The Value of a Soul

Elsewhere.

After parting ways with Natsuki.

The woman's incessant, chattering voice echoed in Azashiro Kenpachi's ears once more.

"How truly merciful. You, who showed no hesitation in ruthlessly slaughtering ordinary civilians in the Rukon District, treating them as mere test subjects in your delusions of forging them into weapons—yet, when faced with your own subordinate, you actually harbor pity."

"Is this really Azashiro Kenpachi?"

"How hypocritical!"

All manner of mocking words spilled from the woman's lips. She seemed to be a chatterbox, interspersing her speech with exaggerated interjections and breaking into strange, intermittent cackles.

An ordinary person might have been able to endure it once or twice, but they certainly could not have tolerated it for long.

But Azashiro Kenpachi was clearly no ordinary person. He had long since grown accustomed to the woman's words. If one ignored her mocking tone and those bizarre laughs, it was actually possible to understand the meaning behind her words.

For instance, at this moment, while it sounded on the surface as if she were mocking his mercy, in reality, she was merely curious as to why he hadn't struck a fatal blow.

After a moment of silence.

Azashiro Kenpachi provided an answer, "His value is higher than that of those civilians."

"Oh, oh, oh... is that so? So, in your eyes, everyone possesses a different value?" It was rare to hear Azashiro respond to her, and the woman was quite excited, unable to stop herself from asking further.

"Yes!"

This time, Azashiro Kenpachi did not hesitate, nor did he remain silent; he answered the question candidly.

"Hollows threaten the entire world, and Shinigamis exist to combat them. For every additional Shinigami, many more threats from Hollows can be resolved. I merely loathe Hollows; I hold no grudge against Shinigamis."

"He once served in the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force and killed many Hollows. By keeping him alive, he will kill even more. On that merit alone, it is impossible for me to kill him."

"As for attacking the civilians? That is because those civilians possess no value whatsoever. They have no strength to resist when faced with Hollows. As my test subjects, allowing me to bestow power upon them is the only value their existence holds."

"What a cold-blooded and heartless statement," the woman remarked, evaluating Azashiro Kenpachi.

She then asked him, "Since you say you hold no grudge against Shinigamis, why did you kill that fellow named Kuruyashiki back then?"

"He was a Kenpachi. By your logic, keeping him alive should have held even greater value, right?"

A hint of complex emotion surfaced in Azashiro Kenpachi's tone. "You are correct. If I had kept Kuruyashiki alive, he would indeed have held greater value. I regret killing him, but I required the status of a Gotei 13 captain. Becoming the captain of any other division would have been far too troublesome and time-consuming. Only the position of Kenpachi is different; it was the easiest captaincy for me to obtain."

"Speaking of which, by sparing that young man's life, aren't you afraid he will expose what you have done and report you to the Central 46?" the woman asked another question.

Azashiro Kenpachi still did not hesitate. "If that is what he wishes to do, then let him."

When he decided to conduct experiments on the civilians of the Rukon District, he had never intended to keep the matter hidden forever.

Even if Natsuki had not discovered his actions, given that the Gotei 13 had already noticed the disappearances of souls in the Rukon District of late, they would have tracked the trail to him sooner or later.

But there was one thing that had never changed.

And that was his resolve to eradicate all Hollows.

After tending to his injuries.

Natsuki returned to the 11th Division.

After defeating Natsuki, Azashiro Kenpachi had not returned to the division; he did not know where he had gone.

The lieutenant, Gosu, was quite surprised to see the injured Natsuki.

Natsuki did not offer much of an explanation, saying only, "That Hollow was a bit troublesome." Seeing this, Gosu could only arrange for Natsuki to rest and recover, even suggesting that he visit the 4th Division. After all, the 4th Division was the medical unit, and under the treatment of their members, his injuries would heal much faster.

Natsuki did not refuse Gosu's kindness.

And so, his leave began.

At the same time, he headed toward the 4th Division.

Come to think of it, although he had been in the 11th Division for nearly a year and was now the Third Seat of the 11th Division—making him one of the elite Shinigamis within the entire Gotei 13—he had actually had little contact with the other divisions.

As for the 4th Division, this was his first time visiting.

Perhaps due to Natsuki's status, after he arrived at the 4th Division for treatment, a figure he had not expected appeared before him.

"Captain Unohana!"

Natsuki had assumed that a seated officer of the 4th Division would assist him, but he had not expected the captain of the 4th Division, Unohana Retsu, to appear before him.

From Gosu and others, Natsuki knew that Unohana Retsu was a captain of extremely long standing.

But beyond his identity as the Third Seat of the 11th Division, Natsuki was also a transmigrator. Even though much time had passed and many plot details were hazy, he still knew the identities of certain key figures.

Like Unohana Retsu: beyond her identity as the captain of the 4th Division, beneath her merciful exterior, she was actually a butcher whose hands had once been stained with blood—the First Kenpachi, known as Unohana Yachiru.

The "Yachi" in Kenpachi was the same "Yachi" from Yachiru.

"This is Third Seat Natsuki's first time visiting our 4th Division, isn't it?"

Unohana Retsu's long, black hair was braided into two plaits, but instead of hanging behind her, they rested in front. A faint smile played on her lips, and she looked kind-hearted and incredibly gentle.

"Yes!"

Natsuki responded candidly, "I encountered a rather troublesome Hollow in the Rukon District this time and sustained some significant injuries. Although I treated them myself, I felt it would be better to come to the 4th Division so that I might recover faster and return to the battlefield sooner."

Unohana Retsu gestured for Natsuki to lie down on the bed, and while examining his injuries, she asked, "Does Third Seat Natsuki enjoy combat so much?"

"I wouldn't say I enjoy combat, exactly."

"But I feel that, having become a Shinigami, some things are simply unavoidable."

"For instance... combat!"

Natsuki spoke calmly, as if he were discussing something entirely trivial.

"Is that so?"

Unohana Retsu's eyes flickered. She tore open the clothing over Natsuki's chest to inspect his wounds, and then, a gentle glow appeared upon her palm. Pale blue Reiatsu manifested in her hand, transforming into a different kind of power that, under her manipulation, rapidly repaired Natsuki's injured body.

Shinigamis and Hollows are beings of Reishi.

Their bodies are composed entirely of Reishi, and the strength of their physical forms is determined by their own spiritual power; the stronger one's spiritual power, the more formidable their physique, allowing them to recover quickly even when wounded.

The healing method Unohana Retsu was currently employing was a specialized Ghost Way developed specifically for beings of Reishi.