At the same time—
While Bai Chen, in high spirits after reaping a huge haul, stayed inside Urahara's shop, sipping tea and chatting leisurely with Urahara Kisuke and Tessai—
He had no idea that a crisis had already crept in.
From the very beginning of the Soul Burial Internship, everyone's every move had been captured under Aizen's hidden surveillance.
Aizen—always obsessed with controlling everything—
Naturally wouldn't miss this rare opportunity outside Soul Society.
Karakura Town, city center
On the rooftop of the tallest building in the area—
Several figures in shihakushō had gathered.
On each of their shoulders was the same squad insignia:
A narcissus flower.
The symbol of the 10th Division.
Clearly, every Shinigami present was a 10th Division member.
"Matsumoto Vice-Captain…"
"It looks like this year's sixth-years are pretty disciplined."
"Only a third of the time has passed, and already more than half have met the minimum requirement for the internship."
A 10th Division officer named Nagasawa bowed respectfully toward Matsumoto Rangiku as he reported.
As Shinigami stationed in the Human World, Nagasawa and the others had been responsible for Karakura Town's patrol and security for months.
Now that the internship had started, they naturally needed to coordinate with Vice-Captain Matsumoto.
"Ahaha…"
"Good work, all of you."
"Keep tracking the live purification status for each sixth-year."
Rangiku nodded, satisfied.
In name, she was the one "leading the group."
But in practice, once they arrived in the Human World, she barely had to worry about anything.
First—
She had these subordinates.
Any unusual movement during the internship would be reported immediately.
Second—
The internship area wasn't the entirety of Karakura Town.
It was a designated zone.
And before the Senkaimon even opened, the Research & Development Department would work with the stationed Shinigami to do a targeted sweep—
Ensuring the zone was 100% safe.
No accidents. No surprises.
With those two conditions in place, it was normal for Rangiku to be this relaxed.
She'd led multiple internships before.
Every single one had ended smoothly.
Ever since "Soul Burial Internship" became a formal ritual—
For decades, there had never been a serious mishap.
Sixth-years were always safe.
Injuries simply didn't happen.
So for Rangiku—
This trip felt more like a vacation.
And among all the interns…
There was only one person she truly cared about.
"I wonder how Bai Chen's doing…"
"Honestly, with his strength, he should've finished the quota ages ago…"
"So why haven't I seen him?"
Her beautiful eyes scanned the sky.
The weather was perfect—blue and wide and calm.
Yet Rangiku's gaze dimmed slightly, an unmistakable disappointment creeping in.
If Bai Chen returned early…
They could slip away somewhere quiet for the rest of the time.
Just the two of them.
A rare moment alone.
But—strangely—
Bai Chen hadn't shown up at all.
Rangiku assumed he'd finish quickly and come back.
Instead… nothing.
Still, she didn't overthink it.
There was plenty of time left.
Bai Chen wouldn't seriously wait until the very end to appear… right?
Karakura Town, southwest — near the suburbs
"Big brother, thank you!!!"
"If you hadn't helped me, I would've kept wandering helplessly…"
"I'm getting more transparent… but I feel warmth again. Real warmth!"
A little girl who had just been purified spoke with heartfelt gratitude.
Standing in front of her, holding a zanpakutō—
Was Hisagi Shūhei.
"Go in peace…"
"I hope we meet again in Soul Society."
Shūhei smiled, waving goodbye.
"Big brother… goodbye…"
A flash of pale light.
The girl vanished—guided onward to be reborn in Soul Society.
"You're insane, Shūhei!"
"If I'm not mistaken, that's your thirteenth purification today!"
"At this pace, you'll break the all-time internship record!"
Several sixth-years nearby looked at Shūhei with open admiration.
But Shūhei remained calm.
No arrogance.
Instead—he gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"As this year's top student…"
"I can only try to win back a little dignity for the sixth-years through the purification count."
"I can't let Bai Chen crush us in everything."
Zanpakutō in hand, Shūhei looked helpless.
If Bai Chen weren't here, he wouldn't be pushing himself this hard.
He was doing it to preserve face for the entire sixth-year class—
So they wouldn't get outshone even during the Soul Burial Internship.
Otherwise they'd become a complete joke.
"…Yeah."
"Let's be real."
"He's basically a captain candidate."
"After graduation, every division will fight to recruit him."
"But if you think about it—having him here also means safety is maxed out."
"We don't have to worry about a Hollow attack mid-purification."
Another sixth-year spoke objectively.
"A Hollow attack?"
Shūhei shook his head.
He casually raised his zanpakutō, Kazeshini, and said with complete confidence:
"Even if Hollows show up, they'll be the most basic kind."
"My Kazeshini will harvest them easily."
As a top student who had already been pre-selected into the 9th Division before even graduating—
Shūhei had awakened his zanpakutō early.
He might not have fought Hollows in real combat yet—
But under the guidance of 9th Division seated officers, he'd built up plenty of practical fighting knowledge.
So he didn't take ordinary Hollows seriously at all.
And then—
The moment he said the word "harvest"—
BOOM—!!!
A thunderous blast tore through the sky like a bolt from nowhere.
Immediately after—
Clouds were violently pushed aside.
The once-clear blue sky…
Split like fabric being ripped open.
SHRRK—!!!
That tearing sound was razor-sharp—
So horrifying it felt like it could stop the heart.
The sudden anomaly made Shūhei and the sixth-years jump in shock.
"What… the hell?!"
"The sky was fine—why is it… breaking?!"
Forcing himself through the terror, Shūhei raised his head—
And after just one glance—
His pupils widened to the extreme.
His face turned deathly pale.
"This… can't be…"
"A Menos Grande—something that should only exist in legends…"
"Why would it descend into the Human World?! What happened?!"
Shūhei's voice trembled.
Cold sweat poured down his spine.
Even his legs started shaking uncontrollably.
Within his view—
A massive black Garganta opened across the torn heavens, swallowing the blue sky.
And worse—
Within that darkness, black-bodied, white-masked monsters with grotesque long noses…
Shifted forward, slowly emerging.
Gillian-class Menos Grande.
Born from the fusion of over a hundred starving Hollows.
Normally, Menos roamed Hueco Mundo, not the Human World.
And once they appeared—
Even stationed Shinigami found them hard to deal with.
For sixth-years who'd only read about them in textbooks?
It was pure nightmare.
The instant they saw so many Gillian—
Everyone but Shūhei lost the ability to think.
Their brains shut down.
Bodies trembling, limbs weak, they collapsed on the spot.
"Damn it…"
"Why is this happening?!"
"What is Vice-Captain Matsumoto doing?! What is the Research Department doing?!"
"We're here for an internship—NOT to be sent to die!"
Shūhei gritted his teeth, words filled with resentment and despair.
As a child in Rukongai, Shūhei had once been attacked by a Menos group.
Back then, Muguruma Kensei had arrived in time and saved him.
He survived by sheer luck.
Now, years later—
He was facing the same nightmare again.
Except this time, he had no one to rely on.
Or so he thought.
But within seconds, Shūhei abandoned the idea of resistance entirely—
Because—
ROAR—!!!
Whether due to Shūhei's spiritual pressure being unusually noticeable, or sheer bad luck—
The Gillian locked onto him fast.
They turned their masks downward, murderous hunger focused on him—
And then they moved.
One after another—
Massive bodies dropped from the Garganta like collapsing buildings.
BOOM—!!!
Each landing shattered streets and detonated fire and smoke.
Black smoke rose like a curtain, blotting out the sky.
Visibility dropped to almost nothing.
And Shūhei found himself surrounded—completely inside the Menos encirclement.
"It's over…"
"We're done for…"
"There are dozens of Gillian!"
"With numbers like this, only an unsealed captain could turn it around!"
The sixth-years huddled together, back to back, trembling like cornered animals.
Their minds collapsed, praying for a miracle.
"Damn it…"
"This is too big to ignore—so why hasn't Vice-Captain Matsumoto arrived?!"
"Don't tell me… the gathering point also got hit by Menos?!"
The thought made Shūhei's skin crawl.
One Menos incident could still be called an "accident."
But multiple large-scale Menos drops?
That screamed premeditated conspiracy.
Yet before Shūhei could warn anyone—
He lost the chance.
Because—
"Cero—!!!"
Driven by slaughter instinct—
All the Gillian opened their abyssal mouths at once.
Red light condensed into deadly spheres.
A sea of scarlet gathered, ready to erupt.
"Soul Society… Seireitei… goodbye."
"To think I'd die like this right before graduation…"
"How unforgivable…"
Shūhei's heart went numb.
He closed his eyes, waiting for death.
Unless a miracle happened—
Dozens of Gillian firing Cero simultaneously meant instant annihilation.
But—
At the absolute brink—
A familiar voice suddenly cut through the roar of gathering energy.
"Hisagi Shūhei… you okay?"
"If I'd been any later, you'd already be dead."
Shūhei's soul shook.
His emotions surged so violently it was almost painful.
"This… it's Bai Chen!!!"
In that instant—
All fear, despair, and terror were wiped clean.
Shūhei snapped his eyes open—
And within the sea of scarlet light—
He saw it.
A figure standing alone like a pillar holding up the heavens.
A back so steady it felt unreal.
Bai Chen.
"Bai Chen… you actually came!!!"
Shūhei stared at him like he was a savior.
But as the Cero light grew brighter and swallowed the sky—
Shūhei's emotions plunged again.
He shouted urgently toward that unmoving back:
"Bai Chen—MOVE!!!"
"That's a Menos Cero!!!"
"Even you—if you tank that head-on—you'll be badly injured!"
Yet Bai Chen didn't even turn his head.
His voice was calm, almost indifferent.
"Menos Gillian, that's all?"
"Even if there are more Ceros, in front of absolute suppression, they're meaningless."
"My zanpakutō—Wood Dragon…"
"Will erase them all with ease."
His tone was steady—confident—unshaken.
As if wiping out a Menos swarm was as casual as having a meal.
Shūhei fell silent, eyes flickering.
If anyone else said those words, he'd think they were delirious.
But Bai Chen said it—
And Shūhei didn't doubt him for even a second.
Instead…
He felt something he hadn't felt since the sky tore open.
Security.
Then—
Facing the storm of scarlet Cero—
Bai Chen calmly reached for his blade and drew it from its sheath.
And his release chant rang out:
"Wood that pierces the heavens! Earth that shakes the ground! Wild wind of nature! Forests that move the clouds!"
"Unleash the power of nature… Muryū!"
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