The accident during the soul burial practice drew serious attention from the Spiritual Arts Academy and even the Seireitei itself.
The deaths of numerous students pushed the Shinigami responsible for surveying the soul burial area into a critical situation.
As one of the few survivors, Moyu naturally received the attention of the Shinigami vice-captain in charge of the investigation.
Alongside Rukia and the others, he waited outside the captain's meeting room.
"It's obviously got nothing to do with us. Why do we have to wait out here?"
Moyu stared with a pair of dull, dead-fish eyes, his voice flat. "We just finished fighting. I'm exhausted."
"Kuchiki Moyu."
After several interrogations, it was finally Moyu's turn.
Stepping into the chamber, he saw three figures seated in the center, all dressed in black Shihakushō.
A single chair stood opposite them on the floor.
"Well, I didn't expect the young master of the Kuchiki clan to be such a handsome little brother."
The orange-haired beauty on the right propped her cheek in her palm, smiling faintly at Moyu as he walked in.
Her oversized Shihakushō couldn't hide her exaggerated figure. The silver chain necklace resting on her chest had completely disappeared beneath it.
"Please describe everything that happened during the soul burial practice."
The unsmiling middle-aged man on the other side spoke in a deep, commanding tone.
Moyu glanced at the insignia on his armband and quickly judged that he must be the Chief Officer. It seemed this incident was closely tied to the 10th Division.
As for the man sitting in the middle with arms folded and an air of casual indifference—it was hard to believe he was the future unshaven Kurosaki Isshin.
Moyu did not conceal his actions. He simply "slightly" exaggerated the effects of the Shihouin family's artifact.
"That's all. I treasure my life."
Moyu spoke calmly. "I used the Shihouin artifact to protect myself and my teammates."
"As for the origin of the artifact, you can ask Shihouin Yushirō, 20th Third Generation head of the family."
The three examiners exchanged glances, nodding slightly.
Then, Matsumoto Rangiku smiled and said, "Alright, handsome little brother, you're clear."
"We'll verify the rest based on your statement."
Moyu nodded and turned to leave the chamber.
Silence fell over the room once more.
"Captain, the problem isn't with the surveying team."
Matsumoto Rangiku's expression turned serious. "Neither the monitoring Kidō from the Kido Corps nor the multidirectional spiritual particle detectors from the Technology Development Bureau picked up any trace of Menos Grande Reiatsu."
"Even the probing Kidō didn't respond."
"So—"
Before she could finish, she was interrupted by Shiba Isshin, who now wore a far more serious expression.
"But something did happen."
"A mass of Menos Grande appeared in the Human World and caused catastrophic losses to the trainee burial squads."
"This incident—someone must take responsibility."
Rangiku fell silent.
The event had already unfolded. It no longer mattered how the Menos Grande appeared.
What mattered was that the weight of this tragedy now lingered heavily on their shoulders.
And deep within her heart, an unsettling haze took shape—like an invisible hand above Seireitei, manipulating the strings of fate...
After the interrogation, Moyu returned to his dorm alone.
Like a lifeless salted fish, he collapsed onto the tatami, eyes dull.
"It seems Aizen and the others already have their plans."
The details of the soul burial exercise echoed through his mind.
The number of Menos Grande far exceeded his expectations.
There were at least five Gillian-class Menos alone—and even more terrifying, there were Adjuchas-class Hollows involved.
These were threats not even some Shinigami vice-captains could handle, let alone students of the Spiritual Arts Academy.
The death toll had surged dramatically.
Aside from a few familiar faces, nearly everyone else had perished in the jaws of Menos Grande.
"Two unrelated teammates... Rukia, Renji, Kira, Hinamori…"
Moyu rubbed his brows and exhaled. "Fate, it seems, hasn't changed."
"Aizen's control over the situation is still flawless."
"If I want to escape from this chessboard, I'll need power of my own."
With that, Moyu suddenly sat up, excitement flickering in his eyes.
"Cultivating hard is the only option!"
[Your Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō detect your passionate motivation... and feel completely useless. Due to a negative response, cultivation efficiency drops by 80%.]
Hearing the system's cold notification—
Moyu fell silent.