"Hm? Is that a Bount?"
After stepping out of the cross-shaped rift, Kenpachi Zaraki immediately saw two twin children lying face-up in a pool of blood, with two plastic bottles of water beside them.
"Captain Zaraki, the Bount possess inhuman powers and fight using Dolls. These Dolls have all kinds of abilities—if you're careless, it could—"
"Shut up."
Zaraki cut off Kaien Shiba impatiently.
"Just tell me where they are. Spare me the useless details."
"Kenpachi, I've already sent Keichirō to track one of the Bount named Utagawa Ryō. We should have news soon," said Fūjin Taichi.
As he spoke, Saitō Keichirō came rushing over from a distance, shouting:
"Captain! Captain Taichi! We've got something—!"
"What is it?"
"The Bount—they're hiding at a place called Tiernes Rose Manor! About sixty miles northwest of here!" Keichirō panted.
"Okay. Everyone, move out now."
Fūjin Taichi vanished toward the northwest using shunpo, and the others followed closely behind.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Before long, they were hovering above Tiernes Rose Manor. After sensing the area briefly, Taichi confirmed that all the Bount were inside and told everyone to prepare for battle.
"Wait."\ Zaraki suddenly spoke.
"What?"
"I came all the way from Soul Society. If I only get to fight one of them, that's not fair."
Resting his Zanpakutō on his shoulder, Zaraki grinned savagely.
"So... leave the Bounts and whatever else is in there to me!"
"Captain Zaraki, even if you're incredibly strong, charging in alone is too dangerous," Kaien frowned.
"For safety's sake, we should plan together and then—"
"Shut up."
Zaraki put down Yachiru Kusajishi and descended alone toward the manor.
"None of you better follow me. Or I'll cut you down too."
The gathered Shinigami could only watch silently as he stormed into Tiernes Rose Manor. Soon, shouting and the sounds of chaotic battle echoed from within.
About fifteen minutes later, a blood-soaked Zaraki walked out of the manor, Zanpakutō in hand. He looked up at the deep night sky and sighed.
"And I thought the Bount were something special. That's it?"
"Captain, are you alright?" asked Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa, hurrying over when they saw him covered in blood.
"It's not mine… just got splashed."
Zaraki wiped his face carelessly and began to leave with them.
"W-wait…"
A weak voice sounded from inside the manor.
A severely wounded Maki Ichinose staggered out, supporting himself with his Zanpakutō.
"Oh? You're still alive. But I'm not interested in you—or your Bount friends—anymore. I'm going to find Ichigo."
Zaraki didn't even turn around.
"I said… wait! It's not… not over yet!"
With trembling hands, Ichinose raised his Zanpakutō and chanted with his last strength:
"Glow! Kōka Nijikasumi!"
Flash!
Light from Nijigasumi reflected and gathered in the air around Zaraki, slowly forming a hallucinatory space.
"Tch. Boring."
Without even looking, Zaraki swung backward in a single slash.
"Shhk!"
Ichinose—and his blade—were split cleanly in two. Scarlet blood sprayed into the night.
"Hey, Fūjin! If you mess around like this again, I won't mind cutting you down too!"
Zaraki hoisted his Zanpakutō back onto his shoulder and shouted at Taichi.
"Because of these boring fools, I'm in a terrible mood. So hurry up and take me to Ichigo!"
"As you wish, Kenpachi." Fūjin Taichi opened another cross-shaped spatial rift before Zaraki and urged them through.
"Hey, Taichi!" Kaien protested.
"Even if Ichigo never uses honorifics, you can't just send that maniac Zaraki to go cut him down!"
"Don't be ridiculous," Taichi replied calmly.
"I just sent them back to Soul Society. And didn't you notice…? There's still one person alive."
After saying that, Fūjin Taichi turned his gaze toward a shadowed corner of Tiernes Rose Manor. Raising two fingers of his left hand, he shouted:
"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!
Zip!
Six golden beams of light instantly pinned Jin Kariya in place where he had been hiding in the shadows.
The cold, grim look in Kariya's eyes shifted into something complicated—fear, shock… and perhaps even relief.
Leaping forward, Fūjin Taichi raised his Zanpakutō toward Kariya's head and said indifferently:
"I hold no prejudice against the Bount. But for criminals like you who devour the souls of the living—I despise you utterly."
"Stop spouting self-righteous nonsense, Shinigami!"
Kariya gritted his teeth and cursed.
"The winner takes all... I don't need your pity. Just kill me—! I have cursed the Bounts to extinction every single day! Only then can I... can we... be released from this painful living hell! AAAGH!!"
"Very well. As you wish…" With a single downward slash, Fūjin Taichi killed Kariya.
At that very instant, a vast and sinister aura surged into the sky.
Hiss—
As that cold, malevolent energy spread outward, a colossal crimson gate—over a hundred meters tall—suddenly materialized in midair.
On either side of the gate stood a golden skeletal guardian, their bodies wrapped in black chains, yet still making a grotesque gesture of "welcome."
BOOM!
The massive gate slowly creaked open, revealing a pitch-black abyss within. From it poured an even darker, more oppressive presence.
Hiss—
When the doors had opened halfway, a purple-black chain shot out from inside, striking Kariya's body as it dissolved into spirit particles.
From within, a faint pale-yellow human silhouette was forcibly torn free.
"That's..." Fūjin Taichi's eyes widened in shock as he watched the figure—bearing a faint resemblance to Tsukuyomi Saitō—dragged by the chain into the deeper darkness beyond.
SLAM!
The gates slammed shut and vanished completely, leaving the surroundings silent—as though nothing had happened at all.
"What was that just now...?" Kaien Shiba, Renji Abarai, and Saitō Keichirō were drenched in cold sweat from the mere presence of that gate, feeling as though they might be pulled in at any moment.
"The Gates of Hell. Legend says that souls of extreme evil are ushered there to face eternal punishment... their five senses are sealed, and their emotions stripped away. But if a sinner possesses immense will, wisdom, and luck, they can fully fall and evolve into a King-class Hollow... such beings are known as 'Sinners'—the Togabito!!"
As Taichi spoke, his dark brows were knit tightly together. In that brief, fleeting glimpse behind the Gates of Hell, he had recognized a figure he had seen before... the same Sinner from his dreams.
...
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