— — — — — —
Go with Lady Yoruichi? W-Was she finally inviting me?!
"Haaa~"
Soifon's breath caught slightly, her heart racing.
Why didn't she take me with her back then?
That question had haunted Soifon for over a century.
From the moment Yoruichi left Soul Society, it was all she could think about.
But today, that no longer mattered.
This time, Lady Yoruichi had extended her hand to her.
Soifon looked up, dazed, staring at Yoruichi's face.
Her lips parted slightly, the words "I will" practically on the tip of her tongue.
But then—
"Boss~!!"
A goofy, booming voice echoed from afar.
Omaeda?
That snapped her back to reality.
In a flash, Soifon wriggled out of Yoruichi's embrace and straightened up, her expression instantly shifting to something far more serious.
"I'm the current captain of the Second Division," she said firmly. "There's no way I can just leave with you."
Still, as she said those words, a twinge of regret stirred in her chest.
She sheathed her Zanpakutō, raised her chin slightly, and crossed her arms.
"I'll let you go this time. I'll act like I didn't see anything and won't report you to the Seireitei," she said coldly. "But next time we meet, I won't hold back."
With a huff, she turned and walked away.
Yoruichi didn't stop her. She just offered a quiet warning:" Don't go poking around in Hell anymore."
Soifon's steps paused—but she didn't reply. She just kept walking.
Yoruichi watched her go with a hint of emotion. "…Soifon," she murmured. "You've grown up."
It was obvious that Soifon still wanted to go with her.
But she turned her down anyway.
"Because of those subordinates, huh…" Yoruichi said to herself, watching the Second Division members gather protectively around Soifon.
She chuckled softly. "Way more responsible than I ever was."
Back then, Yoruichi had abandoned everything—her division, her comrades—and vanished without a word.
That was probably why Soifon could never truly forgive her before.
But maybe this was for the best.
For now, Yoruichi shelved the idea of pulling Soifon to her side.
"We'll meet again."
She whispered it like a promise.
Thanks to Lynn, she already knew a bit about Hell's next move.
Just like Soul Society, Hell was preparing to start transferring souls from the human world.
And when that happens— The balance between the three realms will be shattered.
The Soul Society definitely won't stand for it.
It's only a matter of time before Hell and Soul Society end up on opposite sides.
The thought gave Yoruichi a headache.
After all, this was still her world too. She had grown up in the Soul Society.
She still cared about it deeply.
If not for what she'd learned about Aizen's plans, she never would've left in the first place.
And yet now, she was on the opposite side.
There had to be another way—a way to avoid open conflict.
There had to be a solution!
Her eyes sharpened with resolve.
Yoruichi took one last glance in Soifon's direction—then disappeared.
— — —
Not far away, Marechiyo Omaeda scratched his head. "Captain, something good happened just now?"
"…Huh?"
Soifon blinked. "Why do you say that?"
"Well, uh…" he fumbled. "You were… smiling."
Smiling?
She froze for a second, instinctively glancing in Yoruichi's direction—but of course, she was already gone.
Soifon pressed her lips into a thin line, face returning to its usual sternness.
"You were imagining things."
"Huh?! But I definitely saw—"
Bonk!
"OWW!!"
Omaeda clutched his head, face twisted in pain.
"I said," Soifon said blankly, "you saw nothing."
Looking pitiful, he mumbled, "But you really were smili—"
"Hm?"
She didn't even need words this time—just a single hum through her nose made him flinch.
"Y-Yes, ma'am! I didn't see anything at all!"
"…Idiot," Soifon muttered, sighing and rubbing her temples.
Then she swept her gaze over the other Second Division members who had been silently watching the show.
The sharp look immediately straightened their backs.
Satisfied, Soifon gave a curt nod and turned away. "Let's go. We're heading back to Soul Society."
"Huh?"
Several team members blinked in confusion. "We're not investigating the lower levels anymore?"
Soifon paused. Yoruichi's warning echoed in her mind.
"…No need," she replied. "I already have a rough idea of what's going on."
It was clearly something Yoruichi had stirred up.
If that was the case, no need to dig any deeper.
Still—That damn guy who left with Lady Yoruichi.
Could he be down there in Hell too?
The moment the thought crossed her mind, her eyes grew cold, and her hand clenched tightly around her Zanpakutō.
She really wanted to kill Urahara Kisuke.
But after a few deep breaths, she managed to rein it in—at least for now.
...
Meanwhile, the Division exchanged glances, then responded together:
"Yes, Captain!"
Well… if the captain said so, there wasn't much else to say.
A short while later— Soifon and her team were gone, and Hell was quiet once more.
Except, for the Fifth Layer, still in chaos, still under renovation.
Then time passed slowly…
— — —
A few days later— Hueco Mundo
Kikyo and her group had found a vantage point overlooking a distant structure.
After several days of exploring, they'd come to a clear conclusion: Hueco Mundo was a barren wasteland.
And yet, there it was—a massive fortress standing out in the desolation.
It looked off. Unnatural.
"Sister Midoriko! That's where the bad guys are!"
Nel puffed out her cheeks and glared in the direction of Las Noches.
"Ooh~" Midoriko chuckled and gave Nel's cheek a gentle pinch.
Then her eyes turned to the towering complex, gaze narrowing slightly.
So that was Las Noches, as the intel suggested?
They'd been heading in this direction for long days.
Partly because they were leveling up as they traveled—couldn't be helped. And partly because Hueco Mundo was just that vast.
Of course, if they'd rushed, they could've arrived sooner.
"How's it look?" Kikyo asked.
Midoriko paused in thought. "…I can sense a lot of strong Reiatsu over there. Hmm… probably Ultimate-Class."
Kikyo sighed. "Then we're definitely not ready to pick a fight yet."
"Agreed."
Their team only had one Ultimate-Class combatant—Midoriko herself.
"Let's focus on leveling up first," she said.
On his end, Lynn watched their decision play out on the screen, stroking his chin.
"Hmm..."
Yeah, the sub-squad guarding Las Noches would be tough for them right now.
After some thought, he reached out in the group chat to call on Katerea Leviathan.
She was Satan-level, after all. Having her sit idle was just a waste!
While he was at it, he asked her to bring Ingvild along too.
That woman had been asleep for a hundred years—zero battle experience.
Sure, she was technically top-tier in power, but she had no clue how to actually use it.
High-class devils like her were supposed to be part of the invasion vanguard!
Time to get her into shape.
— — —
At the same time, Enma Ai sent over a message: [The gateway between Hell and the human world had stabilized.]
[And the first city—Karakura Town.]
.
.
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