The fair arm seemed to possess endless strength, gripping the Soul Reaper's hand so hard that the bones felt ready to break.
Feeling the pain in his hand, the Soul Reaper instinctively assumed it was the work of one of his companions. He turned around reflexively, only to see a face he had only ever admired from afar.
Cold eyes, sharply defined features, an aristocratic bearing...
The pretty-boy captain of the Sixth Division!
Byakuya Kuchiki!
Why was this guy here?!
Because Byakuya nearly filled his entire field of vision, he failed to see the captains behind him. But Byakuya alone was enough to make his already-not-so-bright mind completely shut down.
Looking at the man before him, whose face was darker than the bottom of a pot, the Soul Reaper felt every muscle in his body trembling. With a mouth that could barely form a complete sentence, he said:
"C-C-Captain Byakuya! I had no idea you were here! My deepest apologies!"
With that, he dropped to his knees at astonishing speed, pressing his forehead tightly against the ground. At that moment, he could no longer care about dignity. Before a captain, someone of his status had no pathetic pride to speak of.
The pride of the weak had always been nothing more than a colossal joke.
Yet as he watched the Soul Reaper continuously kowtow before him, Byakuya's face remained icy. He looked down at the man, then hauled him to his feet and stared into his eyes.
"I am the captain of the Sixth Division. It appears that you lost the wager you made with someone just now. And you lost more than one wager. Every captain of the Gotei 13 has come here, including the Chief Kido Master you claimed cared only about achievements. He is here as well."