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The words struck like a blade, silencing the courtyard. Everyone present stood frozen. All inmates in the Nest of Maggots—dead. Not a single survivor.

Though the facility was reserved for former Shinigami quietly retired from Seireitei operations—those deemed unstable, dangerous, or irredeemably tainted with forbidden knowledge—the implications of their simultaneous deaths were far-reaching. Over a hundred prisoners confined for centuries were now lifeless husks, extinguished without warning or trace.

This wasn't a random event.

And judging from Suì-Fēng's grim expression, the trail of blame had already narrowed to one name: Kuchiki Shiraha.

"Aizen... so this is your move," Shiraha thought, the pieces locking neatly into place. Every cryptic warning Shuangya had left him in Infernal Hell now rang clear—this was the looming disaster he'd sensed. The framing wasn't crude or chaotic; it was surgical. Clean. Devastating. Shiraha didn't need confirmation. The signature of the crime was too precise.

As a captain of the Gotei 13 and scion of the Kuchiki family, Shiraha's political standing meant trivial accusations couldn't hold him. But if Central 46 believed he had committed mass murder inside one of Soul Society's most heavily veiled facilities, the consequences would eclipse protocol. This would become law.

It had begun with the suspicious death of Officer Iganbanshifang and two other squad members—members of First Division whose fates had quietly tipped the scales. Then came his seemingly temporary confinement. Now, timed to perfection, the maggot's nest had been turned into a massacre discovered immediately after his release. One event bled into the next. Layer after layer, each locking into the last. A puzzle only one hand could have constructed.

"Captain Suì-Fēng, what exactly happened?" Kyoraku Shunsui's tone had lost its usual playfulness; his eyes were sharp now.

"Have you confirmed the perpetrator?" Chōjirō Sasakibe asked, voice low and steady.

"We've concluded the initial investigation," Suì-Fēng said coolly. "Aside from the spiritual pressures of the stationed guards, only one signature was recorded—Captain Shiraha's. No one else entered or left the facility in that window."

Her eyes slid toward Shiraha. "As it stands, all evidence points to him as the sole suspect."

The report left little ambiguity. According to the maggot's nest guards, once Shiraha departed, the facility was undisturbed. Only when the Third Subdivision of the Second Division's Surveillance Unit entered did they discover the corpses, their spiritual threads long faded.

Shiraha remained silent, unmoved by the claims. Aizen had erased his trail as always, meticulously redirecting the scent toward his chosen scapegoat. Shiraha wouldn't waste time denying what had already been staged.

"Captain Suì-Fēng, are you prepared to stand behind such a claim?" Byakuya Kuchiki's voice rang out, refined but brimming with unspoken steel. His brows drew inward, a rare fracture in his composure.

Byakuya didn't need proof. He simply understood Shiraha. There was no motive, no purpose in murdering those prisoners, and the suggestion insulted logic.

"Captain Kuchiki, I've stated only the investigation's results. If you doubt them, you're welcome to examine the scene yourself," Suì-Fēng replied, her tone measured and unfazed.

Turning back to Shiraha, she added, "Captain Shiraha, do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Shiraha met her gaze. "Only that I didn't do it."

That was all. The truth needed no flourish. He knew what this was—a game already tilted, already moving. Aizen had likely prepared this sequence weeks in advance. He wasn't simply casting suspicion; he was shaping consensus.

"Then I must ask that you accompany me. The Captain-Commander wishes to speak with you directly," Suì-Fēng said, her voice firm.

Shiraha nodded once. "Very well."

Byakuya stepped forward, his hand twitching as if to intercept the unfolding current, but Shiraha offered a brief shake of the head. There was no need. "Don't worry, Brother. I believe in the Captain-Commander's judgment... and in yours, Captain Suì-Fēng."

With that, he turned and walked beside her. The detachment of Onmitsukidō soldiers formed up behind them without a word, their black cloaks whispering against the wind.

Byakuya watched them disappear, his expression unreadable but weighed with tension.

"Let's go, Captain Kuchiki. It's time we speak with Old Man Yama," Kyoraku muttered, vanishing in a streak of shunpo. Byakuya and Sasakibe followed after a brief exchange of glances.

---

Seireitei – First Division Barracks

Suì-Fēng led Shiraha along the polished corridors of the First Division, their footsteps echoing with quiet finality. Upon reaching the inner wing, the Onmitsukidō fell back. Only she and Shiraha continued, stopping before a chamber veiled behind a pale blue curtain.

An elderly Shinigami awaited them—Okikiba Genshirō, Third Seat of the First Division. Dressed in full regalia, his white hair flowed down his back, a single streak of black curling along the right side of his head.

"Captain Shiraha, I am Okikiba Genshirō. The Captain-Commander has gone to Central 46. He's asked that you wait here for his return," he said respectfully.

"Central 46 already knows?" Suì-Fēng asked, frowning.

It didn't make sense. The destruction of the maggot's nest had only just come to light. Even as head of the Onmitsukidō, she had barely processed the report. For Central 46 to respond this quickly was… improbable.

"They've just completed an emergency ruling," Okikiba confirmed.

"Emergency ruling?" Suì-Fēng narrowed her eyes.

Such rulings were exceptional, invoked only under conditions that threatened the foundation of Seireitei itself. By law, ten sages had to co-sign for the session to proceed. That it was held within minutes of discovery wasn't simply abnormal—it was suspicious.

Something was being orchestrated behind the scenes, carefully hidden beneath the guise of legal structure.

"Emergency ruling..." Shiraha murmured.

He understood now. At least ten members of Central 46—the Forty Wise and Six Judges—had already fallen to Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu, completely immersed in his illusion. How else could they have moved so fast, so absolutely?

This judgment had been written before the bodies had even cooled.

"The details must wait until the Captain-Commander returns," Okikiba said, shaking his head slowly.

"Understood," Suì-Fēng said, regaining her composure. She offered Shiraha a curt nod. "I'll take my leave, then."

With that, she vanished in a blur of shunpo.

Okikiba stepped forward and laid two blue futons on the floor. "Captain Shiraha, please sit."

Shiraha gave a polite nod. "Thank you. And please pass along my gratitude for the Captain-Commander's continued trust in me."

They settled into place just as three more spiritual pressures surged into the room—Kyoraku Shunsui, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Chōjirō Sasakibe arrived in unison.

"Ah, Shiraha, sitting with Okikiba already? Where's the old man?" Kyoraku asked, settling himself comfortably on the floor.

"He's gone to Central 46. They've already held the emergency ruling," Shiraha replied with a faint smile.

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