"Bankai—Kamishini no Yari!"
The moment Gin Ichimaru spoke, his voice dropped to a low, chilling murmur. A violent surge of spiritual pressure exploded outward, blasting the white sands into a roaring cyclone. His coat snapped wildly in the gale, like a flag heralding death.
"Gin Ichimaru!"
Fūjin Taichi raised his left arm to shield his eyes from the sandstorm, shouting over the wind.
"If this is really just a test—to measure the gap between me and Aizen—then you don't need to look like you're marching to your own execution!"
He narrowed his eyes.
"And can you really just walk away from Rangiku Matsumoto like that? Ever since you left Soul Society, she's been drowning in tears—day after day, night after night—waiting for you to come back!"
"Captain Fūjin…"
Gin's voice suddenly came from right beside him.
A flicker of cold light passed through his narrow, pale-blue eyes.
"Your words mean nothing."
He smiled.
"If you want me to return… then defeat me. Now—Butō (Dance)."
"What—?! When did you—?!"
The air screamed.
Taichi's instincts kicked in instantly. He vanished, chaining together multiple Shunpo and retreating hundreds of meters in a blink—
—but it didn't matter.
Gin's blade was faster.
Far faster.
Kamishini no Yari extended in a flash that nearly rivaled light itself, its tip already closing in on Taichi's back before he could even finish moving.
BOOM!
At maximum extension, the blade stopped just short of piercing him. Taichi flicked it lightly with his fingers, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Kamishini no Yari… its maximum reach is about a hundred times that of Shinso."
He tilted his head.
"Beyond that range… your attacks won't land."
"Sharp as ever, Fūjin Taichi."
Gin chuckled softly.
"But keeping your distance won't win you this fight. And it definitely won't be enough to defeat Aizen."
"Is that so?"
Taichi's smile faded. His grip tightened around his Zanpakutō—Kyūjūkyū.
"Then I'll just have to break your proudest weapon head-on."
His stance lowered.
"Let's go."
Whoosh!
In an instant, he was already moving—closing dozens of meters in a single burst of speed.
Gin's smile sharpened.
"Then try this—Butō Renjin (Dance of Blades)."
A storm of death erupted.
Kamishini no Yari began to extend and retract at terrifying speeds, stabbing forward again and again—each thrust carrying enough force to pulverize anything in its path.
Worse still—
each strike carried a hidden poison, dissolving cells at a level so fine it was nearly undetectable.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The blade struck like lightning—no, faster than lightning.
Five hundred times the speed of sound.
Yet somehow—
Taichi kept slipping through it.
At the very last instant before each strike landed, he shifted his trajectory—barely, impossibly—dodging by a hair's breadth and continuing forward.
Closer.
Fifty meters.
Twenty.
Ten.
That's enough.
His eyes sharpened.
Steel sang.
"Fūjin Style—Iai: Dazzling Flash!"
SHING!
A single arc of light split the battlefield.
Taichi vanished—
—and reappeared behind Gin.
The blade of Kyūjūkyū gleamed faintly as it slid back into its sheath.
Gin stood still.
A moment later—
his coat split apart, shredded cleanly across the chest, fabric drifting to the ground like falling petals.
Taichi turned back, calm and composed.
"Gin Ichimaru… I still think you looked better in a captain's haori."
His voice softened slightly.
"I've reached a level close to Aizen's… and I already understand the weakness of Kyoka Suigetsu."
A pause.
"So come back with me. To Soul Society."
Gin didn't answer immediately.
He looked down at the torn remains of his coat… then up at the distant silhouette of Las Noches on the horizon.
For a moment, his ever-present smile faded.
"…Rangiku," he murmured quietly. "Is she… doing alright?"
Taichi gave a small smile.
"Other than missing you? She's fine."
"…I see."
Gin lowered his blade.
The tension in the air dissolved.
Because in that instant—
he understood.
Fūjin Taichi had already reached a level that made his long infiltration meaningless.
There was nothing left for him to accomplish in the shadows.
And so—
for the first time in a long while—
Gin Ichimaru chose to step back into the light.
But even so…
As a "traitor" to Soul Society, would Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto… the other captains… and even Rangiku Matsumoto… ever forgive him?
"Gin Ichimaru! I give you my word!" Fūjin Taichi declared, thumping his chest with absolute confidence. "As long as you come back with me and explain everything, the Gotei 13 won't make things difficult for you!"
"Will they?" Gin Ichimaru smiled faintly, his tone light but probing. "If it were really that simple… why did you almost die at the hands of the Captain-Commander back then?"
Taichi scratched the back of his head, looking a little awkward.
"Well… the old man's getting up there in years. Stubborn as a wild mule, too. Sometimes he just gets a little… carried away."
He quickly added, "Besides, Aizen isn't exactly easy to deal with! Even Kisuke Urahara got caught in the trap of Kyoka Suigetsu!"
"…So," Gin's smile faded slightly, replaced by a trace of concern, "you really think returning to the Seireitei won't end the same way as staying in Las Noches?"
"It shouldn't!" Taichi said without hesitation. "I'm a captain, after all! If I personally vouch for you, the old man won't ignore that!"
Gin said nothing.
But inwardly, he sighed.
If things were really that simple… Soul Society would've fallen long ago.
"No time to waste—we're heading back now!"
Taichi swiped his hand through the air, tearing open a pitch-black, cross-shaped rift in space.
Gin's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the process unfold.
"…I never realized before. Your Zanpakutō ability is seriously broken."
"Ah, it's nothing special," Taichi waved it off casually. "Just some useless tricks."
Then he turned, walked back a few steps, and hoisted the unconscious Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez over his shoulder.
"Let's stash this guy first," he said, glancing back at Gin with a grin. "If the Seireitei tries to pin anything on me, I'll just bring him out."
He chuckled.
"An Adjuchas-class Hollow—and a 6th Espada, no less. Bringing him in alive? That's got to count as a major contribution, right?"
"…Hopefully," Gin muttered, rubbing his forehead as he followed Taichi into the spatial rift.
Deep down, he still felt that returning to Soul Society was a terrible idea…
But then again—
the world was vast, and he no longer had anywhere else to go.
…
"And that's everything," Taichi concluded, finishing his vivid retelling of the events in Hueco Mundo. He straightened up and looked toward Byakuya Kuchiki, subtly winking and gesturing.
Hey, Byakuya—don't forget to put in a good word for me!
"Idiot."
Byakuya turned his head away as if he hadn't seen a thing. Internally, however, he was exasperated.
Does this fool think the Captain-Commander is blind? Signaling me like that right in front of him…
"Captain Kuchiki. Captain Komamura. Captain Kurotsuchi."
Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto spoke calmly, his gaze steady as he addressed the three captains.
"What are your thoughts on Fūjin Taichi's account?"
"Utter nonsense."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi didn't hesitate for even a second.
"Gin Ichimaru first defected alongside Aizen to Hueco Mundo, and now returns with Fūjin. Such inconsistency reeks of conspiracy."
His lips curled into a thin, cruel smile.
"I propose we send both of them to the Sōkyoku for execution."
"Mayuri, if you're going to talk, at least try not to sound like you're spewing garbage."
Taichi snapped immediately, pointing straight at him.
"You freak—half man, half monster! If we've got a personal grudge, we settle it privately!"
His voice rose, sharp and unrestrained.
"But what you're doing right now—twisting the narrative, stirring trouble in front of Old Man Yama—what, you think he's someone you can just play around with?!"
He leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing.
"Ohhh… I get it now."
A grin spread across his face.
"You've been eyeing the position of Captain-Commander this whole time, haven't you? Just waiting for a chance to take his place?"