"Let me out!!"
Nichika roared, continuously swinging her blade. As it clashed against her sister's sword, sparks of Spiritual Pressure erupted.
"No! I absolutely cannot let you continue down this wrong path!"
Hinaki's strength was far inferior to Nichika's, and coupled with the fact that Hiten was actually very difficult to wield, she momentarily fell into a disadvantage.
But she still gritted her teeth, desperately maintaining her defense in an attempt to subdue Nichika.
The twins who had once depended on each other for survival were now crossing swords over entirely different beliefs.
"Why... why don't you understand?!" Nichika cried with tears in her eyes, yet her strikes grew heavier.
She had to get out.
She had only returned to leave her farewell letter, never expecting to be discovered by her sister.
And over at Sokyoku Hill, Teacher Aizen's signal had already been sent.
If she missed this opportunity, she would truly be left behind in this old world forever!
"I want to live for myself for once too!!"
Nichika unleashed all of her Spiritual Pressure. A brilliant purple-gold light flared as she forcefully cleaved through Hinaki's defense.
"Ugh!" Hinaki was sent flying, crashing heavily into the wall with a cry of pain.
"Sister!" Nichika subconsciously wanted to step forward and check on her, but her footsteps abruptly halted.
She gritted her teeth, turned around, and dashed out the door.
The very moment she rushed out of the Fourth Division.
Boom—!!
Above the canopy of the sky, that streak of a meteor was rapidly plummeting toward Sokyoku Hill!
Sokyoku Hill, in front of the execution stand.
On the towering cliff platform, aside from the Executive Militia and Kido Corps responsible for the execution, there were only a scant few people.
Head Captain, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
Byakuya Kuchiki, Gin Ichimaru, Sosuke Aizen.
And their respective Vice Captains.
Before them, Rukia Kuchiki, clad in pure white execution garbs, was bound to the execution frame by the Executive Militia with thick chains.
"My, my, how truly pitiful."
Gin Ichimaru tucked his hands into his sleeves and turned his head to look at the silent Byakuya Kuchiki beside him. "Captain Kuchiki, is it really okay to just watch like that?"
His voice was light and airy, making it quite uncomfortable to hear.
"Even though she's adopted, she's still called you 'Brother' for all these years, hasn't she?"
"Watching helplessly as she gets burned to ashes, not even leaving her soul behind... Tsk, tsk. The prestige of a noble family really is suffocating, isn't it."
Byakuya Kuchiki remained expressionless, his gaze not wavering in the slightest.
He was like a perfect ice sculpture, radiating a chilling aura that kept everyone at a distance.
"Captain Ichimaru."
Byakuya spoke coldly. "The execution is the decision of Central 46."
"As Captains of the Gotei 13, upholding the rules is our duty. Do not speak unnecessary words."
"Ooh—" Gin Ichimaru exaggeratedly drew out his tone. "How scary, how scary. As expected of the Captain from the Kuchiki Family... Such resolve is something a country bumpkin like me could never learn."
"You bastard!!"
Standing in the back, Renji Abarai finally reached the limit of his patience.
Veins bulged on the back of his hand as he gripped his sword hilt, his red hair seemingly burning along with his fury.
It wasn't just because the silver-haired man opposite them was provoking his Captain, but more so because...
Rukia Kuchiki on the stand was his childhood friend, someone he... cared about very much!
"Captain Ichimaru! Please know when to stop!" Renji ground his teeth audibly. "Rukia... she's about to die! You standing here making such sarcastic remarks, is this how a Captain should act?!"
"Renji."
Byakuya Kuchiki coldly interrupted him. "Stand down."
"Shouting in front of Captains, what a disgrace."
"Do not disgrace the Sixth Division."
"But Captain! Rukia..." Renji's hands were trembling.
"Stand down." Byakuya's voice remained calm, not even turning his head.
Renji shuddered.
But ultimately, he could only lower his head, forcefully swallowing his grief and indignation. "...Yes."
On the other side.
The Fifth Division Vice Captain, Momo Hinamori, was anxiously wringing her fingers.
She carefully raised her head, looking at the beloved Captain standing in front of her.
Today, Captain Aizen looked somewhat different from usual.
Although he still wore those black-framed glasses, still draped in his pure white haori, and his posture remained upright and elegant...
But whether it was an illusion or not, Momo Hinamori felt that today, Captain Aizen exuded an aura that made her feel unfamiliar...
Coldness.
In the past, when facing such heavy scenes, Captain Aizen would definitely turn around gently and softly comfort her, telling her not to be afraid.
But today, ever since stepping onto Sokyoku Hill, Captain Aizen hadn't said a single word.
He merely gazed quietly at the Sokyoku execution stand. The eyes behind his lenses held not a ripple of emotion, nor a trace of... warmth.
"Captain Aizen..." Momo Hinamori called out softly.
Aizen did not respond, not even sparing her a glance from the corner of his eye.
He just stood there quietly.
It was as if whether it was Rukia who was about to be executed, his arguing colleagues, or his Vice Captain, they were all just an irrelevant backdrop.
"The execution stand is ready!"
The declaration from the Executive Militia snapped Momo Hinamori back to reality.
In a few hours, that execution stand would release a fire phoenix capable of incinerating everything.
'Rukia-chan... will also vanish into thin air...'
At this thought, Momo Hinamori couldn't help but wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.
However, right at this moment, the previously silent Sosuke Aizen moved.
As if strolling through his own backyard, he leisurely crossed the warning line and walked toward Genryusai Yamamoto, who stood at the very front.
"Aizen?"
Head Captain Yamamoto's old and majestic eyes opened slightly to a slit.
"The execution is imminent. Why are you stepping forward instead of standing properly in formation?"
"Head Captain." Aizen stood a mere five steps away from Head Captain Yamamoto, looking up at the Sokyoku.
Or rather, the sky above the Sokyoku.
"The humans in the World of the Living say that the sky... originally has no color."
"It is because the seawater reflects upon the canopy of the heavens that the sky gains its color."
"But why is the sky of the Soul Society also blue?"
Head Captain Yamamoto frowned slightly. "What nonsense are you spouting? Stand down!"
Aizen did not stand down. Pushing up his glasses, he said, "I am wondering, what exactly is this world we reside in?"
"Soul Reapers maintain the balance of souls, Hollows devour their own kind in Hueco Mundo, and humans briefly live and die in the World of the Living..."
"When there are too many souls here, we have to find a way to kill the wandering souls... When there are too many Hollows there, we have to launch expeditions into Hueco Mundo..."
"This so-called order of the Three Realms is inferior even to the fictional novels created by humans in the World of the Living."
He spoke to himself, as if giving a lecture to Genryusai Yamamoto.
"What exactly are you trying to say, Sosuke Aizen?" Genryusai Yamamoto finally realized something was wrong, turning around to look at Aizen sternly.
The First Division Vice Captain, Chojiro Sasakibe, already had his hand resting on his Zanpakuto, his expression vigilant.
"I simply feel that this world is wrong. It has been wrong from its very foundation."
"Should the Throne in the Sky truly exist? And be occupied by that kind of thing?"
These baffling, and even treasonous words, left everyone present stunned.
A trace of astonishment flashed through Byakuya Kuchiki's icy eyes, and Renji's jaw dropped slightly.
Momo Hinamori even covered her mouth, unable to believe that these words came from her gentle and humble Captain.
"Enough."
Head Captain Yamamoto shouted in a low voice, and a scorching Spiritual Pressure instantly spread out.
The walking stick in his hand turned to ash, and from within it, he drew a quaintly designed blade brimming with a destructive aura.
The strongest Zanpakuto in the Gotei 13.
Ryujin Jakka.