Hibiki Hoshino's Defection

Within the Kuchiki Clan estate, Sōjun Kuchiki's body was surrounded by white flower petals. One Shinigami after another came before the mourning hall, bowed to him, and saw him off.

At one side of the mourning hall, Haruko Kuchiki, dressed in white mourning clothes, knelt and returned the bows of each Shinigami who had come to pay respects to her elder brother.

Ailin did the same.

However, Ailin knelt slightly farther back than Haruko Kuchiki.

Some of those who had come to pay respects to Sōjun Kuchiki looked at Ailin with very strange expressions.

Ailin paid them no mind.

Though Ailin's face remained expressionless, inwardly, he was already overjoyed.

What a haul!

Many of the people who had come to pay respects to Sōjun Kuchiki were influential figures Ailin had never been able to approach before.

What delighted Ailin even more was that Aizen Sosuke, the Fifth Division Vice-Captain who had come with Hirako Shinji to mourn Sōjun Kuchiki, was not a substitute.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto and Chōjirō Sasakibe had also attended Sōjun Kuchiki's funeral.

Jushiro Genpachi, the current captain of the Eleventh Division, also made an appearance.

Kyoka Suigetsu, Flowing Blade-like Fire, Dewdrop Crushing...

There were even Flesh Rip of Retsu Unohana, captain of the Fourth Division, and Kiryuo Hikifune, captain of the Twelfth Division...

Besides these top-tier Zanpakuto, Ailin also copied several thousand Zanpakuto in passing.

Completely forging all these Zanpakuto would likely take a very long time.

Naturally, once these Zanpakuto were forged, the increase in Ailin's strength went without saying.

More importantly, after forging these several thousand Zanpakuto, Unlimited Blade Works would record the "sword" elements required to forge abilities.

With so many "recipes," both the variety and power of the weapons Ailin could create would increase dramatically.

It could be said that this trip to help at the Kuchiki Clan estate was worth more than centuries of Ailin's arduous cultivation.

By noon, after everyone who was meant to come had seen Sōjun Kuchiki for the last time, the Kuchiki Clan servants carried Sōjun Kuchiki's coffin to a wooden pyre erected in the courtyard. Ginrei Kuchiki personally lit it with a torch.

Amid the blazing flames, Sōjun Kuchiki's body released specks of white spirit particles, which dispersed into Soul Society beneath everyone's blessings...

While the Kuchiki Clan held a Squad Funeral for their eldest young master, Hibiki Hoshino was escorted by Ninth Division seated officers to Central 46 for trial.

"Clang..."

The doors opened. After Hibiki Hoshino, his hands bound, was escorted inside by two Ninth Division Shinigami, he raised his head and surveyed this institution that symbolized the highest authority in Soul Society.

The Judgment Chamber of Central 46 was an enclosed space roughly the size of a basketball court.

The open area at the bottom was where the accused stood trial.

Around it were tiered judgment desks.

The higher one's status, the higher the position of one's desk.

At the very top, five luxurious curved judgment desks, each about ten meters long, formed a broad semicircle. These were the seats of Seireitei's Five Noble Clans.

They symbolized their supreme authority.

However, only three of those five seats were presently occupied.

The two seats representing the Tsunayashiro Clan and the Shiba Clan were currently empty.

Below them sat Seireitei's twelve upper noble clans.

The seats representing these twelve upper noble clans were divided into two tiers, with six seats on each tier.

Clearly, even among the upper nobility, there were different ranks.

The bottom three rows each held ten seats, reserved for the lower noble clans.

This was Central 46, composed of the forty-six nobles within Seireitei.

"Criminal Hibiki Hoshino, you violated Seireitei's prohibition by releasing your Zanpakuto without authorization. The evidence is conclusive."

"Central 46 shall now pass judgment upon you."

"Criminal Hibiki Hoshino has disregarded the law and violated Seireitei's major prohibition. His Zanpakuto shall be confiscated, and he shall be expelled from Soul Society and demoted to the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force. He shall never be permitted to return to Soul Society."

"Execute the sentence immediately!"

Looking down on Hibiki Hoshino from above, these nobles of Central 46 used cold, merciless words to instantly decide the fate of the latter half of a powerful Shinigami's life.

Without his Zanpakuto, Hibiki Hoshino posed almost no threat to Seireitei.

His Captain-level spiritual pressure would also allow Hibiki Hoshino to kill more Hollows in the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force.

As for how Hibiki Hoshino, without a Zanpakuto, would deal with stronger Hollows, that was beyond their consideration.

He was merely a Shinigami. If not for that terrifying Zanpakuto, why would someone like him be worth a second glance from them?

"Hahahaha, hahahaha..."

After hearing the nobles' verdict, Hibiki Hoshino's reaction was beyond their expectations.

"He's laughing?"

"Perhaps he refuses to accept our verdict and has gone mad because he cannot bear it."

"Mad? What a pity."

"No matter. Isn't True Zero Spirit Arts Academy about to graduate? Send him to the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force together with those who were not accepted into the Gotei 13. A few days' delay will make no difference."

Seeing Hibiki Hoshino's reaction, the nobles paid it no mind.

After all, they had already achieved their purpose for coming today!

"You truly know nothing about real power..."

Just as these nobles intended to have the Ninth Division Shinigami throw Hibiki Hoshino into Prison, he raised his head. His cold voice echoed through the Judgment Chamber.

"You are nothing but weak ants. What gave you the illusion that you could judge a dragon?"

Boom!

Vast spiritual pressure erupted from Hibiki Hoshino's body.

Wave after wave of spiritual pressure swept over the elders of Central 46 like a flood, drowning them beneath it.

"How dare you..."

"Arrogant..."

These elders were all senior members of their respective clans.

They might not have possessed much strength, but their command of authority made them look down on every Shinigami except the thirteen captains.

Unfortunately, the one they had encountered was Hibiki Hoshino, who revered only strength.

No matter how they rebuked him, their reaction to his spiritual pressure could not deceive anyone.

Under Hibiki Hoshino's immense spiritual pressure, these elders involuntarily clutched their throats and gasped for air.

Fear appeared in the eyes of some of them.

"Muramasa!"

Ignoring the disgraceful state of Central 46's elders, Hibiki Hoshino called out to his Zanpakuto as the two Shinigami holding him surged toward him.

However, to Hibiki Hoshino's surprise, Muramasa did not appear.