Chapter 278 – 278 ⥤ How Did It Come to This, Captain?

Having taught Akira for so long, Genryūsai prided himself on being the person who understood him best. One look was all he needed to discern his unruly disciple’s intentions.

Unsolicited favors always came with ulterior motives — either trouble or wants. Given Soul Society’s recent peace, his disciple’s intentions were obvious.

“As expected, I can’t hide anything from my teacher.” Akira chuckled, a fawning grin spreading across his face.

Genryūsai furrowed his brow, a sense of foreboding washing over him. This damned brat was surely about to cause him a major headache.

“Teacher, war between Soul Society and the Wandenreich is imminent.” Akira said, spreading his hands, “Though under my diligent governance, the number of active Shinigami has increased greatly in recent years.”

Genryūsai glared at him — what diligent governance? He hadn’t handled a single official duty.

But then he reconsidered — while Akira wasn’t diligent in governance, he was fierce in battle.

Fighting nobles above, suppressing rebellions below, the 11th Division immediately eliminated even the Hollows that occasionally appeared in Rukongai.

Since this man became captain of the 11th Division, casualties across all divisions had indeed dropped to an all-time low.

Seeing his silence, Akira continued, “But even so, we still lag behind the Quincy of the Wandenreich. Once war breaks out, massive casualties are inevitable. Teacher, you don’t want to see that happen either, right?”

The old man’s expression darkened as memories of the thousand-year-old war flooded back.

The fierce battle between the original Gotei 13 and the Lichtreich had nearly destroyed Seireitei. Blood had flowed like rivers, with corpses strewn everywhere.

Even with his unruly disciple present, Genryūsai’s understanding of Yhwach left him with little confidence in the upcoming war. Victory might be possible, but casualties would be unavoidable.

The thought of those vibrant lives perishing before his eyes weighed heavily on his heart.

He had changed dramatically from the cruel and decisive Sword Demon of a thousand years ago — the one who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

“Hmph, no need to manipulate me. Just say what you want.” After a moment’s thought, Genryūsai realized these rhetorical techniques must have come from that Aizen fellow.

Knowing Akira’s personality, he would typically state things directly rather than dance around the subject.

Sigh, despite being so clever, why did he associate with that fool?

Akira smiled, knowing the old man had taken his words to heart — otherwise, he wouldn’t wear such a sour expression.

“It’s about the underground prison. I want to visit Mugen again.”

Genryūsai frowned, “What for?”

“To release Sōya Azashiro.”

“?”

The old man was furious, nearly drawing Ryūjin Jakka to strike his disciple’s head.

Akira, have you lost your mind?

Releasing an extreme criminal sentenced to 19,500 years — are you trying to openly defy regulations and stand against Soul Society?

“You fool, do you realize what you’re saying? Releasing such a criminal amounts to openly challenging Central 46! When the time comes, you won’t have enough heads to lose!”

Akira grinned, “If I get caught, what method will Central 46 use to execute me?”

“Sōkyoku, definitely Sōkyoku!” Genryūsai snapped.

Akira crossed his arms confidently, “Teacher, not to brag, but Sōkyoku’s pitiful destructive power might not even break through my defense. In all of Soul Society, who can kill me — who dares to kill me?”

BOOM!

Genryūsai’s fist slammed down, sending Akira crashing into the floor and stirring up clouds of dust.

“Fool! If you don’t give me a satisfactory reason, I’ll clean this house right now!”

Akira released his Reiatsu, shaking off the dust. With an unworried smile, he said, “Of course I have a proper reason. Am I really such an unreliable person in teacher’s heart?”

Genryūsai took a deep breath, suppressing his rising anger.

You really don’t know how unreliable you are, do you?

“First, Sōya Azashiro was imprisoned in Mugen on mere trumped-up charges. Though he planned to transform the Souls in Rukongai into ultimate killing weapons, Central 46 sentenced him before he could act.”

Genryūsai raised his hand to interrupt, “If I remember correctly, he had already modified test subjects in some district — just a few villainous ronin and traitorous Shinigami.”

As someone who experienced it firsthand, Akira knew the truth.

Central 46 had sentenced Sōya to 19,500 years primarily because they feared the terrifying power of Urozakuro. They also exploited his unwavering loyalty to Soul Society’s regulations.

Due to his childhood experiences, Sōya had sworn to become a proper Shinigami, conducting himself strictly within regulatory bounds.

Central 46 recognized this weakness and used it to deliver such an extreme punishment.

Though Genryūsai similarly operated outside Central 46’s control and possessed combat power surpassing 99.9% of Shinigami, they never charged him with violating security regulations.

They simply picked on the weak.

Yet Sōya accepted his fate because his life’s wish had been fulfilled — he no longer dwelled on the past. Location meant little to him.

He preferred retirement in Mugen to toiling away in the 11th Division.

Seeing Genryūsai’s silence, Akira continued, “Sōya Azashiro’s Vanguard Plan could dramatically reduce Gotei 13 casualties, perhaps even eliminate them entirely. Rather than letting him rot in Mugen, we should use his talents.”

Genryūsai frowned, “Kid, what exactly are you trying to do?”

Akira held his head high, saying proudly, “Replicate the Gotei 13!”

The old man’s white eyebrows knitted together into a single line.

It wasn’t that he distrusted his foolish disciple, but such a fantastical claim created a sense of unreality.

During the previous Reigai incident, Kagerōza Inaba had only managed to replicate a handful of Captains and Lieutenants, not even including himself.

What gave this kid such confidence to claim he could replicate the entire Gotei 13?

After a moment’s contemplation, emotion won over reason, and Genryūsai’s brow softened:

“I’ll trust you this once. Here’s the key to Mugen — don’t let anyone discover you when you go in.”

Looking at what he handed him, Akira was surprised, “Why did it change to Ryūjin Jakka?”

Genryūsai glared at him irritably, “All because of the chaos someone caused in the underground prison before! Now get out — I don’t want to see you right now!”

Akira took Ryūjin Jakka with a hearty laugh and left the 11th Division.

Watching his retreating figure, the anger on the old man’s face melted away, replaced by a trace of gratification.

Caring for the lives of all Shinigami, shouldering the burden of protecting the Seireitei alone.

Kid, I look forward to the day you become Captain-Commander!

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

The 7th Division still guarded the Underground Assembly Hall, with Sajin having replaced Jin’emon.

When he heard that Akira planned to release prisoners from Mugen, the wolfman switched sides without hesitation and led the way. To him, Lord Kisaragi far outweighed those worthless Central 46 members.

With Sajin accompanying them, the journey proceeded smoothly.

When Akira stepped into Mugen, endless darkness greeted his eyes. This space had no up or down, no left or right — even the concept of “world” was blocked out.

Just as he was about to search for Sōya’s containment location, a faint light floated through the darkness, gradually approaching him.

As the figure drew near, a familiar elegant smile appeared on his face.

“Akira, it’s been a while.”

Akira nodded in acknowledgment, “Indeed it has been a while, since the last time we met was the last time.”

Sōya paused for a moment, his smile unchanged, “You’re still as amusing as ever with your words.”

Akira noticed that the man before him had changed greatly — not only in his demeanor, which had lost some of its righteous indignation, but even in appearance.

Most notably, beside him stood a slightly transparent young woman who bore some resemblance to him.

“Is this your sister?” Akira asked curiously.

Sōya nodded, his gaze softening as he looked at the young woman beside him.

“I gathered the wandering Reishi in Mugen and used the bell as a core to create a soul-like body. This way, my sister can break free from the bell’s constraints and move freely.”

Hearing this, Akira was moved.

Indeed, the power of love knew no bounds. During his imprisonment, Sōya had developed his Zanpakutō abilities to their limit.

“By the way, what urgent business brings you to Mugen?” Sōya asked, suddenly realizing he hadn’t inquired.

“You don’t know?”

Akira was surprised — wasn’t this guy supposed to have merged with all the Reishi in the Seireitei? How could there be something he didn’t know?

When he and Yama-jii had clashed, they hadn’t deliberately blocked out external Reishi.

Sōya shook his head, “My brain can’t process that much information. I usually only pay attention to what interests me — there’s a lot I’m not aware of.”

Akira pondered for a moment before revealing Aizen’s plan in full, directly stating that he needed his help.

“I see.” Sōya smiled slightly and readily agreed, “A small matter — leave it to me.”

Akira’s kindness to him had been like giving him a new life — their previous small exchange couldn’t compare. Faced with this invitation now, he naturally wouldn’t refuse.

Even if this action completely violated Soul Society’s regulations.

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

“How could you do this, Captain!”

Kisuke let out a heart-wrenching cry, clinging tightly to his Captain’s waist as he pleaded with an anguished expression:

“Shouldn’t we at least start with the basic Quincy? Going straight for Yhwach’s Schutzstaffel — who can handle that?!”

Akira pried off the workhorse’s fingers, lifted him up, and looked him in the eye.

“Handle it even if you can’t. In all of Soul Society, no one is more suited than you.”

Kisuke continued to struggle, “But what about Aizen-san? His combat prowess is exceptional, and his intelligence surpasses mine. He’s the perfect candidate for infiltrating the Sternritter!”

Akira grinned, “Sōsuke already signed up. By the way, he’s the one who recommended you.”

Kisuke’s breath caught.

Aizen, I despise you!

At this point, refusing would only result in his Captain forcing him anyway. He could only agree through his tears.

“Come on, stop crying.” Akira said, patting his shoulder, “What’s there to be unsatisfied about? Fighting alongside your Captain is an honor.”

Kisuke gave him a long, meaningful look and let out a deep sigh.

He worried his Captain would be too reckless and get him beaten up again — it wouldn’t be the first time.

As they spoke, Mayuri walked in, his painted face unable to hide his smile.

“Captain, the development was successful.”

“What development?”

“The idea you proposed earlier, the Tenkai Kecchu (World-Shifting Binding-Posts).”

Mayuri produced what looked like a USB drive and plugged it into the room’s equipment, projecting a clear image before them.

The image showed the familiar Seireitei, with huge green light screens positioned near the Four Great Pure Soul Gates. The screens appeared to merge with the Shakonmaku (Soul-Warding Membrane) that covered Seireitei.

“This is the design for the Tenkai Kecchu. Its basic formula derives from the Senkaimon and Garganta, capable of transferring all of Seireitei’s buildings to Hueco Mundo.” Mayuri explained, “We just need to create a one-to-one replica of the Seireitei for the future war. This will minimize our losses.”

Hearing this, Akira’s eyes lit up, and he gave Mayuri’s shoulder a hearty pat.

“Excellent! Truly worthy of being my strategic genius. I hereby unilaterally declare that your intelligence, Mayuri, has surpassed Kisuke’s and is second only to mine.”

The first half of that statement made Mayuri quite happy, but the latter half stuck in his throat.

Second to Akira — how was that any different from being called an idiot?

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

An unusual peace had settled over Soul Society — the kind that made one’s skin crawl.

Even the dull-witted members of the 11th Division could sense the oppressive atmosphere that blanketed everything.

Strange orders flowed from the 1st Division in an endless stream, cascading through the ranks. Meanwhile, Arrancar Hollows from Hueco Mundo roamed freely through every street and alley.

The calm before the storm…

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

Inside the largest palace of Silbern.

Yhwach gazed down at the diverse crowd below, his deep voice resonating through the vast chamber:

“Hashirama, are these the Sternritter candidates you’ve selected?”

Akira nodded without hesitation.

Yhwach’s face twisted with an unreadable emotion.

New Quincy recruits he could understand, but Arrancar Hollows?

Had his Wandenreich truly become so desperate for talent?!

⤫⤬⤫

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