The Three Worlds were safe — for now.
The loosened seal on Hell's gates had been pulled shut once more, even if only for three years.
A permanent solution to the festering catastrophe that was Hell had to be found. Otherwise, the Three Worlds would eventually be corroded and consud by Hell's breath — until everything sank together into darkness and beca creatures of Hell.
[Mission Triggered: The Gates of Hell That Cannot Be Sealed]
[Mission Complete]
[Reward Obtained: Fullbring Awakening Eligibility (Follow the heart. Draw upon the most fundantal power of the soul.)]
On the road back to Seireitei with the Captain-Commander, Soifon's footsteps suddenly halted.
Before her, the long-absent translucent panel materialized without warning.
Fullbring Awakening Eligibility…
Her mind instinctively drifted back to the massive Soul King fragnt the System had awarded her during their ti at the Royal Palace.
Soifon narrowed her eyes, lost in thought.
Why, after temporarily sealing Hell's gates, had the System not granted her the power of Fullbring outright — but rely the eligibility to awaken it?
Could it be… that the power of Fullbring was the key to liberating Hell?
She closed her eyes and swept her spiritual senses carefully through her own body — nothing. Not a single anomalous fluctuation of power. The System's hint was far too abstract.
Was she supposed to head to the World of the Living and track down those [XCUTION] people to learn from them?
Her imagination was running wild when the Captain-Commander's voice drifted from ahead.
"Soifon — sothing the matter?"
Soifon ca back to herself, realizing the old man had stopped at so point and was now half-turned toward her, a trace of puzzlent in his eyes.
She was about to brush it off with so vague excuse when a flash of inspiration struck her. She lifted her head and looked at the Captain-Commander.
"Captain-Commander, sir."
"Hm?"
"The na Kūgo Ginjō… do you still rember it?"
The Captain-Commander blinked — a rare flicker of surprise — then slowly nodded after a mont. "That was the na of a forr Substitute Shinigami."
Then, just as slowly, he shook his head. "However, we lost contact with him many years ago."
At the ti, after Kūgo Ginjō had gone dark, Seireitei had concluded he had likely died in combat. And since he was no figure of particular importance, no one had dug deeper. After a search of the World of the Living turned up nothing, his death had been officially confird.
"I understand. Forgive the interruption, Captain-Commander."
Soifon nodded thoughtfully and bowed to take her leave.
"Soifon." The Captain-Commander called after her. "Hell… have you already found a way to deal with it?"
Perhaps reading the surprise in her eyes, the Captain-Commander stroked his long beard. "In my experience, you wouldn't bring up a nobody's na at a mont like this without reason."
——
Second Division — the gates of the barracks.
Soifon had barely crossed the threshold when two figures ca bursting out from inside.
"Teacher Soifon—!"
"Teacher, are you alright?!"
Rukia and Momo Hinamori ca at her from both sides simultaneously, nearly throwing themselves at her.
"We sensed your Reiatsu exploding just now, we were scared out of our minds…"
Momo pressed a hand to her chest, still shaken.
Rukia nodded in agreent. "And then two pitch-black chains suddenly burst into the interrogation room and dragged that purple twin-tailed old woman away — we couldn't catch up no matter what we tried…"
Soifon raised a hand and lightly patted both of them on the head.
"It's fine. I just dealt with sothing alongside the Captain-Commander."
"Don't worry about those chains — everything has been resolved."
Her gaze swept past both of them, and she suddenly realized sothing was missing. "Where are Nelliel and Harribel?"
Rukia and Momo exchanged a glance, a flicker of mutual relief crossing both their faces.
"They went back."
"Not long ago, when they heard that Las Noches had been destroyed, they opened a Garganta and returned to Hueco Mundo — said they were going to rebuild Las Noches."
"They also asked us to keep it secret and not tell you, Teacher — they didn't want you worrying."
When they were done, both of them pointed toward the detention block next to the interrogation room, reminding Soifon that the several Quincy Starrk had brought back were still being held inside.
Soifon hadn't yet decided how to handle those Quincy, so for now she could only leave them to endure the discomfort of the Second Division's detention cells until Yhwach had been dealt with.
"I know — you two have worked hard these past few days." Soifon lifted her head and ruffled both of their hair. "But I still have sothing to take care of at the Thirteenth Division…"
She turned to leave, and imdiately felt both wrists seized from left and right.
"Is Teacher Soifon leaving again?"
There was a faint note of grievance in Rukia's voice.
"Ever since we ca down from the Royal Palace, Teacher Soifon has been running around constantly — you never once asked us what our Bankai turned out to be…"
"Now that we've finally shed the [spy] duties, can't Teacher Soifon rest for even a little while?"
The two voices stacked together in a chorus of wounded complaint — and there was a deliberate weight on the word "spy," heavy with reproach.
Soifon turned back and looked at her two students putting on their most pitifully aggrieved expressions. Her heart softened.
"I'm sorry…"
"Things have been too hectic lately — I've been neglecting you both. Forgive …"
Soifon's voice was gentler than usual, but Momo had already predicted the next line: "This is the last ti — that's what Teacher Soifon was going to say next, isn't it?"
Soifon choked.
"I've lost count of how many 'last tis' there have been, Teacher Soifon."
Rukia's quiet, plaintive voice ca from the side.
Soifon: "…"
She suddenly missed the version of herself who had been cutting a bloody swath before the Gates of Hell just a little while ago.
At least back then, no one had dared talk back to her like this.
At that mont, Marechiyo Ōmaeda ca swaggering back from patrol, chest puffed out with self-importance. A split second before he stepped through the Second Division's gates, he caught sight of the tangled scene of Soifon and her two students bickering at the entrance…
Lord have rcy — Ōmaeda's enormous fra sohow folded his head so low that Soifon could look down at it, with a terrifying speed that sent the dust at his feet scattering.
A plu of dust rose into the air as Ōmaeda perford a sliding kneel before Soifon.
"Captain Soifon—!!!"
"I sensed your Reiatsu erupting while I was on patrol, and I was absolutely sick with worry, ma'am!"
"I was about to rush over and lend you my aid, but who would have thought—"
It had been a while since they'd last seen him, and Ōmaeda's theatrics had only gotten more outrageous.
After sending the walking drama production that was Ōmaeda on his way, Soifon looked at the two students clinging stubbornly to her sleeves on either side — and ultimately let out a relenting sigh.
"To Sōkyoku Hill first, then."
She decided to put off her visit to the Thirteenth Division for now. Asking Captain Ukitake for leads on Kūgo Ginjō could wait.
Momo and Rukia exchanged a glance, a triumphant light flickering simultaneously in both pairs of eyes.
As the two of them followed Soifon toward Sōkyoku Hill via Shunpo, they snuck a series of glances back and forth, the corners of their mouths curling in a silent, conspiratorial smile.
——Did you get all the supplies?
——All sorted. These past few years we've been liaising directly with Captain Mayuri and Miss Nemu — the channel was established long ago.
——Perfect, perfect. Today, Teacher Soifon will not escape with her dignity intact.
The battle plan had been laid out in advance: first, use Bankai to drain Teacher Soifon's stamina, then, while she was at her limit, the two of them would strike and have their revenge.
——
Sōkyoku Hill. The surrounding terrain stretched into a barren expanse of scrubland and scattered rock.
Soifon stopped on a relatively level patch of ground, turned around, and looked at the two students behind her, brimming with eagerness.
"Let confirm sothing first."
Her gaze swept across both their faces. "Your Bankai — will it cause any harm to Soul Society? If it will, I'll open the Dangai now and take you both inside to test it there."
Momo and Rukia shook their heads simultaneously.
"Of course not!"
"We know what we're doing!"
Then Rukia craftily tacked on an extra condition: "But Teacher Soifon can't fight back against us — otherwise… our Bankai demonstration might turn out incomplete."
Momo nodded emphatically beside her. "That's right, that's right! Teacher has to watch properly!"
"…"
Soifon had the distinct sense that sothing was off — as though these two had so dirty trick lying in wait for her.
But things had gone too far for her to back out now, so she gave a reluctant nod of agreent.
Having secured their promise, the two shared a smile and spread apart, settling into fighting stances.
Frost-white and crimson Reiatsu surged from both of them almost simultaneously — two utterly different auras that sohow wove together in a strange, interlocked dance.
Rukia moved first.
"Bankai — Hakka no Toga."
Her cool, clear voice fell, and a surging torrent of cold erupted with her at its center. Pure white ice crystals blood in layered bursts, sweeping across the entirety of Sōkyoku Hill in an instant.
The Rukia who erged from Bankai was clothed head to toe in snow-white — her Shihakushō transford into a semi-transparent gown woven from ice crystals.
A flash of genuine admiration crossed Soifon's eyes. "Truly worthy of being called the most beautiful Zanpakutō in all of Soul Society…"
Before the words had even finished leaving her mouth, the absolute freezing cold had already crept to her feet — and began climbing upward with terrifying speed, solidifying as it rose. The chill of absolute zero wrapped around her, and in an instant she had beco an exquisite ice sculpture, sealed within clear, unyielding ice.
Encased in ice, Soifon quietly sensed the freezing power coursing through her.
…Impressive. If this had hit Byakuya Kuchiki, he'd probably be completely incapacitated by now.
Rukia carefully regulated her Reiatsu output, and upon confirming that Soifon was truly frozen solid, she finally exhaled slowly.
She released her Bankai. A small, barely-there smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Step one — done.
Next to her, Momo Hinamori took a deep breath.
"Bankai — Kagutsuchi, Tobiu!"
In the next instant, scorching flas erupted from Momo's Tobiu — but rather than lting the ice, the flas generated a crimson domain that engulfed both Momo and Soifon within it.
A phantom figure wrought from fire, gripping Tobiu, hovered at the apex of the domain. Flas were continuously drawn upward from the domain below toward the phantom, making its silhouette grow more and more solid with each passing mont.
From the phantom figure, a thin, unobtrusive thread extended down, connecting to the hilt of Momo's Zanpakutō.
Momo spoke, her voice slightly breathless as she explained:
"Within this domain, Teacher Soifon's and my Reiatsu and stamina are converted into fuel for the flas."
"Until one of us can no longer sustain it."
Of course, there was one condition Momo hadn't ntioned: she herself could receive a portion of the Reiatsu and stamina absorbed by [Kagutsuchi, Tobiu] as a feedback loop. The efficiency wasn't one-to-one, but it was more than enough to drag things out — a typical opponent simply couldn't withstand it.
Sealed inside the ice, if Momo hadn't explained it, Soifon would genuinely have felt nothing — no awareness of her Reiatsu or stamina draining away at all.
She looked toward Momo and noticed beads of fine sweat already forming at the girl's temple.
This Bankai — it was a dual-drain type.
Bearing the pressure of her own rapidly declining Reiatsu, Rukia stepped into the domain, dropped her voice to a volu only the two of them could hear, and asked: "Momo, are we really sure about this?"
Honestly, they were practically the Three Worlds' foremost offenders against their own master and teacher.
Momo also kept her voice low. "Don't worry — Teacher promised not to fight back. We drain her stamina, and then at dinner we can…"
She didn't finish the sentence, but the look the two exchanged said everything.
A perfect plan.
With her powerful spirit body, Soifon caught every single word of their "hushed conspiracy" without missing a syllable.
The corner of her mouth gave an almost imperceptible twitch.
So these two little wretches thought their wings had grown strong enough, did they.
Crack.
The ice shattered, and Soifon tumbled out from within it, staggering a step before sinking down to sit on the ground, breathing slightly hard.
At the sight, a flash of delight crossed Momo's face — imdiately suppressed, replaced with a mask of concern as she hurried forward to help Soifon up.
"Teacher Soifon! Are you alright?!"
Soifon glanced at the small hand Momo had placed on her abdon — restless little thing — and her eye twitched. She held it together.
"A little… overextended. Your Bankai, working in combination — it's genuinely difficult to deal with."
Soifon feigned weakness as she said this, leaning limply against Momo's shoulder.
Rukia, seeing this, rushed over from the other side not to be outdone, steadying Soifon's arm. The two of them flanked her on either side like a royal escort, half-supporting, half-steering her in the direction of the Second Division.
...
Second Division — the Captain's courtyard.
"Teacher Soifon, let's get you cleaned up first." Momo obligingly slid open the door to the hot spring bath chamber. "We've prepared the hot water."
Rukia added from the side: "And dinner will be ready right after your bath — the Kuchiki family's chef has prepared a full spread, and it's already been brought over."
Soifon glanced at both of them. Both wore sweet, obedient smiles, eyes brimming with anticipation.
Too well-behaved. So well-behaved it felt wrong.
Knowing these two girls as she did — if they genuinely believed she was running low on stamina, they would definitely be seizing the opportunity to demand things like "helping scrub your back" or "attending to your bath"…
Soifon gave an inscrutable nod and turned to go into the bath chamber.
In the steaming, mist-filled heat, she closed her eyes, her spiritual senses quietly expanding outward, tracking every movent in the room next door.
Shortly after, Soifon erged from the bath in fresh clothes. Inside the room, a lavish feast had already been laid out.
Momo and Rukia knelt demurely on either side of the low table. When they saw her erge, both looked up at the sa mont, beaming.
"Teacher Soifon, please sit!"
"Co try it — see if it suits your taste!"
Coaxed by the two of them, Soifon took a seat in the center.
The mont she sat down, Rukia eagerly handed her chopsticks. Momo, with both hands, carefully lifted a bowl of miso soup and set it gently before her.
"Teacher Soifon, please try it — does it suit your taste?"
The two of them propped their chins in their hands on either side, watching her with wide, imploring eyes.
——Eat it, co on! Why aren't you eating?!
Soifon accepted the chopsticks without a flicker of expression, lifted the bowl of miso soup, and as her lips were just about to et the rim of the bowl, her movents paused — almost imperceptibly.
——There was sothing in the soup that shouldn't be there.
Colorless. Odorless. But it couldn't hide from her senses.
She gently stirred the milky white broth with her chopsticks, as if simply mixing in the toppings.
Glug.
Almost simultaneously, the faintest sounds of swallowing ca from both Momo's and Rukia's throats — this was their mont of truth.
Soifon closed her eyes. With a thought, she activated the power of [Sacred Letter A], precisely locking onto those tiny powder particles dissolved within the bowl.
Target locked: the powder in the soup, and the tofu cubes in Momo's and Rukia's own bowls.
Divide into two equal portions. Simultaneously relocate them behind the tofu in Momo's and Rukia's respective bowls.
Execute.
The entire process took no more than the blink of an eye.
Having done all this, Soifon took a small sip of the miso soup with her usual composure, then raised an eyebrow with a mildly pleased expression.
"It tastes wonderful."
Rukia and Momo exchanged a glance…
This ti, the look they shared was one of pure joy.
They promptly lifted their own soup bowls:
"Then we'll dig in too!"
"Teacher Soifon, eat plenty!"
Soifon watched the two of them wolfing everything down, and let a small smile curl the corner of her mouth.
She raised her bowl and drank the soup at her own unhurried pace, her gaze drifting back and forth between the two faces.
By the ti the al was winding down, Soifon unhurriedly drew a small box from beneath the table — one she had retrieved earlier — and gave it a little wave in front of the two of them.
Clack.
The small wooden box landed on the table with a firm tap from Soifon's palm. She asked: "What is this?"
The soft thud of the box hitting the table surface jolted Momo and Rukia — who had been basking in the glow of their "successful plan" — rigid simultaneously.
Both instinctively looked at the small box, then looked at each other, a flash of panic visible in both their eyes.
But quickly, that panic was forcibly buried. Teacher Soifon had already eaten the spiked miso soup — right now she was rely putting on one last show of dignity. That was all.
Momo stiffened her neck, refused to crack, and reached out her hand, trying to take the little wooden box back.
Soifon's hand shot out and knocked hers away.
Momo winced, pulled her hand back in aggrieved retreat, rubbing her reddening fingers, still insisting verbally: "Teacher, that's not—"
"Not what?"
Soifon placed the box on the table, tapped its lid lightly with a fingertip, and shifted her gaze to Rukia.
Rukia stiffened the mont that gaze landed on her, her mind racing at full speed.
"This is… computer parts!"
She blurted it out, blinked at her own words for a mont, but having already committed, she pressed on regardless:
"Because recently the Departnt of Research and Developnt has been developing computers from the World of the Living, and we ordered one! But it broke recently, so we thought we'd try to fix it ourselves… yes, fix it ourselves!"
Halting and suspicious in every way.
Momo nodded frantically alongside her. "That's right, that's right! Computer parts!"
The corner of Soifon's mouth curved upward.
She didn't press further. Instead she let go, giving the wooden box a light push toward Momo's side. "I see. It seems I was overthinking things."
Both of them let out a breath of relief at the sa ti.
Momo quickly grabbed the box and stuffed it into her own arms.
A brief, tranquil silence settled over the dining table. Soifon continued eating at her own leisurely pace, occasionally taking a sip of tea, perfectly at ease.
Ti ticked by.
Momo and Rukia, who had started out full of gleeful anticipation, were gradually growing restless.
Why wasn't anything happening? The drug should have kicked in long ago by any reasonable reckoning.
Could it be that Teacher Soifon's constitution was so powerful, her resistance so high, that it was simply slow to take effect?
While the two of them were quietly fretting — an indescribable sensation ca surging up from sowhere deep inside their bodies.
Sothing was suddenly very wrong. Both their cheeks flushed with an unnatural heat. Their kneeling posture shifted involuntarily, their bodies giving a small, restless squirm — as though suppressing sothing.
Hot.
That was the feeling that rose simultaneously in both their minds.
On instinct, they reached up and tugged at their collars, trying to let the heat escape.
"What's the matter with you two?" Soifon asked with teasing lightness. "Don't tell the food you just ate had… sothing strange in it?"
Rukia blurted out, her voice full of disbelief:
"That's impossible! I only spiked one bowl of soup — there's no way both Momo and I could be the ones who got drugged!"
Thud — thud — thud.
The words barely left her mouth before she clapped both hands over it.
Too late.
Momo closed her eyes in despair. "You idiot, Rangiku — what did you just say?!"
She flailed her hands trying to salvage the situation, but the mont she stood, her entire body locked in place.
A strange, brief silence fell over the room.
"Oh~" Soifon cradled her teacup and took a sip. "So it was a drug. And here I thought it was computer parts. My, my — what troubleso students these two are…"
With that, Soifon scooped up one lightly-flushed girl under each arm and carried them deeper into the room.
The path through the flowers has never been swept for any visitor — yet today, for you, these untended gates are thrown open wide.
The golden needle pierces the peach blossom's heart — daring not to cry aloud, she furrows her brow in silence.
____
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