A Self-Destructive Attack

Byakuya's answer had the energy of a father watching some blond delinquent circle his daughter.

Before Ichigo could push further, Senbonzakura's blades wrapped around Byakuya, Muramasa, and Senbonzakura himself. The three vanished inside a storm of cherry blossoms.

"Byakuya!"

Ichigo's angry shout reached nothing.

Byakuya was already gone.

Ichigo forced himself to breathe, then turned back and used Kaido on Rangiku.

...

At the Zanpakuto hideout, Byakuya's arrival caused immediate tension.

The spirits gathered there stared at him in shock. This was supposed to be a gathering of Zanpakuto. Why had a Soul Reaper captain been brought into their base?

"Muramasa," Suzumebachi said first. "What is the meaning of this?"

Hozukimaru followed with less restraint.

"You brought a Soul Reaper captain to our headquarters? Did you betray us?"

Before Muramasa could explain, Senbonzakura spoke.

"Why did you save me?" he asked Byakuya. "A man like you should be our enemy."

Byakuya's tone did not change.

"I act according to my honor."

It was the same answer he had given before.

The more unruly Zanpakuto did not accept it that easily.

Kazeshini stepped forward.

"How rare. Maybe you are a spy sent by the Soul Reapers."

Haineko and Tobiume, who had been rescued from confinement by Byakuya, argued in his favor.

"He did save us after we were captured."

That only made the others more suspicious.

Senbonzakura looked at Byakuya.

"Then prove your loyalty in front of us. Kill your sister Rukia Kuchiki's Zanpakuto, Sode no Shirayuki."

Sode no Shirayuki, who had been watching from the side, froze.

She had been dragged into this from nowhere.

If Byakuya truly killed another person's Zanpakuto under these conditions, Sode no Shirayuki might never return to Rukia.

"If you can still cut down your sister's Zanpakuto," Senbonzakura said, "then your loyalty will be proven."

The others accepted the logic far too quickly.

Sode no Shirayuki looked around with mounting disbelief.

Was no one concerned about her life?

The Zanpakuto raised their weapons. If Byakuya refused, they would tear him apart.

Byakuya's response surprised all of them.

He drew his sword and walked straight toward Sode no Shirayuki.

Then he attacked.

Sode no Shirayuki barely blocked and escaped to a stone platform with Shunpo. Byakuya was serious. If she did not fight properly, she would truly die under his blade.

She unleashed ice.

Byakuya avoided it with Shunpo and met the following ice blades with calm precision.

Sode no Shirayuki appeared behind him.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!"

A powerful pillar of ice shot toward Byakuya.

Byakuya raised one finger.

"Hado Number 4: Byakurai."

The low-ranked spell pierced through her technique with ease.

Sode no Shirayuki kept using Tsukishiro, forcing Byakuya toward the corner of the cavern. At the last moment, she cast it against the wall behind him.

The ice caught only his scarf.

Byakuya had already appeared behind her.

"Bakudo Number 61: Rikujokoro."

Six beams of light locked Sode no Shirayuki in place.

One slash followed.

Sode no Shirayuki was cut in two.

Senbonzakura moved closer to confirm the result. There was no body left behind, only a white Zanpakuto broken into two pieces on the ice.

That convinced almost every Zanpakuto present.

Kazeshini still looked doubtful, but Muramasa raised a hand.

"Enough, Kazeshini. Believe him."

Once Muramasa spoke, the rest fell silent.

Byakuya gave no sign of regret.

...

Ichigo could not understand why Byakuya would betray Soul Society.

When Momo and Rangiku informed the captains and lieutenants of what had happened, most of the room looked as if they suspected an illusion. Renji Abarai refused to believe it outright.

"Impossible! The captain would never betray Soul Society. You must have made a mistake!"

Shunsui looked at him gently.

"Ichigo, Lieutenant Hinamori, and Lieutenant Matsumoto all saw it. It is hard to believe the three of them conspired to frame Captain Kuchiki."

Renji had no answer.

Ichigo sat beside Retsu Unohana, his mood heavy. If Rukia learned Byakuya had betrayed them, it would crush her.

The meeting room fell into a grim silence.

The Zanpakuto rebellion was already bad enough. Head Captain Yamamoto was sealed. Chojiro Sasakibe and Toshiro Hitsugaya were unconscious. Jushiro Ukitake's health was unreliable. Byakuya had apparently betrayed them. Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi had only just returned from wandering outside the Seireitei.

And no one dared ask Unohana to solve the problem by drawing her sword and killing everything in sight.

Ukitake eventually stood.

"I should tell Rukia."

Ichigo stopped him.

"No. I'll do it."

Ukitake looked worried. He knew Ichigo and Byakuya had developed a strange respect after their last battle, and Rukia's relationship with Ichigo made the matter even more delicate.

Shusuke Amagai asked, "Do you want me to go with you?"

Ichigo shook his head.

"I'll go alone."

He left the meeting room and walked to Rukia's hospital room.

The door slid open.

Rukia looked up from the bed, her face brightening.

"Ichigo. You're back?"

Senna, who was keeping her company, asked, "Did you find Byakuya?"

Ichigo's expression made both of them pause.

"Senna," he said quietly, "could you step outside? I need to talk to Rukia."

Senna understood at once that it was serious. She nodded and closed the door behind her.

Ichigo sat on the edge of Rukia's bed and pulled her into his arms.

Rukia blushed faintly.

"What happened? Tell me."

Ichigo held her tighter and told her, as carefully as he could, that Byakuya had sided with Muramasa.

Even with every word softened, the blow landed hard. Rukia went slack in his arms.

"How could that be?" she whispered. "Brother values the Kuchiki honor more than his own life. He would never betray the Seireitei."

She gripped his sleeve.

"Ichigo. Take me to the Sixth Division barracks. I do not believe this. I need to see it."

Ichigo nodded.

After Rukia changed back into her shihakusho, he brought her to Byakuya's captain's office.

The room was empty.

Rukia sat in Byakuya's chair, thinking of him, and eventually fell asleep from exhaustion.

Ichigo stood beside her, watching with a pained expression.

Then both of them felt a familiar reiatsu.

Byakuya.

Rukia bolted out of the room.

Members of the Sixth Division lay scattered across the hallway, injured and unmoving. At the far end stood her brother.

"Brother," Rukia said, trembling. "What have you done? Where have you been?"

Byakuya did not answer with words.

Senbonzakura held out a broken white Zanpakuto.

Sode no Shirayuki.

Rukia crouched to pick it up. Before her hand even touched the blade, she felt the truth.

There was no reiatsu left in it.

"Sode no Shirayuki is dead," Senbonzakura said coldly.

Rukia cradled the broken blade against her chest. Her own brother had killed her Zanpakuto.

Ichigo wrapped an arm around her and glared at Byakuya.

"You bastard. What did you do?"

Byakuya ignored him.

"Rukia. Do not involve yourself in this matter."

Senbonzakura started forward, but Ichigo's stare stopped him cold.

Then Renji arrived, drawn by the disturbance.

He saw the ruined hallway and Byakuya standing beside Senbonzakura.

At last, he had to believe it.

Without hesitation, Renji attacked Byakuya.

Renji had already used his trump card against Zabimaru and could not fully rely on his Zanpakuto. Without his blade's power, he was inferior to Byakuya in reiatsu, Shunpo, and swordsmanship.

In three exchanges, he was forced onto the back foot.

But Zabimaru's materialized form was not affected by Renji's condition.

A giant Zabimaru crashed through the window and slashed toward Byakuya.

Byakuya returned to Senbonzakura's side with Shunpo.

Senbonzakura looked at Zabimaru.

"Byakuya Kuchiki, go complete your task. I will handle this."

Renji wanted to defeat Byakuya and Ichigo more than anyone right now. Zabimaru shared that feeling. If Ichigo was out of reach, then Byakuya would do.

The snake and baboon forms of Zabimaru attacked Senbonzakura together, pressing him down for a short time through sheer coordination.

Byakuya prepared to leave.

Renji refused to let him.

The two broke through the roof and continued their fight above the barracks.

"Rukia," Ichigo said softly.

He still held her. To him, nothing in this moment mattered more than keeping her steady.

Renji chose a reckless tactic.

He carried an unstable Shakkaho in his own hand and charged Byakuya with it.

The move was almost suicidal, but it caught Byakuya off guard. Byakuya had to dodge with Shunpo.

Renji appeared behind him through the smoke and swung his blade down without hesitation.

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