The Maggot's Nest

Yoruichi stepped forward, bowed to all the members, and said, "Thank you all for your support. I'm still young, so I hope you'll work with me in the days ahead. If I make any mistakes in my work, I hope you'll let me know. I believe we can make the Second Division stronger together."

Shihoin Tōno nodded and said, "Now, based on the results of the challenge matches, Ye Yang Shihoin will serve as Third Seat. Kato Hisaya, the former Third Seat, will become Fourth Seat. The previous Fourth Seat died in the line of duty during the last incident, so Kisuke Urahara will remain Fifth Seat. The Seated Officers below them will move down accordingly."

Ye Yang and Kisuke Urahara each stepped forward and offered a few basic pleasantries. Then everyone dispersed. Ye Yang and his two companions were about to leave as well, but Shihoin Tōno signaled for them to stay. In the end, only Ye Yang, Yoruichi, Urahara, and Shihoin Tōno remained.

Once everyone else had gone, Shihoin Tōno said to them, "Do you know why I asked you to stay?"

"Is something the matter, Grandpa?" Ye Yang asked. There were no outsiders present, so he saw no problem with calling him Grandpa.

Shihoin Tōno said, "It's no small feat to become Seated Officers so soon after graduating from Shin'ō. You could even be called unparalleled geniuses." At that, a look of pride and gratification inevitably appeared on his face. Two of these three geniuses belonged to his Shihoin Clan. How could he not be happy that the Shihoin Clan had produced two geniuses?

Ye Yang said modestly, "Not at all. We still need a great deal of training."

"Too much modesty becomes false modesty. But you're right that you still need training, which is why I asked you to stay."

Ye Yang couldn't help asking, "What is it?"

"As you know, the current Seated Officers all hold positions in the Punishment Force. Number One was previously the captain of the Second Unit. Now Yoruichi will take over as unit captain." Shihoin Tōno pointed at Yoruichi.

Yoruichi said worriedly, "But I've only just become lieutenant, and now I'm becoming a unit captain too. Will they accept me?"

Shihoin Tōno smiled. "It's all right. You showed more than enough strength just now. Besides, the Second Unit is the Patrol Corps, and the people in it are all very friendly. That won't be a problem." At that, a worried look appeared on his face. "It's Ye Yang I'm worried about."

Ye Yang was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Shihoin Tōno explained, "Ye Yang is about to become captain of the Third Unit. This unit has only one duty: to guard."

"Guard what?" Yoruichi asked.

"The Detention Tower, otherwise known as the Maggot's Nest!"

"The Maggot's Nest?"

"That's right. It's a place specifically for imprisoning Soul Reapers whom Soul Society has deemed a threat to Soul Society. There's also a rule that no weapons may be brought inside. So one special requirement for the commander of the Correction Corps is that he must be able to subdue everyone in the Detention Tower with his bare hands. Ye Yang, can you do that?"

The corners of Ye Yang's mouth curled up in amusement. "Bare-handed? If that's the case, I could probably give it a try."

Seeing how confident Ye Yang looked, Shihoin Tōno asked, "What's this? You seem very confident."

This time, not only Ye Yang but Yoruichi and Urahara laughed too. Yoruichi said with a smile, "Grandpa, you still don't understand him. What he's best at isn't Zanjutsu, but Hakuda. In terms of Hakuda alone, Kisuke and I might not be able to beat him even if we joined forces."

Kisuke Urahara nodded beside her. "That's no exaggeration. When it comes to Hakuda, I dare say no one in the Second Division can beat Ye Yang except you. Even among the Seated Officers and lieutenants of the other divisions, he's definitely one of the best."

Hearing them say that, Shihoin Tōno couldn't help taking a few extra looks at Ye Yang. "Oh? Since you both say so, let's go to the Maggot's Nest and see for ourselves."

The four of them crossed the barracks and passed over a large bridge, arriving in front of a large building. Shihoin Tōno had already told them the rules, so none of the four had brought a Zanpakuto.

Shihoin Tōno led Ye Yang and the other two into the so-called Maggot's Nest. He said, "The Soul Reapers held inside have all been deemed a threat to Soul Society, so we merely imprison them. We don't restrict their movements in here, however, so a Soul Reaper may suddenly attack us."

All three indicated that they understood. After passing through a corridor, they came to a large door. They opened it, revealing a vast basement before them.

They continued farther inside. There were many Soul Reapers there, all watching them, and quite a few of their gazes were hostile.

Ye Yang stood where he was and looked them over, still unafraid. They were all Soul Reapers whom Soul Society had deemed a threat. They hadn't done anything wrong themselves, yet they were locked up here, so they would inevitably come to resent Soul Society. Anyone locked in a cell like this would feel the same. That was all the more reason to keep them under guard; if they got out, they would surely take revenge on Soul Society.

Shihoin Tōno said, "Be careful. None of the people sent here are good sorts."

No sooner had he spoken than a dark figure came rushing at them. Shihoin Tōno was about to act, but Ye Yang stopped him. "Grandpa, leave this to me."

By the time he finished speaking, the figure was already upon them. Ye Yang grabbed the man's arm and flung him away. The man scrambled to his feet in a sorry state and attacked Ye Yang again. This time, Ye Yang punched him squarely in the chest, then kicked him several yards away. It looked as though he wouldn't be getting up for days. Ye Yang knew that if he wasn't ruthless enough with people like this, they would never remember him. Only by making them afraid, making them feel fear, could he make them truly afraid to resist him.

Just then, someone shouted, "Everyone, get them! There are only four of them. If we beat them, we can get out of this hellhole!"

Those words instantly made everyone's eyes turn red. At that moment, they had only one thought: to get out of this place! Everyone charged at Ye Yang like mad.

Still unafraid, Ye Yang stood his ground and began using Tai Chi. In a situation like this, fighting many opponents alone, Tai Chi was undoubtedly the most useful. Let them be as strong as they wished; a gentle breeze brushed the mountain ridge. Let them be as fierce as they wished; the bright moon shone upon the great river. That was exactly how Ye Yang looked at that moment!

No one could hurt him in the slightest. Ye Yang grabbed a Soul Reaper and swung him up and down as a human weapon, and no one could get close to him. But even though the crowd knew they couldn't beat Ye Yang, they kept charging recklessly, hoping to overwhelm him with sheer numbers.

In fact, there were no powerful figures here. Before they were captured, they had all been ordinary Soul Reapers. Those at the level of Seated Officers had either been assassinated outright or imprisoned in cells deeper inside with their spiritual pressure sealed. One reason the prisoners here were allowed to move freely was that they hadn't done anything wrong; another was that even if they got out, they couldn't cause much trouble.

Standing in their midst, Ye Yang faced their attacks calmly. Every time he struck, he could usually put someone out of action; none of them could withstand a single exchange with him. As time passed, Ye Yang fought with ever-increasing vigor, as though his stamina were inexhaustible. The crowd, meanwhile, grew more frightened the longer they fought. Ye Yang was like an undefeated god of war: no matter how many of them there were, they couldn't hurt him. An ordinary person's stamina would surely have been severely depleted after such an intense fight, but the man before them was only growing fiercer. As more and more people fell before Ye Yang, they grew afraid, terrified.

At last, someone retreated in fear. Once the first person backed away, a second followed, and more and more began to retreat. They were merely a hastily assembled group and couldn't withstand a blow. Once someone fell back, their ranks quickly fell into disarray as each person focused on fleeing. Ye Yang knew this was no time for softheartedness. He pressed his advantage and began a one-sided slaughter, though he still held back enough to leave them merely unable to get out of bed for a few days.

Ye Yang now pursued them into the crowd as though no one stood in his way. Like a demon god, he was invincible wherever he went. He used no martial arts at all now, relying only on wide, sweeping attacks, but that violent fighting style terrified them. Some even cried out, "Devil!" They clearly regarded Ye Yang as a god of slaughter.

At last, someone could bear it no longer and shouted, "Have mercy, my lord! I'm willing to submit!"

Seeing that it was about enough, Ye Yang shouted to them, "Those who submit will be spared!"

The moment Ye Yang said this, the response was immediate and overwhelming.

"My lord, I'm willing to submit!"

"I submit!" ...

A great many people shouted their submission. Ye Yang said loudly, "From today onward, I am the one in charge here. Do you accept that?"

Everyone said, "We accept!"

"Good. You'd best behave yourselves. I don't want what happened today to happen again," Ye Yang said.

Everyone shuddered. None of them wanted to go through that again. The sight of Ye Yang laying waste to everyone had been deeply etched into their minds. At that moment, a word from Ye Yang would probably carry more weight than even the Captain-Commander's.

After dealing with them, Ye Yang returned to Yoruichi's side. From beginning to end, Yoruichi and Kisuke Urahara had watched with smiles as Ye Yang displayed his might. When the crowd first surrounded Ye Yang, Shihoin Tōno had wanted to help, but Yoruichi stopped him. She had merely said with a smile, "Just watch, Grandpa. He can handle them himself."

Shihoin Tōno had looked puzzled and continued watching with Ye Yang, but his expression soon changed. Seeing Ye Yang lay waste to the crowd genuinely moved the old man. He had tried to overestimate Ye Yang's strength as much as possible, yet he hadn't expected that he had still underestimated it. This kind of fighting power was no less than that of any lieutenant. Even a Captain-level fighter might not possess such strength without a Zanpakuto.

Shihoin Tōno's powers of observation were beyond doubt, and he had noticed the Tai Chi Ye Yang displayed. He had never heard of this kind of Hakuda before. He imagined what would happen if he faced it himself, but the conclusion he reached startled even him: there was nothing he could do!

Although he could deal with this kind of Hakuda, he couldn't do anything to Ye Yang either, provided he didn't use his Zanpakuto. Even so, that was astonishing enough. In terms of Hakuda alone, Ye Yang was already comparable to a Captain-level fighter!