Sokyoku Hill, the place where the God of Death carries out executions.
This is the highest point of absolute order in Seireitei, and also the coldest place of final judgment.
Sharp winds howled across the barren mountaintop like blades, sweeping up dry dust and draping this silent land in a thin veil of desolation.
The massive execution scaffold, the Sokyoku, rose like the spine of some giant beast, standing silently beneath the sky, casting a suffocating shadow.
"So this is the Sokyoku? Come to think of it, I've been in Seireitei for so long, and this is still my first time seeing it up close."
Matsumoto Rangiku broke the silence, clicking her tongue in wonder. Her already light shihakusho fluttered loudly in the cold wind.
She wrapped an arm around Rukia and walked briskly to the towering execution frame that stood like a pillar of heaven. She stretched out her pale hand and gestured across the wooden beams, which were covered in the mottled traces of time.
"With a blade this huge, if it came down, it'd hurt like crazy, wouldn't it?"
"Hey! Hey! Rangiku! If a blade that size comes down, my head would be gone before I feel anything. How would it even hurt!"
Rukia snapped back with a dark look on her face. Even though she was complaining, after being dragged along and distracted the whole way here, the tight knot in her chest had indeed loosened quite a bit.
She tilted her head slightly and looked at the spear tip that pierced the sky.
No matter what the outcome would be, she felt she could face it calmly now.
She felt deep guilt toward the people still running around for her sake, but things had come this far. Rather than blaming fate for being unfair, it was better to admit she had brought this upon herself.
This was probably the ending someone named Kuchiki Rukia was meant to have.
"Hahaha! Don't be so gloomy. They say it has the destructive power of a million Zanpakuto combined, but as far as I know, this thing is mostly just for show."
Matsumoto Rangiku giggled carelessly and nudged the man beside her with her elbow. He had been standing there with his hands behind his back the whole time.
"Right, Captain? I'm not wrong, am I?"
"You shouldn't ask me about historical matters. I joined Seireitei much later than you did."
A faint smile lingered at the corner of Rosse's lips. His gaze swept calmly over the massive execution device, his tone relaxed as if he were commenting on an ordinary toy.
"But from what I can sense, even if the Sokyoku were fully released and turned into the Kikoo(Firebird King), at best it could probably only cut down a vice-captain like you."
"What? That's so mean!", Matsumoto puffed her cheeks in protest and shot him a charming glare, "Then if it really tried to cut me down, wouldn't you protect me, Captain?"
Rosse turned his head to look at his vice-captain, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"If that happened, the moment you were sentenced to Sokyoku execution, I'd tear this place into ruins first."
"Hehe! I knew it."
Matsumoto Rangiku instantly beamed and pulled Rukia into her arms like a little girl showing off a prized treasure.
"See? See? Our captain would even tear down the Sokyoku. Protecting you would be no problem at all!"
"Th-thank you very much, Captain Rosse, but I… I'm really not worth it."
Rukia lowered her head, looking awkward and uneasy.
Whether the two of them were joking or serious, Matsumoto Rangiku was still Rosse's vice-captain. There were even rumors that their relationship was closer than that. The natural closeness and tacit understanding between them needed no explanation.
But she and Captain Rosse were not even friends.
To ask a captain she barely knew to fight against Soul Society's laws for a trivial sinner like her, it was absurd.
"Don't overthink it, Rukia."
As if seeing through her self-deprecating thoughts, Rosse withdrew his gaze. His eyes passed beyond the Sokyoku's shadow and toward the long stone steps winding upward in the distance.
Several figures were cutting through the wind, approaching from hundreds of meters away.
At the front, a white scarf danced wildly in the wind. The usually iceberg-like cold face now carried an added weight of gravity and resolve.
"Rukia, you need to understand something."
Rosse's voice was calm and steady, carried clearly through the cold wind into Rukia's ears.
"I'm standing here today not just because of any personal ties with you. I saw two men abandon all dignity and kneel for the same belief. And, of course, I'm also acting according to the justice in my own heart."
"Huh? Two men… knelt?"
Rukia suddenly lifted her head and stared at Rosse in disbelief, then followed his line of sight.
At the end of her gaze, Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji were walking over one after the other.
In that instant, it felt like thunder exploded inside her mind.
'Could it be…'
She was not foolish. How could she not understand now? To save her life, what kind of painful price had her brother, who valued family honor as his very life, paid?
For a noble clan head who carved rules into his very bones to kneel and beg, just imagining that scene made her chest ache sharply.
She had thought Kuchiki Byakuya had long since given up on her.
She had believed what Matsumoto Rangiku and Rosse said earlier was only to comfort her.
"Captain Rosse…"
Rukia bit her lower lip hard, trying to stop the tears gathering in her eyes. Her voice trembled like a leaf in the wind.
"Could you tell me… besides my brother, who was the other person?"
'Someone as ill-omened as me… two people had knelt to let me live?'
But in her poor understanding of herself, she could only picture her brother.
The helplessness of being able to think of only one person made her feel like a complete failure as a human being.
"When a stray dog struggling in the mud finds a flower it wants to protect, from that moment on, it's no longer a wild dog barking just to survive. It becomes a lone wolf walking proudly toward its goal."
Rosse did not answer directly. Instead, he softly spoke those meaningful words. He looked toward the red-haired figure in the distance, a trace of appreciation in his eyes.
The moment those words fell, Rukia's body trembled violently.
Scenes from deep within her memory surged like a tide.
The yellow sands of Rukongai. The days of fighting over clean water. And that figure who was always foul-mouthed, yet always stood in front of her.
Who else could it be?
'Renji...'
The childhood friend who mocked her every day as if he couldn't stand her. The man who had risen to vice-captain and seemed to grow farther and farther away from her, a death row prisoner.
And yet, for her…
"Vice-Captain Abarai is a pretty awkward guy."
A cool young voice chimed in at just the right moment.
Hitsugaya Toshiro had just arrived. He crossed his arms and clicked his tongue lightly, though his green eyes showed understanding.
Back when Rosse had trained them, he had clashed with Abarai Renji many times.
When blades crossed, the clash of spiritual pressure often spoke more honestly than words ever could.
Hitsugaya could tell that in some ways, that redhead was the same type of person as him.
Always putting on an annoyed face toward the people they cared about, even if inside they were more anxious than anyone.
According to Captain Rosse, that kind of personality was called tsundere.
Of course, Hitsugaya would never admit such a label applied to him.
"On that point… I agree."
Rukia could no longer hold back. Large tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped onto the dry rocky ground.
Yet on her tear-streaked face bloomed the brightest smile she had ever shown.
No matter how miserable her life had been, no matter what sins she bore.
There were still people in this world willing to give up everything for her.
Being cherished like this... it felt so good.
At that moment, Kuchiki Byakuya and the others arrived beneath the Sokyoku.
Komamura Sajin and Iba Tetsuzaemon were not particularly moved by the emotional atmosphere and simply stepped aside to stand guard.
Kuchiki Byakuya said nothing. With those deep, icy eyes, he glanced lightly at Rukia to confirm she was safe, then walked straight to stand beneath the Sokyoku. His slender fingers gently rested on the hilt of Senbonzakura, his back straight as a pine.
Without a single word, the stance of using his body as a shield said more than a thousand sentences.
"Hey! Crying your eyes out like that doesn't suit you at all, Rukia!"
The man with striking red hair and bold tattoos strode over deliberately.
Abarai Renji grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth. His smile was loud and a bit forced.
He knew very well what the captains' efforts meant, so the joy in his heart was real.
And today, no matter what, he would not let the mastermind who orchestrated all this go.
He would use Zabimaru in his hand to tear that bastard apart himself.
"Who's crying! The wind's just too strong!"
Rukia wiped her tears in a flustered way and glared at Abarai Renji with reddened eyes.
The words of thanks had already rushed to her lips, but every time she heard his irritating tone, she wanted to jump up and punch him.
But in the end… All her emotions turned into a soft sigh. Looking at the familiar man in front of her, she smiled with relief.
"Still… thank you, Renji. Thank you for going to Captain Rosse for me. Thank you for everything you've done."
"Cough! What are you even talking about!"
Seeing that rare gentle look on Rukia's face, Abarai Renji panicked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. His cheeks flushed slightly. He turned his head away awkwardly, not daring to meet those clear eyes.
"I… I only went to train to get stronger! Don't flatter yourself!"
After saying that, he walked with an extremely stiff gait and hurried to stand beside Kuchiki Byakuya.
That kind of mushy talk did not suit him. He just wanted to get away as fast as possible.
In his mind, if he had something to prove, he would do it with his Zanpakuto.
Watching Abarai Renji's fleeing back, Hitsugaya, Matsumoto Rangiku, and the others could not help but smile knowingly.
"Still the same as before… clumsy in a cute way."
Rukia looked at his back. Her tears had dried, and the warm curve of her smile looked especially moving in this biting winter.
"Good day, fellow captains."
Just as that warmth lingered, a gentle voice like polished jade suddenly cut through the cold wind.
Without hiding his presence at all, Aizen Sosuke stepped onto the stone steps of Sokyoku Hill with Hinamori Momo at his side, unhurried.
The usual mild smile hung on his face. He adjusted his glasses and nodded politely to the captains and vice-captains around him.
The other captains returned the greeting. Aizen's status was no longer what it once had been.
Being a nice guy could earn praise, but only strength could win true respect.
And the strength Aizen had shown earlier had already earned that respect.
Before Hinamori Momo, who followed behind him, could speak, a short figure with a dark expression grabbed her and pulled her aside.
"Why are you here?"
Hitsugaya Toshiro frowned, lowering his voice, anxiety and displeasure filling his tone.
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean? If you can come, why can't I!"
Hinamori Momo shook off his hand and glared at him stubbornly.
"That bastard dared to frame our Fifth Division and even tried to harm Captain Aizen! How could I not come? I have to see him get punished with my own eyes!"
"Idiot! This isn't some simple fight like you think."
Looking at his naïve childhood friend, Hitsugaya clicked his tongue in frustration.
"With your strength, you'd just get in the way. Go back, Bedwetter Momo."
That was what he truly thought.
The coming battle would be a clash at captain level or beyond. If a vice-captain like Hinamori got caught in it, one mistake could cost her dearly.
"Wh… what! Why are you still calling me that awful nickname! I'll kill you!"
Hinamori's face turned bright red. The serious atmosphere vanished instantly. She glared in embarrassment and anger, raising the sheath of her Zanpakuto and smacking it toward Hitsugaya's silver head.
"Okay, okay! My bad! Stop hitting me… fine! Fine!"
Hitsugaya dodged her attacks helplessly and sighed. He might sound annoyed, but the worry in his eyes could not be hidden.
In this situation, letting her leave alone might be even more dangerous.
"If we start fighting, don't you dare run around. Even if you die, stand behind me. Got it?"
"Hmph! I know already. You're so naggy, Shiro-chan."
Buzz!
Just as their noisy exchange ended, an indescribably scorching spiritual pressure burst out from the center of Sokyoku Hill without warning.
The biting cold wind at the summit was violently blown away in an instant.
The moisture in the air seemed to evaporate at once. Every breath felt like inhaling burning sand.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Accompanied by the dull sound of a wooden staff striking the ground, an old man slowly walked to stand beneath the Sokyoku.
His body was not tall, even slightly hunched with age. Yet in everyone's eyes, what stood there now was like a volcano about to erupt.
Majestic. Solemn. Unshakable.
The Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, had arrived.
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