Senjō Ryū—born of minor nobility, forrly served in the 10th Division. Thirty years ago, he achieved Bankai. With no open captain positions among the Gotei 13 at the ti, he voluntarily applied to the Expeditionary Force and assud the role of its captain.
The recent Hollow incursion into Soul Society was first detected by him. He reported the suspicious activity to the higher-ups in Soul Society.
Unfortunately, most mbers of the Central 46 did not believe his intelligence. Hueco Mundo had remained dormant for so long that the nobles had grown complacent, forgetting the terror of the nos.
Thankfully, the Captain-Commander still stood. He believed the report and made arrangents in ti—otherwise, the losses to Soul Society would've been far worse than they already were.
Even so, the consequences were grim.
The nobles' rage had been ignited, and Senjō Ryū, along with his Expeditionary Force, beca scapegoats. Worse still, his forr superior officer was dragged down with him.
The nobles blad Senjō for the ambiguity of his report—his wording used "possibly" instead of "definitely." That uncertainty, they claid, was the reason Central 46 made the wrong call.
The 10th Division captain, having defended Senjō's position, was thus sent to Hueco Mundo to handle a thankless, perilous mission.
The only solace was that the previous attack had clearly depleted Hueco Mundo's forces. Over the past month, the Expeditionary Force and the 10th Division troops had easily completed their quota of Gillians.
Only the directive to capture twenty Adjuchas-class nos sounded utterly absurd.
"What, they think Adjuchas are as common as cabbages? This is Hueco Mundo, not the Seireitei. If an Adjuchas wants to run, you think we can stop it?"
Senjō Ryū scoffed. As a man who'd fought and survived in Hueco Mundo for years, he knew better than anyone how laughable that order from Soul Society was.
Yet his old commanding officer—the current 10th Division captain—seed to think differently.
As a captain born in the Rukongai, a commoner elevated by pure rit, he obeyed orders from Central 46 with unwavering discipline.
Word was, his dream was to marry into a noble house.
So now, as Senjō Ryū stood atop a desolate ridge, gazing toward Las Noches in the distance, he didn't know whether he should pray for his forr captain—or mourn him in advance.
They all knew Las Noches was ruled by Baraggan Louisenbairn, the self-proclaid King of Hueco Mundo. That place was crawling with Adjuchas. Sure, you could go in, but only if you thought you could take on Baraggan himself.
"Captain, are we really just going to let the 10th Division's captain walk into that deathtrap?"
The Expeditionary Force's lieutenant, Satori Akira, ca to Senjō's side, voice laced with concern.
"What else can we do? We've got an unspoken agreent with Baraggan: we don't enter Las Noches, he doesn't ss with our Hollow hunts. If we violate that line now, the next ti Soul Society sends troops here, it's gonna cost us."
Senjō understood what was at stake. Nobles' bloodlust was one thing—but the real purpose of their presence here was to kill just enough Hollows to maintain the balance between the three realms: Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the World of the Living.
"But if the 10th Division captain gets killed—"
"He won't. As long as he wants to survive, even Baraggan can't easily kill a captain. That title still ans sothing. Besides, we're in position to provide backup. If he makes it back here, Baraggan will get the ssage loud and clear. Unless he really wants to declare war on all of Soul Society."
Senjō's voice was firm.
Satori didn't argue, though inwardly he grumbled, They literally brought their army to Soul Society last ti. What part of that isn't a declaration of war?
Still, Satori trusted his captain's judgnt. Senjō had a reputation for asured strategy, not recklessness. After confirming the plan, Satori turned back—he needed to regroup with the main force, ready their extraction in case things went south. They were too far from base right now to afford delays.
But he hadn't gone more than 500 ters before he stopped in his tracks.
A Shinigami stood ahead.
Short black hair. Brown eyes. Standard-issue shihakushō. A dark green zanpakutō with dragon-and-phoenix engravings at his waist.
Satori racked his mory—nothing. This guy wasn't one of the 10th Division's tagalongs either.
"First ti eting. Na's Higashi Shūichi. Twenty-one years ago, I was promoted to Fourth Division's vice-captain. Now I'm Third Seat."
The man greeted him with a warm smile, like a spring breeze.
Higashi could've gone about this differently—used stealth, used misdirection, increased his odds of success. But in the end, he chose not to.
Because no matter how far he was willing to stoop to survive, he wouldn't apply underhanded tricks on enemies weaker than him—especially those who, in every way that mattered, were innocent.
If the day ca when his heart turned cold, when survival ant becoming a monster... then what would be the point of surviving?
So he gave Satori a courtesy he didn't have to.
Satori didn't understand any of this—but after years in Hueco Mundo, his instincts scread: This guy isn't ordinary.
Even if Higashi was telling the truth, Satori instinctively stepped back, left hand reaching for his zanpakutō.
"Third Seat Higashi, would you care to explain why you're here? I don't recall the Fourth Division assigning anyone to Hueco Mundo."
Sharp mory. That was the mark of a true Expeditionary Force veteran—far sharper than the average Gotei soldier.
This force, Higashi realized, could match any division in raw capability. Their obscurity in the canon tiline... There must've been a reason they never had their mont.
He shrugged. What did it matter? Everyone here was going to die, whether by soone else's hands or his.
Satori didn't understand that either. He was still wondering whether to attack or run for Senjō when Higashi made his move.
But not before offering one last rcy.
"I'm here to kill Captain Senjō Ryū. Unlucky for you—you just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong ti."
His voice turned cold. His gaze sharpened like a drawn blade.
"You'll die here too."
"Engage—Hyōsha!"
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