Shadows in the Rukongai
The presence of Hollows in the 40th District was unnatural. They weren’t supposed to roam this deep into Soul Society, let alone linger in the shadows of the Rukongai.
Harry and Ichigo stood in the quiet street, the last remnants of the Hollow Harry had just slain dissolving into the air. But the oppressive feeling remained—they were being watched.
Ichigo’s grip on his zanpakutō tightened. “This isn’t normal. Even when Hollows slip into Soul Society, they don’t hang around like this.”
Harry scanned the narrow alleys and rooftops, his senses heightened. Shi no hōyō pulsed faintly in his hands, its presence grounding him. He could feel it—the balance was off, something was disrupting the natural order of souls.
“We need to keep moving,” he said, adjusting his stance. “The disturbances reported were deeper in the Rukongai. If something’s behind this, we’ll find it there.”
Ichigo nodded, but his expression remained tense. “Yeah. But something tells me we won’t have to look far.”
They pressed forward, the streets growing quieter the further they went.
The Whispering Town
By the time they reached the 50th District, the Rukongai felt like a ghost town.
Doors were shut, windows were boarded up, and the few people they saw hurried away without making eye contact. Even the air felt heavier, weighed down by an unseen force.
Harry stopped in the middle of the street, glancing around. “This place is too quiet.”
Ichigo nodded. “Yeah… it’s like they know something we don’t.”
Before Harry could respond, a soft whisper carried through the air—not words, but a sensation, like a presence brushing against his mind.
His grip on Shi no hōyō tightened. “Did you hear that?”
Ichigo frowned. “Hear what?”
Harry exhaled. So, it was only him.
The whisper came again, faint yet unmistakable. It wasn’t hostile—it was… guiding him.
Come.
Harry turned toward a side street. “This way.”
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. “You sure?”
“Yeah,” Harry said, already moving. “Something’s calling me.”
Ichigo muttered something about reckless nobles but followed.
The Forsaken Shrine
The whisper led them to a ruined shrine at the edge of the district, its once-proud pillars now cracked and broken. Vines and decay covered the ancient structure, and yet, despite its abandonment, Harry could feel something stirring within it.
Ichigo narrowed his eyes. “This place feels wrong.”
Harry stepped forward, his scythe pulsing softly in response. “No… it feels old.”
There was power here—something ancient, something forgotten.
At the center of the shrine, a black stone obelisk stood, engraved with worn kanji. Harry reached out, brushing the surface with his fingers. The moment he made contact, a surge of memories flooded his mind.
Visions of the past—a forgotten battle, a betrayal, a seal placed upon something terrible.
Then, the whispering returned, clearer now. “The balance has been disturbed… the seal is breaking.”
Harry staggered back, gripping his head. Ichigo caught his arm. “Harry! What the hell was that?”
Harry blinked rapidly, steadying himself. “This shrine… it was built to contain something. And that something is waking up.”
As he spoke, the ground trembled, and from the shadows of the shrine, figures emerged.
The Rogue Spirits
They weren’t Hollows.
They were souls—but twisted, their spiritual energy warped. Their robes were tattered, their eyes gleaming with a faint, unnatural glow.
One of them stepped forward, a man with long, unkempt hair and a jagged scar across his face. His voice was hoarse, but filled with quiet menace.
“You shouldn’t have come here, heir of Shi.”
Harry straightened, lifting his scythe. “Who are you?”
The man smirked. “Forgotten souls. Castaways. Those abandoned by your so-called balance.”
Ichigo stepped beside Harry, his grip on Zangetsu tightening. “Great. A bunch of pissed-off ghosts. That’s just what we needed.”
The rogue spirits moved in unison, their spiritual pressure flaring. The leader tilted his head. “You don’t understand, do you? The balance you fight to protect… it was never for us.”
Harry’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
The man smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Let me show you.”
And with that, they attacked.
The Battle Begins
The rogue spirits moved like shadows, their speed unnatural. Harry barely had time to react before the first one lunged at him, wielding a curved blade of spiritual energy.
He twisted, bringing Shi no hōyō up just in time to block the strike. The moment their weapons clashed, a surge of dark energy rippled through the air.
Ichigo wasn’t idle either. With a sharp battle cry, he swung Zangetsu, unleashing a powerful Getsuga Tenshō that tore through the ground, forcing the spirits to scatter.
But they were fast. Too fast.
Harry barely had time to react before another rogue spirit appeared behind him, striking out with dagger-like claws. He spun, using the momentum of his scythe to deflect the attack before countering with a precise arc of silver energy.
The spirit hissed in pain as the attack connected, but it didn’t vanish like a Hollow would. Instead, its body shuddered and reformed, as if resisting death itself.
Ichigo cursed. “What the hell are these guys?”
Harry gritted his teeth. They weren’t normal spirits. They weren’t Hollows.
They were something else entirely.
And they weren’t finished yet.
The Balance Fractured
As the battle raged, the whispers in Harry’s mind grew louder.
“The seal… the seal is weakening… you must stop it…”
His eyes flickered to the black obelisk at the heart of the shrine. The air around it shimmered, cracks forming along its surface.
Then it hit him.
The spirits weren’t the real threat.
Something far worse was trying to break free.
Harry’s grip tightened on his scythe. “Ichigo—we need to stop whatever’s inside that seal.”
Ichigo parried an attack, scowling. “Great. And how do we do that while these guys are trying to kill us?”
Harry exhaled sharply, focusing. He could feel the balance teetering. If they didn’t act fast, something catastrophic was about to happen.
With renewed determination, he raised Shi no hōyō, the blade glowing with pure silver energy.
“Then we end this. Now.”