Inside the mansion.
The study was deathly silent.
Several figures were gathered here, the heavy atmosphere permeating every corner.
"This is the Lord's decision. You have no choice."
Takeda Goki, missing an arm, looked cold. He radiated an aura that warned others to stay away, his low voice echoing in the room.
"Whether it is the Moriyama family or the Yokota family, without the Lord's gifts, you would always be nothing more than common trash."
"If the Lord hadn't spoken up, you would have been kicked out of the nobility a century ago. Do you want to be stripped of your status and fall to the level of mere civilians?"
Takeda Goki's personality had turned considerably more vicious since the day he was attacked.
After his injuries had finally stabilized, he had immediately gone to the Fourth Squad's Comprehensive Relief Station for emergency treatment, only to receive a devastating answer: it could not be restored.
Unohana Retsu had expressed her regrets with a look of pity. She explained that if the severed arm had been preserved, they could have attempted to reattach it.
But since the arm had been taken by the attacker, there was basically no hope of recovery.
Upon hearing those words, Takeda Goki's hatred for that day's assailant reached its peak. He swore that if they ever met again, he would make the person pay an even more agonizing price.
If he hadn't been blindsided that day, he never would have fallen into a disadvantage, let alone had an arm severed.
Fortunately, shortly after the incident, he received a promise from the Head of the Tsunayashiro family.
Once the cooperation with Hueco Mundo was successfully completed, the Lord would help him restore his injury.
Takeda Goki had no doubts about this.
In his eyes, that man was the symbol of omnipotence.
Whatever he promised never failed to come to pass.
"Captain Takeda, please calm your anger."
The head of the Moriyama family looked slightly stunned as he explained, "I didn't mean to make excuses. I was just wondering if this matter could be postponed for a while?"
"After all, such a serious accident just happened to the Yokota family. Right now, the Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13 have increased their patrol intensity in the Rukongai by more than a notch."
"Especially in areas where nobles reside, patrol squads are frequently spotted keeping watch."
"It doesn't matter. I will be standing guard during the operation," Takeda Goki sneered. "Besides, I will personally set up the Kido barrier. Unless it's a Captain-level Soul Reaper observing at close range, it's impossible for them to notice anything unusual."
He had made thorough preparations before setting out this time.
Even when leaving the squad barracks, he had used Kyokko to conceal himself. It was impossible for anyone to discover him.
Takeda Goki was quite confident in his mastery of Kido.
"Since Captain Takeda guarantees it..."
The head of the Moriyama family breathed a sigh of relief and showed a reassured smile.
"Then I have nothing to worry about. As per your previous instructions, we have already gathered a certain number of souls from the South Rukongai."
"We can proceed with the first sacrifice today."
Hearing this, Takeda Goki nodded in satisfaction.
Because a Soul Reaper's wrists have Reiatsu discharge points, losing an arm meant the stump became an open discharge site.
While it didn't stop the flow of Reiatsu, it made precise Reiatsu manipulation relatively difficult.
If Takeda Goki hadn't possessed a certain talent for Reiatsu control, he might not have been able to adapt to the impact of the lost limb even now.
But even so, his power had been weakened to an extent.
To return to his peak, healing his arm was a necessity.
Wearing a somewhat flattering smile, the head of the Moriyama family was the first to rise from his seat.
"The Senkaimon the Lord bestowed upon the Moriyama family has been set up. We can head over now."
As he spoke, he walked to the study door.
Just as he was about to pull it open, a gentle knock suddenly came from the outside.
Takeda Goki frowned and instinctively looked at the head of the Moriyama family, only to see a face full of bewilderment.
"Captain Takeda, I already instructed the servants beforehand..."
A violent surge of Reiatsu suddenly swept through the entire mansion like a hurricane rising from the ground, seemingly swallowing the building whole in an instant.
The next moment.
A flash of light, so thin its width was almost invisible, flickered through the gap in the door. With a sharp creak, the heavy wooden doors collapsed to both sides.
The courtyard outside was revealed, looking like a scene from hell.
Guards lay scattered across the cold ground, warming the earth with their blood.
Looking at the figures in the room, Naraku Sora flashed what he considered a friendly smile.
"Long time no see, Captain Takeda."
"By the look of it, you should know why I'm here."
Takeda Goki's gaze instantly became as sharp as a blade. A daunting pressure erupted from him, filling the entire room in an instant.
"Have we been discovered?"
"Did that old man Yamamoto step in personally, or is it another Captain?"
Naraku Sora grinned. "Teacher hasn't noticed your little games. I only came this time to settle a score."
Hearing this, Takeda Goki narrowed his eyes, staring fixedly at the youth standing in the corridor holding a blade.
"Should I say you're courageous, or just incredibly stupid?"
"A mere seated officer has no idea of the gap between us."
Just as he finished speaking, a familiar Reiatsu suddenly erupted outside the mansion.
Visible Kido light rose from the ground as complex incantation runes intertwined, forming a massive Kido barrier that directly enveloped the entire residence.
Takeda Goki's expression turned hideously grim as his fierce gaze cut toward the seemingly harmless Naraku Sora.
"So you're in league with that guy!"
He had recognized Aizen's Reiatsu; it was the same person who had attacked him before.
No longer hesitating, his heavy Reiatsu pressed down, making the air in the mansion feel thick and sluggish, as if they had sunk into the deep sea.
He decided. He would slaughter the brat in front of him using the most cruel methods possible, and then pour all his fury onto that despicable sneak-attacker.
Clang!
The clear ring of a blade echoed in the courtyard. Visible Reiatsu light poured entirely into the edge of his Zanpakuto as Takeda Goki raised the shimmering steel.
Naraku Sora did not flinch, drawing his blade to meet the strike in the same manner.
Seeing this, a hint of disdain flashed in Takeda Goki's eyes. The last time they fought, this brat had clearly suffered a loss, yet he hadn't learned a single thing.
The esteemed Head Captain of the Gotei 13 is nothing more than this; his discernment is appallingly poor.
Today, I shall teach this disciple on your behalf what true power...
BOOM!
The moment the blades collided, Takeda Goki's face changed instantly. An unbearable force erupted like the heavens collapsing.
As if hit head-on by a dump truck at full speed, a gale rose from the ground, and a figure was instantly sent flying, streaking across the courtyard like a meteor.
The building collapsed with a roar, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.