CHAPTER 483: CHAPTER 483: SMALL FRY

"Whoa~"

The moment the alarm sounded, three figures—visibly female—moved without hesitation, using Hirenkyaku to step into the air and land on the rooftop.

Leading them was someone with antenna-like bangs sticking out of their head, giving them a slightly cute appearance.

The other two were unmistakably girls: one a petite blonde with short hair, the other a pink-haired beauty with voluminous waves and the charm of an older sister in a youthful body.

This alarm, after countless warnings from Haschwalth, had long since become an annoyance to all Sternritter. It had never once gone off in all these years—but never once been forgotten either.

Now, with no warning at all, it rang out.

There was only one explanation—

The Shinigami had arrived!

As they landed on the rooftop, two figures emerged from the shadows.

Leading was a tall, silver-haired man with a slender frame.

At 1.85 meters tall, his white haori added an imposing presence.

Trailing behind him was a small-framed girl with long hair cascading over her shoulders.

Sensing their Reiatsu, Gin Ichimaru immediately turned his gaze toward the three figures.

The moment he saw their faces, he paused slightly.

Then, the corners of his mouth curled into a sly smile.

"Well, well... Looks like we’re the first to find the ones the Captain-Commander’s been looking for."

Rukia’s face remained calm, but a trace of wariness surfaced in her eyes.

She had identified the trio after only a moment’s observation.

At first, she’d found it hard to believe—but after seeing it for herself, her instincts as a woman told her:

The cockroach-haired "girl" leading the group was, biologically, a man.

She was familiar with beauties like Yumichika Ayasegawa, but at least he didn’t act overly feminine. This one, however, was a whole different story.

Rukia gave a slight shake of her head. She had to admit—she was still young and hadn’t seen enough of the world.

"Giselle Gewelle, Schrift Z—The Zombie."

"Liltotto Lamperd, Schrift G—The Glutton."

"Meninas McAllon, Schrift P—The Power."

"It’s you three, isn’t it?"

As she spoke, she gently drew her Zanpakutō from her waist.

She whispered softly,

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki."

In the blink of an eye, her once-ordinary katana transformed—blade, guard, and hilt all turning a pure, snow-like white. Several pristine ribbons extended from the tip, fluttering gently in the wind.

This was Sode no Shirayuki’s Shikai form—beautiful, yet deadly.

The first time Masatsuki Aozaki saw it, he’d called it the most beautiful Zanpakutō in Soul Society.

Sode no Shirayuki had covered her face and giggled at the praise.

Rukia had also been complimented by her brother that day.

But now wasn’t the time for reminiscing.

There was still much to face—and many more memories to be made.

Rukia’s gaze turned ice-cold. She pointed Sode no Shirayuki at the enemy and shouted,

"Surrender now!"

Upon hearing that, Liltotto’s expression darkened.

In a frosty voice, she asked,

"How do you know about us? Don’t tell me... you did something to Candice and Bambietta?"

It had been years since they were captured by the Shinigami—no one knew what kind of torment they’d endured.

If they had ended up leaking information, it would be understandable.

Though the three of them didn’t care much for Bambietta, their relationship with Candice wasn’t bad.

If anything had happened to her, they wouldn’t mind helping her settle the score.

While the conversation was still ongoing, Giselle had already rushed forward.

Her speed was incredible—she vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.

It wasn’t out of concern for her friend’s emotions.

Her ability used the blood in her body as a medium to turn enemies into zombies.

Which meant close-quarters combat was ideal for maximizing its effect.

However, just as she leapt forward, a streak of icy light suddenly tore through the night sky, slicing down from above...

"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"

As Gin Ichimaru uttered the release command, he instantly became a piercing assassin.

Giselle was still high above the ground when a blade extended and pierced through her abdomen, pinning her mid-air.

Under Gin’s cold gaze, she opened her mouth and violently spat out a large mouthful of blood. But the blood splatter couldn’t reach either Gin Ichimaru or Rukia.

Rukia glanced at the Zanpakutō in Gin’s hand, a trace of emotion flickering across her face.

Before the battle, Masatsuki Aozaki had evaluated how well they understood Quincy abilities. If that blood had touched her, she might have been forced to use her Bankai.

Her Bankai, Hakka no Togame, doesn’t just freeze the surrounding environment—it halts all molecular movement inside the body.

The other two Quincy—Liltotto, who can expand her mouth to devour enemies, and Meninas, whose raw strength is overwhelming—are clearly melee types.

In other words, she and Gin were a perfect counter to their abilities.

"How... how is this possible? Are you kidding me? I’m that fast, and I still couldn’t dodge that slash?"

Giselle’s eyes widened in disbelief as she muttered to herself.

She had already anticipated the enemy might understand how her abilities worked.

But what she hadn’t expected was that even with her speed, she couldn’t evade that strike!

She had assumed that with her captain-class Reiatsu and the ability to move through the Reishi world using Hirenkyaku, she could easily handle the situation.

So the moment she saw the silver-haired Shinigami, she charged in without hesitation, intending to end it quickly.

But reality hit her hard—she couldn’t dodge it at all.

Back in the Schatten Bereich, this silver-haired Shinigami hadn’t shown such power.

How could his strength have increased this much in just over twenty years?

Liltotto and Meninas squinted in surprise as well.

To long-lived beings like them, twenty years was nothing.

But this silver-haired man’s strength had far exceeded their expectations.

And when they saw the white haori with the number "9" on his back, their frowns deepened.

If given the choice, they’d rather fight the previous holder of that position.

The threat this man posed was nothing like the lackluster 9th Division Captain described in the intel.

"Lieutenant Muguruma... they’re not your opponents."

Gin Ichimaru seemed to read their thoughts.

As soon as Kensei Muguruma and Love Aikawa recovered, they returned to the Gotei 13.

Those two were never the type to stay behind the scenes.

Right after returning, Kensei challenged Gin Ichimaru, trying to take back the captaincy the way it was done in the 11th Division—by force.

But in front of a crowd of squad members, he lost. Now, he’s serving as the Lieutenant of the 9th Division.

If everything was going as planned, he was likely leading his squad somewhere else, cleaning up the small fry.

While Kensei Muguruma might not be a top-tier fighter, his efficiency at clearing out minor enemies was unmatched.