Byakuya's Choice

The afternoon after being discharged from the Fourth Division

Amber passed through the public Senkaimon and stepped onto the land of the World of the Living. Urahara Shop was still the same as before, sunlight filtering through the gaps in the eaves and falling on his shoulders. He pushed open the glass door and called out, "Mr. Urahara," but no one answered.

The door to the inner room was open. The hidden door leading to the Underground Training Ground was also open, and the occasional dull sound of clashing swords could be heard coming from below, as if it were coming from a great distance.

As Amber descended the stairs, her footsteps echoed on the narrow staircase. The further down she went, the clearer the sounds of swords clashing became, interspersed with the sounds of running footsteps, panting, and the distinctive whistling of Urahara's cane sword cutting through the air.

As he walked out of the stairwell, he saw Ichigo being chased and slashed by Urahara.

Ichigo's short orange hair was soaked with sweat and stuck to his forehead. His Shihakusho was torn in several places. He was holding Asauchi with only the hilt remaining. He was forced to retreat repeatedly by Urahara's cane sword.

Urahara's offensive continued relentlessly, slashing one after another with tricky angles and precise strikes, each blow reducing the hilt of Ichigo's sword by a fraction.

Ichigo's blocking became increasingly difficult, and his steps grew more and more unsteady, but he did not fall.

Tessai Tsukabishi, Jinta, and Ururu watched the battle from the sidelines. Yoruichi lay on Ururu's head with her tail drooping down, occasionally flicking it.

Suddenly, Ichigo stopped with his back to Urahara, his Reiatsu began to rise, and Urahara also stopped.

"Zangetsu!" he roared, turning around to unleash a strike.

It was as if something, pushed to its limit, was surging forth from the depths of the body. The Reiatsu unleashed crashed against the ground like Tide, raising dust. On Asauchi's remaining hilt, Reiatsu began to surge.

Something seemed to grow from the hilt, segment by segment, with a texture completely different from before. When Ichigo finished shouting the last syllable, what he held in his hand was no longer an Asauchi:

The object was less a knife and more a massive sheet of iron, lacking a guard and hilt—it simply stood there abruptly and arrogantly, its back a deep black, swallowing all the light that shone upon it; the blade, however, was an exceptionally bright silver-white.

The grip area was wrapped only with layers of white bandage, the ends of which unfurled and extended down the back of the blade, swaying slightly in the wind.

Ichigo stared blankly at Zangetsu in his hand.

"Next..." Urahara's voice seemed to awaken Ichigo, whose eyes turned serious as he looked at Urahara. But Urahara continued speaking to himself:

"Now that your Zanpakuto has appeared, let's proceed with Test 3..."

"Excuse me, Mr. Urahara..." Ichigo interrupted Urahara, assuming a fighting stance, not having time to explain further, "You'd better hide!"

"Huh?" Urahara didn't quite understand what Ichigo meant.

Ichigo raised his sword, his Reiatsu surging. "I think... I won't hold back."

A single slash!

That strike was unlike any of his previous attacks. The blade sliced through the air, creating not the sound of wind, but a visible wave of Reiatsu —a blue, crescent-shaped slash that erupted from the tip of the blade. It detached from the blade, tore through the air, and flew straight toward Urahara.

Urahara's pupils contracted. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, his Reiatsu surging—"Awaken, Benihime!"

The staff-sword transformed in his hand, its blade extending, and Reiatsu condensed into an arc-shaped barrier before the edge— the Blood-Mist Shield.

Getsuga Tenshō with the Blood-Mist Shield. The air in the entire training ground vibrated. At the edge of the collision between Reiatsu, sparks and points of light exploded simultaneously, like a miniature rain of fireworks. Although the shield was nearly shattered, Crescent Moon Sky Strike was ultimately blocked.

But the ground beneath Urahara's feet cracked, the fissures spreading outwards from his feet. He gripped Benihime, his arm trembling slightly.

The training ground fell silent.

Urahara looked at his Benihime, at the tattered shield, then raised his head to look at the sword in Ichigo's hand.

"... If it weren't for this Blood-Mist Shield, my arm would have been severed again."

Ichigo stood in the corner, still gripping Zangetsu in both hands, panting heavily.

"Clap clap!" Applause broke the silence of the training ground.

Everyone looked over, and there stood Hu. His hands were raised in front of his chest, still in the position he hadn't had time to lower after clapping, his eyes shining as if he had seen something incredible:

That strike was the original Getsuga Tenshō! He saw it with his own eyes. Not through a screen, not in a manga panel, but right in front of him, less than twenty meters away, slashed from the orange-haired boy's hand. He could feel the wind pressure generated when that strike tore through the air, and smell the scorching aura left in the air after the collision of Reiatsu.

Hu was deeply moved.

"Here he comes, the culprit who recently chopped off my arm." Urahara reached out and caught the hat that had just been knocked away.

Amber's hand froze in mid-air as he watched Urahara look at him with a half-smile, while Benihime lazily pointed her blade in his direction.

He quickly lowered his hand, scratched the back of his head, and walked over, apologizing as he went. Ichigo's eyes lit up when Ichigo saw that it was Amber.

"Hu! Are you alright?" He hoisted Zangetsu onto his shoulder, walked up, and looked Hu up and down.

"That day you were taken away by Byakuya Kuchiki, and I haven't known how you are since. What about Rukia? How is she?"

The training ground fell silent. Jinta and Ururu stopped whispering to each other, Yoruichi's tail hung motionless on Ururu's head, and Kou remained silent for a while before recounting the news he had recently heard.

"The verdict from the first instance trial has been delivered," he said in a low voice. "It's death penalty."

Ichigo's shoulder, carrying Zangetsu, slumped slightly. He didn't speak, but the knuckles of his fingers gripping the hilt turned white.

"The Kuchiki Clan is still appealing, but it hasn't been accepted yet, and it looks like it won't be."

Hu continued, "Normally, according to the normal procedure, there is a one-month interval after the final judgment. But this time, the Central 46 didn't want to follow the usual procedure—they set the execution date early."

It's estimated that they intend to carry out the death penalty directly after the final trial.

Ichigo frowned after hearing this. The execution time was similar to what the Urahara, had said, but there was one thing he didn't understand.

"The Kuchiki Clan is still appealing?" he asked, puzzled. "That Byakuya Kuchiki, he personally came to arrest Rukia, and now he's appealing for her? What exactly is he trying to do? If he didn't want her to die, why did he arrest her in the first place?"

Tsukabishi's gaze fell on the ground. Jinta and Ururu exchanged a glance and both fell silent. Urahara tapped his palm lightly with his fan, his hat brim pulled low, obscuring his expression. Almost no one present knew the answer.

Kou recalled that he had asked Byakuya a similar question during the Senkei, but Byakuya didn't say a word and only responded with his blade.

"How would we know what the noblemen are thinking?" Hu scratched his head vigorously. "But if you really want to know, go ask him yourself."

"I asked him that day, but he didn't give me an answer." He turned to Ichigo, "I heard that Byakuya Kuchiki has been locking himself in the tea room lately; I wonder if he's found the answer yet."

Ichigo moment. "I understand." He lowered Zangetsu from his shoulder, the tip of the blade resting on the ground. "In a few days, I'll go ask him myself."

Kou recalled the original story, looked at Ichigo, and suddenly asked, "What if he answers incorrectly?"

Ichigo grinned. "Then we'll keep correcting him until he gets it right."

Amber paused for a moment, then smiled. Urahara's fan stopped in mid-air, and half of his mouth peeked out from under his hat brim—he smiled too.

Ichigo hoisted Zangetsu back onto his shoulder and turned to Kou. "By the way, what brings you here today? There shouldn't be any Soul Reaper stationed in Karakura Town anymore, right? Does the Feimou Corps have a mission?"

"I'm mainly here for training."

"Training?" Ichigo's eyes lit up. "Perfect, let's do it together—"

"Amber's training won't interfere with yours," Urahara said lightly, closing his fan. "It'll be over soon."

Ichigo didn't quite understand; training always takes time. Then he saw something that made him even more confused.

Tessai Tsukabishi walked over from the edge of the training ground. Urahara sheathed Benihime and followed. Yoruichi jumped down from above Ururu's head and landed on the ground. Amber came last, and the three of them and the cat walked to the depths of the training ground.

A simple Senkaimon lit up, opened, and the three people and the cat filed in.

Ichigo stood there, confused. Jinta and Ururu didn't explain either, and the training ground fell silent.

After a while,

Tessai Tsukabishi came out first, his clothes slightly dirty. Urahara followed behind, his wrists bearing some red marks as he relaxed them. Ko, on the other hand, crawled out, on all fours, inching his way out of the door. His clothes were soaked with sweat, and his hair was plastered to his forehead, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

Yoruichi perched on Amber's head, nonchalantly licking her paws, her tail brushing against the back of his head.

"Excuse me for asking," Ichigo knelt down beside Kotori and poked the man lying on the ground, "Are you the type who can't fight for long? You mean—" He gestured to his chest, "... the kind with a color timer on your chest?"

Hu propped himself up on the ground, like a cat pulled from the water. "Who are you calling Ultraman?!" he gasped, his voice hoarse but his words clear, "That's really presumptuous of me!"

"What? You even know about World of the Living tokusatsu dramas?" Ichigo squatted on the ground, elbows propped on his knees. "I thought Soul Reaper were all like Rukia, those old-fashioned people living like they did hundreds of years ago."

"Who are you calling an old fogey!" Hu sat up from the ground, pointing to himself, "I've only been here for less than half a year, not even thirty at most!"

Ichigo's expression froze for a moment. He looked at Koko—not even thirty years old, only been in Soul Society for half a year, and had just died. He squatted there, his lips moved, and something darkened in his eyes.

Hu jumped up and slapped him on the head. "Don't look at me like that." After slapping him, he swayed for a moment before regaining his balance.

"It's not what you think. The time density inside the Dangai is two thousand times that outside. While you were waiting outside, I've been inside for several hours."

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head where he'd been slapped. "What? There are such great places?"

Ichigo turned his head and looked at Urahara.

"Mr. Urahara, I want to go to the Dangai training camp too."

Urahara's fan stopped in mid-air. He looked at Ichigo moment, then closed the fan, his expression under the brim of his hat becoming serious.

"No."

"Why?"

"Amber is a spirit, with a long lifespan but no physical body," Urahara explained. "But you are different. You are a living person, with a physical body."

Simply crossing the Dangai is fine, but if you train inside for a long time, the effects of time will be reflected in your soul, but not in your body.

If the soul matures while the body remains stagnant, lifespan will be shortened. This could lead to a vegetative state where the soul has left the body but the physical body is still alive.

Or there may be an irreversible misalignment between the soul and the body, making it impossible to go back.

He looked at Ichigo. "These consequences will affect your future life. Unless you're completely desperate, you absolutely must not enter the Dangai Training."

Ichigo gripped Zangetsu, looked at the closed Senkaimon, and then at Koko, who was still lying on the ground, not yet recovered.

"... I see."

He turned and walked to the center of the training field. "Then I'll become stronger here in my own way."

Urahara looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips beneath his hat. "That's more like it."

Yoruichi jumped down from above Koko's head, and Koko fell down again due to the force of the impact.

Yoruichi teased, "Amber, you still have a long way to go!"

Hu lay on the ground, his legs still trembling, too weak to reply.

The sound of swords clashing echoed through the training ground once more. Ichigo gripped Zangetsu, Urahara held Benihime, and their figures intertwined once more.

Senzaikyū

It was a world shrouded in the shadow of death.

Silence, like a tangible entity, filled every crevice and every inch of space in the Senzaikyū. It pressed down on the stone walls, making the cold rocks even colder; it sank into the air, freezing time into a huge piece of amber.

A figure slowly emerged from the impenetrable silence; Byakuya Kuchiki's steps were steady and silent.

He arrived at a massive stone door Sealing Formulae. Behind the door, in a cell, was his sister, Rukia Kuchiki. He didn't call out to her; he simply stood there quietly, his Reiatsu silently announcing his arrival.

Inside the door, Rukia seemed to sense something. She raised her head and looked at the cold stone door, her eyes showing no fear, only a deathly calm.

"It is I." Byakuya's voice pierced through the stone gate, as if passing through a thin sheet of paper, clear yet devoid of warmth.

There was no response from inside the door, but Byakuya knew she was listening. He continued, his tone steady, as if he were reading a verdict that had nothing to do with him.

"Rukia Kuchiki's crime is a first-degree felony. After deliberation by the Central 46, she will be Sōkyoku Execution by Sōkyoku Hill in 20 days. This is the final decision of Soul Society."

He paused, and that brief silence was more oppressive than any words. "Therefore, this is the last time I will speak to you. The next time we meet will be on the execution platform."

There was no farewell, no comfort, not even a trace of extra emotion. With those words spoken, he turned and left, just as he had come, leaving behind a silence colder than death for the lonely figure in the stone cell.

Byakuya's figure moved through the winding corridors of the Senzaikyū, almost blending into the darkness. Just as he was about to leave this oppressive building, two figures emerged from around the corner of the corridor ahead. Their Reiatsu was flamboyant and unrestrained, completely out of place with the silence, as if they were deliberately trying to tear apart this deathly stillness.

The man on the left was exceptionally tall and burly, like an iron tower. He had a hideous scar on his face, and his black hair stood up like steel needles, with bells stuck at the tips of each hair, making a sharp, piercing sound as he moved.

The man on the right was a stark contrast to him. He was tall and slightly thin, with short, silver-white hair and skin that was almost sickly pale. He squinted slightly, and a faint smile always played at the corners of his mouth, like a fox lurking in the dark, watching its prey.

It was Kenpachi Zaraki and Gin Ichimaru.

"Yo." Gin Ichimaru spoke first, his voice soft and tinged with a playful smile, echoing in the empty corridor. "Isn't this Captain Byakuya Kuchiki the Sixth Division?"

Byakuya stopped in his tracks, his gaze calmly sweeping over the two uninvited captains before him, his expression unchanged.

Gin Ichimaru took two steps forward, tilted his head, and scrutinized Byakuya with his signature, perpetually half-closed eyes. "You've really gone to a lot of trouble. To personally come to such a gloomy place to deliver the news of your sister's death."

"It's not as hard as you've worked." Byakuya's voice remained indifferent.

Gin Ichimaru asked in confusion, "How am I working so hard?"

"As the captain, you were sent to the Fourth Division by a mere intern. Compared to the public opinion surrounding you, my situation is actually quite easy."

The veins on Gin's forehead bulged slightly; he finally understood that Byakuya was indirectly calling him shameful.

"You were hurt by him too, weren't you?"

"I wasn't carried into the Fourth Division."

"Little Tiger has become much stronger!"

"I wasn't carried into the Fourth Division."

"My Bankai wasn't very effective against him!"

"I wasn't carried into the Fourth Division."

"I'm not suited for head-on combat!"

"I wasn't carried into the Fourth Division."

Don't you have anything else to say?

"Qing is the team leader, and he is an intern."

"You!"

Kenpachi Zaraki seemed to have grown impatient with this pointless verbal exchange. He had originally wanted to pick a fight with Byakuya, but seeing this childish drama, he lost interest and left with Gin, who was still planning to argue with Byakuya.

"If Yoru Yexing Hu disappoints me tomorrow, I won't let you off the hook, Ichimaru."

Gin, who was still making faces at Byakuya, Kaidō, "Don't worry, I won't let you down."

Silence returned to the corridor. Byakuya glanced at their retreating figures expressionlessly, then continued walking in the opposite direction from his sister.