9:30 a.m., Seireitei, Sōkyoku Execution Grounds.
The Sōkyoku Execution Grounds consisted of a spear and a cross-shaped execution stand, both several dozen meters tall. The spear was the unreleased Sōkyoku. Once released, it would transform into a gigantic flaming bird called Phoenix King, possessing destructive power equivalent to more than a million Zanpakutō combined.
The Sōkyoku sounded powerful, but in reality, it was not. It could only be used as an execution tool, because the released Sōkyoku was not particularly sturdy. With enough preparation, it could be destroyed.
Rather than calling the Sōkyoku the most powerful Zanpakutō in Soul Society, it was more accurate to call it a symbol of authority. Any Soul Reaper who dared violate the rules of Seireitei would die beneath the Sōkyoku.
Rukia stood below the execution platform. Several Confession Palace guards stood behind her, while several captain- or Vice Captain-level Soul Reapers stood some distance away.
As a member of the Kuchiki family—even if she was only an adopted daughter—executing Rukia was no small matter. Therefore, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni had personally come.
The execution would begin promptly at ten, and before it began, releasing the Sōkyoku was the top priority.
There were not many captain-level Soul Reapers present. Only Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai, Second Division Captain Suì-Fēng, and Eighth Division Captain Kyōraku Shunsui had come. The rest had sent their Vice Captains in their place, while some had chosen not to appear at all.
Suì-Fēng's gaze swept across the surroundings. Large swathes of bandages were wrapped beneath her shihakushō, and her injuries still throbbed faintly. But as the commander of the Stealth Force, she had to be present for something like this.
It was entirely understandable that so few captains had shown up. The First Division barracks had just been leveled, and they had plenty of