Arriving from Shiba Manor
With his limited amount of time, Kasuka gave as much relevant information as he could to the three other shinigami with him. Turning back to face the threat in front of him, he is slightly surprised to see such an arsenal facing him. A line of Ten Kido Cannons, all primed at Kasuka’s location. Does this mean that the Shiba were the ones to erect the Dragon Gates? Why not strengthen the pre-existing barrier around the compound? Why make it appear that they are imprisoned? Had they not been infiltrated after all, but simply anticipating a threat? Further, how had they stationed and calibrated the canons to Kasuka’s location so quickly? How had they known which of the four Dragon Gates he would enter through? In this regard, the boy’s age was apparent, his impatience taking the best of him. He had hoped, given his investigation so far, that the spiritual traces behind the barrier would be foes of some sort, hollow or shinigami, perhaps both, working under Hashimoto. Though he knew that he was not sensing hollow spiritual pressures, he believed the revelation of what was hidden behind the gates would lend credence to his investigation. Yet this display of artillery shows that his leading theory was incorrect, as is often the case in his line of work. Regardless, sometimes a gut feeling needs to be ignored, a thread pursued for certainty's sake. As the barrels of the canons begin to glow, Kasuka has already moved on to the next priority, the nagging sensation in the back of his mind now given vindication.
Suspecting that perhaps his investigation into the Shiba clan was yet another red herring, Kasuka had dispatched his Zanpakuto:
Corpse Hound (遺体猟犬,
Itai Ryōken) to the Muken ahead of him. True to his moniker, the Great Detective’s investigation had revealed the stolen artifact’s purpose, the culprit, and motive. The item: able to break through any barrier, the thief: Captain Hashimoto, the intention: retrieving Keiko Kano. The only divergent variable in Kasuka’s astute deduction was if Kano was actually a member of Division Zero as rumored. With the Shiba Clan’s unique canon and kido, they would have been the only ones able to send Hashimoto to the Soul King’s Palace. Yet, Kasuka had suspected the legend to be a lie, and through reasoning, correctly deduced that the creator of the Fuin no Kagi was imprisoned, not promoted.
He would not be there to see the Shiba’s assault, or to witness Aijō’s masterful deflection. Instead, the moment the canons fire, Kasuka simply disappears.
Immediately, the boy is surrounded by darkness, and immediately his surroundings are accounted for: the
Central Great Underground Prison (真央地下大監獄, Shin'ōchikadaikangoku). Dozens of bodies line black stone hallways, spread throughout the compound, a plethora of First and Second Division corpses, his own Kido Corpsmen mixed among them. Fearing this outcome, the Vice-Kido Chief had dispatched his men from the third level
Shugō (衆合,
Samghata), to the eighth level
Muken (無間,
Avici), where he now finds himself. It seems not a soul among them survived, and while Itai Ryōken’s arrival was fortuitous for the case, it did little to stop the fact that Kasuka had sent these men to their deaths. Had he only been more cautious in his investigation, had he not followed a dead end, perhaps he could have saved them. Instead, he allowed himself to get distracted, too caught up in his pursuit of the truth to see the bigger picture. Regardless, he is here now thanks to that very same intuition, and cannot afford to let their deaths be a distraction to the case, which would render them vain.
Released from the hound’s jaws that had manifested him, Kasuka walks in front of it. Its almond shaped eyes function like spotlights in the dark, illuminating his path. They scan over every corpse that the duo passes, taking note of every article of clothing, every item in their possession. Equally, Kasuka attempts to recognize each corpse's identity, and makes a mental note to notify any next of kin they may possess. As the two descend down the darkness of the damp black prison, the creature's footsteps do not thunder, as it moves in complete silence. The thundering of its launch into the air to arrive was a byproduct of the force required to take off, and those who witnessed its landing in front of the prison entrance would note the grace at which it did so. In the dark halls, its careful footfalls moved with the precision of a predator stalking its prey, ensuring that it would not alert any potential suspect of its arrival. That is of course, with the exception of the bright yellow light that composes its gaze.
The same yellow light that finds itself now upon the criminal duo. Caught in the act, Captain Hashimoto and his accomplice, Keiko Kano, would both find themselves engulfed in an individual spotlight, not unlike a police helicopter pursuing a suspect. The brightness of this would ruin the adjustment their vision had made to the dark, limiting it to the light and its source, twenty feet in the air. This means that Kasuka’s own frame would be masked by the darkness, while his spiritual pressure is reduced so as to be unsensible.
“Hmm?” the Captain hummed as his thoughts were interrupted, looking back over his shoulder. The yellow light that saturated the prison is replaced, as everything within Hashimoto’s vision turns blue. The infinite vastness of the Muken would suddenly feel rather claustrophobic, a spiritual signature flooding the Captain’s senses from all around. From the darkness, into the spotlight, through a filter of blue, steps the silhouette of Vice-Chief Rikai, wagging his index finger in the air as he snaps with his middle finger and thumb, as though scolding a child.
“Sagishi Hashimoto, I am placing you under arrest.”
'This is bad' The boy thinks to himself, glancing over to the imprisoned woman, his expression does not betray his unease, matching his tone of voice in its apathy. However, the young man knows that he is currently in over his head, outgunned at the very least and perhaps even outmatched should it come to it. Yet still, there is no other soul in the Seireitei that could have uncovered this plot, and so no one left to stand where Kasuka stands. A dog chasing a truck, his teeth have finally clamped down on the bumper, and he has nothing left to do but try and pull. This is his duty after all, the byproduct of investigating a crime is having to prevent it from happening again.
“Hand over the Fuin no Kagi, and step away from the prisoner.”
Though his eyes are focused on Hashimoto and Kano, his senses are on high alert, scanning through the darkness. Undoubtedly, Hashimoto as a Captain is a threat difficult to handle already, and certainly Kano as a prisoner of the Muken possesses such raw power that she has been deemed unkillable, but these two are known threats. What worries Kasuka is the unknown. He had discovered early today, that the stolen artifact cannot be used without the power of a Vasto Lorde. Kano, as a Captain, could not activate her own invention, yet here is Hashimoto, confident that he can free her with it now. Does this mean that a Vasto Lorde is in this realm with them, lurking in the darkness? The hair on the back of Kasuka’s neck stands on end, while he and his Shikai manifestation lock their eyes upon the two suspects.
What had Hashimoto said before Kasuka’s arrival,
"the Mother of Vizards"? This confirms the boy’s theory that the key could turn Shinigami into Hollow Hybrids, breaking the barrier between the two, and lends credence to theory that Kano herself was responsible for the formation of the first arrancar. Yet, in order to even turn himself into a Vizard, Hashimoto would have needed the help of a Vasto Lorde’s power to begin with. Where is that Vasto Lorde now? It could be that this was the creature rampaging in the Rukongai, yet Kasuka had just witnessed the acting captain of Third, and his right hand man, at the Shiba compound. There was no mention of a Vasto Lorde, and no traces of a such signature on either man. So, if they weren’t in the Rukongai, and the Vasto isn’t in the Rukongai, then where could it be but here?
A Captain, a Muken Prisoner, and a Vasto Lorde, against a boy and his dog. No one knows that any of them are here, meaning there is no backup on the way, and with a coup outside, there may not even be a Gotei Thirteen left to stop them. It all falls down to Kasuka, whose hands come together as though begging.
“Let’s just be cool about this, yeah?”
