Chapter 28: The Arriver

"Ahhhhh!"
"Captain!!!"
"Help me..."
Screams and cries for help filled the air, echoing endlessly. Where once the outskirts of District 78 had been silent, now it had become a vision of hell.

A Gillian suddenly bent low, catching a fleeing Soul Reaper in its jaws and chewing him into pulp. Blood dripped from the gaps in the bony mask’s teeth, staining the Gillian’s black body.

A figure clad in a white haori appeared behind the Gillian’s head. Before the Gillian could react, the figure raised his sword.
"Burn! Fire Dome!"
Itsuki Amanomiya’s Zanpakuto instantly transformed into a spear, wreathed in flames burning at several hundred degrees.
With a hiss, Itsuki drove the spear into the back of the Gillian’s head. Cracks split across the mask, fiery red light seeping from the fissures as if something inside was struggling to break free.
A pillar of fire erupted from the Gillian’s skull, shattering its head to pieces.

Landing lightly, Itsuki dispatched an ordinary Hollow that lunged at him from behind, then let out a long breath.
"Damn it, that’s the tenth Gillian already... Just how many of these bastards are there..."
The Hollows seemed endless, an inexhaustible tide. Who knew how many lurked behind each one? In a single exchange, hundreds of Soul Reapers had been scattered like loose sand—those with strength could endure a little longer, but the weak fell almost instantly, without even a chance to escape.

"Hah, big brother!"
Jiro Amanomiya appeared at Itsuki’s side, gripping his own Zanpakuto and panting, clearly having fought a hard battle himself.
"How is it, Jiro?"
At some point, the flames on Itsuki’s spear had vanished, leaving only a regular long spear in his hand.
"It’s bad—heavy casualties. Except for a few seated officers, everyone’s scattered. No way to regroup."

A Gillian opened its maw at them, a massive crimson orb of energy forming inside.
"Tch... Damn it..."
Jiro raised his blade. He didn’t want to release his Zanpakuto here if he could help it; with the number of enemies unknown, conserving spiritual pressure was wise. But a Gillian’s Cero was not something to be blocked without releasing one's Zanpakuto, and Jiro, knowing the nature of his brother’s power, realized he was on his own.
"Blow—Cherry Sky Dust!"
After a strange vibration, his Zanpakuto became a long, scythe-like weapon.

The Gillian’s Cero, long charged, fired just as Jiro finished releasing his Shikai, shooting toward the two captain-class Soul Reapers below.
With a hum, the blade of Cherry Sky Dust quivered, and as Jiro swung it, a fierce gale rose, forcibly twisting the Cero’s trajectory aside.

The blast tore through the Hollows instead, destroying many ordinary ones.
"Honestly, can’t you at least wait until we finish talking..."
Jiro leveled his weapon at the Gillian, his gaze turning cold.
"‘Hundred Blossoms Dance.’"
A whirlwind burst from his blade, enveloping the Gillian’s head. In the next instant, its skull was shredded as if put through a blender, reduced to pulp.
"Are you done yet, brother?"
"Don’t be foolish... That last attack nearly used up my reserves. It’s not that fast."
Itsuki glanced at his spear, then turned to Jiro. "Ordinary Hollows are fine. The rest are yours for now, Jiro."
"Oh? Not bad, captains in a place like this."
"Indeed. They look rather tasty."
"Then let’s not be shy—let’s devour them completely."
"Mm..."

Without their notice, four Adjuchas had appeared around the Amanomiya captains. Judging by their spiritual pressure, they were all nearly captain-level themselves.
"This isn’t good..."
"Things are getting tricky now..."
For the first time, they felt truly pressured. One or even two Adjuchas at a time was manageable, their Shikai sufficient to win, but now, besides these four, there were more Gillians and countless ordinary Hollows gathering.
Without Bankai, survival was impossible.
"Bankai..."

Just as Jiro prepared to release his Bankai, explosions and screams rang out from the outer ranks of the Hollows.
Booms rolled across the battlefield.
"What’s happening over there?"
Suddenly, with a flash, an Adjuchas was decapitated from behind, its massive body crashing to the ground.
"Well, you two Amanomiya are a sorry sight."
"You..." Itsuki’s eyes widened in disbelief at the man’s presence.
"Squad Three Captain..."
"Kizumura Onizuki!!"
"How is this possible? Right now, even counting the Head Captain, there are only five captains left in the Soul Society... Why are you here?"
"Heh. With the leaders all gone, there’s little point in staying in the Seireitei, don’t you think?"
Onizuki hopped lightly from the Adjuchas’ corpse to their side, a hint of mischief in his tone.
"Could it be..."

"Stop... right there..."
Reese moved slowly with the advancing army of Hollows. To him, apart from that one Soul Reaper, the entire Soul Society held no worthy opponents.
"Still trying to stop me? Your sword is already broken..."
He glanced back at Chojirou, who was trembling, wounded, barely able to stand. Reese’s voice was eerily calm—no pity for the weak, no impatience for the defeated. In his eyes, Chojirou was a witness, meant to survive and tell how their side had destroyed the Soul Society.
He would let him live.
But Chojirou, meant to bear witness, had no such intention.
He would give his life to resist.
He had only wanted to survive, but suddenly—
"I can’t let this man pass, even if I die."
Why did his resolve change? No one knew.
Not even Chojirou himself.
That he would risk everything to stop a foe far stronger than himself—
Could he really be so noble?

"If that’s how it must be, as long as you survive, I’ll simply break all your limbs."
"Then come and try..."
This must be the end.
Unable to stop the enemy, I’ve reached my limit...
Forgive me...
Master Hyakujizai...
A pillar of fire crashed down between Chojirou and Reese.
No, not a pillar—
It was a man, wreathed in searing flames, trailing a tail of fire behind him from his long flight through the sky.
Chojirou knew that fierce, all-consuming fire all too well.
That solitary, ancient figure within the blaze was forever etched into his mind.
Upon his back, the white haori marked with a bold black "1"—a presence Chojirou could never forget.

"So you’ve finally come? I was just about to seek you out and tear you to pieces myself..."
Reese’s aura shifted instantly, growing more brutal and savage.
"Shigekuni Yamamoto!!"