The walls of Seireitei trembled — not from Hollow incursions or spiritual anomalies, but from the pressure of old bloodlines drawing their blades in shadow.
The Four Great Houses had decided.
No more whispers. No more veiled threats. Akira and Aizen had seen too much, uncovered too many truths. They had to be silenced — not just to preserve secrets, but to reclaim control over a future they believed was theirs to dictate.
A Hidden Hall within the Tsunayashiro Estate
A projection flared in the center of the room — a flickering spiritual recording of Akira holding the damning ledger in the Shinō Archive.
Tokinada Tsunayashiro stood with hands clasped behind his back. "They have the evidence. And Yamamoto hasn't moved to silence them. That means we act now."
A seated noble from the Kuchiki clan frowned. "Are you proposing a coup?"
Tokinada smiled faintly. "A recalibration. Central 46 will declare them unstable. The Gotei 13 will be 'forced' to respond. Or, failing that..."
He gestured.
From the shadows, black-robed warriors emerged — not Shinigami, but spiritually modified enforcers, armed with cursed steel and spiritual disruptors designed to bypass Kyōka Suigetsu's illusions and destabilize Akira's system flow.
"We remove them ourselves."
Seireitei – Barracks Pathway
Akira and Aizen moved with practiced synchronicity, heading toward Ukitake's quarters for a scheduled report.
Akira's system chimed.
[WARNING: Multiple high-level threats detected. Proximity breach. Incoming hostile energy signatures—unidentified origin.]
Aizen halted.
"They're here."
Before Akira could speak, the street exploded in lightless concussive force. Spiritual netting laced with suppressive glyphs fell around them, woven with noble-clan sealing arts.
From above, the attackers descended — black-armored figures, faces obscured, wielding weapons etched with anti-fragment sigils.
"Split maneuver," Aizen said calmly.
Akira nodded. "Got your back."
The Battle Begins
The air ruptured with spiritual pressure.
Akira launched into the fray, unleashing his full speed. Void Flash activated, sending afterimages flickering in all directions.
[SYSTEM OVERRIDE: Combat Mode – Enhanced. Target resistances calibrated. Executing custom protocol: DUAL PATH EXECUTION.]
His strikes were light and dark intertwined — radiant bursts followed by devouring void slashes. His blade split one attacker cleanly, only for the body to vanish, replaced by another illusory projection.
They were being tested.
Aizen stood still for a heartbeat, eyes sharp.
"Kyōka Suigetsu."
Shatter.
Three enemies turned on each other, screaming at illusions only they could see. Another lunged blindly and struck a phantom Akira.
But more poured in. Waves of reinforcements, more disciplined, less susceptible to illusion — their spiritual pressure twisted, unnatural.
"Modified souls," Aizen said, eyes narrowing. "They're using artificials."
Akira landed beside him, panting slightly. "How many?"
"Too many."
Yamamoto's Office – Simultaneously
Yamamoto read the sealed order from Central 46.
"Subject: Lan Akira and Aizen Sōsuke. Recommendation: Immediate detainment and spiritual sealing due to high-risk instability."
He crushed the parchment with one hand.
Ukitake stood before him, tense. "You don't believe this, do you?"
"They're afraid," Yamamoto growled. "And now they've weaponized bureaucracy."
"Will you stop it?"
Yamamoto's eyes burned. "I must protect Soul Society. Even if it means protecting it from itself."
He stood. "Assemble the Captains. If a civil war begins tonight, I will choose its direction."
Seireitei – Outer Training Grounds
Akira was bleeding. His system auto-corrected injuries faster than most medics could react, but they were being overwhelmed.
Zhuoyin's voice rang in his head. "Bankai, you fool."
Akira grinned, eyes glowing with dark gold.
"Bankai—"
Aizen touched his shoulder. "Not yet. Look."
Above them, a figure descended — not cloaked, not disguised.
Captain Gin Ichimaru.
His smile was wide. "Now this looks like a party."
Behind him, spiritual signatures flickered — Urahara, Shunsui, and Ukitake. Not aligned. Not declared. But present.
Watching.
Waiting.
Akira clenched his blade.
"Aizen."
"Right."
They turned back-to-back as the enemy forces surged again.
And the sky cracked with the clash of old power and rising rebellion.