"Whoosh!"
A sudden gust of wind swept in from the outskirts of Rukongai, passing over the low civilian houses before gliding across the luxurious Seireitei.
At last, it drifted past Fūjin Taichi, stirring his white captain's haori and producing a faint rustling sound in the air.
Not far behind him stood a dense formation of over four thousand Shinigami. Dressed uniformly in black Shihakushō, Zanpakutō at their waists and brown summer cloaks draped over their shoulders, men and women alike stood in neat ranks—solemn and tense.
"Captain, the reserve force has assembled. Expected: 4,566. Present: 4,565.
Uh… Captain Kurotsuchi hasn't arrived yet," Saitō Keichirō reported, handing over the roster.
"I see… Let's wait a little longer," Fūjin Taichi sighed softly and shifted aside slightly, revealing the Senkaimon before him.
The Senkaimon was the exclusive passage used by Shinigami to travel between Soul Society and the Human World. Its appearance resembled a towering shrine gate, flanked by two massive square pillars that stretched toward the sky.
"Captain, doesn't your Zanpakutō let you 'snap' and warp space instantly? Why do we need to wait for Captain Kurotsuchi to open the Senkaimon?" Keichirō asked hesitantly.
"You make it sound easy! Supporting spatial transfer for such a massive number of Shinigami would consume an enormous amount of spiritual power.
We're going to war—not sightseeing in Hueco Mundo! If I'm drained before the battle even begins, how are we supposed to fight?" Taichi explained with a frown.
"Oh… I see. I thought you could just flick twice and teleport anywhere!"
As Keichirō muttered in realization, a commotion suddenly arose from the street below the Senkaimon. Faint sobbing could be heard mixed in.
"What's going on?"
Taichi turned and saw a crowd of civilians gathered at the street corner. Most were elderly, women, and children. They had come from all over the Seireitei to see them off but lingered timidly at the corner, not daring to approach.
"Captain… those are the families of the expeditionary force."
Keichirō's eyes grew somber.
"Should we disperse them?"
"No. Let them watch."
After a brief silence, Fūjin Taichi spoke solemnly:
"These 4,565 soldiers heading to Hueco Mundo… I guarantee I'll bring every single one of them back."
"Captain…"
"Enough waiting for that dead pervert!" Taichi straightened, fixing his resolute gaze on the Senkaimon. "Then, all units—"
"Well now, well now! Such fiery temper, Captain Fūjin! Care for a bottle of my specially formulated 'Clean-and-Crisp Elixir'? Clears heat, reduces anger, and tastes delightful!"
As the voice rang out, Mayuri Kurotsuchi appeared alongside Nemu Kurotsuchi, casually approaching while waving a bottle of green liquid.
"No thanks! Keep that for yourself!"
Taichi refused without hesitation, then countered:
"The assembly time was 14:00. Why are you late? Are you disregarding the Captain-Commander's orders?"
"Tch. That little act might intimidate children from the Fifth Division."
Mayuri snorted disdainfully.
"Since we're heading to Hueco Mundo… I made certain modifications to a part of my body. Interested in taking a look?"
"No. Not in the slightest."
Taichi declined again, then glanced at the silent Nemu.
"This is a war in Hueco Mundo, not a vacation. Are you sure it's wise to bring her?"
"Of course."
Mayuri grinned darkly.
"This time, our research subjects are Arrancar… heh heh heh…"
"Enough wasting time. Set the coordinates and open the Senkaimon!"
"Heh heh heh… as you wish."
Mayuri stepped forward—
"Hey! What are you doing in broad daylight?!" Taichi snapped.
"Tch. Ignorant fool… This is my 'Current-Repelling Agent.' It greatly reduces the chance of encountering the Kōtotsu in the Dangai, you idiot!"
Mayuri withdrew his hand from his trousers, holding a spray bottle with a blue body marked by a black skull and a bright red cross.
"… "
Suppressing the urge to gag, Taichi waved his hand.
"Keichirō, take Captain Kurotsuchi's agent and spray it throughout the Dangai along the way! All units—advance!!!"
"Yes!"
Over four thousand Shinigami responded in unison.
They marched through the Senkaimon opened by Mayuri, surging forward in great force toward Hueco Mundo.
…
Crack—
A crisp sound of bone snapping echoed within a dark, enclosed chamber.
From the shadows of the corner, a humanoid figure wrapped entirely in gray-white bandages slowly stepped forward…
The gray-white bandages wrapped around its body began to burst apart inch by inch, fluttering down like snowflakes as it walked.
"Tap… tap… tap!"
When the last strip of bandage fell away, the humanoid creature finally revealed its true form.
Its entire body was covered in white, bone-like armor, leaving only two brown arms exposed to the air—as if its evolution had been left incomplete.
Moreover, its entire head was concealed beneath a white mask. Only a narrow slit remained at the bridge of the nose, extending from the forehead down to the upper jaw—like a horn-broken Ultraman.
"So you've finally awakened, Captain Tōsen."
With a lazy, indifferent voice, Gin Ichimaru, clad in a plain white coat, walked in from outside the chamber, clapping lightly as he spoke in his distinctive Kyoto drawl.
"Well then? Are you getting used to the body remodeled by the Hōgyoku?"
"… Gin Ichimaru."
Kaname Tōsen raised a hand to touch the mask on his face and murmured,
"Was I revived by Lord Aizen? This mask… is this the Hollowfication of a Shinigami?"
"Bingo!"
Gin snapped his fingers, smiling with narrowed eyes.
"You guessed it! Captain Tōsen, you are indeed in a Hollow state now—but it's a little different from ordinary Hollowfication."
"What do you mean?"
"Captain Aizen's Hōgyoku hasn't fully matured yet, so it couldn't revive you when you were at death's door. The only option was to let you completely degenerate into a Hollow…"
"So… I am already dead?"
Tōsen gazed at the white bone-like armor covering his body. After a long silence, he finally spoke again.
"I understand… Thank you, Gin."
"Oh now, it's a bit too early to thank me."
Gin Ichimaru's eyes curved in amusement.
"Lord Aizen asked me to pass along a message: the one who killed you has already arrived in Hueco Mundo—
At the moment… he's just reached the outermost edge. But he'll most likely arrive at the Forest of Menos around this time tomorrow.
So then, Captain Tōsen… would you be interested in taking a look?"
"… Fūjin Taichi?"
Tōsen's left hand clenched tightly around the hilt of his Zanpakutō as he enunciated each word:
"Tell Lord Aizen to rest easy, Gin. I… will personally sever his head."