Villains

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

A female Soul Reaper from the 4th Division ran to Uchiha Yato's side, probed him with a specialized Kidō, and gasped.

"Right lung contused and torn, internal abdominal bleeding, sternum fractured, arm ligaments shredded, Reiatsu depleted. Seated Officer, you..."

"Just patch me up as best you can, soldier," Yato said with a bitter smile.

"I'm about to pass out."

"Yes, sir!" The medic nodded solemnly, steadied herself, and called over three companions. Together, the four of them cast Responded to stabilize Uchiha Yato's injuries.

A tingling sensation spread through his body, and Yato finally felt a flicker of energy.

I hope this isn't just a final surge of strength before the end...

He gave a self-deprecating smile and looked around.

The fire that had engulfed the center of the Zaraki District was almost extinguished by the Gotei 13. Members of Squad Three and Squad Five took turns using water-style Kidō, filling the air with steam until it felt like a thick fog.

Everywhere he looked, there were broken walls and charred beams jutting out of the ruins, surrounded by an endless sea of corpses.

Not far away, Kaien Shiba and Zaraki were also surrounded by 4th Division medical teams, though their conditions were even worse than Yato's; they had yet to regain consciousness.

It went without saying that the other six major districts of the Rukongai that had been attacked were surely in the same miserable state.

After all this chaos, he couldn't even tell if they had won or lost.

The young man sighed, closed his eyes, and the scene from earlier played out in his mind once more.

After digging up that severed female arm, Mochizuki Hanzō had nearly gone insane on the spot, losing all reason.

Yato had seen it clearly: after unleashing his Bankai, the Ryoka's face turned ashen, and every inch of his skin began to seep blood. It was obvious that with Hanzō's soul and Reiatsu at that moment, the Bankai was a lethal endeavor.

Yet, the Ryoka's demeanor clearly showed he had cast aside all thoughts of life and death. He simply gazed at the sky, his three pairs of massive wings flapping, and shot toward the infinite dome above at an unimaginable speed.

Though he hadn't targeted anyone specifically, the sheer force of his wings flapping had sent Yato, who was nearby, flying a hundred meters away, compounding his injuries and leaving him unable to recover for a long time.

"But... you who were branded a [Villain], where exactly were you going? Mochizuki Hanzō."

"You couldn't have been heading for the Soul King Palace, could you? Without the Shiba Clan's cannon rail, is it really possible to make it there relying solely on a Soul Reaper's Bankai?"

"And you didn't have a Royal Key either... wait! That female arm!?"

Uchiha Yato's thoughts gradually slowed; he knew this was a sign that the medication was taking effect.

The next time he woke up, he would surely be in the 4th Division's general infirmary.

Wait?

That's not right... I remember Captain Hikifune hinted that I shouldn't go near the 4th Division!

Yato instinctively tried to open his eyes, but found he couldn't control his eyelids at all. His nerves dulled, and his heartbeat slowed its rhythm.

Finally, he sank into chaotic darkness.

"A magnificent Bankai, Mochizuki Hanzō."

The corridor was magnificent, with towering white stone pillars on both sides. At the end stood a massive floating palace high in the sky, guarded by four smaller suspended cities, with a strange cylindrical structure at the very top.

This was the Soul King Palace.

The wedge of the Three Realms, the foundation of all spirits, the most noble and precious place in the world!

Even powerful captain-class Soul Reapers who came here had to keep their mouths shut, eyes downcast, and suppress their Reiatsu to show respect to the Soul King.

But at this moment, a voice rang out brazenly, treating all rules as if they were nothing.

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

"Flying Seven-Headed Dragon."

"I thought then that this might be the only Bankai in the Soul Society capable of flying directly to the Soul King Palace."

"As for Saitō Immortal, she died eight hundred and fifty years ago."

"I suspect you're dying to know why your captain would raise her blade against the Soul King... In truth, you should hate that King of the Quincy."

"It was he who connected the eyes of Saitō and the Soul King, allowing her to see certain things... I truly didn't expect that Saitō's left eye, which had been blind since childhood, was actually caused by the Soul King. Even I couldn't see that!"

"As for why her arm was fashioned into a Royal Key, that is because..."

"Hm? Mochizuki Hanzō, I've said so much, why don't you answer me?"

The speaker hummed with dissatisfaction and looked up.

He was tall and sturdy, bald, with thick eyebrows and a beard. He wore a white coat-style haori embroidered with the Squad Zero emblem, deep red prayer beads hung around his neck, and he wore wooden clogs.

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

He looked up at the Ryoka kneeling on the ground, drenched in blood, and observed him for a long while.

"Oh... I see." Ichibē Hyōsube realized with a start:

"You're already dead."

He feigned regret, sighing and shaking his head repeatedly.

"I had hoped to find someone to talk to... Never mind. Consider what follows your eulogy."

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

"They may not be the strongest, but they possess the potential for infinite evolution, and eventually, they solidify... This process reflects the power of [Advancement] and [Stillness]!"

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

"Throughout the history of the Soul Society, those who have 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, are all incredibly precious and can be used as reserve [Wedges]."

"Your captain, Saitō Immortal, saw those things, saw the future, and had to be erased. So, using her to the fullest extent... that's perfectly fine, isn't it?"

Ichibē Hyōsube scratched his hairless head and chuckled.

"As a Soul Reaper, you surely understand me. This approach is for the best for everyone. Everything Squad Zero does is for the Soul King, for the Soul Society... for the Seireitei."

Thud!

Mochizuki Hanzō's already stiff corpse fell to the ground.

"It seems you grew tired of listening. Very well, I shall erase everything about you just like this... Hm?"

The True Name Monk showed a look of surprise for the first time.

As the body fell, Hanzō's clothes tore open, revealing his undergarment.

The Ryoka who had used his Bankai to charge into the Soul King Palace seemed to have known his fate long ago, and at some point, he had used his own blood to write a few words on his white undergarment.

—Screw your Seireitei!

Ichibē Hyōsube paused, then grinned, revealing his stark white teeth.

There was no mercy, only ferocity.

Boom!

Pure blackness covered Mochizuki Hanzō's corpse, grinding every inch of his flesh into powder, causing him to vanish from the world entirely.

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

"He truly was... a villain."