What happened after that?

"Money will disappear sooner or later, but glory will not."

"Xiao Shuang, you have even better talent than your sister, so you'll surely become a Shinigami powerful enough to hold everything together."

"Just like our ancestors..."

She smiled gently, like the warmest, most soothing sunlight in a spring breeze.

In a family steeped in the stench of money, she was like a lotus growing from the mud, fresh and noble.

Though the boy from the Azashiro Clan couldn't be like his sister, he loved seeing her smile. It was the only comfort in his long life.

To him, as long as he could see his sister smile, he didn't mind how hard he had to work.

"You really leave me no choice. I'll try becoming a Shinigami, then."

"But don't you become a stumbling block for me, all right, Sis?"

With thoughts he couldn't bring himself to express directly, the boy from the Azashiro Clan began his studies.

Hearing his stubborn words, his sister smiled gently.

"Xiao Shuang will definitely become a Shinigami greater than our ancestors and set an example for the Azashiro Clan!"

That comforting smile was etched deep in the boy's heart. It became his greatest motivation to keep growing stronger and studying, even though he could barely hold a bamboo sword.

But their peaceful life was shattered in an instant.

Coveting the Azashiro Clan's wealth, several upper-ranking Nobles conspired to frame them, fabricating evidence that they planned to overthrow the Five Noble Families and the Royal Family.

Before long, every member of the Azashiro Clan had been arrested.

When the verdict was handed down, the Azashiro Clan came to an end. They were all sent to the execution grounds.

In a massive pit, they were forced to fight Hollows to the death.

From down there, all they had to do was look up to see the Nobles who had framed the Azashiro Clan sneering at them.

Seated in the stands, they watched the condemned suffer below. Blood and corpses came together to paint a picture of Hell.

The Azashiro Clan had spent years in business, neglecting its traditions and overlooking the importance of strength. So even against just one Hollow used for executions, they couldn't win.

The boy from the Azashiro Clan was the last to be sent to the execution grounds.

Locked in a cell beside the pit, he watched his family being slaughtered. His frail body trembled uncontrollably with fear.

When only the boy and his sister remained, the method of execution changed for some reason, and the siblings were sent into the pit together.

A guard unlocked their handcuffs and shackles, then gave each of them an Asauchi.

From the high platform, the officer in charge let out a scornful laugh.

"The battle about to begin will prove one thing: the Azashiro Clan, once hailed as heroes, no longer possesses even the slightest strength worthy of our respect."

"This bloodline has no worth in continuing."

"These siblings are all that remains of the Azashiro Clan's bloodline, and even together, they can't kill a single Hollow."

"That's proof that the Azashiro Clan's strength has declined!"

The boy didn't understand what the man was saying. But when he heard those filthy Nobles curse his sister, a rage he couldn't suppress rose in his heart.

It burned fiercely, like a blazing fire.

The execution began.

A gigantic Hollow appeared before them. Its eyes, streaked with countless blood vessels, brimmed with hunger for fresh flesh—

The immense Reiatsu weighed down on the boy's small frame. Despair enveloped his face, and he trembled involuntarily.

As fear overwhelmed him, his sister turned back and gave him her familiar, gentle smile.

"It's all right, Xiao Shuang."

"I'll make sure you get out of here alive."

What happened next was already a little hazy to the boy.

He remembered only that the blood splashed across his face was scorching hot.

The giant Hollow was covered in savage wounds. Viscous blood streamed down its enormous body and gathered into rivulets on the ground.

Its ugly jaws now held the girl's body.

The boy gripped his Asauchi and tried to rush forward to save his sister, but fear coursed through his entire body, leaving him unable to move.

The dying girl turned to look at him.

There was no blame in her eyes. Her lips curved slightly, and she gave him one last gentle smile.

"Xiao Shuang, you have to become a Shinigami with great power..."

Her soft murmur faded, followed by the sound of an elaborate Kido incantation.

In the next instant,

scorching blue flames roared across the Hollow's grotesque face, consuming everything.

The boy's wail broke apart in his throat, unable to form a complete cry. All that came out was a hoarse, heartbroken howl...

Like a beast's.

"What happened after that?"

Kisaragi Akira wanted to ask, but thought that doing so might be like rubbing salt in a wound.

Considering the difference in strength between them, he suppressed his urge to court death.

Azashiro Soya calmly glanced at the two beside him. It seemed he had seen through someone's thoughts, and he continued the story.

Just as the boy was regaining his senses,

the officer on the high platform let out an ugly sneer. "The last boy of the Azashiro Clan has stopped crying. It seems he's ready to fight!"

"Let's give him a big round of applause!"

The boy still couldn't understand what the man meant. But what came next crushed every last bit of hope and laid bare the Nobles' depravity and utter lack of decency.

"All right, send the next Hollow into the execution grounds."

"There's not much point in telling the rest of the story."

Azashiro Soya cut off their interest and urged them to focus on the explanation.

"Because of the special nature of my Zanpakuto, the Reishi that Soul Society had disintegrated that day lingered in the execution grounds."

"So..."

His calm gaze fell on Kisaragi Akira.

"I'll do my best!"

The boy thumped his chest, though he didn't dare sound too confident.

The Reishi he had gathered for his previous rituals had all belonged to people who had died recently.

Trying to collect the Reishi of someone who had been dead for a hundred years and bring him back into the world was nothing short of a pipe dream.

As the two watched in bewilderment, Kisaragi Akira pulled a ritual table from his uniform sleeve. From his chest, he took out incense, candles, a Ritual Bell, a Gohei, and a teacup filled with clear water.

Then he pulled a clean, neatly folded set of Priest Vestments from his crotch.

In the blink of an eye, the Spiritual Arts Academy student transformed into the Chief Priest of Nikkotsu Shrine.

The incense and candles were lit, and delicate wisps of fragrance drifted through the execution grounds.

The Ritual Bell rang softly, its clear chimes echoing through the vast space.

"By the name of the Kisaragi Shrine Priest, I offer this ritual to the One-Eyed Great Deity, Mimihagi..."

Kisaragi Akira's fingers moved nimbly through a series of changing hand seals. As he chanted, he released the strongest Reiatsu he could muster at his current level.

Since I'm summoning someone who died a hundred years ago, it should be fine if I use a little more Reiatsu, right?

With that thought in mind, Kisaragi Akira completed the final step of the ritual.

In the next instant,

a tremendous roar erupted in the execution grounds, resounding beneath the domed ceiling!

Under the two astonished gazes, a vast, sacred black shadow rose above Kisaragi Akira, twisting the Reishi all around it.

Black ink spread, tracing one line after another, until darkness covered everything!