"Did Ran'Tao say something to make Captain-Commander Yamamoto hesitate?" Ailin asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
A brief silence followed, confirming his suspicion.
"Indeed," Yamamoto's voice finally came through the Denshin Shinki. "Ran'Tao threatened to detonate the Jōkaishō she hid in the Seireitei, destroying everything, if I sent any captain who had held their position for over a century to fight the Bount."
Ailin leaned against the wall, idly twirling the curtain cord while smiling. He knew about the Jōkaishō. While he wasn't sure which head of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute had created it, he knew it contained a vast amount of condensed reishi that could be detonated with devastating consequences.
The Jōkaishō. Why the name "Jōkaishō," which evoked purification and cleansing, for a device of such destructive power?
Throughout the Soul Society's million-year history, there had always been those who foresaw the world's inevitable decline. Some adopted a nihilistic approach, while others, driven by wisdom and determination, sought to save it. This led to countless experiments, some with disastrous consequences. The researchers, geniuses and madmen in equal measure, had unleashed horrors upon the Soul Society.
To prevent such catastrophes from recurring, the Jōkaishō was created. Despite its name, its true purpose was annihilation. Several Jōkaishō were hidden beneath every laboratory. If an experiment went awry, threatening the Seireitei, the researchers could activate the devices, obliterating all traces of their work. The experiment would then be declared forbidden by the nobles.
A thousand years ago, Ran'Tao's "immortal soul" experiment had gone wrong at the last moment. Fearing the consequences, she had detonated the Jōkaishō, destroying a tenth of the Seireitei and creating the spatial rift that allowed the immortal soul particles to escape to the World of the Living.
It seemed the researchers of the past had possessed remarkable foresight. The escaped particles had fused with human souls, giving birth to the soul-devouring Bount. If those particles had spread within the Soul Society, fusing with Shinigami souls, the results would have been far more catastrophic.
Now, with the Bount serving as Aizen's pawns, Ran'Tao's plans had been disrupted, forcing her hand. But the surviving Bount felt no gratitude towards their creator. If anything, they likely harbored resentment, a convenient target for their hatred of both the human world and the Soul Society.
With the Bount now inside the Seireitei, Ran'Tao, desperate to protect her creations, had contacted Yamamoto, using the threat of the Jōkaishō to force his compliance.
The Shinigami Research and Development Institute predated the Gotei 13 by centuries. No one knew how many laboratories they had established, or how many Jōkaishō were hidden beneath them. But the number was undoubtedly significant. If Ran'Tao detonated them all, the Seireitei would be annihilated.
Yamamoto couldn't ignore her threat. There was no predicting what a desperate scientist might do.
Ran'Tao, however, knew she couldn't push Yamamoto too far. Her demand was simple: no captain who had held their position for over a century could fight the Bount. She believed that, with their enhanced power, at least one Bount would survive. One survivor. That's all she needed, a single specimen to continue her research…
"I see," Ailin said, nodding as Yamamoto finished his explanation.
"Therefore, Captain Ailin, I request that you return to the Soul Society immediately and assume your duties as the captain of the Fifth Division. Lead the other captains and eliminate the Bount."
"Captain-Commander, even with that restriction, we still have Captain Soi Fon of the Second Division, Captain Sajin Komamura of the Seventh, Captain Rukia Kuchiki of the Ninth, Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya of the Tenth, and Captain Zaraki of the Eleventh. Surely they are enough to handle the Bount?"
"To be precise, only Captain Soi Fon and Captain Komamura are available. I don't trust Ran'Tao. I must prepare for the worst. If she detonates the Jōkaishō, I need to protect the Seireitei. Captain Kuchiki and Captain Hitsugaya can freeze the affected areas before the explosions spread. Captain Zaraki, with his heightened sense of danger, will patrol the Seireitei. If he senses a threat, we'll use time-space Kidō to seal off the area. Captain Kyoraku and Captain Ukitake are watching Ran'Tao. They will intervene if she attempts to activate the Jōkaishō. The other captains are guarding key locations. I only promised not to send veteran captains after the Bount. If they attack those locations, the captains are authorized to retaliate."
Yamamoto continued, "After losing two of their own, the Bount seem to have realized that they are safe as long as they don't attack protected areas. Soi Fon and Komamura are each occupied with two Bount. The Bount leader is currently engaged with Ichigo Kurosaki, and another Bount is facing that young Quincy…"
Ailin nodded. There were nine Bount in total. After testing Ichigo's group, they had realized they weren't ready to face the captains. Jin Kariya had then made a drastic decision, killing Yoshino Sōma and using her soul to create more Bitto, the soul-absorbing insects, further enhancing the remaining Bount's power to lieutenant-level and beyond.
With Uryū's help, they had then created a Senkaimon, a portal allowing them to bypass the Shakonmaku and enter the Seireitei. The Seireitei's dense spiritual energy had triggered another power surge, boosting them to captain-level. Furthermore, their unique physiology allowed them to regenerate quickly by absorbing reishi. Unless they were killed swiftly, they could outlast even the most seasoned Shinigami.
According to Yamamoto, of the eight Bount who had entered the Seireitei, two were dead, five were occupied, and one was missing.
Ailin turned to Haruko, who smiled and nodded.
"Let's go back, Ailin. We've seen and done everything we wanted. Staying longer would just be repeating last week. It's better to return to the Soul Society and resolve this situation."
"Alright, Haruko. Let's go."
…
"Quickly! Toshima, take ten men to that sector. Yuta, you take ten to the other side. The rest, follow me!"
Lieutenant Momo Hinamori directed her squad decisively. The revelation of Aizen's betrayal had shaken her to her core. Everything she had done after his supposed death now seemed foolish. Yamamoto, however, had been lenient, entrusting her with the Fifth Division's leadership until a new captain was appointed. The Bount attack had kept her busy, leaving little time to dwell on Aizen.
But without a captain, the Fifth Division was struggling. They couldn't track the missing Bount. Every time they arrived at a scene, they found only devastation and empty clothes, the souls of the victims already devoured.
Hinamori gritted her teeth, looking at the ruined buildings. The enemy was cunning, toying with them. Just as she felt a wave of despair, she noticed something unusual on the ground bathed in moonlight: a moving shadow, slithering through the earth as if it were water.
"A shadow?" She alerted her squad. "Be careful! The enemy is still here!"
The Fifth Division Shinigami formed a defensive circle, drawing their Zanpakutō. Hinamori suspected the enemy possessed an invisibility cloak that distorted light, casting a shadow in the moonlight.
"Bloom, Tobiume!"
Without hesitation, she released her Zanpakutō, sending two fireballs towards the sky, aiming at the shadow's projected location. But the fireballs exploded harmlessly, hitting nothing.
Hinamori frowned, glancing at the sky, then back at the ground. The shadow, shaped like a giant whale, continued to move. As it seemed to surge upwards, a realization struck her.
"Everyone, Shunpo into the air! Now!"
Though confused, her squad trusted her judgment. They flashed into the sky, hovering above the ground.
From their vantage point, they saw ripples spreading across the ground, as if it were the surface of water.
Then, a giant whale erupted from the earth, its massive jaws open wide, as if to swallow everything in its path.
Thanks to Hinamori's quick thinking, they were safe. Otherwise, several of them would have been caught in the creature's maw.
"Everyone, attack with Kidō!" Hinamori commanded, aiming at the whale.
"Ruler of the flesh and bone, flutter of wings, all things in creation…"
"Hadō #31: Shakkahō!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A volley of fireballs rained down on the whale, but with a flick of its tail, it vanished back into the earth, the fireballs exploding harmlessly in the craters they left behind. The ripples on the ground vanished as if they had never been there. Their attacks had been completely ineffective.
As the dust settled, the shadow began to rise again, ripples reappearing on the ground. A giant wooden whale emerged, its massive form dwarfing the surrounding buildings. Perched atop its head, sitting calmly in a wooden chair, was an old man with a cane.