Central 46, Underground Council Hall.
"Tell me about it..."
A Sage wearing a high crown casually pushed an application document that had just been submitted onto the long case. His old voice echoed in the empty stone hall, his tone full of undisguised sneer:
"This guy who came out of Rukongai actually threatened to challenge Captain Shibata of Eleventh Division... Is he here to be funny, or was his brain damaged by Quincy on the battlefield?"
The document clearly states: Challenger, Kuruyashiki, Rukongai origin, no squad establishment, no formal resume, only participating in the war as a foreign aid in Quincy War and accompanying Eleventh Division.
The person being challenged is currently the captain of Eleventh Division, Shibata Takanobu.
The legal basis cited in this letter of challenge is the four bloody words that have long been sealed in the depths of the file - Blood Trial.
"He actually wants to use the rules of Blood Trial to rise to the top and seize the position of captain Eleventh Division?"
In the shadow of the meeting hall, low sneers and whispers suddenly sounded.
"It's ridiculous. A Rukongai savage who is not even qualified to wear Shihakushō dares to knock on this door? Does he know who he is challenging?"
"In my opinion, it's probably because I followed Eleventh Division on the battlefield, killed a few Quincy Holy Soldiers, and got a bounty, so I really think of myself as a person. Rukongai's mud legs, after all, don't know how high the sky is."
The sarcastic laughter spread among the seats and before it dissipated, an elder Inquisitor sitting in the front row lightly tapped the table and spoke slowly:
"But procedurally speaking, there are no problems with this application."
The laughter in the hall has subsided a bit, but the aloof and joking atmosphere still fills the air.
"Speaking of which... ever since that Murata broke the original ironclad rule, the Blood Trial program has indeed not been officially launched for many years."
Another Sage stroked his beard and chimed in casually. "Now that the war is over, everything is waiting to be done. Since someone handed in the petition in accordance with the rules, it would not be a big deal to restart the trial briefly. It should be a sideshow for the boring Seireitei."
At this moment, someone in the corner interjected in a very soft voice:
"What if... I mean what if, this Rukongai savage named Kuruyashiki really wins?"
As soon as these words came out, some people around immediately snorted and retorted, "Absurd! The Bankai of Shibata Takanobu is there. It is the Captain-Class combat power that was actually killed from the mountain of corpses and the sea of blood. How can a reckless man from a wild background win? With his Rukongai rags?"
Rotating Speaker made the final decision. "Okay, no need to argue, just follow the old rules. Applications will be accepted as usual, trials will proceed as usual, we just need to watch from behind."
Central 46's approval did not cause a big stir when it was sent to the captain's room of each division.
After hearing the reports from the messengers, most of the captains who had experienced several battles just raised their brows slightly and did not express their opinions immediately.
In addition to Shibata Takanobu's unbelievable private ridicule and humiliation of Kuruyashiki
According to the iron law passed down by Blood Trial, in order to prevent the aftermath of the battle from getting out of control or someone secretly breaking the rules, in addition to witnesses from both sides of the battle and Eleventh Division, at least one captain from another division or Lieutenant must be present at the trial site in person to suppress the battle, and a whole team of Onmitsukidō is responsible for monitoring and blocking the entire process.
As for the final candidate to witness the battle, it naturally and without any suspense fell on the person who perfected the Blood Trial rule: Shuichi
But in Eleventh Division Barracks, the center of the storm, the atmosphere showed a strange sense of fragmentation.
Down the corridor during the lunch break, a new Squad Member, who had just graduated early from the Shin'ō Academy and had been assigned to the team for less than two months, was holding the team announcement that had just been posted, and turned to look at his companions who had come in with a blank expression:
"Hey, what on earth is this Blood Trial written above? Spiritual Arts Academy doesn't seem to be mentioned much in the textbook."
The young Squad Member opposite also shook his head in confusion. "How did I know? I just heard the seniors mention it, and it seems that... our Eleventh Division captain's position can be snatched directly by fighting?"
Several newcomers with brand-new Asauchi came up next to them, their eyes widened. "Really or not?! No need to assess Kidō? No need to be appointed by Central 46? No recommendation from the old captain?"
"I heard it's an ancient tradition unique to our squad. Anyway... on the trial field, whoever can cut down the current captain will be the new captain."
"Isn't that random?! What's the difference between this and Rukongai's gang fight?"
"Who knows..."
Several young people who had just lost their student spirit looked at each other with disbelief and curiosity written on their faces.
For this group of new recruits who poured in during the post-war expansion, the four words Blood Trial were just a new line of uncommon small characters appearing on the bulletin board roster.
They have not experienced that era when they spoke purely with blades. They don't know how many strong men's blood has been drained behind those four words; they don't know how many of those sitting in the captain's room or whose names are left on the High-Ranking Seated Officer tablets today stepped on the corpses of their colleagues or even close friends and climbed up step by step from the blood and mud.
They only knew that a few days later, there would be a rare duel on the martial arts field.
However, what is completely different from the noisy discussions of the new recruits is that the veterans in Eleventh Division who survived Quincy War did not say a word from the beginning to the end.
Even if they heard the newcomers making a fuss in their ears, they would just sit in silence on the porch, using a white cloth soaked in oil to polish the Zanpakutō in their hands until they shined brightly.
Until late at night, people are quiet and the noise dissipates.
Only three or two veterans, covered with old wounds, walked out of the team building alone and walked silently to the edge of the empty and lonely martial arts field. They stood in the shadows, raised their heads, and quietly looked at the weakly lit window of the captain's room in the distance for a long, long time.
The night wind blew through the sandy ground of the martial arts arena, picking up a few dead leaves.
In the darkness, Ashido, standing in the corner, gently rubbed the handle of the knife at his waist, looking in the direction of the captain's room, and an almost inaudible, but extremely complicated whisper escaped from his throat:
"Kuruyashiki... You guy, why do you have to..."
Ashido's eyes were filled with unspeakable bitterness and confusion. As Kuruyashiki's best friend, he knew better than anyone how terrifying that man's strength was, but he couldn't figure it out. Kuruyashiki If you want to join Gotei 13, there are obviously countless upright roads you can take. Why should you choose this dead end road and step into Seireitei in this way?