The cobblestones shattered. DOOOOOM. A heavy tremor raced across the plaza. From the rift in Hueco Mundo, black shadows descended. One, two—twelve. Void Knights. Humanoid Hollows landed, crushing the white cobblestones of the Seireitei beneath their feet. "[serious]Split into three groups!" Rukia's voice flew out. The wound on her shoulder still hadn't closed. Blood seeped through the bandages. Even so, she moved. The Soul Reapers who had regained their senses raised their blades. "[serious]Take four each! I'll command the center!" Many had lost their Zanpakuto. Some were nearly bare-handed. Even so—not one fled. Rukia took the lead. A small back. But her stance held no hesitation. Yuuki burned that sight into his eyes. (Rukia...) For just a moment, he felt their eyes meet. But now—he had his own task to do. Yuuki broke into a run. —— Valnesia waited. At the center of the plaza. Atop the shattered cobblestones. Arms folded. His long white hair swayed in the wind. A white mask covered the left half of his face. His right eye was a deep crimson. That eye caught Yuuki as he rushed closer. "[whispers]...Brat." A whispering voice. It crawled along the ears. Yuuki stopped. His breath came ragged. His legs trembled. Retrograde had only a few uses left. But. (No choice but to do it.) Yuuki clenched his fist. "[cold]You've come far with a power that toys with time." Valnesia raised one hand. The left eye of his mask pulsed red with a throb. "[cold]I want to see your despair." —Mirage Lead, maximum output. The world warped. A white corridor. The smell of disinfectant. The low buzz of fluorescent lights. A hospital. Yuuki knew this place. Elementary school—the hospital where his grandmother had been admitted. In front of a private room. On the bed, his grandmother slept. An IV tube in her thin arm. Faint breaths. Gaunt cheeks. Yuuki sat in a hallway chair. Hugging his knees. Unable to do anything. Unable to even call out. Just sitting there, motionless. (Grandma...) That night. His grandmother had struggled to breathe all night long. But Yuuki couldn't do anything. Couldn't call a nurse. Couldn't hold her hand. He was scared. Scared to face someone who might die. The Yuuki in the hallucination trembled in the hallway chair. The real Yuuki's feet stopped. (No...) He shook his head. (That's not right...) That night—yes, he was scared. But. Another memory overlapped. The hospital room at midnight. Yuuki gathered his resolve and held his grandmother's hand. Cold and bony. But that hand moved faintly and squeezed back. In the morning, his grandmother opened her eyes. She looked at Yuuki beside her—and smiled faintly. "[angry]That night... I—!" Yuuki shouted. "[angry]For the first time, I was able to stay by someone's side!!" His voice pierced the hallucination. From within, his spiritual pressure surged upward. White light enveloped the hallucinated hospital room. The fluorescent lights shattered, the hallway shattered, the bed shattered— CRAAASH. The hallucination burst into fragments. Valnesia's eyes widened slightly. "[cold]...Mirage Lead." For the first time, a tremor ran through that voice. The moment the calculations of a four-hundred-year-old monster—went awry. —— Yuuki kicked off the ground. Three uses left. At full speed, he closed in on Valnesia. Valnesia swung his right arm. A shockwave shattered the cobblestones. Dodge— Retrograde activated. Rewind twelve seconds. His position shifted in an instant. He stepped in left. Valnesia pursued. His left arm extended. Cold spiritual pressure closed in— Second use. Retrograde. Yuuki leaped right. His feet tangled. (At my limit...) His body trembled. Each step was heavy. Even so, he closed the distance. A roar from behind. The sound of one Void Knight being pulverized by Rukia's release. "[serious]Yuuki!!" Rukia's cry reached him. "[serious]I'll become the eyes that see your future!!" Yuuki drew a breath. (Decide the future.) He poured all of Retrograde's remaining power into a single point. —Future locked. Twelve seconds later. Rukia's Zanpakuto pierces through Valnesia's chest. Lock that future in place. Time was forcibly set in motion. The core of Valnesia's mask, at his chest, was fixed in position for a single instant. A shadow lunged from behind—Rukia. Release. The blade transformed into light. SHING. Rukia's blade pierced Valnesia's chest. It precisely shattered the mask's core. "[sad]...You abandoned me." Valnesia's voice, for the first time—sounded exhausted. Neither hatred nor anger. Just a voice wrung out from the deepest depths. "[sad]I was in the same world as you." A crack ran across the right half of his mask. Yuuki couldn't say anything. He just watched that figure. —He couldn't find an answer. CRACK. The mask shattered. Valnesia's body dissolved into the mist of Hueco Mundo. His long white hair, his feet, his hands—swallowed by darkness. With a roar, the Void Knights crumbled away too. Silence returned to the plaza. Only the sound of Soul Reapers catching their breath could be heard. —— "[scared]...Ah." Yuuki looked down at his right hand. The outline of his fingers was blurred. His left hand too. His feet too. His body had become translucent. Retrograde's usage limit. Existential erasure. With every gust of wind, parts of his body scattered like mist. "[gentle]Yuuki." Beside him, Rukia stood. Her hand overlapped his fading one. He could barely feel his fingers. But—he could still feel the warmth of her hand. "[crying]The time you gave me... I'll treasure it." Rukia's voice trembled on just the last word. As Yuuki searched for words— The plaza's cobblestones glowed white. Immense spiritual pressure. Surging up from the ground. From the direction of the Chamber of Eternal Rest— He walked forward. Long black hair. Countless scars. The hero, Kagetsu Towa. He who had continued sleeping had awakened, transcending the bonds of fate. "[gentle]You gave us a future." He stood before Yuuki and placed both hands on his fading body. The next instant— The hero's spiritual pressure was fully unleashed. FWOOOOOOSH!! White light enveloped Yuuki's body. The outline of his existence was pushed back into the world of the living. His vision was dyed white. "[crying]Rukia...!" The last thing reflected was her face. She wasn't crying. She just looked straight at Yuuki. —— Beep. The sound of a heart monitor. Fluorescent lights on the ceiling. The smell of disinfectant. A hospital bed in the world of the living. Yuuki opened his eyes. His body felt like weights were attached. The aftereffects of the traffic accident remained. His left arm was wrapped in bandages. Slowly, he opened his right hand. A small scrap of black cloth. A fragment of the Kagegoromo. (It wasn't... a dream.) He sat up. He turned his eyes to the window. The blue sky of the living world. Beyond it—faintly, as if overlapping. A girl in a black kimono smiled. Rukia. Through the window, their eyes met. No words were needed. Yuuki conveyed everything with just his expression. Rukia nodded too. (Someday, again.) A quiet resolve settled in his chest. For now, each in their own place. But—they were connected. Yuuki kept gazing until Rukia's figure outside the window faded softly away.