"The attack on you and your brother at Shin'ō Academy has nothing to do with me or the Kuchiki clan."
"The Captain-Commander had already dispatched someone to secretly investigate."
"In fact... he already knows who was behind it. But because that person is of unusual status, and to prevent you from acting recklessly, he chose not to inform you until there was solid proof."
Despite the pain of Hollowfication surging through his body, Kuchiki Ginrei maintained a calm tone.
"You've misunderstood me."
"Stop this. It's still not too late."
"With the contributions you've made to the Soul Society—and considering how dearly the Captain-Commander holds you both—it's still not too late to turn back."
He was trying to persuade them, albeit through shallow, halting breath.
Aiyan stared at him with interest.
Then, calmly, he said a name:
Kuchiki Ginrei's expression remained composed, but deep in the eerie yellow of his eyes—a flicker of recognition.
They had known from the very beginning.
From the moment he asked his grandson, Byakuya, to test Aiyan during his early days at Shin'ō Academy, the seeds were already sown. Now, those seeds have bloomed.
Why did this pair of brothers so precisely and thoroughly target him—and the Kuchiki family.
"I truly did not misjudge your talents."
"You two are geniuses the Soul Society hasn't seen in thousands of years."
"Not just in strength, or mastery over Zanpakutō, but in will, in manipulation, in strategy."
"You've misjudged me."
"And you've gravely underestimated the Kuchiki clan."
Kuchiki Ginrei exhaled a cloud of spiritual mist—tinged with traces of Hollow essence.
Still, he did not falter. His hand tightened around his Zanpakutō as he slowly rose to his feet.
Only seconds ago, his Reiatsu had been in chaos—his body barely able to stay upright.
Though his Reiatsu still writhed with turbulence, its density and intensity had begun to rise.
The pain receded. The hollowness in his gaze sharpened.
"Who do you think I am?"
"What do you think the Kuchiki family is?"
"Aiyan. Aizen. You're indeed extraordinary—commoners who rose to shake the entire nobility in only a few short months."
"But your one mistake—"
"Was thinking you had already won."
"You've let your low-born roots limit your sight."
With every word, Kuchiki Ginrei's Reiatsu surged.
As a veteran captain who had ruled over the Sixth Division for centuries, his power was unmatched by most.
In all of Gotei 13, only Yamamoto Genryūsai and Unohana Yachiru stood firmly above him in Reiatsu.
Even legends like Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō, or the yet-to-be-promoted members of Squad Zero, like Kirio Hikifune and Shutara Senjumaru, could not confidently claim superiority.
Now that he was undergoing Hollowfication, his Reiatsu had broken past its limits.
It was still climbing.
"You experimented on me... thinking I'd fall like the rest of your test subjects?"
"You expected me to lose control, to become a broken husk for your amusement?"
"I know Hollowfication better than you do."
With a sudden flash, he raised his Zanpakutō and slashed.
A thunderous blast shook the room as his spiritual pressure carved a rift through the storming sea of Reiatsu.
The arc of force condensed into a colossal wave of sword pressure—shaped like a dragon bursting from the sea—and thundered toward Tōsen Kaname.
Tōsen's eyes widened. He had sensed the disparity before—but not .
In one blow, he was launched through the turbulent current of spiritual pressure, his body twisting in midair before crashing down violently.
He coughed up blood mid-flight.
He was heavily injured.
"Bankai to Bankai... but the difference is this great?"
Submerged within the tide of energy, Tōsen's thoughts spiraled in disbelief.
One casual slash—and he hadn't been able to stop it.
His Bankai, Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi, was still active.
His Reiatsu was formidable—at the level of Muguruma Kensei.
Kuchiki Ginrei's single sword pressure had overwhelmed him entirely.
"Did you think achieving Bankai meant you stood at my level?"
"Bankai is only the beginning."
"A Zanpakutō's Shikai and Bankai evolve as its wielder grows."
"Your Bankai… is but a child's sword dance to me."
Kuchiki Ginrei's voice was cold and condescending, but his words struck true.
Tōsen, still coughing blood, clenched his teeth.
So large… that it could not be crossed by skill or will alone.
It would take years. Decades.
"Lord Aizen… Lord Aiyan… I… I'm not ready..."
Aiyan's voice cut through the chaos like a blade of clarity.
"Do not let anger cloud your judgment."
"Do not let hate corrupt your reason."
"Captain Ginrei's words may be cruel, but they are not wrong."
"The ability of your Bankai—the element of surprise—it only works once."
"Use it again… and your Zanpakutō will be shattered."
Tōsen's eyes widened as the implications sank in.
If his Bankai was broken…
He would lose everything.
He fell back, wounded and ashamed—but also thankful.
Thankful that Aiyan had intervened before he lost more than just pride.
Kuchiki Ginrei narrowed his eyes.
He'd hoped Tōsen would trigger the Bankai again.
He knew Enma Kōrogi well.
If Tōsen had dared open the field once more, both Aiyan and Aizen would be blinded—along with himself.
But only he had a way to bypass the sensory deprivation.
Using the flow of water and spiritual pressure, he could still perceive everything inside.
He could've used Tōsen's own ability to launch a counteroffensive.
That chance was gone.
His eyes flickered with Hollow Reiatsu once more.