Chapter 283
I doubt two punches would be enough to knock this guy down.
First Division, in front of the main gate.
"How is that possible!"
Funakiri looked at Reppū, who was being Genshirō Okikiba, and couldn't hide the shock on his face: Reppū, with the Bakkōtō, had, according to Captain Amagai, reached the threshold of Captain-level in terms of destructive power.
Let alone a mere Third Seats, even the vice-captain wouldn't dare to take his attack head-on.
"Nothing."
The flying-type Zanpakuto, possessing both speed and power, was Sajō Sabaku by layers of chains, falling to the ground like scrap metal.
"The Funakiri."
Genshirō Okikiba didn't even draw his sword; he suppressed Oki's full-force attack solely with his Kidō.
Do you know why you weren't chosen as Seated Officer?
"!?"
Genshirō Okikiba walked slowly toward Funakiri.
"The aristocratic oppression you imagined doesn't exist."
Having lost his greatest asset Funakiri began to retreat.
"Your biggest problem is this: the Gotei 13 relies on team organization, while you, even during your time at the Shin'ō Academy, only knew how to fight alone; abandoning teammates in certain situations isn't a big problem, but using classmates as bait—"
"Were all the 'achievements' you made during your time in the team obtained in this way?"
"..."
"It sounds like you've been paying attention to me all along."
Funakiri's expression was ashen.
"I will keep an eye on all the new recruits who join the Gotei 13 on behalf of the Captain-Commander."
"..."
Do you think I'd believe your nonsense?!
Funakiri's defenses were breached.
Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant.
Genshirō Okikiba shook his head.
The opportunity was there from the very beginning.
"Unfortunately... you couldn't stand the loneliness, and you weren't as exceptionally talented as you thought, which is why you went down that wrong path."
Using the Bakkōtō was wrong to begin with, and killing one of his fellow Soul Reaper in order to strengthen the Bakkōtō was an even more unforgivable mistake.
"I... I..."
Funakiri collapsed: having just witnessed what a true genius is today, his heart was completely shattered by Genshirō Okikiba's words.
"Hadō #31!"
"Hadō #31"
Helpless, he suddenly remembered Kidō, which he hadn't used since mastering Shikai.
However...
Compared to Genshirō Okikiba Kidō) for so long.
"Bang!!"
First Division, office.
"How is that possible!"
Shusuke Amagai repeated the same words as Funakiri.
His Raika had already Bankai, and combined with the nullification ability of the Bakkōtō, the Shigekuni Yamamoto...
They should have become ordinary people by now.
But why...?
What are you surprised about?
"Snap."
Captain-Commander Yamamoto grasped Raika.
Not a drop of blood flowed from his tiger's mouth; on the contrary, Raika felt as if he was about to be snapped in two by iron pincers. The tip of the Zanpakuto did indeed pierce Shigekuni Yamamoto's chest as he had intended, but the incomparably sharp blade could not penetrate any further.
"Even the greatest capabilities depend on the user who wields them."
"Your knife..."
Shusuke Amagai the sword with both hands, yet he still couldn't budge the strength of Shigekuni Yamamoto arm; on the contrary, the latter's free arm was moving backward along the Bakkōtō... opening its palm towards him like a five-fingered mountain.
"It seems this is the best we can do."
"!!"
"Whoosh!"
Shusuke Amagai had no choice but to abandon his Zanpakuto and use Shunpo to escape from Shigekuni Yamamoto's presence—he didn't know what method Shigekuni Yamamoto would use to attack, but that hand... he was certain that if he were caught, everything would be over.
"Oh?"
A hint of surprise appeared on Shigekuni Yamamoto's face.
"It seems the training in Hueco Mundo did have some effect."
Clang!
The Raika that had merged with the Bakkōtō were simply discarded aside without any regard for its own sake.
"..."
"What are you waiting for, Shigekuni Yamamoto?"
Even if the fight only lasted a few rounds.
But Shusuke Amagai's emotions were even more difficult to calm down than after the battle with Gillian.
What do you mean?
Shigekuni Yamamoto calmly countered with a question.
"Even if you can't free me, you can still use that sword to kill me... just like you killed my father."
Because of Muramasa's existence.
Whether actively or passively, the power of Ryūjin Jakka was effectively sealed.
Whoever it is...
Everyone who harbors hostility towards Shigekuni Yamamoto's existence sees this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
However.
Only when you face it yourself will you feel what powerlessness truly means.
--Just like Shusuke Amagai right now.
"Your trial is a matter for the Central 46 Chambers."
Shigekuni Yamamoto would not resort to vigilante justice.
Even if the other party opened another wound on his body, which had endured thousands of years and was covered in scars and dents.
"Hypocrisy?"
Shusuke Amagai sneered.
No, because you are not like Kisaragi.
However, Shigekuni Yamamoto's answer froze his smile on his face.
"..."
"Then why did you kill my father?"
Shusuke Amagai finally asked the question that had troubled him for countless years—he had planned to get the answer after the victory, but now it seemed that such a wishful thinking was hopeless.
"Kid, you chose revenge without knowing anything?"
"... What's the meaning."
"What I mean is, you have no idea what your father went through, Shusuke Amagai."
The one who answered Shusuke Amagai was not Shigekuni Yamamoto, but Genshirō Okikiba, who was slowly walking up the stairs. As for Funakiri's fate, there was no need to think about it when she saw Genshirō Okikiba.
"Killing Kisaragi with his own hands was the Captain-Commander's mercy."
"!!"
Genshirō Okikiba first nodded to the Captain-Commander, and after confirming that the latter had no intention of stopping him, he continued speaking to Shusuke Amagai:
"Although you ultimately chose this path and had a good affinity with it, what became of the others who used the Bakkōtō...?"
"You should have seen it before, Shusuke Amagai."
Genshirō Okikiba's words contained no blame, but rather were full of regret that "it shouldn't have been like this."
"... My father?"
Shusuke Amagai wore an incredulous expression.
"The extraterritorial rights possessed by the upper-class nobles meant that they would not be subject to the unilateral control of the Gotei 13. This was precisely the 'backup plan' that the Central 46 Chambers had prepared for themselves."
Genshirō Okikiba was himself a nobleman.
It wouldn't seem presumptuous for him to say these words.
Hundreds of years ago, if the Gotei 13 wanted to investigate a higher-ranking noble, they could only coordinate through the Kuchiki Clan of the Sixth Division; and at that time, the head of the Shihoin Clan family was not serving as a captain of the Gotei 13, so if he wanted to take action against a retainer of the Shihoin Clan, even the Kuchiki Clan would face enormous pressure.
"The existence of the Bakkōtō was kept extremely secret hundreds of years ago. It was only at the cost of your father's life that its existence was made public."
"!?"
This was a story that Shusuke Amagai had never heard before. Even after searching through the records of the nobles and the Gotei 13, this was the first time he had ever heard such a story.
"Using virtual organs directly as raw materials makes it hundreds of times more dangerous than the improved versions we have now—the so-called complete Bakkōtō in your hand is actually the original version from hundreds of years ago."
In order to find evidence of the Bakkōtō), Kisaragi volunteered to lead a small number of First Division members to infiltrate and investigate the Kasumioji Clan.
"Pity."
"Kisaragi was captured after falling into a trap during the investigation. She was driven mad by being used as a test subject in the research of the Bakkōtō. Later, under the deliberate instigation of the Kasumioji Clan, she brutally murdered all the members of the First Division at the time."
"I don't need to say anything more about what happened next, do I?"
"..."
Chōjirō's words plunged Shusuke Amagai into a long silence.
Genshirō Okikiba was not only the dean of the Shin'ō Academy when Amagai's father studied there, but also the mentor who introduced him to the First Division. Just how difficult it is to enter the First Division after graduation can be seen from the graduation and recruitment records over the years.
When Shusuke Amagai was young, he often heard his father express gratitude to Genshirō Okikiba; this is why he felt so "awkward" when facing Genshirō Okikiba when he joined the First Division.
"Yamamoto Shige... Didn't the Captain-Commander avenge the soldiers?"
Judging from how he addresses Shusuke Amagai, his mindset has undergone a huge change.
"Extraterritorial."
"... Is that thing really that important?"
Shusuke Amagai couldn't understand how four simple words could suppress hatred... and deliver a judgment of justice over evil?
"He may be unimportant to anyone, but he must obey the Captain-Commander's orders."
"I'm speaking to you earnestly," said Genshirō Okikiba.
"Otherwise..."