After completing all that, someone lay sprawled on the ground like a dead fish.
He was breathing in more than he breathed out, looking as though he didn't have long to live.
"This time, I took a huge loss."
After finally catching his breath, Kisaragi Akira said with a pained expression:
"Back in Nikkotsu District, a ritual of this scale would've earned me at least ten or eight thousand Kan."
"This time, not only did I do it for free, I also lost a Ritual Bell, two incense sticks, and a Gohei. I'm bleeding money!"
Aizen glanced at him expressionlessly and said calmly:
"You're the one who acted on your own, and you're also the one regretting it."
"If I hadn't been there just now, the ritual wouldn't have been completed at all. You might even have been caught up in it yourself."
"Can't you ever be reliable?"
At that, Kisaragi Akira furrowed his brows, looking thoughtful.
Just as Aizen thought the man had finally turned over a new leaf, he heard a firm, resounding reply:
"No!"
Aizen: "..."
Suppressing the urge to chop someone over the head, he turned his gaze toward the distance.
The wailing continued, its heartrending grief unmistakable.
In Azashiro Soya's eyes, from now on, he truly was all alone.
The pain he had experienced as a child was unfolding before him once again.
His helplessness as a child had not changed in the slightest.
He was now one of the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society, yet he still couldn't bring his sister back to life.
Whether one was strong or not meant nothing in the face of such a parting.
Even someone as powerful as Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni couldn't change this reality.
Azashiro Soya was lost in his grief, unable to pull himself free.
At the execution ground.
Aizen's eye twitched as he watched Kisaragi Akira stuff the offering table into his crotch. Even though he'd seen it happen many times, he still couldn't understand why this man had such a peculiar kink.
"Are you planning to give the Ritual Bell straight to Azashiro Soya?"
"Of course not!" Kisaragi Akira widened his eyes and waved the Ritual Bell around boastfully. "This is a sacred object I obtained through painstaking effort and countless uses of the Power of the Sacred Eye."
"Given my devout faith in Lord Mimihagi..."
"You're going to charge him extra?" Aizen asked helplessly.
Kisaragi Akira grinned. "You know me best, Sosuke."
After an unknown amount of time, the mournful wailing gradually faded, and Azashiro Soya reappeared at the execution ground.
By then, the execution ground had returned to its usual calm.
When he came before Kisaragi Akira and Aizen again, the 8th Kenpachi had recovered his usual cold mask. If anything, he seemed even more stern.
Like an iceberg that had stood frozen for ten thousand years.
"Despite the unexpected turn of events, I still have to thank you, Kisaragi Akira."
Azashiro Soya was a man of principle.
He knew full well that what he'd done this time had been rather presumptuous.
Neither Kisaragi Akira nor Aizen should have been dragged into something like this.
But back in Zenteiji District,
Kisaragi Akira's ritual had brought the dead back to life, stirring the calm within him once again.
If he could, even seeing her just once more would be enough.
With that thought in mind, he'd used Uro Zakuro's ability to create a clone in his temporary room and make his request.
Though he hadn't held out much hope, he'd still brought them to this execution ground, where his pain lay buried.
Thankfully, Kisaragi Akira hadn't let him down.
But since they were already involved, he might as well tell them his original plan and hear what "they" thought of it.
"About Zenteiji..."
Azashiro Soya began calmly. "It was actually a pilot project of mine."
"What do you mean?"
Kisaragi Akira looked up in confusion.
Azashiro Soya coldly explained his idea:
"Transform every resident of Rukongai, granting them the ability to exterminate Hollows, and then invade Hueco Mundo."
"The incident at Zenteiji was only the beginning."
"Next, I'll submit this plan to Central 46, then put it into action..."
Before he could finish, Azashiro Soya suddenly noticed a subtle change in the expression of Kisaragi Akira, the man he'd come to regard as his benefactor.
"The Rukongai you're talking about includes Nikkotsu District too, doesn't it?"
Azashiro Soya nodded without changing his expression, confirming it:
"Of course."
"Exterminating Hollows requires a lot of—"
Shing—
The sound of a blade being drawn interrupted Azashiro Soya's explanation.
Aizen was astonished to see Kisaragi Akira take on an unfamiliar appearance, unlike anything he'd ever seen before.
Frenzied Reiatsu surged wildly, coiling around the silver-white blade.
The young man's face was utterly calm, not a trace of emotion in sight. It had taken him just an instant to go from playful to utterly ruthless.
"You should know this."
"I'm from the local shrine in Nikkotsu District..."
A dangerous gleam flashed along the blade in Kisaragi Akira's hand. "That's my home."
Azashiro Soya nodded slightly.
"I know."
"But—"
"Isn't sacrificing the few for the greater good exactly what a true Shinigami should do?"
The brilliant blade and the invisible Reiatsu clashed in midair, sparks flying. In the darkness, they illuminated two utterly calm, expressionless faces.
"Fuck your Shinigami..."
A violent Kendo assault erupted in an instant, crashing down like a fierce storm.
Reishi gathered in vast quantities from the invisible particles in the air, transforming into blade after blade of light to block the swift, relentless slashes.
Bankai: Uro Zakuro!
By merging his own Reishi with the Reishi contained within other living creatures and inanimate objects, he could control them at will.
A flash of surprise crossed Azashiro Soya's eyes.
Although his Bankai had already merged with all the Reishi in Seireitei, allowing him to monitor everything happening in this space,
there was a limit to how much his mind could process.
So Azashiro Soya only observed the things he cared about.
Places like the Spiritual Arts Academy weren't worth much of his attention.
That was why he was so surprised by Kisaragi Akira's sudden outburst.
He hadn't expected such a ferocious side to be hidden beneath that carefree exterior.
Even when faced with someone countless times stronger than himself, he still dared to draw his blade without hesitation to protect everything he cherished.
Kisaragi, you've already far surpassed me.
The corners of Azashiro Soya's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
Kisaragi Akira gripped his Zanpakuto tightly, his gaze cold as a blade as it fell upon the figure before him.
He didn't care about the difference in strength.
He only knew one thing: if he didn't stand up and protect them now, then truly no one else would care.
But just as the battle grew increasingly intense, a familiar voice sounded once more.
[Azashiro Soya's trust level has reached the required threshold. Sign-in conditions met.]
[Character sign-in: Azashiro Soya...]
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