The Omen  

The spiritual pressure emanating from that unremarkable Zanpakutō barely reached captain level. It was weaker than even the Zanpakutō wielded by Kensei Muguruma, Love Aikawa, and the others.

But why was this the last one remaining?

Could it be that its ability was stronger than all the previous Zanpakutō?

As they watched, the Zanpakutō's spiritual pressure concentrated within its blade.

Then—

A golden spatial ripple suddenly appeared behind Aizen's Mod Soul. A shadowy figure vanished into the ripple, and moments later, the ripple faded away.

As Urahara and the others looked on in confusion, blood erupted from Aizen's Mod Soul's body.

Then, his body transformed into blue spiritual flames, slowly dissipating.

This was the difference between a Mod Soul and its original.

A Shinigami's body was honed through centuries of training, their spiritual pressure condensed to its limit. For captains and above, their bodies wouldn't naturally dissolve into reishi particles upon death.

But a Mod Soul was, in essence, a laboratory-grown imitation.

Upon death, the Soul Candy pill shattered, and the Mod Soul's body would dissipate into reishi particles.

It was then that Urahara and the others realized that the final Zanpakutō's attack had already concluded.

"Wait, are you kidding me?" Hiyori Sarugaki's eyes widened in disbelief. She smacked Shinji Hirako.

"Hey, Baldy, did you see anything?"

Shinji Hirako's expression was grim.

"Sorry, Hiyori, but I think I know what happened."

"That Zanpakutō pierced Aizen's body at a speed beyond our perception, then vanished into that golden spatial ripple."

Slap!

Hiyori ripped off her other sandal and smacked Shinji across the face. "I know that, you idiot!"

"I'm asking if you saw the attack itself."

"Are you deaf? I said it was beyond our perception. If I couldn't even perceive it, how could I possibly see it? And I already said sorry…"

"If you already said sorry, then of course I didn't see it either, you moron!"

Yoruichi glanced at Urahara. She was surprised. She had never seen such a serious expression on her childhood friend's face.

"What's wrong, Urahara?"

"Yoruichi, Captain Ailin's final attack…"

Urahara trailed off, then sighed.

"If we ever find ourselves on opposing sides, and you see Captain Ailin draw that Zanpakutō, don't hesitate. Run!"

"Okay."

Yoruichi nodded, not arguing or boasting about her abilities. To be honest, she hadn't seen that attack either.

Come on, who was she?

Yoruichi Shihōin, the "Goddess of Flash."

When it came to dynamic vision, no one in the Soul Society could match her. But even she hadn't seen the final Zanpakutō's attack.

She had absolute confidence in her vision. She couldn't imagine Urahara being able to see something she couldn't. But she had even greater confidence in Urahara's judgment. If he was this serious, it meant he had seen something in that attack that she hadn't.

Trusting Urahara was never wrong!

After the battle, Ailin's Mod Soul glanced at Urahara and the others, then beckoned with his hand. The Holy Banner, radiating golden light, flew towards him, transforming back into an ordinary Zanpakutō as it entered a spatial ripple.

He had no desire to converse with them. After all, what they had witnessed, the display of power from him and Aizen's Mod Soul, was already enough to leave them speechless.

Opening a Senkaimon, Ailin's Mod Soul returned to the Dangai, heading back to the Soul Society.

He had to admit, Kageroza Inaba was indeed a Dangai expert. The exit of the Senkaimon had been set within Inaba's laboratory.

As he stepped through the portal, Inaba hurried over to him.

"Well, Captain Ailin?"

"As expected. No surprises."

"While Captain Aizen's strength was decent, he didn't even pose a challenge."

"Excellent. Please rest for now, Captain Ailin. The time for our reveal hasn't come yet."

As Inaba finished speaking, the three black dots on Ailin's Mod Soul's neck flickered. His eyes lost their luster, and a gray Soul Candy pill flew from his mouth, landing in Inaba's hand. Inaba quickly sealed it within a vial.

In fact, Inaba had already witnessed Ailin's Mod Soul slay Aizen's through the surveillance footage.

However, the power displayed by Ailin's Mod Soul had filled him with apprehension.

To prevent any unforeseen incidents before he was ready, Inaba had activated the Kidō seals embedded within the Reigai, forcing the Soul Candy pill out.

He quickly placed Ailin's Mod Soul back into a nutrient tank.

Previously, Inaba had wanted to add more Kidō seals to enhance his control over the Reigai. But to his surprise, no matter what he tried, he couldn't alter Ailin's Mod Soul.

His Kidō spells, before they could even penetrate the Reigai, were blocked by the golden armor.

Inaba wanted to remove the armor, but he couldn't find a way. It was as if the armor had fused with the Reigai.

Unless he destroyed the Reigai, there was no way to remove the armor.

Thus, Inaba had no choice but to abandon his plan to add more Kidō seals.

If Ailin's Mod Soul ever rebelled, he would simply activate the seals and force the Soul Candy pill out.

The Soul Soldiers, the Reigai were weapons, and the Soul Candy pills were ammunition. But he, Kageroza Inaba, was their master!

After dealing with Ailin's Mod Soul, Inaba returned to the surveillance monitors. Looking at the figures within, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

While he had lost Aizen's and Isshin's Mod Souls, he could potentially collect five captain-level spiritual pressures from this battle. Moreover, they were the five most valuable captains, in his view.

Besides Yoruichi and Urahara, who hadn't fought, Tessai Tsukabishi, Shinji Hirako, Kensei Muguruma, Love Aikawa, and Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi were all captain-level Shinigami wanted by the Seireitei.

If he could obtain their spiritual pressure, his forces would gain a significant power boost.

…

Life in the Seireitei continued as usual, a facade of peace.

Since granting his Mod Soul permission to use the Zanpakutō he had created within Unlimited Blade Works, Ailin hadn't sensed any further attempts to access his Innate Domain. Aside from that initial burst of activity, his Mod Soul seemed to have gone dormant.

This made Ailin shook his head. It seemed he had underestimated Kageroza Inaba.

Whether Inaba had appeased his Mod Soul or simply suppressed it, it showed his cautious nature. Otherwise, his Mod Soul would have long since begun wreaking havoc in the Seireitei.

However, this period of calm wouldn't last. Because Ailin had discovered that Sōsuke Aizen was now cultivating the Hollow White…

In fifteen years at most, the Bleach world would enter its predestined path.

…

"Something's wrong…"

Isshin Shiba, the captain of the Tenth Division, frowned as he looked at the casualty report.

The Tenth Division's duty within the Gotei 13 was patrol and security. They were primarily responsible for maintaining order within the Seireitei.

While they frequently apprehended criminals and sent them to the Ninth Division's prison, their combat intensity wasn't particularly high. It was rare for them to suffer casualties in battle.

But according to the report, over fifty Tenth Division members had died in the past year. It was the highest casualty rate in the past decade.

"What happened in this area?"

Toshiro Hitsugaya, now the vice-captain of the Tenth Division, approached Isshin and took the report.

"This area, huh?"

"Captain Shiba, I'll handle the remaining duties. Leave the patrols in this area to me."

Without waiting for Isshin's response, Toshiro turned to leave, but Isshin grabbed his arm.

"Hahaha, Toshiro, as the captain of the Tenth Division, how could I possibly send my subordinates on such a dangerous mission? Here's what we'll do. I'll leave the division duties to you and Rangiku. I'll handle the patrols in that area."

Before Toshiro could protest, Isshin vanished in a flash of Shunpo.