person.
Could a Shinigami like that really be someone who slaughtered all of Central 46 and manipulated the fates of countless Taichō and Fukutaichō—past and present?
Even hearing it from Shihōin Yoruichi-sama, Soi Fon still held reservations.
But in the end, she still remembered the bond they once shared—master and servant, almost sisters—
So she prepared to go to the execution platform and persuade Kuchiki Byakuya to temporarily halt Nemu's execution.
And then—
Someone moved even faster than Soi Fon.
With an overwhelmingly forceful presence, a Shinigami physically interrupted the execution that looked wrong no matter how you examined it.
"The farthest reaches of a thousand hands, the venerable hands of darkness beyond reach, the archer of the blue heavens unseen…
The road where radiance falls, the wind that kindles sparks.
Gather, assemble—without hesitation. Obey my指—
Light bullets, eight bodies, nine strips, heavenly scripture, swift treasure, great wheel.
Gray turret—draw the bow toward the distant horizon, and vanish in pure whiteness.
Hadō 91: Senju Kōten Taihō (Thousand Hands Bright Heaven Cannon)!"
High in the sky at the far end of Sōkyoku Hill, the Twelfth Division Fukutaichō, Yushima Ōko, finished chanting the now-forbidden Kidō in full—arrogant and confident.
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