Villain

"Someone's here! Hurry! Medical team!"

A female member of the 4th Division ran over to Uchiha Yato. She used a special Kidō to examine him, then sucked in a sharp breath.

"Right lung contusion and laceration, internal bleeding, fractured sternum, torn arm ligaments, depleted spiritual pressure. Seated Officer, you..."

"Just do what you can to patch me up, officer." Yato gave a wry smile.

"I'm about to pass out."

"Yes, sir!" The medical officer nodded solemnly, steadied herself, then called over three companions. The four of them worked together to use Responded, suppressing Uchiha Yato's injuries.

A tingling sensation spread through his body, and Yato finally felt a little more alert.

I hope this isn't just a last burst of energy...

He smiled at his own expense and looked around.

The great fire that had engulfed central Zaraki District was almost extinguished by the Gotei 13. Members of the Third Division and Squad Five took turns using water-based Kidō, and steam billowed everywhere like fog.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but ruins. Charred beams jutted from the wreckage, with a seemingly endless sea of corpses beside them.

Not far away, Kaien Shiba and Zaraki were also surrounded by the 4th Division's medical team. Their condition was even worse than Yato's, and they still hadn't regained consciousness.

There was no doubt the six other Rukongai districts that had been attacked looked just as horrific.

With things having come to this, it was hard to say whether they had won or lost.

The boy sighed and closed his eyes. The scene from before played through his mind again.

After digging up that severed woman's arm, Mochizuki Hanzō had nearly gone mad on the spot, losing all reason.

Yato had clearly seen that after using Bankai, the Ryoka's face had turned ashen, and blood seeped from every inch of his skin. Given Mochizuki Hanzō's soul and spiritual pressure at the time, Bankai was clearly a life-threatening gamble.

But the Ryoka had obviously stopped caring whether he lived or died. He only gazed up at the sky, then beat his three pairs of enormous wings and shot toward the endless heavens at an unimaginable speed.

He hadn't been targeted, but the sheer force of those wings had sent Yato flying a hundred meters, worsening his injuries. It took him ages to recover.

"But... where exactly are you going, the one they call a 'villain'? Mochizuki Hanzō."

"Don't tell me you're going to the Soul King Palace? Without the Shiba Clan's cannon track, could a Soul Reaper really manage it with Bankai alone?"

"And you don't have the Royal Key, either... Wait! That woman's arm!?"

Uchiha Yato's thoughts grew sluggish. He knew that meant the medicine was taking effect.

When he next woke up, he would probably be in the General Infirmary of the 4th Division.

Huh?

No... I remember Captain Hikifune hinting that I shouldn't go near the 4th Division!

Yato tried to open his eyes, but found he couldn't control his eyelids at all. His nerves had gone numb, and his heartbeat was slowing.

At last, he sank into the dark void.

"An impressive Bankai, Mochizuki Hanzō."

A grand corridor stretched before them, its towering white stone pillars rising on either side. At the far end stood an immense palace floating high in the sky, guarded by four slightly smaller hovering cities. Above them all was a strange cylindrical structure.

This was the Soul King Palace.

The linchpin of the Three Realms, the foundation of all souls, the most sacred and revered place in the world!

Even powerful Captain-level Soul Reapers would keep their mouths shut, lower their eyes, and rein in their spiritual pressure to show respect for the Soul King.

Yet now, a voice rang out carelessly, again and again, as if rules meant nothing.

"...Nine hundred and eighty-six years ago, when you first received your Asauchi, I learned the true name of this Soul-Cutter Sword."

"Flying Seven-Headed Dragon."

"Even then, I thought it might be the only Bankai in Soul Society capable of flying straight to the Soul King Palace."

"As for Saitō Immortal, she had been dead for eight hundred and fifty years."

"I'm guessing you want to know why your captain drew her blade against the Soul King... The one you should hate is the King of the Quincy."

"He connected Saitō's eyes to the Soul King's, letting her see certain things... I never thought Saitō's left eye, blind since childhood, had been caused by the Soul King. Even I couldn't see it!"

"As for why her arm was made into the Royal Key, that's because..."

"Hm? Mochizuki Hanzō, I've said all this, and you haven't answered me once."

The speaker gave an annoyed snort and raised his head.

He was tall and broad, bald, with thick eyebrows and a bushy beard. He wore a white haori patterned with the Squad Zero crest, a deep red rosary around his neck, and wooden sandals on his feet.

He was none other than the namer of all things in Soul Society, the leader of Squad Zero, the "Monk Who Calls the True Name," Ichibē Hyōsube!

He looked up at the blood-soaked Ryoka kneeling before him and studied him for a long while.

"Oh... I see." Ichibē Hyōsube suddenly understood.

"You're already dead."

He put on a show of regret, sighing and shaking his head repeatedly.

"I thought I'd found someone to talk to... Never mind. Consider what follows your eulogy."

"Multi-Stage Release Soul-Cutter Swords are the strangest type of all."

"They may not be the strongest, but they have the potential to evolve without limit, until they eventually settle into a fixed form... This process reflects the forces of 'advancement' and 'stagnation'!"

"That is why Soul Reapers who possess Multi-Stage Release Soul-Cutter Swords are closer to the Soul King than ordinary souls."

"Throughout the history of Soul Society, those who possessed Multi-Stage Release Soul-Cutter Swords..."

"Akiyama Uto, Igarashi Guren, Saitō Immortal..." The monk, who had lived for a million years, paused before continuing.

"And now Uchiha Yato. They are all incredibly precious, suitable for use as reserve 'linchpins.'"

"Your captain, Saitō Immortal, saw those things. She saw the future and had to be erased, so making full use of her... That's all right, isn't it?"

Ichibē Hyōsube scratched his completely bald head and cheerfully said,

"As a Soul Reaper, you must understand. This is what's best for everyone. Everything Squad Zero does is for the Soul King, for Soul Society... for Seireitei."

Bang!

Mochizuki Hanzō's stiff corpse fell to the ground.

"Looks like you're tired of listening. Fine, I'll erase everything about you just like this... Hm?"

For the first time, the Monk Who Calls the True Name looked surprised.

As Mochizuki Hanzō fell, his clothes had come undone, exposing the undergarment beneath.

The Ryoka who had forced his way into the Soul King Palace with Bankai seemed to have known his fate all along. At some point, he had used his blood to write a few words on the white undergarment.

—Go fuck yourself, Seireitei!

Ichibē Hyōsube was taken aback for an instant. Then he grinned, baring his gleaming white teeth.

There was no mercy in his expression, only menace.

Boom!

Pure blackness enveloped Mochizuki Hanzō's corpse, grinding every inch of his flesh and bone to dust until nothing of him remained in the world.

Ichibē Hyōsube's voice echoed through the empty Soul King Palace.

"Truly... a villain."