In an infinite white void filled with clouds, a girl and a man who could pass for siblings faced each other.

Even though one of them was wearing a blindfold, there was no doubt that the two of them were throwing a challenging look at each other. 

Despite this weird sense of tension, a smile could be seen on the corner of their lips. Whether those smiles came from the bottom of their hearts though, was another matter.

“Chibi...Could you repeat what you said?”

“Heh. Do you think I am self-conscious about my height? Look at me. I am the perfect incarnation of cuteness and sexiness in one pack.”

“Don’t make me laugh, only lolicons would be interested in you.”

“Hahaha~! Should I remind you that I was born from your soul? What does it say about you?”

Despite hurling low blows at each other, the smile on their faces never vanished. It was to the point that any onlooker would have found it extremely creepy.

“Huh. It seems like you need a spanking.” 

“Kyaa~! I am so scared.” Showing a mock expression of fear, she waved her hand and made a sword appear in her hand, “Come at me. Perhaps another beating will help you hear my name, after all, you needed one to come here, right?”

The sword in her hand was different from Gojo's zanpakuto. It was a long curved sword with a black and white handle.

The tension mounted for a short while before Gojo slowly lowered and relaxed his shoulders.

Her last sentence did not have the previous fierceness, but rather a sort of hidden bitterness in it. 

“What? No going to fight anymore?”

Gojo looked deeply at her, before looking away and once again assessing his surroundings.

White. Endless white. 

Even though he had already been here for a short moment, he had felt like he was going crazy.

Then, what about her?

What’s more, he remembered her previous sentence.

“You still can’t hear my name.”

He remembered the times his sword had tried to reach him.

What would it feel like, to call someone again and again, only for that person to always ignore you?

How much worse would you feel if the one ignoring you was the reason for your existence, the one who should have been the closest to you?

How much pain, sadness, anger, and despair would you feel while staying alone in this endless void?

Reaching there, all anger vanished from Gojo’s mind and was replaced by a rather overwhelming feeling of guilt.

“Stop!”

He was startled out of his thoughts by this shout. 

Lowering his head, he looked at the short girl in front of him once again.

The sword in her hand was nowhere to be seen and this time she was showing her back to him.

“I do not need your pity. I did not fall so low.”

“You can read my mind?” Gojo asked quietly.

“Read? No, but you and I share the same feeling. We were one at first after all. Though I guess I am the only one who shares it currently.”

Shaking her head, she walked toward her throne and sat on it, again, facing him.

Her expression betrayed none of her thoughts as she leaned in and rested her head on the palm of her right hand.

“Now then, Satoru Gojo. Since we are not going to fight, could you kindly walk out? I am tired of shouting again and again for someone who refuses to hear me.”

Gojo did not answer, even though he could not share her feelings, he instinctively understood something.

If he walked out of there...He would never be able to awaken his Shikai.

“Man. I feel like a bastard father who abused his daughter.”

Scratching his head, he walked toward the throne and crouched down to face the girl at an equal level.

Placing his hand on her head, he smiled calmly, 

“Honestly speaking, even now, I guess I have some reservations about using a zanpakuto.”

He did not apologize. He already caught a glimpse of her personality.

This girl also had her own pride. She indeed did not need his pity. For only the weak needed pity.

“You know. This world is full of strong people. So strong that it might bring despair...This is pretty exciting, right?”

“...”

“Fighting, growing, climbing, slowly but surely until one day, I stand at the top of the pyramid and proudly claim to be once again, the strongest.”

“...”

“I am stronger, stronger than average. But so what? Why should I compare myself to average people? The sole and only place worthy of me is the apex.”

His eyes shined with a fierce glint. His pride and arrogance, obvious in this world.

It did not matter what he had to face, nor how long it would take. 

“But as I am now, this is just wishful thinking.”

“So what?”

The silver-haired girl finally asked, a quiver hidden in her voice. As if she could feel hope but was too afraid of once again facing disappointment.

“Standing at the top is pretty lonely, you know? Wouldn’t it be more interesting to share the view with someone? Then who could be better than my other half?”

A smile lit up her face,

“What if in the end, you fail?”

“Failure? Who the hell do you think I am? I am Satoru Gojo. The strongest sorcerer and soon, I will be the strongest shinigami. Failure does not exist in my dictionary.”

Gojo kept a smile full of confidence as he uttered those words.

“Hahaha~!”

The silver-haired girl laughed, a laugh full of joy and happiness. But Gojo did not interrupt her.

Once she finally stopped, she pushed his hand away from her head and stood up.

Lowering her blindfold, she showed him her jewel-like beautiful scarlet eyes.

“Then, this queen will give you one last chance.”

“Of course.”

Placing her hand on her chest and puffing proudly, she continued, “I am without a doubt the strongest sword, so it’s fitting for my wielder to become the strongest Shinigami.”

“There’s indeed nothing more fitting.”

“Then, remember well. My name is….”

---

Back in the training grounds, from the moment Gojo closed his eyes, only a few short moments had passed.

But the difference was startling.

His aura, which was already above most vice-captains, continued to climb slowly but surely, filling every corner of the room.

His spiritual pressure became so heavy that even Unohana began to feel some slight discomfort.

But the more she felt it, the scarier the smile on her face became. So much so that she seemed short of laughing in madness.

 Even though she had yet to activate her Shikai or Bankai, this discomfort clearly meant that Gojo had broken past the threshold and could now be compared to a captain, albeit only an inexperienced one, and this was even before releasing his Shikai.

When he finally opened his eyes, Unohana felt a jolt go through her body.

“I am sorry to have made you wait.”

Unohana's body heat surged while her heart thumped wildly in her chest. 

Gulping, desperately keeping herself from cutting him down, she asked.

She was like someone lost in a desert, who had finally found an oasis, but had to stop herself from drinking all the water in one gulp.

Or like a drug addict looking at her last shot. 

“Did you awaken it?”

Instead of answering, Gojo put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Shall we continue?”

This was all Unohana needed to lose all restraint.

Rushing at a speed far superior to everything she had shown until now, she swung her sword.

But just as it was about to connect, she suddenly stopped and stepped back at full speed.

She did not know why, but her instincts were screaming at her that whatever was about to happen could pose a danger to her. 

Gojo, not even looking at her, thought back to the name of the silver-haired girl before reciting one sentence.

A sentence so nostalgic it made him smile. Of course, with one little difference, 

“Throughout Heaven and Earth, WE alone are the honored ones, Tengoku no Kogo!”

(AN: Ohhh. Gojo finally revealed his Shikai. What are the powers? Not even I, the author knows… By the way, Tengoku no Kogo means Heaven’s Empress. Pretty fitting I think.

By the way, just be clear. Tengoku is not a harem candidate. Gotta preempt any questions.

Also damn. Bleach new chapter is out and it will also be the start of a new arc most likely. New vice captains were introduced and Hell is now officially Canon. Sigh. Seems like I will need to work on some little things. Thankfully, I won't have to deal with Hell without the death of many powerful beings. So there's that.)