Chapter 336: The Sinner Who Spared Soul Society
Soul Society.
The spiritual pressure in the air was far gentler than the overwhelming density of Hueco Mundo. It was breathable. Calm. Weak.
A deep rumble echoed as the massive dimensional gate opened once more. The Senkaimon, sealed tight for days, now split apart like a wound reopening. One after another, silhouettes in black shihakushō stepped through the glimmering threshold. The first few shinigami emerged with hunched shoulders, worn-out footsteps, and dull gazes that lacked any trace of victory.
Shiba Kaien had received the summons the moment the gate stirred. Despite not participating in the expedition, he rushed to the gate’s location on the edge of Rukongai. With him was his vice-captain, Hisagi Shuuhei, who shared Kaien’s urgency.
The expedition had been aimed at capturing or eliminating traitors—among them, two names that echoed deeply in their hearts: Kyo Mazuru, once Kaien’s trusted friend, and Tousen Kaname, Shuuhei’s former captain. Both were sinners in the eyes of the Gotei 13. And yet, there was something about the stillness in the air that told them this was not a victorious return.
As Kaien and Shuuhei reached the outskirts, they found themselves surrounded not by the triumphant cries of returning heroes but by a haunting silence. Rows of seated officers and unseated shinigami milled about, tending to each other’s minor injuries—or merely staring at the ground, as though in a daze.
"This..." Kaien’s eyes narrowed.
There was no cheer. No celebratory reunions. The morale was not low—it was shattered.
These soldiers had not returned from a glorious conquest.
And yet... there were barely any signs of battle on the ordinary troops. No grave injuries. No signs of a brutal war fought in the harsh white sands of Hueco Mundo.
Only when Kaien and Shuuhei pushed through to the front ranks did the truth begin to take shape. There, among the highest-ranking officers—captains, lieutenants, and seated members—were the real wounds. Bloodied garments, scorched skin, broken zanpakutō fragments strapped in silence to their backs.