Gabriel, in no mood to deal with Soul Society's BS, decided to give them a small little gift. Nothing too expensive, really—just something small and fairly simple.
Just a small little warning.
Even if he did send the warning, he still prepped for war, because he knew Soul Society would not agree. How could they possibly throw away one of their precious nobles?
Well, who cared? He was training hard every day, and it was about time he got to unleash that power.
The last time he went all out was against Starrk a few years ago, but ever since then, Gabriel had long since surpassed the Horseman, his power growing exponentially every day.
Soul Society – 12th Division Barracks
The machines hummed, and data flickered across their screens. All was peaceful inside Squad 12—until a huge-ass Garganta appeared.
Scientists and engineers froze, their instruments beeping in alarm as an eerie phenomenon unfolded before their very eyes. From the gaping maw of the void emerged not a horde of Hollows but something far more unsettling—crows.
Dozens of them.
Their inky black forms fluttered in unnatural unison, each wingbeat silent as death itself. As the crows poured out, dozens upon dozens of Hell Butterflies followed—maybe even thousands—spilling into the air like an omen.
The sight was truly freaky.
It took mere moments for Soul Society to react.
First Division – Captain's Meeting Hall
Within minutes, every captain had gathered. The weight of their combined reiatsu was enough to suffocate an unseated officer. Yamamoto Genryūsai stood at the head, his fiery gaze set toward the sky where the disturbance loomed.
"A Garganta... yet no immediate attack. Strange," Isshin Shiba muttered, arms crossed. This captain meeting was getting boring, but this was proving to be quite fun.
Unohana, who was also present, her pleasant smile vanished. This... presence—it felt like Hell. It felt the same as when the Gates of Hell would open to swallow the souls of evil humans or whenever they had to perform a ceremony for a Captain-class Shinigami.
This was 100% Hell miasma.
She could tell.
Aizen kept up his little facade. From what he had gathered—after avoiding Gabriel like the plague—it wasn't because he was scared. He wasn't. But his Hōgyoku?
That was another story.
The orb willingly allowed Aizen to be its master, as if saying: between being next to Gabriel or having Aizen as a master, it would choose Aizen 200% of the time. Aizen had a rough guess as to what Gabriel was.
Whatever being resided in this Hollow King's body, it was the reason the Soul King allowed himself to become a glorified chicken nugget.
Though, it still needed more Reiryoku, so Aizen needed to stay low-key for now.
He and the other captains stood outside, gazing at the crows in the sky.
And then... they merged.
Their bodies melded together in a swirling vortex of dark feathers, forming the shape of a man. As the last of the crows solidified, a tall Arrancar with an air of aristocratic refinement stepped forward. His noble posture, his elegant yet ominous presence—it was clear he was not some mindless Hollow.
He bowed.
"I bid you all good tidings, esteemed warriors of Soul Society."
He truly radiated elegance.
"I am Corvus, loyal retainer of His Majesty, Gabriel Sanguinoso." His voice was smooth, cultured, utterly devoid of hostility—yet it carried the weight of something far worse.
"I come not for war, but for discourse."
Yamamoto's brows furrowed. "Discourse? Hollows do not negotiate."
Racist much, old man?
Corvus merely smiled, a polite yet dangerous expression.
"Ah, but times change, Head Captain. And so do kings."
His words sent an uneasy ripple through the captains.
Gabriel Sanguinoso? That was not Barragan's name.
A Hollow King they had not known? Unacceptable.
"Enough riddles," Soifon snapped. "What does your so-called majesty demand?"
Corvus chuckled lightly.
"A few days ago, a Fullbringer working for His Majesty suffered a most grievous crime. His family was attacked by Soul Reapers—" his expression darkened, "—his wife brutalized, his child nearly taken, and his beloved son captured."
A heavy silence followed.
Yamamoto's eyes burned. "Lies."
No proof.
"Oh?" Corvus tilted his head. "Do you claim Soul Society is without sin? That none among you would commit such an atrocity?"
Among the thirteen captains, at least half of them had committed some atrocious shit, and the vast majority had probably violated the fuck out of the Geneva Convention.
A muscle in Yamamoto's jaw twitched, but before he could speak, Corvus dropped something onto the ground.
A symbol.
It bore the unmistakable crest of the Tsunayashiro Clan.
And beside it, the lifeless husk of a Shinigami—his body intact, but his soul utterly erased, a terrifying fate even for the dead.
The tension became suffocating.
Isshin's easygoing demeanor disappeared as his eyes locked onto the corpse. Aizen's smirk remained, but his gaze sharpened with intrigue. Unohana, though calm, studied Corvus with a newfound wariness.
She was the healer here, and yet... this was the first time she saw a Shinigami body without a soul.
"Even if one of our own acted outside of their orders, they would have been punished," Yamamoto declared. "Soul Society does not protect criminals."
...Five Noble Families exist.
Corvus's smile widened.
"Even if said criminals belong to one of the Four Great Noble Families?"
The silence that followed was deafening.
He chuckled. "Ah, how amusing. This is why His Majesty does not desire war—only justice."
Yamamoto's spiritual pressure flared, flames licking the air around him. "Soul Society does not answer to Hollow Kings."
Corvus remained unfazed.
"Then let me phrase it differently. Would you sacrifice thousands of Shinigami to protect a single noble?" His voice remained pleasant, but there was an unmistakable edge to it now.
"His Majesty's army consists of numerous Arrancar. All his high-ranking officers are Vasto Lorde. Even the greatest among your ranks will not escape unscathed."
The weight of his words pressed down on them.
No one wanted war.
No one wanted to see what kind of army this new Hollow King had built.
Corvus bowed once more, maintaining his aristocratic grace.
"His Majesty grants you one month." His gaze flickered to Yamamoto's flames, unbothered. "Send the Tsunayashiro scum through the Garganta, alone. That is all."
"And if we refuse?" Yamamoto's voice was a growl.
Corvus smiled—a real smile this time.
"Then His Majesty will come to retrieve him himself."
With that, his form burst into crows once more.
The Garganta snapped shut, and as it did, the Gates of Hell, which had seemed on the verge of opening, were forced closed.