Rukia pulled Renji up from the ground.
He was covered in mud, looking completely embarrassed.
She immediately glanced at Su Li, his silhouette striking a faint chord of familiarity.
She leaned in and whispered, "Hey, Renji… who is that?"
Renji blinked, surprised. Then he looked toward Su Li, nervously pulling Rukia aside.
"You don't know him? He joined us once!"
Rukia tilted her head slightly, puzzled.
"No impression…"
Renji thought for a moment, then nodded as if something clicked.
"Right, you weren't in our class. You left before the graduation assessment."
"Yeah... after you were accepted into the 13th Division under Kuchiki's family, you didn't see what happened next."
"It's normal if you don't remember him. Honestly, nobody paid much attention to this guy back then."
Renji's tone grew a little emotional.
Rukia had left the Spiritual Arts Academy early at the Kuchiki family's request. She joined the 13th Division before graduation, so she missed the assessment and everything that followed.
Still confused, Rukia stared at Su Li's back.
Renji smiled faintly and said, "He was the top graduate of our year—and now he's the Second Division's…"
Before he could finish, Rukia's eyes widened in shock.
"Wait! Top graduate?! Isn't there only one per class? I thought that was Hinamori?"
To her memory, the strongest in her class with the best overall performance was Hinamori Momo.
So hearing that someone else held that title was surprising.
"Ah… Momo, Kira, and I—yeah, we all had decent ranks, but we were just average in comparison…"
Renji looked toward Su Li again, his expression complicated.
"This guy… he was hiding his strength all along."
Rukia's confusion deepened, until a sudden realization struck her.
Her eyes widened with horror.
"Wait… did you say Su Li?!"
"You mean the Su Li Captain Ukitake's been mentioning nonstop these past few days?!"
"The new Vice-Captain of the Second Division?!"
Renji gave a small nod, sighing.
Rukia's face froze in disbelief.
Though she'd been away on missions recently and didn't know much about what was happening in Seireitei, even she had heard Su Li's name repeatedly.
The Second Division had appointed a terrifying new vice-captain—a prodigy, a genius.
She just never imagined that genius… had once sat in the same classroom as her.
It was hard to wrap her head around.
The two of them stared silently at Su Li's back, unable to say a word.
—
On the distant battlefield, the tide had shifted.
Since the captains had released their Shikai, their power had become swift and overwhelming.
The Gillians fought back, but their numbers dwindled quickly.
On the Shinigami's side, casualties had slowed.
So far, only 17 additional injuries had been recorded—one dead, 16 wounded.
Compared to the earlier disaster, this was a major improvement.
The battle now seemed firmly in the Shinigami's favor.
That's what everyone thought.
Everyone… except Su Li.
His gaze was fixed, expression unreadable, silently watching the chaos.
He knew better than to believe in an easy victory.
Something darker was coming.
—
Suddenly, the remaining thirty-something Gillians dropped to their knees.
"Be careful!"
Kyoraku Shunsui called out sharply.
The Shinigami immediately pulled back to a safe perimeter.
The captains tensed, retreating a few paces.
No one knew what the Gillians were planning, but such synchronized behavior wasn't normal.
It could be a second Cero barrage.
Or a coordinated self-destruction.
Either way, backing off was the safest move.
Even Zaraki Kenpachi, usually reckless and eager for battle, stepped back.
He wasn't foolish. If these Gillians exploded together, not even he could shrug it off.
The battlefield went quiet.
New recruits swallowed nervously, their hands shaking.
No one understood what the weakened Gillians were trying to do.
"Jie!!"
One Gillian suddenly let out a shrill scream toward the sky.
Then, all the others joined it, unleashing a chorus of thunderous roars.
"Jie Jie Jie!!"
The sound was jarring—resonating through the battlefield.
Shinigami below clutched their ears in pain.
Even the captains frowned.
"Still barking even on their last legs?"
Sui-Feng crossed her arms, irritated.
"Yeah… dogs at least sound better than this," Kyoraku muttered, cleaning his ear with a finger.
Ise Nanao beside him gagged, disgusted.
Only two individuals understood the true meaning behind the noise.
Aizen Sōsuke calmly pushed up his glasses, the same gentle smile on his face.
Su Li lifted his eyes slightly, his expression cold and composed.
Because that wasn't a death cry.
It was a surrender.
But not a surrender to the Shinigami.
It was submission—to someone else.
To what was coming next.
—
Meanwhile, at the 12th Division's Technology Development Bureau, there was no battle. As a research unit, they weren't deployed.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri, seated comfortably in a chair, sipped tea leisurely.
He wasn't concerned about the battlefield.
To him, even with their numbers, Gillians were no match for captains.
Victory was inevitable.
Honestly, he felt a little bored.
Why was he stuck here when he could be experimenting in the lab?
Just then—
"High-energy reaction in the space rift!"
A technician shouted, panic in his voice.
"Judging by Reiatsu signature…"
"It's Adjuchas!"
"Twelve of them!"
Mayuri sprang from his chair, tea flying everywhere.
"What did you say?! That's impossible!!"
His face twisted in disbelief.
In the past, all Menos Grande that wandered into Soul Society were Gillians—simple-minded, often lost.
But Adjuchas?
They had intelligence, could speak, and were immensely powerful.
Each one ruled its own domain in Hueco Mundo.
They didn't roam.
And they never gathered in one place like this.
Twelve Adjuchas appearing together?
This wasn't random.
It wasn't a mistake.
This was—
A full-scale invasion.