The grand manor loomed under the pale moonlight, a fortress of tradition within the Seireitei. Silas descended upon the Kuchiki compound. He was like an unseeable shadow muffling their residence, moving closer to his target. It was the first time he had ever been here.

　　Unlike the ShihMin family and the Tsunayashiro family, this area was more extravagant. Yet he sensed no alarm, no vigilant guards—they were too caught up in other affairs, unaware that a threat was looming around. Every unseen step he took only brought him closer to the prize.

　　His focus narrowed upon locating Rukia`s chambers. When he sensed that she was there, he entered without making a sound. The window was open, allowing the moonlight to shimmer everywhere. There was an odd starkness inside, devoid of any girlish trinkets he thought she would have carried.

　　To him, he believed that she would have hated him. Perhaps even attend the trial and accuse him of having betrayed her. But because she hadn`t shown herself, nor had the judges mentioned her name more than they should have, he had to consider why.

　　Did she still think he was on her side? Did she still think he cared for her?

　　Rukia existed simply as a means to an end, not as a former comrade turned traitor. And yet, as he drew closer to her sleeping form, something felt troubling. Silas examined things, only to see her vulnerability. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

　　Then he heard her whisper, "Ichigo&"

　　The fact that she still clung to the foolish image of Silas as a hero, despite everything that had transpired, twisted his fury into a cold clarity. Rukia had to die!

　　As he moved to her slender neck, her body remaining blissfully unaware, a crippling ache throbbed through him. `No& Why Now?` he thought to himself. Rukia was only inches from him, yet his body pulsed with a new kind of agony. It was like a sharp lance slicing through his heart. And he knew what was causing it: EnrakyMten.

　　"Kekekeke!" echoed the spirit`s giggle.

　　Following its manic laughter, he lowered his head, unable to concentrate. All it would take was a swift clench of his fist to brutally choke Rukia, but he couldn`t even muster enough strength to move anymore.

　　"Look at you," EnrakyMten said, materializing itself. "So close and yet so far!"

　　It`s mockery was the last thing Silas wanted to consider. Time was slipping from his grasp like sand. Every second wasted here risked a brutal collapse, an unceremonious end to his ambitions. His jaw clenched with helpless fury as he said, "You didn`t warn me."This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author`s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

　　"Haha-ha! Oh come now, boy," it said, laughter bouncing off the walls. "We were never allies. My sole purpose for existing is to take the life of my owner. Nothing more, nothing less. You understand, don`t you?"

　　The spirit was right. It and Silas were never partners to begin with. They only had a shared agreement, which he was planning to overcome by using the power of the HMgyoku.

　　"I`ll admit, I was looking forward to you killing this Soul Reaper like you did with that cute girl who had orange locks! Do you think her hair was prettier than mine?"

　　EnrakyMten was referring to Orihime. It`s sick and twisted desire to see bloodshed was far from what he deemed appealing. It was, in fact, disturbing to Silas.

　　"From what I`m seeing," the spirit said with a smile. "You`ll die two days from now. Isn`t that great?!"

　　`Two days?` he repeated inwardly. Something like that wasn`t enough time for him to enact his plans. Even if he obtained the HMgyoku, he still needed it to awaken. The time frame for that was at least a few months.

　　Then something sparked in his mind. With a deep breath that burned his lungs, he drew back his Bankai. EnrakyMten gradually disappeared, covering its smile as if it were a little girl about to receive a punishment.

　　Silas`s gaze hardened once more, regaining full mobility.

　　Because he had used EnrakyMten`s Bankai, as opposed to using Urozakuro`s abilities, the sword had accelerated his death without telling him. Deactivating it bought him more time. However much that was, he wasn`t planning on wasting any more of it. Now was the moment to take the HMgyoku.

　　Rukia remained asleep, having not sensed what just transpired. There was an absolute certainty in Silas`s heart—failure was not an option. As he lunged for her throat, the quickening sounds of someone`s footsteps were speeding from outside. Silas could hear them as if they were right in his ears.

　　He sensed the presence before the Soul Reaper even crossed the threshold—a familiar spiritual pressure slicing through the air. Silas`s mind raced. If he persisted, he`d almost certainly lose his hand. But he couldn`t abandon his plan; he couldn`t be deprived of Rukia.

　　The HMgyoku in her Soul was worth risking his hand for!

　　Without stopping his lunge, a blur suddenly raced past him. There was only one Soul Reaper he knew could move as fast as this, as well as use this particular technique.

　　His elegance had no restraints, aiming a stab at Silas`s side. Like a bullet, Silas used his other arm and caught the weapon by the tip of its blade with his bare hand!

　　The Soul Reaper furrowed his brows, for not many adversaries could accurately predict where his attack would land. Silas, not caring for the person`s arrival, used his other hand to continue reaching for Rukia`s throat.

　　"That`s enough&"

　　Silas`s wrist was grabbed, stopping him right in his tracks. He remained still, head looking down at the floor. This was just one of the many times he had come close to achieving his prize. Because of that, he was upset.

　　"What were you planning to do with Rukia?" the Soul Reaper asked in a cold tone.

　　Silas didn`t want to answer him. He didn`t even want to look at the Soul Reaper. All he could think about was how many others he had to slay for them to stop getting in his way.