Chapter 294 – 294 ⥤ Invincible Above Ground, Enemy Below Ground

The Soul Society’s reaction to Akira’s appointment as Captain-Commander was subdued. Apart from a few dissenters, everyone agreed it was the natural choice.

Captain-Commander Kisaragi possessed not only strength, prestige, and achievements, but also — more precious still — a sincere heart that cared for his subordinates.

If not him as Captain-Commander, then who? Would they need to rebuild the Gotei 13 from scratch?

Even then, when voting time came, most would likely still choose him. After all, he possessed astounding wisdom and had proven capable of leading them to storm the Soul King Palace itself.

And so, without even pausing to mourn Shigekuni Yamamoto’s retirement, Akira Kisaragi prepared to take office as the new Captain-Commander!

The Seireitei erupted in celebration.

When news of the new Emperor reached the Quincy community, it initially sparked outrage. From common soldiers to Sternritter members, all voiced their objections.

But upon learning that His Majesty was Akira — their beloved Lord Hashirama Senju — they broke into smiles, praising Lord Haschwalth’s wisdom as the Wandenreich’s second-in-command.

After Yhwach’s fall, Akira ascended to the Sangai throne, and the world began to change dramatically. Everywhere one looked, peace and prosperity flourished.

Only within the 1st Division’s barracks could one hear hints of discord.

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1st Division Research and Development Institute.

Following preparations, contract signing, and decisive action by all parties involved, the forces of Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, and the Wandenreich established a new laboratory within the 1st Division.

Its purpose: to consolidate sensitive research projects, materials, and equipment, enabling crucial upcoming experiments.

“Our research shows that to become the Sangai’s linchpin, one must possess four powers simultaneously: Shinigami, Hollow, Quincy, and Fullbring.”

Kisuke, dark circles under his eyes, typed at his keyboard, documenting his findings.

“To elaborate, Fullbring can be understood as Soul King fragments or Soul King power. We have all four powers at our disposal — the challenge lies in coordinating them. I’ve developed three possible solutions.”

With a press of the enter key, text appeared on screen, simple enough for even Akira to grasp.

“First, we hollowfy a Shinigami who possesses Soul King fragments, using the fragment to anchor Quincy power. The second plan follows the same principle but uses an Arrancar as the subject—Ulquiorra Cifer would be ideal. As for the third…” Kisuke adjusted his newly acquired glasses and continued gravely, “We’ll build upon Project Nemu to create similar beings. Intelligence from the Daireishokairō reveals the Tsunayashiro family began comparable research long ago. They used Soul King fragments as cores, combining them with corpses of Quincy, Shinigami, Hollows, and humans to create a new Soul King.”

{T/N: The project that created Hikone Ubuginu, the one from the Tokinada Tsunayashiro story.}

Hearing this, Akira, who was lounging nearby, raised his hand, “Teacher Urahara, I have a question. If we create one this way, wouldn’t it result in someone like Yhwach?”

Kisuke ignored the informal address and stroked his chin thoughtfully, “It shouldn’t come to that. Yhwach’s emergence was, in a way, connected to the Soul King. What we’re researching now is merely the Sangai’s linchpin — we only need it to stabilize the Sangai, not possess combat ability.”

Aizen interjected from the side, “Akira, there’s no need for guilt. Without consciousness, it’s simply a tool. Our technology can ensure that easily.”

Hearing this, Akira relaxed and ceased worrying. Indeed, his filial stepson knew him best.

Meanwhile, Mayuri furrowed his brow, “The challenge lies in the core that coordinates these powers. A single Soul King fragment might be insufficient — unless we had one of Gerard’s caliber.”

Aizen stepped forward and tapped a few keys. The metal wall before them rotated and split, revealing a massive container sliding into view.

His tranquil voice echoed through the laboratory as he gazed at the object within, “Why fixate on Soul King fragments? We have better materials right here…”

Inside the container, suspended in viscous liquid, floated a brain — its surface wrinkled and writhing, as if still alive…

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The creation of the backup Soul King was entrusted to Kisuke and Mayuri.

Though the two scientists disparaged each other, years of collaboration had fostered an effective partnership. During experiments, a mere glance from Mayuri was enough for Kisuke to understand the next step. With their combined expertise and structured plan, completion seemed straightforward.

Szayelaporro, having missed his chance to study Gerard previously, refused to let this opportunity to create a Soul King pass him by. He stationed himself as their experimental assistant.

Meanwhile, Aizen and Akira had other pressing matters to address.

In another laboratory, Akira stared at black butterflies dancing within sealed Kidō, his expression peculiar.

“Sōsuke, I’m the Captain-Commander now with countless responsibilities. I don’t have time to watch butterflies with you.”

Aizen: “?”

He’d expected more restraint from someone who’d become Captain-Commander, but instead, he’d grown even more eccentric.

“These are Jigokuchō.” Aizen explained irritably, “They’re crucial for Shinigami traveling through the Dangai — without their guidance, one could become lost.”

Akira nodded. Though he rarely used them himself, he’d observed the 1st Division’s communications. Beyond guidance, Jigokuchō contained small Tenteikūra — the Shinigami’s “Internet” — for messaging.

However, this messaging method became obsolete after the invention of the Denreishinki (Divine Messenger Machine).

“Have you ever considered.” Aizen said gravely, changing the subject, “Why the butterflies guiding Shinigami contain the word ‘Hell’ in their name? And why the Central Great Underground Prison, which contains the most heinous criminals, is divided into eight hells?”

Seeing the husky’s bewildered expression, he knew his words had fallen on deaf ears again.

“Actually, Hell has always been beside us.” He let out a helpless sigh, “According to my research these past few days, Jigokuchō might have existed even longer than Soul Society.”

Akira pondered thoughtfully.

“We previously thought Jigokuchō were Hell’s means of monitoring the Sangai, but that’s not the case.” Aizen paused, then continued, “Jigokuchō are merely a special breed transformed by Hell’s essence. They possess world-traversing properties. Through generations of Shinigami exploration and evolution, they became what they are today. We can use them to develop methods to deal with Hell.”

Akira let out a similar sigh, “I understand. After solving the Yhwach problem, now it’s Hell’s turn. But, Sōsuke, aren’t you overlooking something?”

Aizen frowned, confused.

“Actually, you don’t need to think so much.” Akira chuckled confidently, “Because… now I’m invincible in this world! Even if that Soul King were to come back to life, it’s hard to say who would win!”

Looking at Akira’s confident smile, Aizen recalled the Soul King’s words. His furrowed brow gradually smoothed out, and finally, he slowly nodded.

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A month had passed since Akira took the position of Captain-Commander.

The retired Genryūsai, having nothing better to do, decided to check how his wayward disciple had been handling his work lately. He figured with Kisuke’s assistance, there shouldn’t be any major issues.

The old man, leaning on his cane, skillfully opened the door to the Captain’s office. Seeing the scene before him, his breath caught.

Mountains of paperwork were piled up. But no one was in sight.

Before he could get angry, the old man began searching through the various rooms of the 1st Division. After a fruitless search, he finally remembered the tracking Kidō.

“Damn it all, spending too much time with that boy must have made my thinking sluggish!” Genryūsai cursed, then used the Bakudō.

⤫ Bakudō #58: Kakushitsuijaku ⥤ Footprint-Attentive Pursuing-Sparrows! ⤬

His massive Reiatsu spread out from him as the center, quickly covering all of Seireitei.

Wait, where was he?

In all of vast Seireitei, Akira’s Reiatsu couldn’t be found. The newly appointed Captain-Commander had disappeared?

Genryūsai felt his blood pressure starting to rise again.

Just then, sensing his Reiatsu, Kisuke emerged from the laboratory and quickly ran up to him.

“Lord Genryūsai.” He said with a grin, “Before the Captain left, he instructed me to ask you to handle the accumulated paperwork if you came by.”

Genryūsai: “?”

I’m already retired, and you still want me to handle your paperwork?

Before he could voice his objection, Kisuke continued, “The development of the backup Soul King linchpin is at a critical stage, and I can’t spare any time right now. As for the Captain, he went down to Hell with Lord Aizen.”

Genryūsai: “…”

Well, that was unexpected — his wayward disciple had taken the initiative to deal with Hell’s problems.

He’d assumed the boy would indulge in a more luxurious life, but who knew he’d prove so responsible? That was quite admirable.

Seeing his silence, Kisuke bowed, “Please help us, Lord Genryūsai.”

Looking at the dark circles under this poor man’s eyes, Genryūsai let out a deep sigh.

At this point, what else was there to say?

He waved his hand and headed toward the Captain’s office, leaning on his cane.

Watching his retreating figure, Kisuke’s face filled with gratitude. Compared to a certain someone who took pleasure in exploiting others, this man was truly a moral exemplar.

Please help us, Lord Yamamoto!

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Hell.

Sharp, cold laughter echoed under the gloomy sky as a demon-like figure hovered in the air, unleashing waves of terrifying pressure in all directions.

“Having seen your king, why do you not bow?”

Below, the Togabito (Sinners), controlled by Hell’s will, frantically launched attacks at Akira, their brilliant, dazzling light threatening to stain the earth.

Thick, viscous Reiatsu filled the battlefield — enough to shred any ordinary Shinigami who dared set foot in it. Even Lieutenant-class Shinigami couldn’t withstand these aftershocks.

Yet attacks of this magnitude couldn’t even get within a hundred meters of Akira. The mere release of his Reiatsu easily annihilated them all.

And when he threw a punch, unleashing a Sekizō (Evening Elephant, technique from Naruto), it carved a void thousands of meters long before him.

Unfortunately, no matter how many Togabito fell, Hell itself remained unscathed. Unless one could completely annihilate an entire level of Hell — as Kuriyashiki had done before — nothing would change. But such an act would throw the world into chaos, leading to irreversible consequences.

Akira was having the time of his life while Aizen observed from the side, collecting data. Both men had reached the level of transcendent beings — normally, no one in Hell could match them.

However, there are always exceptions.

Just as Aizen was finishing his data collection on this level of Hell, a terrifying sword pressure shot across thousands of meters, annihilating countless Togabito in its path before streaking straight toward him.

As the sword pressure was about to strike, blue-purple light erupted from his eyes. Instantly, his Reiatsu crashed down like a collapsing sky.

The sword pressure froze before him. Cracks spread across its surface until it exploded with a thunderous boom, shattering into countless points of light that rained down.

Akira turned toward the source of the attack and asked excitedly, “Another strong one?”

An eerie Reiatsu immediately descended upon the battlefield as endless Hell-phosphorus surged forward in great waves. Every Togabito in its path became a lifeless corpse, floating in the phosphorescent sea.

The newcomer possessed ordinary features — messy black short hair, twisted black patterns across their skin, and an angel-like halo floating behind them. Though they resembled a Togabito, something about them was distinctly different.

Extremely strange.

Akira frowned as he studied them, feeling an odd sense of familiarity. It was as if he’d seen them somewhere before, though he would stake Kisuke’s vacation on never having met this person — not in his past life nor his current one.

“So, those who came after have already reached this level?” A kind smile spread across the other’s face as they regarded the two with satisfaction.

Aizen frowned, growing wary. That sword pressure from earlier had far exceeded the capabilities of any normal Shinigami Captain.

“I almost forgot to introduce myself.” The man’s lips curved upward as he shook the phosphorus from his blade, his steady voice resonating through the empty sky, “I am one whose sins cannot be forgiven. You may call me… Shiba.”

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