Sōya Azashiro

Kyōraku and Kuruyashiki were trading drinks, while the squad members below them were drinking with just as much enthusiasm.

"Hey! Our 'dual-wielding' genius finally decided to wake up!"

Sharp-eyed as ever, Shunsui Kyōraku spotted Xuanxin being dragged in by Yoruichi. He immediately raised the enormous sake cup in his hand and teased him with a smile:

"Come on, come on! To celebrate your safe return from Hueco Mundo, and even more importantly, to celebrate Captain Kuruyashiki's 'outrageously rebellious' feat, come on, let's have a drink!"

"Hahaha! What do you mean, outrageously rebellious? I just thought the people upstairs had it too easy!"

Kuruyashiki Kenpachi sat in the seat of honor, his loose shihakusho hanging open to reveal a muscular chest covered in scars. He looked utterly wild and uninhibited.

Xuanxin sat quietly in a corner, a cup of sake in his hand. He watched Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, who was taking great swigs of sake and laughing at the top of his lungs.

As he looked at the mountain of a man, the title marked as a major event in his dream involuntarily flashed through his mind again—"Kenpachi Azashiro."

He simply couldn't imagine what kind of person could defeat the man before him, who carried himself as freely as a god of war.

At that thought, Xuanxin tipped his head back and drained the sake remaining in his cup. The fiery liquor rushed to his head, leaving his thoughts a little hazy.

That dream, with no causes or events leading up to anything, was just too absurd. Captain Kuruyashiki is so strong. How could he possibly be replaced so easily by this "Azashiro"?

With that, Xuanxin naturally attributed his bizarre dream to the excessive pressure he had been under lately.

Under the numbing influence of the alcohol, Xuanxin put the vague and insubstantial dream out of his mind for the time being. He took a deep breath, put his composed smile back on, and raised his cup, joining Shunsui Kyōraku and the others in their conversation and laughter.

The wild celebration lasted deep into the night, finally ending with most of the attendees passed out under the tables.

After the banquet, time in Soul Society seemed to return to its peaceful routine.

Over the long period that followed, nothing significant enough to cause a stir happened in either the Seireitei or the Rukongai.

The Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13 went about their daily patrols and training as usual.

At Shin'ō Academy, the new class of students was still fretting over exam week while dreaming of becoming the next Fujiwara Genshin.

As for Xuanxin and Yoruichi, they continued to serve as Yoruichi's paperwork processor and catnip at the Second Division barracks.

The peaceful life also led Xuanxin to bury the unsettling names he had seen in his dream deep in a corner of his memory.

However, on a day that couldn't have been more ordinary, a light rain began to fall.

Second Division, Executive Militia command office.

Bang!

Yoruichi tossed a thick stack of documents onto the desk, then pulled Xuanxin away from the paperwork he was still buried in.

"Come on, come on! Xuanxin, grab your sword! We finally don't have to deal with this damn paperwork today!"

"All right, all right. I still have two documents left. Let me finish reviewing them first! Don't rush. Is there some urgent official business today?" Xuanxin continued looking at the documents in his hands without hurrying.

Yoruichi strode over to the wall, took down the outer robe hanging there, and draped it over her shoulders.

"That's right! We just received an urgent report from the Patrol Corps. Traces of Reiatsu, suspected to belong to a Menos Grande, were found near Inuzuri, the seventy-eighth district on the outskirts of the Rukongai! The higher-ups have ordered our Second Division to take a team and investigate immediately!"

A glimmer of excitement flashed through Xuanxin's black eyes when he heard the news.

For the two of them, anything that let them escape the tedious paperwork was good news, never mind rain—even if swords were falling from the sky.

The two quickly assembled an investigation squad of Second Division elites. Before the heavy rain could begin, they hurried through the Seireitei's maze of streets toward the Rukongai.

On their way to the Rukongai, the squad inevitably passed the Eleventh Division Barracks, located on the outskirts of the Seireitei.

Only a few squad members had been left behind to guard the barracks. The others had gone out under Kuruyashiki Kenpachi's lead to exterminate a Menos Grande.

For some reason, the sight of the empty barracks stirred an inexplicable irritation in Xuanxin's heart. He didn't pay it much attention, however, and continued on with the Second Division squad to investigate.

The investigation did not go smoothly. The Hollow was unusually cunning and kept moving from place to place for a long time.

Only after the rain came pouring down did Xuanxin and Yoruichi finally kill the Menos Grande and lead their mud-covered squad back to the Seireitei.

When they passed through the 11th Division's territory again, Xuanxin found that it was even quieter that night than it had been during the day.

It was no longer the lonely quiet of an empty place, but a deathly silence steeped in despair.

At first, Xuanxin thought perhaps a squad member had died during the operation, leaving the normally lively division so deathly quiet.

Xuanxin and Yoruichi returned to the Second Division with their squad, but when they opened the doors to the inner residence and saw the complicated expression on Shihoin Seigen's face, Xuanxin's heart grew heavier still.

In a heavy, hoarse voice, Seigen gave them terrible news enough to cause a magnitude twelve earthquake throughout Soul Society.

Kuruyashiki Kenpachi was dead.

The god of war who had just refused an invitation from the Zero Division, who had seemed as though he would never fall, had died in the brutal duel to decide the next Kenpachi.

His killer was none other than the current Eighth Kenpachi—Sōya Azashiro!

Rumble!

A blinding flash of pale lightning streaked across the sky outside the window, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.

The news struck Xuanxin like a bolt of lightning. He froze in place, his mind blank.

" Sōya Azashiro... Kenpachi Azashiro..."

The absurd dream he had had years ago, after returning from Hueco Mundo, had come back to haunt him like a nightmare.

And everything in the dream, the things Xuanxin had believed could never happen, had become a bloody reality in such a tragic fashion!

Xuanxin didn't even know how he made it back to his room. In utter bewilderment and shock, he pushed open the door and sank onto the cold floor.

The storm pounded furiously against the window, but Xuanxin felt no trace of sleepiness. In the darkness, he reflected on it all.

"Sōya Azashiro became Kenpachi..."

That fragment had become reality. Did that mean the broken memories from the dream, the ones he had dismissed as delusions, were all things that would soon become reality too?!

"The Ryoka attack... Aizen's defection... the Thousand-Year Blood War..."

Those chilling names exploded in his mind one after another.

If all of it was true, then would everyone he knew now—Yoruichi, Kisuke Urahara, Captain-Commander Yamamoto, his two senior brothers, Sister Hana... all face the same kind of danger someday in the future?!

"I can't go on like this..."

His resolve, which had slackened somewhat amid the peace and comfort of daily life, was pulled taut once more by this cruel reality.

The terrifying mountain known as the "plot" was now pressing down on him for real.

And as he lost himself in uncertainty, he suddenly recalled the sword strike Miyamoto Musashi had spoken of, the sword of "zero" that could sever space and cut through cause and effect.

So I'm not without options. If predetermined fate is an impenetrable net, then I'll hone my blade to its utmost limit, until I can cut through this damned destiny in a single stroke!

An unprecedented obsession and resolve burned in Xuanxin's eyes in the darkness.

To change the tragic fate that was coming and protect everything he cherished, he had to act.

He had to gain absolute power enough to transcend every script!

Chapter 37: Sōya Azashiro

The sky was still gray the next day.

Xuanxin, who hadn't slept a wink, changed his clothes and went to the place where Kuruyashiki Kenpachi had been temporarily laid to rest.

The Reishi of a Captain-level Soul Reaper was too vast to return naturally to the world like that of an ordinary soul in the Rukongai. The Seireitei therefore had to hold a solemn Soul Burial Reisai to grant that powerful Reishi, which had nowhere to go, true "rest."

Xuanxin walked along the empty flagstone path, his steps steady and firm. The damp breeze gradually cleared his mind, which had been muddled by a sleepless night.

Along the way, he continued to turn over the realization he had come to the night before.

Since he was powerless to change what had already happened, he might yet be able to improve what had not. After all, he had not existed in those memories.

And so Xuanxin walked on, thinking about the future. Drops of rain finally began to fall, gradually joining into steady streams.

When Xuanxin arrived at the temporary burial site beneath an umbrella, someone was already standing there.

The man was tall and slender, with long, smooth black hair. His bearing was the complete opposite of Kuruyashiki's, or rather, in some sense, it bore a resemblance to Xuanxin's.

What allowed Xuanxin to recognize him at a glance, however, was the familiar white haori he wore.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Sōya Azashiro continued to gaze quietly at the gravestone, letting the cold rain soak his long hair and haori.

Holding his umbrella, Xuanxin walked calmly up to the gravestone and gently set down the clay-sealed jar of sake he had brought.

Xuanxin crouched, broke the clay seal, and slowly filled a large bowl with sake. Holding it in both hands, he placed it on the flagstones in front of the gravestone.

Then Xuanxin picked up the jar, tipped back his head, and took a long drink. The fiery liquor burned down his throat and into his stomach, turning into a sting that rushed to his eyes.

Only after doing all this did Xuanxin slowly stand. Watching the rain send ripples across the bowl of sake, he spoke in a voice so even that no emotion could be discerned:

"Are you Sōya Azashiro?"

Sōya Azashiro turned his face slightly to look at Xuanxin. His deep eyes were like a bottomless abyss, as though nothing could stir even a ripple in them.

"Yes, I am. You're Fujiwara Genshin of the Second Division, aren't you? What is it? Have you come here today to question my methods and accuse me of winning unfairly, like the others?"

To the new Kenpachi's surprise, Xuanxin shook his head.

"No, I have no intention of doing that." Xuanxin looked at the gravestone, his gaze clear and open.

"I've read the Second Division Executive Militia's records of your fight. Under the 11th Division's ironclad rules, as long as you win in one-on-one combat, it's a fair and honorable duel. There's nothing to criticize."

Xuanxin then turned to look at Sōya Azashiro. Their eyes met in the rain, and Xuanxin continued:

"Besides, Captain Kuruyashiki used his Zanpakuto in the end too, even if it was only its Shikai. Since he drew his sword against you, that means he acknowledged from the bottom of his heart that you were worthy of inheriting the name of 'Kenpachi.'"

At Xuanxin's unexpected words, a flicker of surprise finally appeared in Sōya Azashiro's usually untroubled eyes.

He had thought that this young man, whom Kuruyashiki had held in such high regard, would draw his twin swords and challenge him, the "usurper," for revenge, just like the red-eyed members of the 11th Division.

Sōya Azashiro gave Xuanxin a long look, lowered his eyes slightly, and softly said:

"Thank you."

Neither spoke again. Standing on either side of the grave like two silent statues, they remained still amid the bitter wind and rain. With that purest silence, they paid their final respects to the Seventh Kenpachi, who had once been so bold and unmatched.

After a long while, the umbrella in Xuanxin's hand tilted slightly. He took a deep breath and turned to leave.

Just as they passed each other, Xuanxin stopped and turned his head slightly. "Captain Kuruyashiki was a great warrior. I hope... you won't tarnish the name of 'Kenpachi.'"

With that, Xuanxin lingered no longer. Holding his umbrella, he walked into the curtain of rain.

Sōya Azashiro stood where he was, watching the departing figure. A faint ripple finally appeared in his abyss-like eyes.

"Urozakuro."

Sōya Azashiro spoke to the empty air beside him, a trace of interest in his even voice that even he had not noticed:

"That young man named Fujiwara Genshin is very interesting."

If things had gone as usual, calling upon his Zanpakuto over something so trivial would undoubtedly have earned Azashiro a round of merciless mockery and complaints.

Sōya Azashiro had even prepared himself to shut out the other party's nonsense.

But to his surprise, the voice that came through the air was a seductive woman's voice, as though she had just attended a grand tea party:

"My, my~ Sōya, you're absolutely right this time! But his sword spirit is the truly interesting one! The two of us hit it off right away, and we even agreed to have a drink together when we get another chance!"

A look of surprise once again appeared on Sōya Azashiro's normally expressionless face.

Urozakuro remained in Bankai year-round and was assimilated with the surrounding Reishi, which was why she could speak with him at any time.