"Bloom, Tobiume!"
Momo Hinamori swung her Zanpakutō, and fiery flames coalesced into a massive fireball, over a meter wide, hurtling towards Alice on the courtyard wall.
"Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens, Hyōrinmaru!"
As Alice prepared to release her Zanpakutō and transform it into a golden osmanthus barrier, a chilling voice echoed in the night. An overwhelming wave of cold seemed poised to freeze the world.
The massive fireball Momo had launched shattered like a bubble.
"Momo, what are you doing?"
The next moment, Toshiro Hitsugaya, the captain of the Tenth Division, appeared before Momo, glaring at her. Fortunately, his patrol route that night was near Ailin's residence. Sensing Momo's actions, he rushed over to stop her.
If Momo's attack had disturbed Haruko, Toshiro didn't know what Ailin would do.
"Shiro, get out of my way!"
Sadly, Momo didn't appreciate Toshiro's concern. She pointed Tobiume at him.
"Shiro, Captain Aizen left me a message. He said… He said that over a hundred years ago, he sensed a hidden hand controlling the Seireitei from the shadows…
After years of investigation, he finally confirmed that the mastermind was Captain Ailin of the Eleventh Division!
In his letter, he told me that the Seireitei couldn't withstand a major upheaval, so he was willing to meet with Captain Ailin and have an open discussion. He wanted Captain Ailin to consider the Seireitei's future and not cause chaos…
He said that if everything went well, the Quincy's attack in two years wouldn't be a problem.
But if it didn't go well, or if he didn't return, it would prove that Captain Ailin was a Quincy spy, a traitor seeking to destroy the Seireitei.
He instructed me to deliver the letter to Head-Captain Yamamoto and ask him to eliminate Captain Ailin before he could cause significant damage.
Shiro, it was Captain Ailin who killed Captain Aizen!
Get out of my way! I'm going to kill him and avenge Captain Aizen!"
"What are you talking about?!"
Toshiro roared. To be honest, he believed that Ailin was indeed capable of silently killing Aizen. But to say that his teacher was a Quincy spy, that was impossible!
"Momo, are you being manipulated?"
"Captain Aizen wouldn't lie to me! Captain Ailin killed Captain Aizen! Get out of my way, Shiro… Or I'll kill you too!"
Tears and snot streamed down Momo's face, and her spiritual pressure increased , causing sparks to fly from Tobiume. Clearly, she wasn't joking. If Toshiro continued to block her path, she would attack him.
Clap, clap, clap…
"Wonderful, wonderful…"
At this time, the sound of clapping reached the ears of several people present.
Momo and Toshiro turned to see Gin Ichimaru emerging from an alley, applauding as if he had just witnessed a grand performance.
However, Gin's heart was pounding. He hadn't expected Sōsuke Aizen to go this far.
He had left a letter, telling Momo Hinamori that Ailin had killed him?
Wasn't he afraid that Ailin would lose his temper and actually kill him?
Or had he and Ailin reached some sort of agreement that guaranteed his safety?
Regardless of Aizen's intentions, Gin couldn't allow Momo's actions to disturb Haruko Kuchiki.
In this world, you could do anything to Ailin. But if you harmed Haruko…
You wouldn't even find safety in the Soul Society. You would be sent to Hell!
With Ailin unlikely to attack Aizen, Gin felt like his own life was in jeopardy. If Ailin was truly angered, even he wasn't sure he could survive.
After all, he was currently on Aizen's side. Therefore, sensing Momo attacking Ailin's residence, he had rushed over.
Thankfully, Ailin had left someone to guard the courtyard. However, he had been a considerable distance away, so he arrived a bit late.
"Gin Ichimaru!"
Seeing Gin, Toshiro frowned.
"Captain Ichimaru, did you tamper with the letter Captain Aizen left for Momo?"
Toshiro asked this because, besides himself, Gin was the only captain at the scene of Aizen's death.
While the Tenth Division had been tasked with searching Aizen's office, it didn't mean that something hadn't been tampered with before they arrived.
After all, Gin had reached the scene before him. The distance between the Third Division and the Fifth Division wasn't short.
Normally, with the supposed animosity between Gin Ichimaru and Sōsuke Aizen, Gin wouldn't even pass by the Fifth Division barracks.
It was as if he had known Aizen would die, so he had gone to watch the show.
Toshiro suspected that even if Gin wasn't the one who had killed Aizen, he must have been involved. He was at least an accomplice.
"Hahaha… Captain Hitsugaya, don't make baseless accusations. How could I possibly tamper with Captain Aizen's letter? I wouldn't dare to do such a thing."
Gin shrugged, his narrowed eyes resembling a fox's. While his words denied any involvement, anyone could see that he wasn't taking this seriously. It was as if he were saying: Yes, I tampered with the letter. But do you have any evidence?
"Damn it!"
Momo was confused.
On one side was Shiro. On the other side was Captain Aizen.
Logically, she should trust Captain Aizen.
However, Shiro and Gin's conversation suggested that the letter in her hand had been tampered with. This made her head spin.
"Was it you, Captain Ichimaru? Did you tamper with Captain Aizen's letter? Where is the real letter? Please, give it back to me."
Tears streamed down her face as she walked towards Gin, begging him to return the real letter.
Gin's brow furrowed.
"Ah, how pitiful… Lieutenant Hinamori, the letter in your hand is the real one. So, who will you believe? Captain Hitsugaya, or Captain Aizen?"
"Enough, Gin Ichimaru!"
Seeing Momo on the verge of a breakdown, Toshiro shouted. Hearing Gin's words, he was afraid Gin would continue to manipulate her. He glared at Gin.
"Captain Ichimaru, if I remember correctly, the Third Division barracks aren't here. What are you doing here?"
"Hahaha… Captain Hitsugaya, the Seireitei is on high alert. I sensed signs of battle here, so I came to investigate. I didn't expect to see such an entertaining scene.
The lieutenant of the Fifth Division, attacking the residence of the captain of the Eleventh Division at night. If this gets out…"
"Captain Ichimaru, I'm handling this personally. Please leave. Otherwise, I'll have to forcibly remove you for obstructing official business."
Toshiro and Gin glared at each other, their spiritual pressures clashing, creating ripples in the air. It was the high pressure generated by their potent reiatsu.
While Toshiro confronted Gin, Momo, confused by Gin's words, was in turmoil.
Should she believe Shiro, that the letter had been tampered with, or should she believe Gin Ichimaru, that the letter was real?
Captain Aizen, can you tell me?
Who should I trust?
She looked up and saw the young woman in golden armor standing on the courtyard wall. If it were her, she could probably stop Momo…
With that thought, Momo channeled her spiritual pressure.
"Bloom, Tobiume!"
Fiery flames erupted from her Zanpakutō once more. A fireball, over a meter in diameter, hurtled towards Ailin's residence.
Neither Gin Ichimaru nor Toshiro Hitsugaya anticipated that Momo would attack again. Toshiro, with his back to Momo, noticed too late.
"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"
Whoosh!
Simultaneous with Gin's command, a white light flashed. The white light pierced Momo's fireball, then swung horizontally.
A white blade, over ten meters long, swept towards Toshiro and Momo.
Toshiro only had time to raise his Zanpakutō in defense.
Clang!
The force of the impact sent Toshiro flying.
Shhh!
A spray of blood erupted from Momo's waist. She collapsed in a corner, letting her blood stain the ground.
Boom!
Toshiro crashed through a wall and, with a burst of spiritual pressure, flew back into the courtyard. Seeing Momo lying in a pool of blood, his eyes blazed with fury.
"Gin Ichimaru, I'm going to kill you!"
"Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens, Hyōrinmaru!"
An overwhelming wave of cold emanated from Toshiro's body, and his Zanpakutō transformed.
A chain extended from the hilt, and a crescent-shaped blade appeared at its end.
Toshiro had been taken in as Ailin's disciple at a young age, leaving his grandmother to live in the Seireitei. While he had been away, Momo Hinamori, Toshiro's neighbor, had looked after his grandmother.
This was how Toshiro and Momo had met. Before his grandmother passed away, she had asked him to take care of Momo. Toshiro had never forgotten his promise. However, as the lieutenant of the Fifth Division, Momo didn't usually require his protection.
But now, with Sōsuke Aizen dead, Momo had lost her greatest supporter. She was the one who needed Toshiro's protection.
He hadn't expected to see her injured before his eyes!
A layer of blue ice spread across Momo's body, freezing her wounds. Then, Toshiro swung his Zanpakutō towards Gin.
The moisture in the air condensed, transforming into a massive ice dragon that roared towards Gin.
Facing Toshiro's attack, Gin didn't dare to underestimate him. Even though Toshiro was young, having been trained by Ailin, Gin knew better than to judge him based on his age.
"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"
A white light shot towards the charging ice dragon. The elongated blade of Shinsō clashed against the ice dragon.
"Hiss!"
The ice dragon halted Shinsō's extension, while Shinsō's blade shattered the dragon's body.
After the ice dragon crumbled, Shinsō reverted to its sealed state.
However, Gin's eyes narrowed.
There were ice shards on his Zanpakutō. As expected of the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō.
He had already lost the first exchange. In the end, Shinsō, in its Shikai state, was slightly weaker than Hyōrinmaru.
However…
Clang!
Gin's spiritual pressure exploded the ice on his blade.