"Who are you really? And why did you save us?"
Amid the endless pale sands, Tier Harribel stood protectively before Sung-Sun, Apacci, and Mila Rose, her gaze locked on the man walking toward them.
"I am Higashi Shuuichi, Grand Blade Hunter of the Soul Society's Kenpachi Retrieval Division," he said, carrying the unconscious Yoshima Ōshu in his arms.
"Though I suppose, for now, you can just think of me as a Captain."
Harribel's reaction was… off. Shuuichi found it odd.
By the timeline he remembered, Aizen should've already saved Harribel once by now—enough to earn her loyalty and eventually grant her Arrancarification via the Hōgyoku. That encounter should've dulled her guard toward Shinigami rescues.
But here, her emotion ran hotter than expected.
"So?" she pressed. "You still haven't told me. Why save us? You're a Shinigami. We're Hollows. We're supposed to be enemies."
Ah. That confirmed it.
So Aizen never got to her. Did my interference change the narrative?
Had his meddling in Hueco Mundo pushed Aizen's hand earlier? Was Shuuichi now stepping into Aizen's role without meaning to?
That realization lit a quiet spark in his mind.
Tier Harribel, from any angle, was the ideal subordinate. Strong, loyal, composed, utterly lacking the typical Hollow depravity—and, well, easy on the eyes.
Aizen had never appreciated that. But Higashi Shuuichi did.
"Enemy? That's just a label people like to throw around. Let me ask you: if I asked you to raise your blade against me right now… would you?"
He stepped closer.
Closer.
Until his face was inches from hers, his breath brushing her skin like static.
"Would you?"
Those three words rang through her skull.
Harribel knew she could still unleash two full-strength Cero. He had to know it too—she'd told him as much earlier. Yet he stood there, leaving his subordinate unattended, exposing himself fully to her.
At this range, she couldn't miss.
And yet…
Why is my heart racing…?
Against all instinct, all logic, Tier Harribel, Vasto Lorde and apex predator, dropped her gaze.
"I… wouldn't."
Behind her, Sung-Sun, Apacci, and Mila were stunned.
Was this their Harribel-sama?
You can't surrender to a Shinigami!
But none of them dared speak.
"So you see," Shuuichi said with a small smile, "you're not my enemy. And I won't harm you either. It's a simple logic."
Harribel nodded slowly, mechanically. The logic was sound. Too sound.
"But," Shuuichi continued, "there's no such thing as a free rescue. We may not be enemies—but that doesn't mean I helped you out of charity. I have something I want in return."
"What do you want us to do?" she asked.
Finally, this made sense.
"Serve me," he said plainly. "In exchange, I'll make you one of the current Espada."
"…"
She was silent. Then: "You're a Shinigami Captain. How would you make me an Espada?"
A fair question.
She didn't care about serving someone. She wasn't power-hungry, nor some wild, freedom-loving Hollow. All she'd ever wanted was to grow stronger without devouring others.
But his offer still pulled at her—because becoming an Espada meant status, autonomy, and safety from Baraggan's constant harassment.
Still, how could a Shinigami affect that?
Then he said it:
"Simple. Kill the ones ranked above you. As long as there's a vacancy and no one stronger steps in, the position is yours."
Like it was nothing.
So this was a Shinigami.
She had thought maybe he was different.
Maybe he saw value in her.
But it seemed his "kindness" only extended to her specifically.
Only her?
She looked away, unsure why her chest felt tight.
A Hollow and a Shinigami… it couldn't be, could it?
Unaware of her thoughts, Shuuichi misunderstood the silence.
Was she doubting him?
Did that Infernal Requiem not impress enough?
Fine. Let's go again.
He extended his hand and gently pressed his palm against Harribel's left arm—the one Baraggan's aging had decayed to bone.
Drawing on his mastery of Kaidō, strengthened by "Onsen Oni" Tenjirō Kirinji of the Royal Guard, Shuuichi guided a shard of the Soul King's power through her flesh.
Bone reshaped.
Skin regenerated.
In seconds, her arm was whole again.
This wasn't fantasy. He had learned from those who understood the body of the Soul King better than anyone.
Harribel stared at her restored arm.
Baraggan's power had ravaged her—its decay unstoppable.
But Shuuichi had reversed it. Just like that.
What had it cost him?
He hadn't said.
But she knew it had cost a lot.
So… he was serious. About her.
She felt something swell inside. Something too dangerous to name.
No. That's impossible. He's a Shinigami. I'm a Hollow. We can't…
She raised her eyes, heart pounding.
"I understand. I'll serve you from now on, Lord Shuuichi."
Maybe if she used that word—Lord—it would keep things in their place. Maybe it would remind them both that such thoughts were absurd.
Because they were absurd… right?
Shuuichi, oblivious, smiled.
"She's finally acknowledged my strength," he thought. "Figures. These Vasto Lordes only respect power. Show them invincibility, and they'll follow anyone."
"Good. Your first task: follow my orders and cause a disruption in the World of the Living."
He hadn't forgotten the real reason he came here: give Tsunayashiro Tokitani the excuse to push his "Arrancar Threat" narrative to the Central 46.
But then Harribel frowned.
"A disruption? To what degree?"
"Not too severe. Just enough to ensure the local Shinigami notice your presence. Bring your three Fracción if you can—the more Arrancar, the better."
"Hmm…"
"What is it?"
"I don't think we need to go."
"…What do you mean?"
She gave him a sidelong look.
Meanwhile, Shuuichi sat back beside the still-unconscious Ōshu, trying to piece it together.
This should've been good news.
But then she told him.
A day earlier, while he'd been prepping his departure from Soul Society—after revealing part of his plan to Aizen—Aizen had moved swiftly.
He relocated almost all pro-Aizen Arrancar from Las Noches, including Coyote Starrk, leaving only Baraggan and his faction behind.
Upon hearing that, Shuuichi's inner thoughts became a storm of color and profanity.
Aizen Sōsuke, you smug bastard.
He'd trusted Aizen with information—and Aizen had acted without telling him.
Typical.
Even if he didn't know what Aizen was really planning, anyone could guess his new target wasn't the Quincy anymore.
No, it had to be the Shinigami.
Especially with Kisuke Urahara still skulking around in Seireitei, playing mentor to Hollowfied Shinigami.
In other words… this trip to Hueco Mundo may have been pointless.
But no matter.
He was here now.
And in his homeland, they had a saying: "Since I'm already here…"
If Aizen had taken the main forces away, then that meant…
Perfect.
Now was the time to give Baraggan a little visit.
A personal one.
Meanwhile, one day earlier, in the World of the Living—
A tragedy unfolded in Kanda Estate, Karakura Town.
At what should've been a mundane gathering of humans, a Hollow of unusual form attacked, slaughtering everyone present.
When a Shinigami from Squad 13 came to investigate—he too was killed.
Alarming, but not unprecedented.
It wasn't until a third group, led by the Ninth Seat, also failed to return that the report finally reached the Vice-Captain of Squad 13—
Shiba Kaien.
"Captain, a high-level Hollow has appeared in the World of the Living. I request immediate deployment, and I'd like your permission to temporarily lift my spiritual pressure limit."
Though technically only Vice-Captain, Kaien had been running the division for years.
He followed protocol.
He visited Jūshirō Ukitake personally to request permission.
Ukitake approved.
But after Kaien left, Ukitake couldn't shake the feeling something terrible was going to happen.
So, uncharacteristically, he left the quiet halls of Ugendō and visited his family shrine.
There, among old relics and ancestral spirits, stood a weathered statue once worshipped by Rukongai commoners as Mimihagi.
Though Ukitake wasn't a priest, his bond to the entity was deep.
He cast his lot.
And the result?
Omen of Great Calamity.