"Genryūsai Yamamoto…"
Ryūjin Jakka fixed the old man with a burning glare—no fear, only fury. "Next time we meet those two bastards, remember what happened a thousand years ago."
"I know," Genryūsai said, face dark. After tonight's havoc, he hardly needed the reminder.
Ichigo crashed to the ground spread-eagled; the white-crimson mask and armor flaked away, steam unspooling from his shoulders. Ukitake and Shunsui slumped nearby, chests heaving. Cole sat against a shattered wall, forearms red and blistered.
"East to cut, West to endure, South to drown us in bones, North to erase the map…" Cole groaned. "Old man, you nearly wiped us."
Genryūsai coughed, chastened by his blade's rampage. Shunsui eyed Cole's hands. "You're… still standing."
Cole flipped the Ruyi Jingu Bang toward him. "Catch."
"HOT—HOT—!" Shunsui yelped as the heat-flushed staff thumped his lap. Ukitake winced. "Perhaps… set that elsewhere."
Unohana knelt by Cole. "Hold still. Burns first." Minazuki hovered, bright as ever. "This won't take long."
Soft green light flowed over Cole's arms; the sting ebbed and breath eased. For a heartbeat, battle-gleam sparked in Unohana's eyes. Cole cleared his throat. "I'm out of reiatsu. No sparring."
"Technique costs little," she replied, mild as a scalpel. Minazuki giggled; one glance from Unohana and the zanpakutō behaved.
Across the square, Senjumaru twirled a needle. "Pity. I wanted words with that curious human. Another time."
Genryūsai raised Ryūjin Jakka and swept the remaining manifested blades. "Senjumaru. Help me restrain them."
"Thread and seam?" She smiled. "Gladly." Golden arms unfolded; brocades rippled. One by one the rogue zanpakutō were wrapped in layered garments that drank strength and pinned movement.
Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki puffed their cheeks as healers fussed over Cole. "They just take him," Sode murmured. "Captain Unohana can be too much."
Rukia sighed—then blinked as Soi Fong's silhouette slipped after the medics. "Captain Soi Fong seems… different."
Sode no Shirayuki arched a brow. "It means you have another rival." Rukia's eyes widened; she decided not to pursue the thought.
—
Secret Annex — Pocket-Space Safehouse
Cole stepped out of Minazuki's restorative aura, toweling off the last of the salve. "Effective. Also sticky."
"It works," Unohana said. "Be grateful." She checked his arms and shoulders, then nodded. "No lingering damage."
"Thanks," he said, earnest.
Her tone shifted to instructor-calm. "About your 'swing hard and pray' approach—unacceptable. When you've rested, I'll correct your footwork and line discipline."
"That sounds… painful."
"It's instruction," she said, a faint, shy warmth edging her voice. "I'll go easy. For the first hour."
Soi Fong appeared in the doorway, offering a canteen. "Water."
Cole drank and smiled. "Sweet. Thanks."
"Don't read into it," she muttered, looking aside.
Unohana watched, the ghost of a smile touching her lips. "Good. Hydrate."
—
Karakura Town — Same Time
A split Senkaimon yawned over the city. Muramasa staggered through—half his body bleached by flame and patched with hollow matter. "Master… I'll free you…"
Kyōka Suigetsu stepped from a lamplit shadow, glasses glinting. "In that state, you cannot break a seal laid by Genryūsai and Ginrei. You'll need… more."
Muramasa grimaced. A jag-toothed black fissure tore open. Hueco Mundo's wind hissed.
Forest of Menos. Endless night. Hollow howls shivered the air. Muramasa spread his arms. "Come. All of you—come to me!"
High above in Las Noches, Aizen's smile curved. "That will do, Kyōka Suigetsu."
(End of Chapter)
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