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"Kakyō, listen to me, it's not even night yet, and it's raining heavily. I can't see any stars at all."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada lay in the large pit, and in his daze, he seemed to see his wife who had died many years ago.
He was buried under boulders and wooden walls; at this moment, only these indestructible bulwarks could protect him. Pressing his ear to the ground, only the echoing sound of his heartbeat told him: "You are still alive."
One punch, just one punch.
That terrifying man had smashed him from the pinnacle of the Tsunayashiro branch family's power to its very bottom.
"He's really laughing happily, huh? I'm sorry I'm still alive... That Old Man, Teacher Yamamoto, gave Ikkotsu to him. I really doubt if he himself could use it with such power."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada gasped. No sound came from his mouth, yet he seemed to be conversing with someone, someone he was unwilling to show weakness to.
"It really hurts to death, my whole body is aching! Is this what death feels like? Were you like this back then? How truly pathetic. How many years have passed since then? Fifty years? Sixty years? Or a hundred years?"
Tsunayashiro Tokinada blinked, but a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"I can't remember clearly, but this feeling isn't bad at all. Don't say foolish things, don't say foolish things to me, Kakyō!"
"Save me? I don't need your salvation!"
"At a time like this, can you stop making me angry!?"
"I don't need you to disperse the dark clouds for me. From the very beginning, I stood above the clouds; I myself am the dark clouds!"
"I am not a child who needs your guidance, nor are you my teacher. I attended the Central Shin'o Academy, and at that time, the dean was still that Old Man Yamamoto, and he was the one teaching me."
"That Old Man Yamamoto is my teacher, but even he couldn't teach me well, so don't overestimate yourself, Kakyō..."
He closed his eyes, as if by doing so, he wouldn't see those gentle eyes.
It was pitch black under the ruins. Dark clouds poured down rain like mad. The wooden walls and stones still hadn't managed to bury him completely, and rainwater seeped through the cracks, hitting his face.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada hadn't expected this place to become his grave, nor had he expected death to arrive on this day.
Originally, today was a good day. After today, he would be able to sit as the family head, but now, the Tsunayashiro Family would probably disappear completely, and so would he.
This temporary fortress gave him no sense of security whatsoever. He had no doubt that the man who had so wantonly brutalized him could destroy the entire Soul Society.
Now, Tsunayashiro Tokinada just wanted Aozaki Reiji to destroy this world along with him, because he had never liked this world to begin with.
From the moment he stepped into that tall building, Tsunayashiro Tokinada felt something was wrong. Coupled with that strange Zanpakuto, he later learned that the man had killed the elders of the Tsunayashiro branch family.
That man had come specifically for the Tsunayashiro Family, and his strength was terrifying. He himself was likely no match.
At a time like this, escaping was the best option, but he didn't want to run.
He had known for a long time that that woman would take him away. Today might be the time. If not, then he could still live happily for a while longer.
Fortunately, he had already committed all the evils he intended to over the years, and he hadn't missed out on any of the pleasures.
If he really died today, it wouldn't be a loss.
If he died, he should go to hell, and not having to stay in the same world as this woman every day would also be a good thing.
To be honest, he had no feelings for that woman.
That woman was a carefully chosen experimental subject by the family, for the purpose of testing whether offspring could inherit Reio's fragments from their parents.
He was the last seat of a branch family, naturally having no right to choose, and accepted this marriage with an indifferent attitude.
He was completely uninterested in the family's experiments. He wanted even more to see Kakyō's powerless and pained expression after learning the truth, so he told Kakyō the truth on their wedding night.
But that detestable woman had already seen through everything and treated him like a naive child, taking his malice as childish mischief.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada couldn't help but grit his teeth at this thought, thinking that he should have let that woman live to continue experiencing the pain of the experiments, so he wouldn't have to keep thinking of her.
However, with that woman's personality, she would probably just smile silently and comfort herself. Just thinking of that expression made him angry!
He turned his head, and the smile at the corner of his mouth became even more distorted...
A pitch-black figure stood beside him!
This speed is really fast, I didn't feel a thing. What is this guy's true strength?
That damned outfit prevents me from sensing his exact Reiatsu, but another attack would likely yield the same result.
The torrential rain lashed down on the person next to him, and the spray seemed to envelop him in a faint glow. The flames he had used earlier were as terrifying as facing that Old Man Yamamoto.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, but he was already too weak to struggle. Blood gushed out, and excessive blood loss led to oxygen deprivation in his brain, his consciousness became hazy, and his vision gradually blurred.
Although he was certainly going to die, Tsunayashiro Tokinada felt that the other party didn't want to let him off so easily.
Those ink-black eyes were truly beautiful, devoid of even a trace of pity.
Aozaki Reiji was observing Tsunayashiro Tokinada, holding a strong curiosity for the Enrakyoten in his hand. It had the same ability to imitate Zanpakuto as Shinra Bansho.
However, the former consumed the user's Souls, while the latter had no such drawback.
Speaking of which, Shinra Bansho is still better.
Souls are the origin of a person. Whether it's a Shinigami, a Hollow, or a human, the fundamental basis of existence is Souls. Even a slight injury can cause a huge impact.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada had just regained a sliver of consciousness, and before he could understand if it was a dying flicker, he saw Aozaki Reiji snatch away Enrakyoten.
"Is he going to use that blade to kill me? How truly malicious!"
Tsunayashiro Tokinada sighed inwardly, the smile on his lips remaining unchanged.
To be killed by one's own Zanpakuto is simply the greatest insult for a Shinigami.
Although this blade didn't truly belong to him, he was, after all, using it.
"What a hateful gaze, it makes me not want to look a second time!" Aozaki Reiji raised the Zanpakuto in his hand, and explosive flames ignited along with it.
Only then did Tsunayashiro Tokinada understand that the other party intended to completely erase any trace of his existence in this world.
Aozaki Reiji put Shinra Bansho back to his waist, his right hand tightly gripping Enrakyoten, slowly turned around, and walked towards the distance.
The dark-red flames that had originally enveloped him gradually dissipated, and that hateful, mischievous child also vanished with them, as if it had never existed, or as if it were merely a pile of dust on the ground.
"Begging me is useless. I don't want to use you, I don't want to weaken my own Souls," Aozaki Reiji said softly, looking down at the Enrakyoten in his hand.
"The reduction of Souls is to maintain my own existence. Without it, I would not have been able to persist until now."
His tone was unexpectedly gentle, even carrying a hint of respect.
"But I have other methods. After all, a Zanpakuto is merely a vessel. What I need is for you to accept me."
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