Chapter 1: Did Someone Knock The Door?

(Timeskip)

It's been two months since the Scions had returned to Etheirys in victory, having averted the Final Days and silencing the Meteia's Song of Oblivion. Also, it's been exactly the same time frame since the Scion's "disbandment". For now, let us speak of the events for the past two months.

.....

After waking up, initially Shugo was greeted with the sight of his comrades either in tears or were terribly worried, given that somehow, his portable teleporter had somehow found its way to him, despite him having essentially left it to the winds when he used it to transport the battered Scions to the safety of the Ragnarok. Of course, he asked them if they were alright, but he was met with quite the chiding and scolding by Thancred, Y'shtola, Alisaie and G'raha Tia. This was caused by the state he was in when the teleporter brought him back to the ship. In short, he was very close to death's door. But regardless, they welcomed him back with happiness, and more tears, though 'twas tears of joy.

Upon returning, the Scions would then celebrate for a bit with the citizens of Sharlayan (and of other nations that were present in the scholar city-state), no thanks to the insistence of Ameliance, the wife of Forchenault and mother to both Alisaie and Alphinaud.

"You just averted the single worst crisis our star has ever faced!" She said. "Of course I insist on you all staying and celebrate your victory!"

Thus did they celebrate, for well over three days and three nights, before they were even allowed to leave the city-state by her. They would then reconvene at the Rising Stones, greeted by a teary-eyed F'lhaminn, resident carer of the Scions and the adoptive mother of Minfilia, the late leader of the Scions. It was then the Scions discussed on their next course of action, and upon agreement after careful deliberation by all members, they announced their disbandment. Well, at least on paper. Most would return to their erstwhile endeavors. For example: Thancred would travel the world, and maybe help the locals around, while the twins would go to Garlemald and ensure that nothing goes awry in terms of politics and the humanitarian efforts of the Ilsabard Contigent there, now that the threat of the Final Days was gone.

Before they all went on their ways, however, they managed to remember to ask Shugo of his plans, of which he had hoped to not divulge initially, but relented when the "mother hen" of the Scions, Y'Shtola, remembered and called him out. He then, with great reluctance, explained that he first would leave for Doma, for there was something he wished to do there first. However, he remained tight-lipped as to the nature of his business there. His second agenda was to pick up the matters with his discipline on Sage, and perhaps continuing his learning of Archery in Gridania. 'Twas high time for him to pick up the other traditional art that Samurais once were known for, before they began to use Katanas in the ages before the Age of Blood.

And for the most part, he did what he say he would. He left for Doma soon after they all went on their ways. There, he went to meet Hien, and requested for the ownership of the Suzuka Manor, near the outskirts of the ruins of the old city of Doma. When asked why, he explained that he wished for that place to be his sole reminder of his childhood in Doma, of Yotsuyu before she became the Imperial Viceroy that she was. Initially hesitant, Hien relented eventually, given that Shugo's family had indeed took up residence there for some time before they were forced to leave, some twenty years ago, and they were helpful in ensuring the livelihood of the citizens being less than abysmal, after the kingdom was conquered by Garlemald. That, and the fact this was the request from someone who helped in the Liberation of Doma, was not something Hien could reject.

Thus, Shugo obtained the ownership of the Suzuka Manor, setting up an altar within the manor. Placing the framed drawing of Tsuyu that he made all those years ago, alongside her kanzashi that was given to him by Gosetsu, he would come to pray for her at least once every week. This, to him, would be the only way he'd be able to remember her before she became...that.

After that, he then left to further his proficiency in the arts of Sage and Archery, with Sage reaching the same level as his White Mage, while his Archery was good enough to the point he would become a pupil of the legendary archer-turned-bard Jehantel the Godsbow, and became a Bard after being given the Bard Soul Crystal, eventually progressing to the same level of mastery as he was with his Dragoon. This served nothing more but to cement his prodigious talent, and of course, adding more to his ever expanding legendary feats. Following an arduous task of getting Gerolt to forge another Blade's weapon for him, he finally completed all that he wished to do for the moment.

At a whim, he then left for Elpis in the Unsundered World, wishing to learn of Creation Magick. While there was simply no chance for him to be able to use it himself, he wished to learn on how it works and how one does it. Mayhaps in the future, he would be able to wield it. But that's a thought in the future. He would spend one month in Elpis, learning all he could of the principles of Creation Magick in earnest, not simply an introduction to it.

After that, he returned to the present, only to find a Sharlayan researcher named Nemjiji outside the Baldesion Annex, who then directed him to go to Aporia to a scientist there named Claudien. When he arrived, he was introduced to the scientist, who then explained the issue at hand. Apparently, a crystal of sorts had been picked up from the aetherial sea when they were researching the place with the Aitiascope. Upon inspecting, and glancing into it, Shugo sensed that it was a message of sorts, sent by someone from the Unsundered World no doubt. Explaining to the scientist of the nature of the crystal and the message contained within, Claudien tasked him to investigate whose memories that was stored in the crystal.

He then left for the First and used the Ocular in the Crystarium, only to ending up dropping onto someone once he arrived in Elpis.

The person he dropped onto was someone named Themis. Though, from his voice, there was a sneaking suspicion within Shugo that this Themis might very well be Elidibus, though a bit further into the future from the time he was in at the moment. He kept quiet about this, though Themis seemed to have notice the color of his soul being identical to Azem, and quick to assume he was related to the man, or rather, being the supposed "star" his colleague had mentioned before that would help him in his investigation.

Shugo felt that somehow, Azem might've been aware of his presence ever since he first arrived in Elpis. And considering that later on, Azem denied Venat's invitation to help in the summoning of Hydaelyn, there was little chance in Venat telling Azem of what had transpired. Not to mention, the man was still with the Convocation, who knows what will happen if Fandaniel (or Hermes for the moment) heard of the information. There's no telling what that fool will do. Thus, the only safe assumption Shugo could make is that the man felt the presence of his aether.

Regardless, he agreed to help Themis with his investigation into the developing situation at Pandaemonium. Upon arriving at the facility through the designated nexus in Elpis, the group discovered that there was an anomaly occurring within the facility. For a facility that stores the most dangerous of creations, and under the management of the Words of Lahabrea, the fact that there was an active anomaly that, according to Themis, was actively working to undo the wardings put in place to keep these creations from escaping confinement. From there, the ancient deduced that there was someone actively committing such an act, but with the lack of more information, there was little they could do.

However, their answers soon came to them, as one of the supposed staff of the facility ran from the inside of the facility, seemingly erratic, before suddenly using his transformation and lashed out at Shugo and Themis, forcing the former to deal with the man while the latter provided support with the creation of "phantoms" from Shugo, while also preventing the wards of the facility from crumbling further. Eventually, after a rather lengthy fight, Shugo managed to subdue the warder, knocking some sense into the man. Later, the man introduced himself as Erichthonios, one of the warders within Pandaemonium, serving on the first circle which was called Asphodelos. The warder would go on to inform them that the creations within Asphodelos had broken free and was wreaking havoc, while the man was separated in the ensuing chaos from his fellow warders.

When Themis revealed that he was working for an organization under the Convocation of Fourteen, and that he needed to make a report to determine a suitable course of action to deal with the situation there, Erichthonios pleaded for him to delay the report, since most likely the facility would be destroyed by collapsing the space it existed within. Instead, he wished to recapture and contain the specimens, as well as finding his warder colleagues, though he admits that he simply lacked the spellcasting abilities necessary to do so. Themis would agree to assist him with the containment, while Shugo would help with subduing the specimens.

First, they managed to contain the Hippokampos, a water-based monstrosity. After that, Erichthonios would explain his reasons to save the facility, which was for Athena, the previous Chief Keyward of Pandaemonium. He also explained that each circle was overseen by a keyward, and described what kind of person the current keyward of Asphodelos, Hespheros, was. The man hoped that the keyward had managed to place the other warders in safety. The group then continued on with Erichthonios' suggestion for their next target: Phoinix, an immortal firebird made by the Words of Lahabrea, and the most dangerous of those stored within Asphodelos. Of course, this surprised Shugo, given that Louisoix became the Primal Phoenix when the man faced against the Dreadwyrm Bahamut, while there was also Suzaku in the Far East.

Upon discovering it, the halls they were in suddenly changed into a fiery arena, forcing Shugo and his phantom allies to contend in disadvantage. They eventually subdued it and the two ancients bound it before sending it back to confinement. Themis would then deduce the culprit who changed the halls, that being Hespheros himself, with the man in question then revealing himself to the group. The keyward was completely different to what Erichthonios described of him: scathing and arrogant towards the group with a maddening devotion to Lahabrea, something that Themis noted was rather unnatural. To add more into the mix, the keyward was quite dismissive in particular to Erichthonios, while also revealing that the warder was Lahabrea's biological son. He also revealed to have merged his essence with one of the concepts of Asphodelos before trying to kill the trio. Though, he failed when Themis broke the binding spell and teleported them out to the gates.

Upon returning to the gates, Erichthonios confirmed Hespheros' words of him being Lahabrea's son, and that Athena was his mother, who died in the course of her duties in Pandaemonium, with the man in question taking over her roles, without even mourning her death with him beforehand. This was admitted by Erichthonios with quite the bitterness as he said out those words. Not to mention, what shocked them man was of the change in Hespheros' behavior and subsequent transformation into a hemitheos. That was before he asked Themis and Shugo to subdue the keyward to get answers for their situation. After an intense battle, Hespheros was defeated, but he killed himself, denying the group his capture and any answers they seek.

With the man's death, Themis sensed the situation was further amiss deeper within Pandaemonium, specifically within the Abyssos circle. The group heard a loud roar before their path towards the next level was barred by a seal. He then speculates that whatever had corrupted Hespheros had also affected Erichthonios in their first encounter, and that this force had likely taken the other warders and turned them into hemithoi as well. Before he unbars the seal, he mentioned that the first circle must be stabilized beforehand, and with the capture of the Phoinix earlier, it was safe enough to only require him and Erichthonios to do so. This was also in conjunction with his consideration to report the matter to the Convocation for Lahabrea's aid, much to Erichthonios' chagrin. And with that, Themis bid Shugo to rest and report to whoever sent him.

Returning to the present era, Shugo told his experience to Claudien, who unfortunately made little headway with the research on the memory crystal. Believing that since the present had not changed due to Shugo's actions in the past, he concluded that Shugo's intervention was considered as part of history, and bid him to continue the investigation once he and his team had made headway with their own tasks. When Shugo later returned to Aporia, around a week or so since then, Nemjiji accosted him and had him regale his experience during the investigation into Pandaemonium, much to the disapproval of Ruissenaud, and Shugo's amusement.

Shugo then left after an hour of retelling everything, and returned to Elpis to further his study in creation magick. And as to who was his teacher... Let's just say that a familiar acquaintance had been more than happy to teach him, after knowing that he had succeeded in averting the Final Days.

.....

And thus, do we return to the present. Having spent a good month following his investigation into Pandaemonium, Shugo spent the remaining time furthering his understanding in creation magick. As a result, he was able to conjure memory crystals. But that was apparently the limit, as when he tried to conjure a weapon from scratch, he nearly fainted, which earned him some scolding from his teacher. He then heeded the suggestion of his teacher to instead utilize the weapons he already had within his storage, thus simplifying it to simply pulling it out from storage on his person.

He also had learned enough of Aetherytes to be able to create his own Aetheryte, albeit being extremely rough in comparison to the Sharlayans. He is able to make a proper Aethernet Crystal though. He was, at the moment, solidifying his own theory on opening portals akin to how those Ascians travel between the rift. This was when everything went sideways, as Kytte, the known madwoman of the Confluence, had taken interest in his research.

"Ah, seven hells..." Shugo muttered, as he was forced to explain his research to the madwoman.

He wasn't expecting to be asked by that mad Kytte to continue helping her research on further developing the Aetherytes that don't require attunement for transportation. He denied her request, of course, but instead when he asked her to help him in researching on how to move between places like the Ascians do, she had him participate in one of the riskier experiment, one that was even more risky than the first time he had been her "test subject".

Oh how he regretted that, as when she activated the Aetheryte, she sent him hurtling to Twelve-knows-where.

.....

o

o

o

.....

It had been almost one century since the last incident within Soul Society. The losses that were suffered that day had already been recovered, somewhat. The shoes of the captains for the several divisions within the Gotei 13 that were made empty that day had already been filled.

Aizen Sōsuke had filled in the shoes left by Shinji Hirako as the Captain of the Fifth Division. His position as the Lieutenant of the Fifth Division has been given to Hinamori Momo after she graduated from the Shin'ō Academy a few years ago.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri had taken over the Twelfth Division with his "daughter", Kurotsuchi Nemu, as his Lieutenant, sometime after Urahara Kisuke escaped into the World of the Living following being charged by Central 46 for the supposed crime he committed (and was subsequently declared to be exiled).

Ichimaru Gin and Kaname Tōsen had taken the reins of their respective divisions, the Third and Ninth, as the Captains of their division, after the losses of Captains Ōtoribashi Rōjurō and Muguruma Kensei, respectively. Izuru Kira and Shūhei Hisagi were appointed into the position of Lieutenant respectively after the two graduated from the Shin'ō Academy.

Suì-Fēng had taken the rein of the Second Division, and by extension, the Omnitsukidō, the intelligence division of the Gotei 13, following their abandonment by the previous captain, Shihōin Yoruichi, who left to assist Urahara Kisuke. The Lieutenant, Ōmaeda Marenoshin, had long since retired from that position, and his son, Ōmaeda Marechiyo, took over his position.

Following the loss of Aikawa Love (or Aikawa Rabu), Komamura Sajin took over the position of the Seventh Division's Captain after he graduated from the Shin'ō Academy. Tetsuzaemon Iba took over the position of Lieutenant, sometime after he transferred from the Eleventh Division to the Seventh and Kotsubaki Jinemon's retirement from the position.

Ise Nanao had risen into the position of Lieutenant of the Eighth Division, after the loss of Yadomaru Lisa in the incident. Lisa was the previous Lieutenant of the Eighth under Kyōraku Shunsui.

While it has been confirmed that the shoes of the Chief and Vice Chief of the Kidō Corps has been filled, following the dishonorable discharge (and subsequently rogue) of Tsukabishi Tessai, and the loss of Ushōda Hachigen, their identities remain unknown since rarely anyone has ever seen any of them, as remarked by the Captain of the Thirteenth Division, Ukitake Jūshirō, following the "Hollowfication Incident".

Now, however, the fates decide to throw a wrench into the mix. The future that was supposed to be… Shall be changed. Whether it is for the better, or worse, remains to be seen. For the one who shall bring the change, is soon to arrive.

Far above the Seireitei lies the Soul King Palace. Within it, resides the sole ruler of the entire Soul Society, and the lynchpin for every realm within the reality: The Soul King.

The man, even being sealed and maimed by the ancient ancestors of the Shinigami millions of years ago was still in fact, alive and conscious, albeit in a limbo between life and death. Feeling the encroaching change that has entered Soul Society, he mused over the irony of it.

'For the fates shall be broken, and the one heralding from a broken world shall bring about change.' He remarked from within.

If he was not in his current state, he would express a chuckle of amusement. This was the single thing that was not foreseen by him previously. It was then, by this single thought that Hyōsube Ichibē, the leader of the Zero Division, or the Royal Guards as it is alternatively known, was summoned by his will into the inner palace.

"I heed thy call, Your Majesty." Ichibē bowed.

'Pay heed of what shall transpire in the Seireitei, for it shall bring about change that will truly makes things… Interesting.' The Soul King mentally said.

Ichibē was slightly taken aback by the Soul King's words. Mind you, the Soul King is known for his almost nigh-omnipotent powers, even so far as being capable of foreseeing the future to the extent of seeing even his own death, even taking into account his current status as but a sealed being and a powerless king in terms of Soul Society's politics. All thanks to the Soul King's ability known as "The Almighty". Hence, Ichibē's slight surprise at the King's words.

"I shall do as you ordered, Your Majesty." Ichibē bowed before leaving.

The Zero Division soon began to monitor the Seireitei, in accordance with the Soul King's will. For they too shall bear witness to the coming change, and they are powerless to stop it. The Soul King, on the other hand, stays his hand and decided to simply observe in amusement.

'May this break their arrogance, and a small retribution given to them for the numerous transgressions they've made.' He mentally chuckled as he foresees the events unfolding, and its conclusion in the far future.

The year in the Human calendar is 1979 AD. Akon, the third seat of the Twelfth Division, just got his coffee as his breakfast. He was walking towards the monitoring lab operated by the Spiritual Wave Measurement Department, a cup of coffee in one hand and the other carrying an empty report book for the day.

"Morning, people…" He yawned as he arrived at the door and it opened automatically.

"Mornin'…" Hiyosu, the department head of the Shinigami R&D Institute, or the S.R.D.I., greeted back lazily.

"Good morning, sir." Kuna Niko, a member of the S.R.D.I., greeted.

"G-good morning." Tsubokura Rin, a fellow Department Head of the S.R.D.I., meekly greeted.

The place was reasonably large enough to house several monitors. Each monitor shows different things, such as the airspace around the Seireitei, the situation in the World of the Living, or even the Reiatsu (or Spiritual Pressure) levels at the Rukongai and the occasional Hollows that might pop up over there.

The day was pretty much less than hectic, with the usual readings of Hollows appearing in the outskirts, the dispatch of Shinigamis to the affected areas… Or that was how it was supposed to be for the day.

Somewhere, in the infinite unknown, the fates observing this one universe snickered in amusement, and said to itself: "Let there be change…"

Coinciding at the same time as it said those words, the Reiatsu detector went off, sending its alert to the monitor within the lab. To be precise, it was going beyond anything that has been recorded in its known history. Tsubokura was already panicking at the sight of this.

"S-sir! W-we have a massive Reiatsu reading coming towards t-the Seireitei! it's beyond any m-measured levels!" Tsubokura reported in a panic.

"Shit. Do we have any visuals on this thing?!" Hiyosu barked.

"Nothing yet! Visuals should be up… Now!" Kuna replied after redirecting the "cameras" to the incoming foreign object.

"By the Soul King…" Akon guffawed.

It was something that was like those meteors that would fall onto the World of the Living from outer space every once in a while. Except, for this case...

"Reishi readings indicates it's… We have no idea what it is!" Kuna reported in shock.

The object was literally shrouded in a stupidly dense amount of reishi, along with unknown energy readings that was equally as dense, that they can't make heads or tails of. When they were trying to scan it, the overall readings were scrambled badly.

"Separate the readings between pure reishi and possible life-signature!" Hiyosu ordered after seeing the initial results.

Akon gripped his coffee cup hard. This really messed up his day. 'So much for another easy day…' He lamented, before he contacted his Captain, Mayuri.

"Captain, we've got an incoming. It's massive, and we have no idea what in the Soul King it is." He calmly reported.

"I know! I'm heading over there now!" Mayuri retorted in an annoyed tone before he closed the call.

True to his words, Mayuri soon entered the monitoring room, accompanied by Nemu who followed behind him.

"Trying to, sir! But I cannot detect anything! It's too damn dense!" Kuna stressed in response to Hiyosu's request prior.

"Sigh… Let me do it myself." Mayuri said as he pushed away Tsubokura from the young man's station and began inputting the necessary algorithm.

"Filtering natural reishi from scans… Acquiring possible signatures of life… Discarding noises from impure reishi readings… Done." Mayuri muttered after typing in furiously and pressed the enter button.

The giant monitor showing the incoming object soon cleared up of the obstacles and showed the true content within that massive reiatsu readings.

"It's… A person?" Akon raised his brow.

The view displayed on the monitor showed of a person, seemingly not moving in any sense. It was as if the being was not in control of their fall.

"Yes, and it would seem that this visitor of ours is not even conscious, judging from the lack of active reishi within his body." Mayuri rubbed his chin.

"Cap'n, can we do anything to stop that?" Hiyosu asked as he pointed at the foreign object.

"The Seireiheki should be able to reduce the power of the impact." Mayuri conjectured. "But it'll breach the wall's barriers and head straight down, with only a reduce in energy potential by at least 30, with 40% at best."

"W-wouldn't that be b-bad, s-sir?" Tsubokura asked, with fear completely audible from his voice.

"Yes. But we can only hope to reduce the damage to the surrounding area." Mayuri shrugged. "Akon, calculate the trajectory, and find out where it will land." He immediately barked orders.

"Sir." Akon replied as he began crunching down the numbers on the computer in front of him.

"You there, sound the alarm." Mayuri pointed Tsubokura. "Alert the divisions and tell them to erect defensive barriers." He ordered the young man, snapping the lad out of his stupor.

"Y-yessir!" Tsubokura agreed in panic and began activating the alarms.

Soon, the emergency alarm was blaring across every section within the Seireitei. It repeated the same message.

"Emergency alert! All division members are to conjure defensive barriers! I repeat- "The emergency alert blared continuously.

The entire Seireitei was in a full uproar. Such a reaction was never warranted before. Nobody had dared to invade the Seireitei, so who was mad enough to cause such a reaction? The mechanisms of the Gotei 13 soon moved into motion.

.....

Within the Fifth Division's Headquarters, Aizen was amused. He certainly had felt that massive reiatsu pressure. It surprised him, since there was none save for the captain-commander within the entire Gotei that could make him feel this pressured before.

'Seems like an unexpected variable has showed up.' He bemused. 'I don't know why it came here, but it's certainly an interesting one.'

In the meantime, Momo entered the room. She looked extremely disturbed by the alert.

"Captain Aizen, we should erect a barrier! The alerts said that- "Momo said before Aizen sighed softly and stopped her.

"I know, Hinamori. I shall handle it. Go help the others." He said with a smile as he began casting various barrier Kido spells.

.....

"Accha… This could be a problem…" Gin aloofly remarked.

"Captain, we still need to erect the barriers." Kira said.

"I know, already… Also, stop being so gloomy, wouldn'ccha?" Gin sighed with a grin.

Accompanied by his Lieutenant, he was walking through the halls of his division. People were coming and going, each were preparing to cast a large barrier Kido. They had heard of the emergency alert from the 12th. Much to Kira's dismay, Gin seemed to be not feeling the heat of the situation. The poor Lieutenant could only sigh with his captain's antics, shrugging his shoulders as they walked past the members running about through the hallway.

Gin then glanced at the sky. While Kira was walking ahead, the captain had a look on his face. Though, it was only for a moment, before returning to that familiar fox-like grin he was known for. Soon, the Third Division had their barriers up.

.....

'Whatever this is, I feel it shall bring the winds of change… I know not of which it shall go, however…' Kaname mused in his meditation.

He may be blind, but he was still aware of the happenings on the outside. He heard the alert, and thus had begun casting several Kido barriers over the entire Ninth Division's headquarters. His Lieutenant, Hisagi, however, was busy ordering the men around to setup the barrier.

.....

"Captain, I've calculated the trajectory." Akon said.

"Hmm? Then speak up." Mayuri raised a brow.

Akon then switched the view on the display with the results of the calculations. The object was predicted to break through the barrier and will land on a certain location within the Seireitei.

"It's… Heading towards the vicinity of the Fourth Division." Akon reported.

"Fourth? Of all the places… Why won't it fall to ours?!" Mayuri lamented.

Mayuri was pissed. Whoever that was inside the object would prove to be quite the valuable subject for research and experimentation! Such misfortune! Why did it have to go there instead near his division's!?

"I-isn't that good, s-sir?" Tsubokura muttered.

"No, it's not, my silly subordinate! I want to examine this intruder! No one can emit such a massive reiatsu without repercussion! I want to dissect, research, and catalogue this being!" Mayuri was already on his maniac switch.

Akon sighed helplessly at the sight of his superior being like this. Knowing the man for well almost a century, he is one of the two people that could break his calm.

"Kuna send a message to Captain Unohana. I believe she should know of this." Akon ordered, pinching his brow.

The girl nodded and contacted the Fourth Division's Headquarters, notifying them of the incoming object more than likely landing near them.

.....

Kotetsu Isane ran through the halls within the Fourth Division's Headquarters. The entire division was scrambling, either to erect barriers or to evacuate essential objects to a safer location, such as the underground sewers that they often use for supply distribution.

"Captain, have you heard?!" She came into Unohana's room.

"Yes, Isane. I have already been notified by Ms. Kuna of the Twelfth Division." Unohana replied with calmness.

"Then we should- "Isane said before Unohana interrupted her.

"Don't worry, Isane. Everything will be fine." Unohana said with a smile.

"If you say so, Captain…" Isane muttered.

A massive barrier had been erected above the Fourth Division's location. Whether it will suffice or not, only time will tell.

.....

"The object is about to impact the Seireiheki! Start the countdown!" Mayuri barked.

There was barely any distance between the object and the Seireiheki. It was only a matter of time before it impacted the barrier and break through it, before landing towards the projected area. Even with all preparations made in the short span of time, none knew if it was even enough. The countdown soon began, as it was displayed on the monitor.

"8…

7…

6…

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…" Akon counted before there was a massive blast impacting the Seireiheki.

KABOOM!

The blast shook the Seireiheki so violently, it was like there was an earthquake of a 9.0 in magnitude. Within several seconds of impact, the Seireiheki slowly cracked under the sheer pressure of the incoming object.

Crack… Crack… Crack…

And not long after…

CRAAANNGGGG!

The barrier of the Seireiheki broke. This was an unbelievable sight. Not even the strongest Hollow or any sort of invasion by other parties have ever breached the Seireiheki. But now, the reality was unfolding in front of them. Their vaunted barrier, known to stop everything in its tracks before anything could harm the Seireitei… Was shattered, for all to see.

To be precise, it did not shatter the whole barrier per say. It broke through, yes, but the barrier that was farther from the original point of impact was still intact. But still, it shattered the myth of its invincibility.

Even the Captain-Commander, Yamamoto Genryūsai, who was observing from his headquarters, his eyes widen at the sight. The old man sighed in disbelief of the events happening right in front of his eyes.

'Maybe this will convince those Central 46 bureaucrats and the Noble houses to improve the Seireiheki or just even better sensors…' He thought.

His Lieutenant, Sasakibe Chōjirō, simply waited by the side. He trusts fully in his Captain, for he is THE Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, and one of the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society's history.

"Send word, prepare for disaster response near the Fourth Division." Yamamoto's vigorous voice echoed.

"Sir." Chōjirō bowed dutifully before Shunpoing away to do his orders.

.....

"S-sir, the object has impacted the b-barriers o-on the Fourth Division!" Tsubokura reported stuttering.

"I can see that!" Mayuri replied irritatedly. "How long until it will breach the barriers by Captain Unohana?" He asked.

"Estimating… Within the next three seconds!" Akon said.

"Nemu, contact the capture units! Send them to the location after it has landed on the ground!" Mayuri barked.

"Yes." Nemu curtly replied before leaving.

"Huhuhu… I shall find out whatever secrets you're having, o mysterious friend-kun…" Mayuri chuckled menacingly.

.....

"Captain, we've finished the evacuations!" Isane reported after hearing from her subordinates.

"Good." Unohana nodded. "Now, get behind me, Isane."

Isane paused for a moment before realizing what she meant with that words. She ran to Unohana's back, barely in time before the barriers set up above the 4th Division's Barracks was breached. In only three seconds, a dozen barriers made by a Kido Master, were breached.

Soon, the object landed at the courtyard of the 4th Division, and the explosion caused by the impact nearly destroyed the entire Barracks, save for some parts and Unohana's office that was protected by another multitude of barriers.

KABOOM!

A mushroom cloud emerged into the air, almost as if there was a nuclear explosion there. The barrier protecting Unohana's office soon began to shatter, one by one.

Crack! Cling! Crack! Cling! Crack! Cling!

But before the last two was shattered, the energy caused by the explosion of the impact had already dispersed.

Thus, the catastrophe that might have threatened the Seireitei as a whole, ended with a massive crater that devastated what once was the Fourth Division's Barracks.

.....

"All personnel prioritize removing the debris! Extinguish those fire at the front! Check if there are any casualties! Report back as soon as we have the tally!" Isane barked her orders in distress.

This… Thing. It had destroyed much of the Fourth Division's home. So much destruction… She gnashed her teeth in anger. However, the same cannot be said for her captain, Unohana Retsu.

She was, in contrast, calm and serene. Her eyes looked around for any possible fatalities and found none. She could sense that while some were wounded, none were fatally injured or even killed. It was a miracle that nobody died. She walked upon the crash site and went down.

"Wait, captain! We don't know if the ones inside whatever that thing is, is friendly or not!" Isane went over worryingly.

"Calm down, Isane. Look." Unohana said glancing over the pit of glass and charcoal.

At the center of the pit, laid down a man. His clothing article were recognizable to be like those of the nobility. His eyes were closed, but it was clear that he's conscious. The man opened his eyes, looking around in confusion, before proceeding to stand up. She could hear him muttering something, but it was different to anything that was from the World of the Living, though she could understand what he was muttering about.

"Sigh... Where in the seven hells now am I?" He muttered, looking around before seeing her by the edge of the crater he was in.

The captain and the lieutenant stared at this person. He stared back at them.

He blinked a few times, before he awkwardly greeted her. "Um... Kupo?"

The air felt rather awkward, as both Unohana and Isane blinked at the man's bizarre greeting. Their encounter with the man, whether they realize it or not, have already changed their fate. The machinations of fate have moved into motion, and the future that was once clear has now been muddled by the arrival of this man.

.....

"Reporting, Captain-Commander." A Kido Corps member appeared at a distance behind Yamamoto.

"You may speak." The old captain gave his permission.

"Sir. The object impacting the Fourth Division's Barracks has devastated the place. Most of the Barracks is all but rubble. Reportedly, they have suffered 10% casualties, though none are fatalities." The member reported.

"Furthermore, there was a man found in the center of the crash site, possibly the one that was within the object. The man was reportedly briefly unconscious before waking up and giving a rather bizarre greeting, according to Captain Unohana." He further elaborated, before ending his report.

"I see…" Yamamoto stroked his beard in contemplation. "Good work. I shall visit the Fourth's Barracks myself. I want to see the source of this whole… Debacle."

"Sir." The member bid his farewell and left with Shunpo.

"Chōjirō." Yamamoto called.

The Vice-Captain, who was waiting near the door, came to his side.

"Yes Captain." Chōjirō bowed.

"Come with me. We shall visit this… Ryoka." Yamamoto said as he slowly walks towards the door.

"Yessir." Chōjirō obliged and followed behind him.

The two exited the Captain's room and left towards the Fourth Division's Barracks with Shunpo.

.....

Suì-Fēng, head of the Second Division, felt ashamed of herself. For allowing such a thing to occur within Seireitei… Within her watch! It was the worst possible negligence she ever made! At this moment, she is rushing towards the Fourth Division Barracks, with her Lieutenant, Marechiyo (who's munching down some potato chips), in tow.

"Cap'n, y'u sh'ldn't b' r'shing. We've alre'dy-" Ōmaeda said while munching down his potato chips, before Suì-Fēng glared at the man.

"Listen here, you useless piece of a Lieutenant… If you got the time to munch those chips down your throat, then use it to learn to do your damn job! If not, I'd be more than happy to have you replaced with someone else more competent!" She angrily retorted.

Ōmaeda almost choked before gulping down the chips in his throat with some water, before proceeding to plead to her, "Please don't replace me, Captain! My father will disown me if you do!"

"Hmph. Then do your damn job!" Suì-Fēng glared angrily at the man again, before continuing with Shunpo towards the Barracks.

While she has no intentions to replace him (for now), she would be more than happy if there was someone adequate to fill in the shoes, if she ever decides to do so.

.....

The infamous playboy-laid back captain of the Eighth Division, Kyoraku Shunsui had arrived earlier than the others, aside from the already-present Captain Unohana and Lieutenant Kotetsu Isane of the Fourth. He was slacking somewhere nearby after the alert went live. Not long after the impact, he went normally towards the Barracks and saw the man being in an awkward standoff with captain Unohana and her lieutenant.

"Oh my, this has become quite interesting... Isn't it, Nanao-chan?" Kyoraku remarked, noticing that while there was no tension in the air, it simply felt awkward.

"Captain, I don't think calling a breach of the Seireiheki by an outside party can be considered as interesting." Nanao replied in reprimand, while adjusting her glasses.

After a few minutes passed by, more and more captains arrived. The second to arrive was Suì-Fēng and Ōmaeda, on the latter who was fumbling after seeing the standoff between the Ryoka, and the captain and lieutenant of the 4th.

The third to arrive is the Captain-Commander, Yamamoto Shigekuni himself, accompanied by his lieutenant, Sasakibe Chōjirō. The old man observed the man at the center of the crater. To his surprise, however, he could feel the overbearing reiatsu from the man. However, it was not hostile towards anyone, although it seemed to be wary of the observers.

'Hmm…' He pondered.

More and more captains continued to arrive as time passed. The last one to arrive was Captain Ukitake Jūshirō, accompanied by his two Co-3rd Seats, Kotetsu Kiyone and Kotsubaki Sentarō. The sickly captain was the last to arrive due to his health.

The capture units from the Twelfth Division had already arrived after Yamamoto, but was strictly forbidden by Captain Unohana from even touching the man, citing that he was in no condition to be transported anywhere, let alone whatever Mayuri had planned to do with the unknown intruder. This was further reinforced even after Mayuri arrived, and Unohana simply gave the man a rather disturbingly friendly smile, to put it in his own words. It was more than enough to deter the mad scientist of the Gotei, who went to the side with a grumble, while Nemu kept her silence as she watched over Ryoka in question.

In the meantime, Shugo, who was in the center of it all, could only pinch the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache brewing.