The Succession Ceremony

Then he shook his head lightly and raised an arm. "It seems words alone are too weak an explanation after all. Then let me show you the results I've achieved for yourselves."

The muddy ground around them suddenly churned violently. A moment later, several stiff figures burst up from beneath the earth.

They were some of the Rukongai souls who had also been modified. Now, every one of them was a walking corpse in the truest sense, with vacant, lifeless eyes, no sense of pain, and no reason. They were practically perfect killing weapons.

"Go. Show these two guests your worth."

"Roar—!"

At Sōya Azashiro's command, the modified Rukongai souls let out beastlike roars and lunged at Xuanxin and Yoruichi.

At the sight, Yoruichi was so furious she laughed. She charged straight at the group of modified people.

She brought Hakuda's short-range power to its limit. Every punch and kick broke the sound barrier, striking the modified people's joints with precision.

Xuanxin was even more direct. His hands crossed, and Shingon and Mumyō traced streaks of cold light through the night.

After a year of honing his skills, Xuanxin's swordsmanship was no longer what it had been. It had become simpler and deadlier.

In the space of just a few breaths, the two worked together seamlessly to dismember the modified Rukongai souls with ease, reducing them to broken fragments of Reishi scattered across the ground.

"This is what you've achieved? Turning ordinary people into monsters who don't even know who they are! Sōya Azashiro, you're trampling all over the dignity of life!"

Looking at the wreckage covering the ground, Sōya Azashiro paused in surprise.

He had not expected Xuanxin to say such a thing. As he looked at the anger in Xuanxin's eyes, a trace of complicated resignation flickered through his own abyss-like gaze.

"Fujiwara Genshin... you really are the most different Soul Reaper I've ever met."

He then placed both hands on the hilt of the sword at his waist. "Since I can't make you understand my vision with words, I'll have to use this sword to see whether you're qualified to stand in the way of history's wheel."

The moment the words left his mouth, a terrifying Reiatsu erupted from Sōya Azashiro, changing the very color of heaven and earth!

At that moment, the battle escalated completely.

Sōya Azashiro moved like a ghost, seeming to be everywhere at once in the pitch-black forest.

Even so, Sōya Azashiro clearly wanted to gauge the true abilities of this "peerless genius." Rather than using Urozakuro's ability from the start, he engaged the two in fierce close combat using nothing but swordsmanship and Kidō.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Deafening clashes of steel rang out through the night.

Yoruichi's Shunpo and Xuanxin's twin blades worked together flawlessly. The two brought out nearly all their best techniques, their black and golden figures attacking the white haori from all sides like a raging storm.

Yet the gap between them was still far too obvious.

No matter how fierce their attacks were, Sōya Azashiro always found some incredible way to neutralize them.

"If this is all you can manage, you're destined to stay here today."

Sōya Azashiro unleashed a fierce wave of sword pressure, forcing them back dozens of meters. After speaking, his free left hand began to glow with Kidō.

Xuanxin took a deep breath and poured every bit of his Reiatsu into his twin blades without reservation. Dark golden light tore through the darkness in an instant.

"Bankai—Six Realms and Five Rings: Kurikara!"

With a low roar that shook the soul, the imposing six-armed Wisdom King manifestation rose once more behind Xuanxin.

After a full year of hellish, relentless training, the demon-subduing sword held in the Wisdom King's hand had become increasingly refined and solid.

The Sanskrit characters flowing across the blade seemed to come alive, radiating a terrifying pressure that suppressed everything.

"Lesser Tenshō!"

Xuanxin's twin blades merged into one at that moment, and he slashed in unison with the Wisdom King behind him. A massive dark golden arc of sword light, seemingly capable of cutting through space, roared toward Sōya Azashiro!

Faced with that breathtaking slash, Sōya Azashiro gripped his sword in both hands and forcibly drew on the surrounding Reishi to form a thick Reishi barrier in front of him.

"Boom—!!!"

The enormous explosion instantly leveled the surrounding ruins. Yet when the dust cleared, Xuanxin's heart sank to rock bottom.

Sōya Azashiro was still standing where he had been. Although the Reishi barrier before him had been shattered, he himself was completely unharmed. The absolute gap in their Reiatsu was like an impassable chasm.

"A truly stunning Bankai, as expected. Given time, its potential will surely be limitless. But now, it's time to end this."

At that critical moment, with everything hanging by a thread—

Two powerful Reiatsu, as steady as mountains, descended from the sky without warning and slammed into the ruins!

Through the pouring rain, Shunsui Kyōraku, wearing a straw hat and a pink floral robe, entered the battlefield side by side with Jūshirō Ukitake, whose expression was grave.

Shunsui Kyōraku had set aside his usual carefree manner. Holding an arrest warrant bearing a blood-red wax seal, he spoke in a voice as cold as ice:

"By order of the Central 46 Chambers: Sōya Azashiro, captain of the 11th Division, is suspected of slaughtering Rukongai souls without authorization and subjecting them to illegal modifications. You are hereby stripped of your captaincy. Come with us to the Central 46 at once to stand trial!"

Hearing Shunsui Kyōraku's announcement, Sōya Azashiro gave the two veteran captains a calm glance and said coldly:

"Those old bones in the Central 46 can never understand a great undertaking. So I refuse."

With that, the spiritual power at his fingertips flared brightly. He opened his mouth, preparing to recite the long and deadly Kidō incantation and force his way out.

But—

One second passed. Two seconds passed.

Aside from the patter of rain, not a sound came from the air!

Sōya Azashiro's lips were clearly moving, but he could not produce even the faintest sound! It was as though some absolute rule had forcibly "erased" his voice from the world!

In the deathly silence, Sōya Azashiro's pupils finally contracted sharply.

He understood in an instant. In the entire world, there was only one place that could ignore Urozakuro's assimilation and forcibly deprive him of his voice—the Zero Division.

Since the Zero Division had already intervened, it meant his vision could not be realized now.

Sōya Azashiro slowly closed his eyes. The light in his hand gradually faded, and he sheathed his Zanpakuto at his waist, abandoning his futile struggle. Silently, he held out both hands in surrender.

But Kyōraku and Ukitake did not take out the restraints the Central 46 had given him. They simply walked over in silence and took positions on either side of him. Then they turned to Xuanxin and Yoruichi and said:

"All right, the two of us will go report back first. You young lovebirds should head home early too. Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow."

Xuanxin nodded. By now, he could ignore his senior brother's teasing. After saying goodbye to his two senior brothers, he and Yoruichi slowly made their way toward the Shihoin Clan.

Sōya Azashiro's trial was held in secret in the Central 46 Chambers' underground grand assembly hall. There was no protracted wrangling and no public defense.

In the end, the Eighth Kenpachi, who had held the position for only a year, was stripped of all his honors and offices and successfully "moved into" Muken, deep beneath the earth. His sentence... twenty thousand years.

The next day, the 11th Division once again found itself leaderless. But the division could not go a day without someone in command, so the lieutenant who had once followed Kuruyashiki Kenpachi was entrusted with the task in this critical hour. He took Sōya Azashiro's place and became the 11th Division's Ninth Kenpachi.

Everything in Soul Society seemed to have returned to normal. Yet the strange events of that night had planted all sorts of questions in Xuanxin's mind.

That evening, Xuanxin went alone to the Eighth Division captain's office carrying two flasks of wine and knocked on the door. Sure enough, he found Shunsui Kyōraku in the division barracks' courtyard, drinking beneath the moon.

Xuanxin did not beat around the bush. He came straight out with the question that had been circling in his mind all day.

"The nobles in the Central 46 are famous for being slow to react. Why did the Zero Division personally intervene to seal Sōya Azashiro's voice this time? Was his modification of a few Rukongai souls really enough to warrant involving the Soul King Palace?"

Shunsui Kyōraku's hand paused slightly around his wine cup. He put away his languid smile and looked through the window at the bright moon hanging high in the night sky, his gaze deep.

"Junior brother, do you think Sōya Azashiro was merely conducting modification experiments?"

Shunsui Kyōraku sighed, his tone deeply grave.

"The reason this world can function smoothly is that the total number of souls in the World of the Living, Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo has always been maintained in a dynamic balance. This is the 'iron rule' that keeps the world from collapsing."

He turned to look Xuanxin in the eye and spoke each word deliberately.

"The madness of Sōya Azashiro's plan was that he wanted to use those modified Rukongai souls to completely purge Hueco Mundo! Once the Hollows in Hueco Mundo are wiped out on a massive scale, the weight of the three realms will be thrown completely out of balance! When that happens, the World of the Living and Soul Society will crush each other as a result of that imbalance, eventually leading to their destruction!"

"What he was doing had gone beyond challenging the Gotei 13's bottom line. He was touching the very foundation that sustains this world's existence! That's why the Zero Division, the guardians of the Soul King, intervened personally without hesitation."

Shunsui Kyōraku's explanation sent tumultuous waves through Xuanxin's heart.

Only at that moment did he truly understand the underlying logic behind the operation of the vast machine that was Soul Society, and how fragile a balance lay hidden beneath its seemingly calm surface.

Late that night, Xuanxin returned alone to his room and began to think.

In just one year, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi had fallen, and Sōya Azashiro, so powerful it was suffocating, had gone from the lofty position of Eighth Kenpachi to a prisoner in Muken who would never see the light of day.

Everything had progressed far too quickly. At this rate, perhaps he really did not have much time left.

Chapter 39: The Succession Ceremony

Time flew by, and a while had passed since the change of Kenpachi that had shaken Soul Society.

The air in the Seireitei seemed to have grown quiet again, and the Captain-Commander also seemed to be preparing something. This time, however, it appeared he did not intend to bring along new talents like Xuanxin.

And so Xuanxin's days unexpectedly returned once more to the daily cycle of training and official business.

While Xuanxin was buried in paperwork left behind by a certain hands-off superior, chaos was reigning in Seigen's room.

Seigen clutched his aching head, which was about to explode from his daughter's shouting. Across the desk, Yoruichi yelled without a shred of decorum:

"I won't do it! Old man, you're pushing me straight into a fire pit! Are you really my father?!"

With that, she threw herself into a chair, her golden eyes fixed on Shihoin Seigen.

"Look at the paperwork on your desk right now! All together, it's almost as tall as I am!! If you add the Second Division's business on top of that, won't I be worked straight to death?!"

Suddenly, Yoruichi seemed to realize something. Her eyes gleamed slyly as she said, "Old man, tell me the truth. You haven't wanted the job for ages, have you?! That's why you're in such a hurry to make me take over the clan and the division!"

Seigen felt a little guilty at Yoruichi's accusation, but he still put on a stern face and pretended to speak with righteous conviction.

"Nonsense! You're my daughter and the rightful heir to the Shihoin Clan. If you don't take over, who will? Do you expect these old bones of mine to spend the rest of my life approving documents in an office?! Don't I want to go out and have some fun too?!"

In truth, though Seigen said this, he also had plans of his own. Of late, Soul Society had grown increasingly turbulent and unpredictable. In less than two years, there had been two changes of Kenpachi.

So he knew the Shihoin Clan needed a more driven leader. He had already lost his ambition, while Yoruichi and Xuanxin were at the age when young people had the most drive. Perhaps the two of them working together could take the Shihoin Clan a step further amid the coming storm.

Clearly, Yoruichi had not thought that far ahead. Looking at her resolute father, she rolled her eyes, then immediately smiled and said:

"I can take over as clan head, but I have one condition! Xuanxin has to attend the succession ceremony with me!"

Seigen frowned. Letting an outsider take part in the clan's succession ceremony would probably cause considerable trouble. But then he thought of his daughter's relationship with Xuanxin, and of Xuanxin's talent, which the Captain-Commander himself had recognized. In the end, a glint appeared in the old fox's eyes. He nodded and said:

"Fine! I agree. The ceremony will be held in one month. Until then, you'd better focus on preparing!"

Only after receiving Seigen's assurance did Yoruichi leave his office with a smile.

Over the days that followed, the entire Shihoin Clan worked frantically like a precision machine, all to prepare an exceptionally grand succession ceremony for Yoruichi.

While the entire Shihoin Clan was busy with preparations, Xuanxin, one of the central figures in the ceremony, still had no idea what important role he would play in it.

He remained buried in the paperwork Yoruichi had left behind, diligently fulfilling his role as a "paperwork-processing machine." Sometimes, Xuanxin even felt as though he were not in the Second Division at all, but the Fifth.

The day before the ceremony arrived.

Xuanxin was preparing to head to the Second Division for work as usual. But just as he was about to push the door open, several maids appeared carrying ornate trays, upon which lay pieces of extraordinarily luxurious clothing.

Looking at the elaborate garments, Xuanxin asked in confusion, "What are these?"

"Young Master Xuanxin, these are the ceremonial clothes you will need to wear for tomorrow's clan head succession ceremony. Lord Seigen instructed us to ask you to try them on yourself."

"Huh? All right. I know Yoruichi is succeeding as clan head, but what does the ceremony have to do with me?"

"..."

When the maids gave no further answer, Xuanxin knew this was probably Yoruichi's doing too. After all, if not for her, Seigen would never have compromised on something like this.